{"id":586397,"date":"2025-11-22T08:24:34","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T08:24:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/586397\/"},"modified":"2025-11-22T08:24:34","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T08:24:34","slug":"scottish-city-named-best-for-christmas-visit-and-its-not-edinburgh-or-glasgow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/586397\/","title":{"rendered":"Scottish city named best for Christmas visit and it’s not Edinburgh or Glasgow"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nothing beats a cosy winter staycation.This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more<\/a>\"AberdeenScotland’s cities are a great place to head for a winter staycation(Image: Namthip Muanthongthae \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Scotland comes alive over the winter season, with Christmas markets and other festive attractions all over the country. When it comes to a winter staycation, the place that comes to mind for most people is Edinburgh.<\/p>\n

However, Scotland’s<\/a> other cities are also well worth heading to over the festive period<\/a>. One was even previously crowned the top destination for a December holiday.<\/p>\n

As reported by the Daily Record<\/a>, Aberdeen was named the best city in Scotland for a Christmas visit. UK Hidden Gems shared a roundup of the “10 best places to visit in Scotland in December”, and the Granite City topped the list.<\/p>\n

Over the festive season, Aberdeen<\/a> is best known for its Christmas Village in the city centre. All the way through to Hogmanay, visitors can immerse themselves in the winter atmosphere with rides, market stalls, and more.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Nine Scottish holiday parks including popular Drimsynie enter administration<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

READ MORE: Scotland’s best restaurants for 2025 named as one city dominates<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the highlights of the Aberdeen Christmas Village is the open-air ice rink against the stunning backdrop of Marischal College. Visitors can skate on real ice beneath beautiful fairy lights while family<\/a> and friends look on from the viewing area and enjoy refreshments.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, the popular Twister ride makes its return in 2025. For younger visitors<\/a>, rides include the Helter Skelter, Candy Cane Bungee Trampolines, and the Bavarian Fun House.<\/p>\n

Anyone looked for some tasty food and drink<\/a> will be spoiled for choice at the Village Food Plaza. Taking inspiration from European Christmas markets, visitors can enjoy German Bratwursts from the Swing Grill, mulled wine and festive cocktails curated by Ten Dollar Shake, and local craft beer from Fierce.<\/p>\n

Content cannot be displayed without consent<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, there will also be tasty treats available courtesy of We Love Crumble and Tucan, as well as local favourites Big Manny’s Pizza and Hot Chip. Visitors can also chow down on Dutch pancakes, churros, and Baileys hot chocolate.<\/p>\n

For those looking to head to Aberdeen for a Christmas staycation, there are many properties around the city that can be rented out in November and December. The Granite City also has no shortage of popular and acclaimed hotels to book.<\/p>\n

One self-catering property in Aberdeen that can currently be rented out is Footdee Cottage<\/a>. The cottage, which sleeps up to six people, can be booked for \u00a3458 for three nights on Sykes Holiday Cottages.<\/p>\n

\"FootdeeFootdee Cottage(Image: Sykes Holiday Cottages)<\/p>\n

One Sykes Holiday Cottages<\/a> user wrote: “Lovely house\u2014and so warm with the fab AGA\u2014very close to beach which was perfect for us with a little grandchild in tow.<\/p>\n

“We love the quirkiness of Footdee with its over-the-top house\/shed decorations. Communication with owner was good.<\/p>\n

“We struggled to open\/lock the back door (maybe there is a knack to it that we didn’t have). What could have been better (nothing major)\u2014only one dishcloth and we couldn’t find any roasting\/oven dishes.”<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, a smaller property in the city that can be rented is Fittie<\/a>. The converted coal shed, which sleeps up to two guests, is available to book through Airbnb at a price of \u00a3186 for two nights.<\/p>\n

The rental includes a lounge area with a Smart TV and an integrated DVD player and Freeview, a bedroom with a super king bed, and a shower room. Outside, there is a table and chairs where guests can enjoy a hot drink in the morning.<\/p>\n

On Airbnb<\/a>, Fittie has a rating of 4.96 out of five on Airbnb. One recent guest described the property as “truly wonderful”, though another claimed that it is “a bit difficult to find”.<\/p>\n

\"FittieFittie(Image: Airbnb)<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, for those looking to stay in a hotel, one of the most popular in Aberdeen is the Marcliffe. A overnight stay for two is available at a price of \u00a3283.20 on Booking.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The hotel has 40 bedrooms with king-sized beds and bespoke mattresses, satellite television, and free Wi-Fi. It is also home to a restaurant, bar, coffee shop, and garden.<\/p>\n

The Marcliffe<\/a> has an overall score of 9.1 out of 10 on Booking.com after 518 reviews. One recent guest praised the “fabulous” staff and accommodation, while another said “perhaps staff could polish their shoes and make sure shirts were ironed”.<\/p>\n

More information about the Aberdeen Christmas Village can be found on the Aberdeen City Council website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nothing beats a cosy winter staycation.This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":586398,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8816],"tags":[1006,748,35745,1102,918,4884,30864,2406,712,5007,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-586397","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-edinburgh","8":"tag-aberdeen","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-christmas","11":"tag-edinburgh","12":"tag-glasgow","13":"tag-great-britain","14":"tag-holiday-cottages-and-villas","15":"tag-holidays","16":"tag-scotland","17":"tag-staycations","18":"tag-uk","19":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115592396278409410","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=586397"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586397\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/586398"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=586397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=586397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=586397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}