As an Aberdonian, I’m yet to experience the fear of moving away from home to a new place but I hear it can be pretty daunting as well as exciting. So I thought I’d put my local knowledge to good use and round up some tips on what to see and do when you’re new to Aberdeen!
Eating and Drinking
One advantage of being a smaller city is that the majority of bars and restaurants are all within the main city centre area. As well as being a main shopping centre, Union Square has a wide selection of everyone’s favourite chain restaurants- T.G.I Friday’s, Handmade Burger Co. and Frankie and Benny’s to name a few. Belmont Street is also one of the most popular student areas, having quaint cafes as well as great drinking spots who also provide a range of yummy food. Relaxed Siberia Bar is a particular favourite of Her Campus, offering student discount on their food as well as a huge range of flavoured vodkas and cocktails. There are bars right along Union Street which makes it great for pub golf and crawls, and for those of us who prefer late bars to clubs, the Bon Accord Street/ Langstane Place area just off Union Street is filled with places to sit and have a drink and a chatter until the early morning. You certainly won’t be spoilt for choice!
Shopping
Aberdeen’s 3 main shopping centres Trinity, Bon Accord and Union Square are all in the main Union Street area, and offer a huge selection of shops- books, clothes, music, make up, stationery; pretty much everything you’ll need to survive first year! As well as the centres, there are also great shops along Union Street itself such as Lush, another personal HC favourite which is your best friend in the midst of exam and coursework stress. If you’re a fan of independent shops, streets in Rose-mount (still in the city centre!) have a great selection of both independent stores and quirky charity shops, selling everything from handmade clothes and crafts to sweets and comics! There are also heaps of cute little cafes around this area that shouldn’t be missed.
Things to see and do
There are heaps of cool, affordable things to do in Aberdeenshire if you feel like a break from the city. Stonehaven is a historic seaside town 20 minutes away by train, bus or car and makes a lovely day out- it also has award winning ice cream and chip shops!
Royal Deeside has heaps of towns, castles (including Balmoral) and walking routes that are great for those who like a bit of adventure as well as history. For instance Go! Ape at Crathes is loads of fun for adults. For those who don’t have a car, the main areas in Deeside are covered by Stagecoach buses. In the city itself there are several museums as well as parks. The Winter Gardens in Duthie Park are free to visit and a nice way to make you feel like you’re not in the chilly North East of Scotland for an hour or so. The beach is one of the most popular places to visit, and has lots of restaurants/ cafes as well as Codonas fun park and good walking routes. Fittie (Footdee as the non-locals know it) is a small former fishing village just at the end of the beach which is another lovely place to go and explore.
Getting Around
Aberdeen Uni is only a 20 minute walk from the city centre taking either the Spital route (just keep walking up the high street!) or by going along King St. There are also bus services from both Stage-coach and First which cover the uni, as well as main student living areas with reduced fares and passes available. On Friday and Saturday nights there are £3 flat fare night buses from Union St which go to both King Street and Hillhead Halls, and through the week there are multiple taxi ranks up and down Union Street. Although Aberdeen is small, it’s still a busy city and we at HC would like to emphasise that, although many of these areas are in walking distance, it is always safer to take a bus or a taxi if you’re ever travelling alone. Even in a group, don’t be tempted to avoid poorly lit shortcuts; both for your safety and the increased chance of getting lost! These are just some of the things you can do when you’re living in Aberdeen, and at Her Campus we also put on a mix of fun events across the year for our members! We hope you all enjoy your time here and good luck with the years ahead.