Aberdeen's Dual Landmarks Odyssey

Explore Aberdeen at your own pace

Sea mist rolls over Aberdeen's Granite Mile while secrets linger behind its storied facades. This is not the city you glimpse from a passing car-it is a self-guided audio tour that peels back layers of science, scandal, and silent rebellion right under your feet.

What prompted a midnight showdown at Beach Ballroom that left politicians speechless? Which legendary artifact was nearly lost forever in the vaulted shadows of St Andrew's Cathedral? Who at Aberdeen Science Centre tried-and spectacularly failed-to outsmart a machine on live television?

Wander from cathedral spires to glimmering shoreline as whispered plots, eccentric inventions, and unsolved mysteries come alive in crisp northern air. With each step, claim new vantage points on a city shaped by boldness and intrigue.

Photo: Daniel Olaleye, Unsplash

Tour details

• Duration: 1 hour 8 minutes, entirely at your own pace
• Distance: around 3.0 km (1.9 miles)
• Stops: 11 landmarks, including Castlegate, Aberdeen, St Andrew's Cathedral, Aberdeen, Aberdeen's Mercat Cross
• Audio: up to 28 minutes of narration
• Starts at: Castlegate, Aberdeen

Map data by Mapbox and OpenStreetMap contributors

How it works

• Book here and a redemption code arrives by email within minutes.
• Download the free AudaTours app on your phone and enter the code.
• Download the tour once and the whole thing works offline.
• Walk to the first stop and press play. The audio for each landmark starts automatically as you approach it, so your phone can stay in your pocket.

There is no fixed date and no start time. The date you pick at checkout does not matter, and the tour stays on your phone permanently, so you can use it whenever you next visit and walk it again as often as you like.

What is included

• Professionally narrated audio that plays automatically at each stop
• An interactive map showing the walking route between landmarks
• Full offline access once downloaded, so you need no data or signal
• Freedom to start, pause and resume whenever you like
• Lifetime access - your code never expires

Where you will stop

• Castlegate, Aberdeen
• St Andrew's Cathedral, Aberdeen
• Aberdeen's Mercat Cross
• St Peter's Church, Aberdeen
• Castlehill Barracks
• Aberdeen Community Health and Care Village
• City Hospital, Aberdeen
• Aberdeen Science Centre
• Beach Ballroom
• Linx Ice Arena
• Beach Leisure Centre

Image: AudaTours

What is AudaTours?

AudaTours turns a walk through a city into a story. Our guides bring landmarks to life with the history, the scandals and the detail you would never get from a plaque.

• Immersive: real stories about the places in front of you, not a dry commentary
• Offline: download once and use it with no data, anywhere
• At your own pace: start, pause and resume whenever you want
• Accurate: every story is built from verified historical sources and checked before release

Good to know

• This is a self-guided audio tour on your own phone. There is no in-person guide.
• It does not include entry to any building or site along the route.
• The landmarks on the tour are not affiliated with AudaTours.
• You need a smartphone with Android 7.0 or later, or iOS 16 or later.
• Bring headphones and start with a charged phone.

Who it suits

Solo travellers, couples, families and small groups who would rather explore on their own schedule than follow a guide and a fixed departure time. It suits a first visit, and it suits anyone who has already seen the famous sights and wants to know what actually happened in them.

Image credits

Photos: Daniel Olaleye, Julie Adams (Unsplash); AudaTours.