Aberdeen

Aberdeen's granite buildings give the whole city a silvery look, especially when the sun hits them. The old town, centred around St Machar's Cathedral and King's College, feels separate from the more commercial Union Street area closer to the port. Marischal College is the second-largest granite building in the world, and its front facade is genuinely impressive. The harbour area itself is working and industrial. For food, the West End around Belmont Street has the best concentration of restaurants and pubs. If you have a full day, the Aberdeenshire countryside is the real draw: Dunnottar Castle (a clifftop ruin about 20 miles south) is dramatic, and the Castle Trail takes in several well-preserved Scottish castles. There are whisky distilleries within day-trip distance too, including Royal Lochnagar near Balmoral.