Dundee City Guide, Including Dundee Hotels

Dundee is in an ideal location to visit Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Perth and the Highlands making it the superb base for numerous types of short breaks and holidays.  Dundee is known as the “City of Discovery” and is situated on the banks of the River Tay on the east coast of Scotland.

Dundee is also a shopper's paradise, where major department stores co-exist with specialist shops tucked away in side streets.  The aroma from some of the finest bakers in the UK wafts out to tempt you to sample the delicious bridies, speciality pies, tempting butteries and the famous 'Dundee Cake'.

Places of interest:

Within walking distance of Dundee city centre are Captain Scott’s Ship “The Discovery” and Discovery Point visitor attraction, Verdant Works, Sensation Science Centre, and the Dundee Repertory Theatre.  Close to Dundee you can visit Glamis Castle, Scone Palace, Angus Folk Museum, J M Barrie’s Birthplace, Arbroath Abbey and many other local sites of historic interest.

Sensation Science Centre is a Science Centre with a difference.  It takes the mechanics of the senses as a base from which to explore the world around us, using lots of interactive tools to keep the young and the young at heart happy.

McManus Galleries is a remarkable Gothic building housing one of Scotland's most impressive collections of fine and decorative art.

Verdant Works takes you on a historical tour of the jute trade.  The story of jute and the story of Dundee are inseparable.  At its peak the industry employed 50,000 people in the city and satisfied much of the worlds demand for jute goods.

Discovery Point is the home of Captain Scott's famous Royal Research Ship Discovery.


Things to do:

Give yourself plenty of time to absorb romantic castles and stunning formal gardens; experience top-quality visitor attractions that inform, inspire and entertain; and indulge in modern, 21st century, cosmopolitan city life, which combines shopping, art, theatre and culture.

Glamis Castle is the family home of the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne and has been a royal residence since 1372.  Here you can celebrate the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

Arbroath Abbey hosted the most significant event in Scottish history.  On 6 April 1320 the Scottish Declaration of Independence was signed by the assembled Scottish nobility in Arbroath Abbey.

Barry Mill is an early 19th-century working mill.  Here you can enjoy the sights and sounds of the splash of the water-wheel and the sound and smell of grinding grain.

Angus Folk Museum is one of Scotland's finest folk museums and it is where to find out about life in rural Scotland during the past 200 years.

Scone palace breathes history like nowhere else in Scotland.  It is the home of the Earls of Mansfield, and a major attraction to visitors from all over the world.  Fifteen hundred years ago, it was the capital of the Pictish kingdom and the centre of the ancient Celtic church.  It has housed the Stone of Destiny and been immortalised in Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Dundee shopping is where visitors can enjoy state-of-the-art shopping at the glass fronted Overgate Shopping Centre in Dundee,  or take time to explore unique and individual designs created by gifted and talented crafts people in and around rural Angus.

Food & Drink:

Dundee has a variety of eateries, restaurants and pubs that will suit all tastes and budgets.  You can savour the flavour all across Dundee's city centre.  The welcome throughout Dundee is warm and when it comes to eating, drinking and enjoying yourself the atmosphere is cosmopolitan.


The Italian on Commercial Street is where the chefs are Italian and their passion for fresh, quality food can be seen and tasted.  Many of their ingredients are sourced from Italy; but they use the finest local produce where possible.  All of their meat comes directly from a nearby traditional farm and their steaks are nothing but finest Aberdeen Angus.  Their fish is all fresh and prefer to use local suppliers wherever possible.

Bon Appétit provides traditional and modern French cuisine in a classic brasserie atmosphere in Dundee’s Exchange Street.  It prides itself in slow food, but fast service!  All dishes are prepared on the premises so during your wait you can select a typical French aperitif, a Kir or a glass of champagne.  There is a small, but good, cellar with house wine of good quality at a reasonable price at one end of the range as well as some big wines for that real celebration dinner at the top end of the range.

Het Theatercafe is located in the Dundee Repertory Theatre is the perfect place to relax with a drink or enjoy a sumptuous meal


Hotels & Accommodation:

Dundee offers a fully comprehensive range of quality accommodation from traditional family run bed and breakfast, guesthouses and hotels, to four star international hotels and resorts.

Longforgan Coaching Inn
Craigtay Hotel
Panmure Hotel
Swallow Dundee Hotel
Shaftesbury Hotel
Days Inn Dundee
Apex City Quay Hotel & Spa
Dundee East Premier Travel Inn
Dundee North Premier Travel Inn



Entertainment

Dundee has all the entertainment facilities you come to expect from a modern city.  Theatre, Comedy and the latest films are all available.

Dundee Repertory Theatre is based at the heart of the city's cultural quarter It is a unique organisation in the UK, providing the most comprehensive arts services in Scotland, offering audiences an all year round mix of theatre, dance, music, comedy and more.  It is a major artistic community that is home to Scotland’s only full-time Ensemble Company, the Scottish Dance Theatre – Scotland’s principal modern dance company and the Education & Community Company one of the UK’s largest and most acclaimed Community Arts organisations.

Dundee's Whitehall Theatre puts a huge mix of shows and talent under the spotlight.  It is Dundee's original 'Music Hall' and is situated within the centre of Dundee.  The Theatre puts on a variety of shows including West End performers, TV stars, local Amateur Groups and shows specifically for children.

Cineworld is a multi-screen cinema located at the Camperdown Leisure Park and shows the latest films.

Dundee and the surrounding area is the ideal place to see the history of Scotland at close quarters.  With so many historical sites your lust for information will be satisfied.  If shopping is more your way of enjoying your leisure time then Dundee has a modern shopping centre to offer you and quick access to major cities such as Glasgow and Edinburgh.