Aberdeen's famous 'Granite Mile', Union Street, is the gateway to over 800 shops, restaurants and bars. Visitors can chill-out in lovely flower-filled parks - Aberdeen is 13 times winner of Britain in Bloom. Best of all, the city has its own golden sandy beach.

The city centre features the opulent Marischal College and the colonnaded Art Gallery with its fine collection, which have been preserved as museums. Union Street continues west to the cosmopolitan West End, where much of the city's nightlife can be found. To the south, the harbour heaves with boats serving the fishing and oil industries, while north of the centre lies attractive Old Aberdeen, a village neighbourhood presided over by King's College and St Machar Cathedral, and influenced by the large student population. Aberdeen's long beach, with its esplanade development, marks the city's eastern border, only a mile or so from its centre.