Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Esplanade sports several traditional seaside attractions, including
Codona's
Amusement Park
(
01224-595910;
www.codonas.com
;
Beach Blvd; day pass £13;
11am-6pm Jul & Aug, check website rest of year, closed Nov-Easter)
, complete with
stomach-churning waltzers, dodgems, a roller coaster, log flume and haunted house. The
adjacent
Sunset Boulevard
(
www.codonas.com
;
Beach Blvd; day pass £13; 10am-
midnight)
is the indoor alternative, with tenpin bowling, dodgems, arcade games and pool
tables.
Halfway between the beach and the city centre is
Satrosphere
(
01224-640340;
www.satrosphere.net
; 179 Constitution St; adult/child £5.75/4.50; 10am-5pm)
, a
hands-on, interactive science centre.
You can get away from the funfair atmosphere by walking north towards the more se-
cluded part of the beach. There's a
birdwatching hide
on the south bank of the River
Don, between the beach and King St, which leads back south towards Old Aberdeen.
Buses 14 and 15 (eastbound) from Union St go to the beach; or you can walk from
Castlegate in 10 minutes.
Old Aberdeen
Just over a mile north of the city centre is the district called Old Aberdeen. The name is
misleading - although Old Aberdeen is certainly old, the area around Castlegate in the
city centre is older still. This part of the city was originally called Aulton, from the Gaelic
for 'village by the pool', and this was anglicised in the 17th century to Old Town.
Bus 20 from Littlejohn St (just north of Marischal College) runs to Old Aberdeen every
15 to 20 minutes.
HISTORIC BUILDING
King's College Chapel
(College Bounds; admission free; 10am-3.30pm Mon-Fri)
It was here that Bishop El-
phinstone established King's College, Aberdeen's first university, in 1495. The 16th-cen-
tury college chapel is easily recognised by its crown spire; the interior is largely un-
changed since it was first built, with impressive stained-glass windows and choir stalls.
VISITOR CENTRE
Old Town House
(
01224-273650;
www.abdn.ac.uk/oldtownhouse
;
High St; 9am-5pm Mon-Sat)
At the
north end of High St, the Old Town House now houses a visitor centre with information
and exhibits on the history of Old Aberdeen.
