Aberdeen's Top 5 Parks to Visit

RGU alumna Marisa takes us on a journey to her must visit Aberdeen parks. These locations are all reachable by bus, making them accessible to all!

Living in a city doesn’t always have to mean large buildings and busy streets. One of the many things I love about living in Aberdeen, is all the beautiful parks and green areas that are easily accessible all over the city by bus.

Photos taken by Marisa Vogiatzi – Instagram @marisa.vogiatzi

Flexible week or day tickets are available, allowing you to visit multiple parks- and purchasing a ticket has never been so easy! From contactless, Apple Pay, Tap & Cap or online through the First Bus app, there are lots of convenient payment options to get you en route to your adventure as soon as possible.

Here are some of my favourite parks in Aberdeen:

Duthie Park

Located parallel to the River Dee, Duthie Park is just a 10-minute bus ride away from Union Street. It has a beautiful Victorian band stand, fountains, duck ponds, and playgrounds. You can also find the stunning David Welch Winter Gardens, one the largest indoor gardens in Europe and the third most visited garden in Scotland. The Park Cafe is also located there, where you can see the indoor gardens through a big glass wall- a perfect spot for those rainy days! To get there, you can take bus 17 and 18 from Union Street and get off right outside the park.

Photos taken by Marisa Vogiatzi – Instagram @marisa.vogiatzi

Seaton Park

Located in Old Aberdeen, at the banks of River Don, Seaton Park is one of the largest parks in Aberdeen. Surrounded by beautiful gardens and historical buildings such as St Machar’s Cathedral, Wallace Tower and the Brig o’ Balgownie, there are plenty of walking trails within the park and along the River Don. While you’re visiting the park you can also take a stroll around Old Aberdeen’s cobbled streets and admire the stunning architecture. You can take the bus 1 or 2 to “Lord Hay’s Road” and then it’s about a 3-minute walk to the park entrance.

Photos taken by Marisa Vogiatzi – Instagram @marisa.vogiatzi

Hazlehead Park

Hazlehead Park is one of Aberdeen’s largest and oldest parks and is easily accessible by bus. It’s a great place for a day trip with friends and family as there are many things to do including; golf courses, a pet’s corner, beautiful gardens, and a lovely café with gluten free and vegan options. You can get bus 11 from Union Street and it takes about 20 minutes to get to the bus stop “Burnieboozle Crescent,” and an additional 15 minute walk to the park from there.

Photos taken by Marisa Vogiatzi – Instagram @marisa.vogiatzi

Johnston Gardens

Johnston Gardens is located near Hazlehead Park and is one the most instagrammable parks in Aberdeen. It’s beautiful all year round and is a perfect place for a short stroll around the paths where you can admire the beautiful garden, ponds, waterfalls and it’s picturesque bridge as well as the ducks and swans swimming in the rivers. You can either take bus 15 to bus stop “Seafield Road” and walk about 5 minutes, or you can visit Hazlehead Park first and then walk for about 10 minutes to Johnston Gardens.

Photos taken by Marisa Vogiatzi – Instagram @marisa.vogiatzi

Victoria Park

Victoria Park is a small park in Rosemount, a neighborhood of Aberdeen full of local independent shops and cafes, just 5 minutes away on the bus from Union Street. It has a Victorian style fountain and a lovely walled garden with a human sized checkers board. On the weekends, locals gather with instruments and sing and play music. Everyone is welcome, and it’s a great way to meet locals and learn more about the culture.

Photos taken by Marisa Vogiatzi – Instagram @marisa.vogiatzi

As mentioned earlier, there are many parks in Aberdeen easily accessible by bus and with the flexible First Bus tickets, you can visit multiple places in a day.

Marisa

Want to read more about University life in Aberdeen? Visit the RGU student blog here.

Find out more about Robert Gordon University (RGU) at www.rgu.ac.uk.