Travel to and around Aberdeen City and Shire

By road

There are a number of choices if you are driving north to Aberdeen. One option is the main A90 dual carriageway and another is the coastal A92. Alternatively, you can take the A93 which passes through Cairngorms National Park. This route allows you to travel over the highest public road in Britain, the Cairnwell Pass, at 2,200 ft.

To drive to Aberdeen from Inverness, the quickest route to take is the A96. If you would prefer a more scenic option, drive through Speyside on the Highland Tourist Route, which passes by some of Scotland’s most renowned whisky distilleries.

If you plan on travelling by bicycle, take a look at our information on cycling in Scotland.

You can find out up-to-date traffic information from Traffic Scotland, and plan your route with Transport Direct.

Public Transport

For information about all public transport in Scotland, the best place to check for information and timetables is with Traveline; you can also download their handy mobile app or call them on 0871 200 22 33. 

By air

There are flights to Aberdeen Airport from across the UK and the rest of the world. Flying to Aberdeen could be quicker than you think - there are frequent flights from London to Aberdeen which last just over an hour. The best way to find the most competitive fares for flying around Scotland is to search on comparison sites such as SkyScanner, Travel Supermarket and Cheapflights.

The airport is seven miles from the centre of Aberdeen. There are regular buses from the airport and taxis are also available. If you would prefer to travel by rail, there are trains to Aberdeen town centre from Dyce Station, which is two miles from the airport. Timetables are available from National Rail. To get to the station, you can get a taxi or catch the Dyce Airlink bus.

By train

Should you choose to travel to Aberdeen by train, there are hourly services from Glasgow and Edinburgh, both of which last around two and a half hours. There are also regular trains from Inverness, the journey taking around two hours. If you are travelling from England, there are trains from a number of cities, including London. The overnight Caledonian Sleeper means that you can go to sleep in London and wake up in Aberdeen. Check National Rail for timetable information and local services.

By bus

Buses run to Aberdeen from cities across the UK, operated by companies such as Citylink, Megabus and National Express.

There are also local buses in the Aberdeen area run by operators including First Group and Stagecoach.

By ferry

Direct routes to Scotland operate from Ireland to ports in the West Coast, from where you can take public transport or drive to Aberdeen which is around 180 miles (289km) from Troon and 220 miles (354km) from Cairnryan.  Ferries also run from the Netherlands to Newcastle in the north east of England, where the distance to Aberdeenshire is around 230 miles (370km). See more information about travelling to Scotland by ferry.

There are scheduled ferries from Shetland and Orkney which come into Aberdeen Harbour, run by Northlink Ferries.