View Northern Europe & Fjords on the mapA practical port city that developed as a base for North Sea oil fields, with imposing stone buildings along Union Street and castles and whisky distilleries scattered in the suburbs.

Aberdeen

Aberdeen · United Kingdom · 57.14, -2.09

A harbor city in northeastern Scotland facing the North Sea. Buildings made of local granite give the entire city a gray appearance, earning it the name Granite City.

Port highlights

A regional core city of about 200,000

Population

A cool west-coast oceanic climate. Summers are cool and winters are chilly. Temperatures are mild for the latitude, but cloudy, windy weather is common, so a jacket is needed even in summer.

Climate

English (with a strong Scottish accent; the Doric dialect also remains)

Language

British pound (GBP). Scottish banknotes also circulate, but paying by card is no problem.

Currency

May to September. June to July is best, when daylight lasts so long it nearly rivals white nights.

Best time to visit

Local food

Cullen skink (smoked haddock soup), haggis, North Sea salmon and scallops, and butter-rich butteries.

Sights

Union Street, lined with granite buildingsFootdee district, which retains the look of a fishing villageMarischal College and the old town of Old AberdeenDunnottar Castle on a nearby cliffWhisky distillery tours in Speyside

Monthly average high / low temperatures

7°

1°Jan

7°

1°Feb

9°

2°Mar

11°

4°Apr

14°

6°May

16°

9°Jun

19°

11°Jul

18°

11°Aug

16°

9°Sep

13°

6°Oct

9°

3°Nov

7°

1°Dec

Unit: °C · Calculated from NOAA GHCN-Daily station observations · Period: 1991–2020 · Station: DYCE · about 9.5 km from port · elevation difference about 60 m · Last checked: Oct 3, 2026 · A guide for choosing your travel month.

Local prices for travelers

Much more expensive than Tokyo

Compared with Tokyo, Japan (median of items)240 (Tokyo = 100)

Compared with Tokyo, everything is much more expensive.

£2.00

Water 500 ml

£3.95

Coffee

£10.95

Inexpensive meal

£5.50

Local beer

£5.49

Big Mac

Prices in Aberdeen. · Amounts in the recorded local currency. No currency conversion applied. · Last checked: Oct 2026 (partly estimated) · Sources: Shop and menu prices · The Economist, Big Mac Index (CC BY 4.0)