Day Out in Aberdeen City Centre with First Bus

RGU alumna Marisa takes us on a day out in the city centre all within walking distance from our central bus stops. 

Wondering about how to spend a day in Aberdeen City? I’ve got you covered! In this blog post I am sharing an itinerary with things to do, where to grab a coffee and lunch, shopping, and more.

The great thing about Aberdeen is that once you get into the centre, it’s a very walkable city and most things are near each other and easy to get to without a car. There are tons of different bus routes and stops throughout the city as well as flexible ticket options and different payment methods such as Tap On, Tap Off, contactless and digital tickets via the First Bus app. You can also use the app to plan your journey and see the live arrival times.

How to spend the day in the city

Start the day with a visit to the world’s second largest granite building, Marischal College. There are plenty of benches where you can sit back and admire the iconic building while watching the world go by.

Photos taken by Marisa Vogiatzi – Instagram @marisa.vogiatzi

You can grab a coffee and pastry from the Mount, a beautiful coffee shop selling artisan coffee, cake and pastries from local bakers as well as some eco-friendly items such as reusable coffee mugs, tote bags, and books.

Just across from there, you will find the newly refurbished Provost Skene House where more than 100 pioneering individuals from Aberdeen, including scientists, writers, innovators, sports champions, life savers and more, are showcased in interactive displays. Entry is free and the museum is open 7 days a week.

After your visit to Provost Skene’s House, you can walk into Marischal Square where you can see the steel sculpture of a leopard by Andy Scott, the Kelpies artist. In there, there is the new Resident X with independent street food vendors and 2 cocktail bars.

One of my favourite places is Acropolis as they sell delicious Greek gyros and they have vegan and vegetarian options too.

After lunch, head next door to Mackie’s for an ice cream. There are dozens of delicious flavours to choose from and they have vegan options available too, including strawberry, salted caramel, honeycomb, and more. They also have freshly made crepes and waffles as well as milkshakes. Don’t forget to pour the chocolate or biscoff sauce (or both!) from the taps onto your ice cream. The benches outside of Marischal College are a great place to sit and people-watch while enjoying your ice cream.

Just a 5-minute walk from there, the Art Gallery is free to enter and has 18 collections spanning over 700 years. On the top floor, you can go out onto the terrace for stunning views of the city - a great photo opportunity. There is a lovely gift shop and cafe also in the building.

Right across from there, Belmont Street has a great range of local independent businesses including cafes, restaurants, bars, and gift shops. Juniper has a range of Scottish produced jewellery and other hand made products which are perfect for gifts. In the evening, Belmont Street becomes a hot spot for a great night out.

Don’t forget to walk down the little side streets such as Little Belmont Street as there are more little businesses such as one of the oldest pubs in the city, Ma Cameron’s. For the tea and coffee lovers, artisan coffee roaster Macbeans is a must-visit as they roast coffee from almost every coffee producing origin as well as tons of different loose tea.

Just around the corner, take a stroll through the beautiful Union Terrace Gardens, and cross the street to His Majesty’s Theatre, the largest theatre in the North East of Scotland. With more than 1400 seats, the historic theatre hosts musicals, opera, theatre, ballet, and more. You can see what’s on Aberdeen Performing Arts

Marisa