Aberdeen might be more famous for its oil industry – but it’s cultural life which really gives the city its character.

Take the restored His Majesty’s Theatre – designed and built in 1906, and now extended, refurbished and reborn. You can take in everything from opera and ballet to touring musicals – although the gilded main auditorium is almost a performance in itself.
Then there’s the Music Hall on Union Street – home to the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra when they’re in town.
Aberdeen Arts Centre is another well-used venue, which also includes an exhibition space featuring touring work and local artists. The nearby Aberdeen Art Gallery is renowned as housing one of Scotland’s most important collections – including work by Renoir, Bacon and Monet.