No other Scottish city is like Aberdeen, with its remarkable granite character. Bold blocks of gray granite buildings, silver when the sun shines, lend distinction to this northern place. Granite may be austere, but the city is softened by an emphasis on flowers. Aberdeen is also the oil capital of Britain. It offers a good range of places to see within the old core of the city and makes a good base for exploring the hinterland with its castles, coastline, whisky distilleries and royal connections.
The Promenade and Beach
Downtown Aberdeen's main street is Union Street, with the oldest part of the city at the sea end, known as the Castlegate. Down towards the harbor, Aberdeen's Maritime Museum on the Shiprow is housed within Provost Ross's House of 1593. Aberdeen's name turns up in the song The Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen. However, downtown Aberdeen is not the place to see this night sky phenomenon.
