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Aberdeen’s Union Street is the beating heart of the city, slicing it west to east, with historic Castlegate, where Aberdeen’s castle once stood, at its farthest end. There are dozens of three- and four-star hotels in the roads running off this thoroughfare, intermingled with restaurants and busy bars and pubs, and the competition means you can often negotiate a discounted rate, particularly for last minute deals.

South of Union Street is the Aberdeen Harbour area where maritime fans can absorb the action-packed port area with vessels to-ing and fro-ing to service the oil rigs. Jurys Inn is on nearby Guild Street and City Wharf apartments provide a good base for families looking for extra space, just a few minutes from the waterfront.

Old Aberdeen, a mile north of the city centre, offers cosy B&B and guest houses amongst historic city buildings including Aberdeen’s first university, King’s College, which dates back to 1495. Explore the visitors centre to enlighten you on the medieval history of the area. If you’re staying in this part of town, you should also take a stroll around St Machar’s Cathedral – you can’t miss its soaring twin towers.

Money arriving into Aberdeen in the 1970s when North Sea Oil changed the fortunes of the city means there are still plenty of fancy establishments to choose from. The Marcliffe Hotel and Spa on the western edge of the city has palatial grounds and top-notch leisure facilities and Simpson’s Hotel, two classic granite townhouses joined together, is well known for its excellent restaurant.

Aberdeen also has plenty of three and four star chain hotels, from the Holiday Inn and Thistle to the Hilton and Marriott. For cheap hotel offers, Bon Accord Street is lined with guesthouses at reasonable rates.

Country house living – Kildrummy Castle Hotel
Celeb-spotting – Malmaison Aberdeen
Spacey but in the city – Skene House Whitehall, five minutes from Union Street but with private gardens

Aberdeen’s airport is seven miles from the city centre and runs regular bus services to the central bus station at Guild Street. You can buy an unlimited daily travel ticket for one of the hundreds of First Group’s buses that shuttle around the city until around midnight.