City of Dundee: Design, History and Coastline

The City of Dundee combines striking viewpoints with design, industrial history and waterside experiences. You can get to know the city through its museums and historic sites, or take in views of the River Tay and the coast.

Views and Coastal Scenery

At 572 feet high, Dundee Law is a prominent landmark and a lasting visitor attraction. On a clear day, the view from the summit stretches across Dundee to Fife, Perthshire and the Sidlaw Hills to the north, almost 45 miles away. The hill also has a long history: it was used as an Iron Age hillfort, and prehistoric burial sites dating to around 1500 BC have been found on its slopes.

Broughty Castle overlooks Broughty Ferry beach and esplanade, with views across the River Tay. You can go for a walk or have a picnic on the beach and esplanade. They also offer opportunities to spot seals and birds, and occasionally dolphins or porpoises. The University of Dundee Botanic Garden features native British plants and representative plant collections from every continent in the world.

Design, Jute and Seafaring

V&A Dundee is Scotland’s first purpose-built design museum. Its angular façade recalls the rugged cliffs of the Scottish coast. The Dundee Design Trails take you to important places around the city and share stories about Dundee’s design history: Dundee is the United Kingdom’s first and only UNESCO City of Design.

The jute industry takes centre stage at Verdant Works. The museum opened to the public in 1996 as Scotland’s Jute Museum. You can walk through the offices and the weaving shed, and see and hear the working looms and drawing and roving machines.

Discovery Point tells the story of the RRS Discovery, built in Dundee’s shipyards, and its legendary Antarctic expedition under Captain Scott. Visitors can also go aboard the ship. HMS Unicorn is Scotland’s only surviving warship; on board, an authentic, interactive experience brings life on a 46-gun frigate to life.

Museums, Art and Performances

The McManus is in Dundee city centre, a ten-minute walk from the bus and railway stations. The museum has eight galleries across two floors. The University’s museum collections include scientific instruments, natural history specimens and art, including paintings, prints and textiles; admission to the public exhibition galleries is free.

Dundee Contemporary Arts brings together two large gallery spaces, two cinemas and a print studio, as well as education programmes, events, workshops, courses and activities. The public Print Studio offers taster sessions and tours, as well as courses and workshops throughout the year.

Mills Observatory is Britain’s first purpose-built public observatory. There, you can operate the telescopes under the guidance of a staff member to observe the night sky. At Dundee Science Centre, the interactive exhibitions “We are Inventing”, “We are Discovering” and “Medical Marvels” invite you to explore. Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre present theatre and contemporary dance for local and international audiences.

Activities and Getting Around

At City Quay, Wild Shore Dundee offers an aqua park, wakeboarding, stand-up paddleboarding and Ringo rides. As activities can change, it’s a good idea to check what’s currently on offer before making plans. The Up Close Experience at Camperdown Wildlife Centre takes visitors behind the scenes of an animal enclosure and offers face-to-face encounters with animals.

Dundee Waterfront Walks offers guided walks through 400 million years of Dundee’s eventful history. For getting around: at a relaxed walking pace, Dundee’s main attractions are no more than 10 to 15 minutes apart. Dundee also has an extensive network of walking and cycling paths and public transport routes. Direct rail and bus services connect to every Scottish city; check the timetable before travelling, as services can change.

Discover more destinations: Dundee, Midlothian, Argyll And Bute, Clackmannanshire, East Lothian, Shetland Islands, Moray, South Lanarkshire.

Go to the main travel overview: Scotland.