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Northeast Scotland

Many visitors pass by this corner of the country in their headlong rush to the tourist honeypots of Loch Ness and Skye. But they're missing out on a part of Scotland that's just as beautiful and diverse as the more obvious attractions of the west.

Within its bounds you'll find two of Scotland's four largest cities: Dundee, the city of jute, jam and journalism, home to Captain Scott's Antarctic research ship, the Discovery, and the stunning V&A Dundee museum of design; and Aberdeen, the granite city, an economic powerhouse fuelled by the riches of North Sea oil.

Angus is a region of rich farmland and scenic glens dotted with the mysterious stones left behind by the ancient Picts, while Aberdeenshire and Moray are home to the greatest concentration of Scottish Baronial castles in the country, and dozens of whisky distilleries along the River Spey.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Northeast Scotland.

  • Museum

    Discovery Point

    The three masts of Captain Robert Falcon Scott's famous polar expedition vessel the RRS Discovery provide a historic counterpoint to the modern architecture of the V&A Design Museum. Exhibitions and audiovisual displays in the neighbouring visitor centre provide a fascinating history of both the ship and Antarctic exploration, but Discovery is the star attraction. You can visit the bridge, the galley and the mahogany-panelled officers' wardroom, and poke your nose into the cabins used by Scott and his crew.

  • Castle

    Glamis Castle

    Looking every inch the Scottish Baronial castle, with its roofline sprouting a forest of pointed turrets and battlements, Glamis Castle claims to be the legendary setting for Shakespeare's Macbeth. A royal residence since 1372, it is the family home of the earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne – the Queen Mother (born Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, 1900–2002) spent her childhood at Glamis (pronounced 'glams') and Princess Margaret (the Queen's sister, 1930–2002) was born here.

  • Museum

    V&A Dundee

    The centrepiece of Dundee's revitalised waterfront is this stunning building designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. Opened in late 2018, it houses an outpost of London's Victoria & Albert Museum of art and design with exhibitions showcasing the work of Scottish designers past and present, from famous names such as Charles Rennie Mackintosh to modern creatives such as fashion designer Holly Fulton, alongside the best of art and design from around the world.

  • Museum

    Scottish Lighthouse Museum

    The fascinating Scottish Lighthouse Museum provides an insight into the network of lights that have safeguarded the Scottish coast for over 100 years, and the men and women who built and maintained them (plus a sobering fact – that all the world’s lighthouses are to be decommissioned by 1 January 2080). A guided tour takes you to the top of the old Kinnaird Head lighthouse, built on top of a converted 16th-century castle.

  • Museum

    Grampian Transport Museum

    This museum houses a fascinating collection of vintage vehicles, including a Triumph Bonne­ville in excellent nick, a couple of Model T Fords (including one used by Drambuie), a Ferrari F40 and an Aston Martin V8 Mk II. More unusual exhibits include a 19th-century horse-drawn sleigh from Russia, a 1942 Mack snowplough and a steam-powered tricycle built in 1895 by a local postman.

  • Historic Site

    Aberlemno Stones

    The mysterious Aberlemno stones are among Scotland's finest Pictish carved stones. By the roadside there are three 7th- to 9th-century slabs with various symbols, including the z-rod and double disc; in the churchyard at the bottom of the hill there's a magnificent 8th-century­ stone displaying a Celtic cross, interlace decoration, entwined beasts and, on the reverse, scenes of the Battle of Nechtansmere (where the Picts vanquished the Northumbrians in 685). The site is 5 miles northeast of Forfar, on the B9134.

  • Wildlife Watching

    Scottish Dolphin Centre

    Based in a historic icehouse that used to store ice for preserving local salmon catches, this wildlife centre is one of the best land-based dolphin-spotting places in the country. The indoor attractions include feeds from nearby wildlife cameras, a 'dry dive' audiovisual experience that takes you beneath the waves of the Moray Firth, and a pleasant cafe. Outdoors, you can watch for dolphins, seals and other marine creatures at the mouth of the River Spey, or join a guided wildlife walk.

  • Castle

    Dunnottar Castle

    A pleasant, 20-minute walk along the clifftops south of Stonehaven harbour leads to the spectacular ruins of Dunnottar Castle, spread out across a grassy promontory 50m above the sea. As dramatic a film set as any director could wish for, it provided the backdrop for Franco Zeffirelli’s Hamlet (1990), starring Mel Gibson. The original fortress was built in the 9th century; the keep is the most substantial remnant, but the drawing room (restored in 1926) is more interesting.

  • Gallery

    Duff House

    One of Scotland's underappreciated treasures, Duff House is home to an art gallery with a superb collection of Scottish and European art, including important works by Raeburn and Gainsborough. The house is an impressive baroque mansion on the southern edge of Banff, built between 1735 and 1740 as the seat of the Earls of Fife. It was designed by William Adam and bears similarities to that other Adam masterpiece, Hopetoun House near Edinburgh.