Guest, Sign inJoin
St Machar's Cathedral
Attractions in Aberdeen

What to see in Aberdeen, from St Machar's Cathedral on

Around Aberdeen, the places to visit include 10 museums, 3 cathedrals and 2 theme parks. Mapped inside Aberdeen’s locality are 18 places to visit, and within 5 km of its edge another 3. Out of town, Dunnottar Castle is 23 km away.

Photo: St Machar's Cathedral, PaulT (Gunther Tschuch) (CC BY-SA 4.0)
In Aberdeen
18
inside the locality
Within 5 km
3
of the town’s edge
Museums & galleries
10
in or near town
Castles & historic places
4
in or near town
Best known

Most famous in Aberdeen

Then come 2 cathedrals, 2 museums and a castle, behind St Machar's Cathedral.

CathedralSt Machar's Cathedralin townCathedralSt Mary's Cathedralin townCathedralSt Andrew's Cathedralin townMuseumAberdeen Art Galleryin townCastleAberdeen Castlein townMuseumAberdeen Maritime Museumin town

Each has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.

The map

Mapped around Aberdeen

Head southwest for most of the 3 just outside.

1234567891011121314151617181920

The dashed line is Aberdeen’s locality; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · NRS locality 2022

By kind

What they are

Museums or galleries number 10, castles or historic places 4.

Museums & galleries 10 museums9 in town · 1 nearby
Castles & historic places 3 cathedrals · 1 castle4 in town
Gardens & estates 1 garden1 in town
Zoos, theme parks & days out 2 theme parks · 2 zoos2 in town · 2 nearby
Other attractions 2 attractions2 in town

Green: inside Aberdeen. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.

Every place

Every one of them

The town has 18; within 5 km of its edge, the list finds 3 more.

The 18 inside Aberdeen come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.

1,086 listed buildings and 14 scheduled monuments are on Aberdeen’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Aberdeen →

Big names nearby

Further afield

The 12 days out are led by Dunnottar Castle, 23 km away.

CastleDunnottar Castle23 km southCastle · National Trust for ScotlandDrum Castle14 km southwestCastle · National Trust for ScotlandCrathes Castle21 km southwestCastle · National Trust for ScotlandCastle Fraser21 km westCastleCastle · National Trust for ScotlandCraigievar Castle36 km westCastleCastle · Historic Environment ScotlandTolquhon Castle22 km northCastleCastle · National Trust for ScotlandFyvie Castle36 km northwestCastleMuchalls Castle15 km southCastleCastleNew Slains Castle34 km northeastCastleCastleMidmar Castle22 km westCastleHallforest Castle (ruin)17 km northwestHistoric houseHistoric house · National Trust for ScotlandHaddo House28 km north

Places well known beyond Aberdeen (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust for Scotland or Historic Environment Scotland property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.

Questions about Aberdeen’s attractions

What are the main attractions in Aberdeen?

The best known inside Aberdeen’s locality are St Machar's Cathedral, St Mary's Cathedral, St Andrew's Cathedral and Aberdeen Art Gallery. In all, 18 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 3 more within 5 km.

Does Aberdeen have a museum?

10 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Aberdeen: Aberdeen Art Gallery, Aberdeen Maritime Museum, Tolbooth Museum and The Gordon Highlanders Museum.

Is there a National Trust for Scotland or Historic Environment Scotland property near Aberdeen?

None within 5 km. The nearest well-known one on our list is Drum Castle (National Trust for Scotland), 14 km southwest.

What are the best-known days out near Aberdeen?

Within 40 km: Dunnottar Castle (23 km), Drum Castle (14 km), Crathes Castle (21 km), Castle Fraser (21 km).

Where are Aberdeen’s historic buildings listed?

Aberdeen has 1,086 listed buildings, 65 of them Category A. They are on its History page, from Historic Environment Scotland’s list, not repeated here.

How is this list made?

From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Aberdeen when it is inside the NRS 2022 locality boundary, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.

Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the NRS 2022 locality (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (21)

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.