Scotland's best-value weekend break · Aberdeen & Aberdeenshire
Aberdeen weekend · Coast & dunes
Beaches
No Scotland, no party.
Two-mile city beach, dolphin-watching and the dunes of Balmedie.
Aberdeen Beach sweeps two miles along the city's eastern edge — one of the few major UK cities with a true beachfront. North to Balmedie and south to Stonehaven the Aberdeenshire coast is a string of pale dunes, smugglers' coves and clifftop castles.
Aberdeen Beach
The Esplanade runs the length of the city beach from the harbour to the River Don. Walk it for bracing sea air, dolphin sightings off Torry Battery and ice-cream at Inversnecky Cafe.
Balmedie Beach
Ten minutes north of the city, Balmedie's enormous dunes star in films and Outlander shoots. Park at the country park and walk south for empty miles of pale sand.
Stonehaven and the south coast
Stonehaven combines a Victorian outdoor pool, a working harbour and the dramatic Dunnottar Castle on a 15-minute walk south. Cullykhan and Pennan further north hide some of Scotland's loveliest small coves.
Common questions
FAQs about beaches
Is Aberdeen beach worth visiting?+
Yes — it's a clean, two-mile sandy beach with a lively Esplanade, café strip, dolphin spotting and the Beach Ballroom architecture along its length.
Where can you see dolphins near Aberdeen?+
Torry Battery above the harbour mouth is one of the UK's best onshore dolphin-watching spots, especially May to September.
Keep exploring
