Aberdeen: Footdee fishing village, Provost Skenes House & Maritime Museum?

Hi, Linda,

How much time do you have in Aberdeen? Just the afternoon? The Maritime Museum is closest to the train station, so you should head there first. Provost Skene's House is a short walk from there, so you should visit there next, followed by lunch at the Upperkrust on Upperkirkgate, or Archie Simpson's at the corner of Union Street and King Street

Fittie should be your last stop, as it's a fishing village, and there are no opening/closing hours. There are no "scenic" routes to Fittie from central Aberdeen. The shortest route takes you through a fairly grim industrial area. The best way to go, albeit a bit longer, would be to go down Beach Boulevard to the beachfront, then turn right along the beachfront to Fittie. You can stop at the Inversnecky Cafe for an ice cream.

If you're pressed for time after Fittie, you can catch a bus back to the train station, or follow York Street to Wellington Street, turn left, then right on Waterloo Quay, then keep the harbour on your left all the way back to the train station.

You should have time to visit all three sites, depending on how much time you have, but if you are hard pressed for time, you could take a taxi out to Fittie. There is a taxi stand near the Castlegate.

Enjoy Aberdeen!

Best wishes,

Mike (Auchterless)

p.s.: There is no admission charge for either the Maritime Museum or Provost Skene's House.

Wow, this is perfect Mike and I do so appreciate all of your ideas and tips for my upcoming second trip to Scotland. In 2023, I was unable to explore Aberdeen and made a point to include the area in this trip. I have 2 1/2 days in Aberdeen. My arrival day, I will try and take your suggestions exploring Aberdeen proper and the fishing village. The two full days I have are day trips 1) Dunnoter Castle and Deeside with Rabbies, and 2) Coastal Villages of Aberdeenshire booked thru Get Your Guide. The next morning I take a train to Inverness as an overnight before venturing to the islands of Lewis, Harris and St Kilda.

Thanks also for referrals to restaurants. Indeed, I had the Upperkrust cafe on my radar - it was probably your referral from an earlier post.

Regards, Linda

Hi again, Linda,

Glad to hear that you're spending more than an afternoon in Aberdeen! I don't know where you're staying in town, but there are a lot of good places to eat in the city centre.

Here are some recommendations, in addition to the ones I previously mentioned:

Old Blackfriars, corner of Union Street and Marischal Street, just off of the Castlegate. Good food, reasonably priced, and one of the few Aberdeen restaurants which offers deep fried Mars bars for dessert.

Archibald Simpson's, at the northwest corner of Union and King Streets. It's part of a chain (Wetherspoon's), but again good food at reasonable prices.

Prince of Wales, St Nicholas Lane. Probably the best known pub in Aberdeen. There pub grub is excellent. It's often pretty noisy, but there are quiet corners where you can enjoy a meal in peace. St Nicholas Lane is just off of Union Street. As you're facing the St Nicholas Shopping Centre, it's the first left off of Union.

Ma Cameron's, Little Belmont Street. Another pub with great food. Little Belmont Street is parallel to Union Street, just west of the St Nicholas Kirkyard.

There are some really good boutique restaurants just off of Union Street, as you head farther west. They include the Braided Fig on Summer Street, and Foodstory (Vegan) on Thistle Street.

I don't know how much time you have outwith your tours (which sound really good, BTW, especially the Coastal Aberdeen tour), but if you're staying close to the center of town, check out the recently revamped Union Terrace Gardens. The amount of money put in to the rebuilding has been a bone of contention in Aberdeen politics for some time now. It looks really great, though!

If you have time, the Art Gallery is definitely worth a visit. Best of all, it's free!

Less than six weeks ago, Aberdeen started a hop on - hop off bus service. It's called the "Aberdeen Adventurer", and it starts from Broad Street, near Marischal College and Provost Skene's house. The (open topped double decker) bus has ten stops, and takes you all over the city, particularly the older part. All day fare is something like 15 pounds.

Finally, if you have any spare time, you should visit the Winter Gardens at Duthie Park. There's a website, with hundreds of photos. It's easy to see why it's the number one visitor attraction in the city. Again, it's free!

If you need some supermarket food, there is a Morrison's on West North Street, a short distance from the intersection of Union and King Streets. If you're coming from the Marischal College area, head down Littlejohn Street, and turn left at the Premier Inn.

Finally, the Aberdeen Folk Club has live folk music every Wednesday (mostly sessions, but the occasional touring artist) at the Inn at the Park, 3-5 Deemount Terrace (near Duthie Park).

I hope that you have a wonderful time in Aberdeen! Like any big city, there are some parts that are pretty grim, but there is a lot of pride in the city, especially since the football team won the Scottish Cup last week!

Very best wishes for your travels!

Mike (Auchterless)

p.s.: If anyone recommends the Ashvale Restaurant, best to avoid it. It used to be the place to go for a fish supper, but we have been disappointed the last few times through.

Linda, I hope you plan to write a trip report when you get back. I'd love to see how everything works out for you, especially as a solo traveler using public transportation supplemented with day tours.

I

Jean, you betcha. It will take me some time to get a TR done for this trip, but I will post one. I’ve been traveling mostly solo for 15 years and don’t rent a car very often. Hope you have a trip in the works.

Happy travels, Linda

This is the second year of the seasonal open top bus service, one of the stops is at Footdee.