Scotland's third-largest city is characterized by buildings of beautiful granite. Set beside the North Sea, Aberdeen is both a university town and the capital of the Scottish oil boom. In addition, it is one of Scotland's largest seaside resorts.
The city's attractions include the 15th-century St. Machar's Cathedral, the Mercat Cross of 1686 (a striking structure), the 14th-century Brig o' Balgownie (Scotland's oldest bridge), the Winter Garden (Europe's largest indoor garden), a fine art gallery and the Aberdeen Maritime Museum. Old Aberdeen, the students' quarter of the city, is worth a visit: Walk the campuses of the two ancient universities, King's College (founded 1495) and Marischal College (founded 1500, the second-largest granite building in the world), now combined as the University of Aberdeen. Or get up at the crack of dawn to visit the warehouse of buzzing activity that is Aberdeen's famous fish market.
Aberdeen is an excellent base for touring the nearby castles (Dunnotar, Slains and Crathes) and numerous Speyside whisky distilleries (Glenfiddich, Glenlivet and many more). Other sites include Balmoral Castle (the royal family's summer residence, with grounds and the Carriage Hall open to the public from late March or early April to the end of July) and Braemar Castle, which hosts the largest Highland games every September. 150 mi/240 km northeast of Glasgow.
