United Kingdom : Safety by City
- Aberdeen
- Bath
- Belfast
- Birmingham
- Bradford
- Brighton
- Bristol
- Cambridge
- Canterbury
- Cardiff
- Coventry
- Dundee
- Edinburgh
- Exeter
- Glasgow
- Inverness
- Leeds
- Leicester
- Liverpool
- London
- Manchester
- Newcastle upon Tyne
- Northern Ireland
- Nottingham
- Oxford
- Peterborough
- Salford
- Scotland
- Sheffield
- Southampton
- Surrey
- York
Aberdeen is the third-largest city in Scotland.
It is known as two things: the center of the North Sea Oil industry and a place of gorgeous granite architecture.
Aberdeen is a fairly compact city, and when you are there you don’t get as much of the feeling of being in a big city as you would in Glasgow or Edinburgh.
Aberdeen is an architecturally attractive city with many historic buildings, although they all tend to be grey having been built from the abundant granite found in the area.
Pair this with the near-permanent rain along with a steady, often stiff offshore breeze – and it’s no wonder that many people describe the city as “too grey”.
Warnings & Dangers in Aberdeen
OVERALL RISK: MEDIUM
Aberdeen is considered mostly a safe city. Even though there are parts that are dangerous and should be avoided, it is, for the most part, completely safe to travel to, and if you use your common sense, your trip should go smoothly.
TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW
Taxis and other forms of transportation are known to be very safe and reliable in Aberdeen, as would be expected in a city belonging to such a developed European country.
PICKPOCKETS RISK: LOW
Pickpocketing is the most common form of street crime in Aberdeen, albeit rare too. It is common to a certain degree and there are even some locations known for pickpocketing being reported there mainly popular landmarks. Take basic precaution measures and minimize your chances of being pickpocketed.
NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: LOW
You can relax when it comes to natural disasters, because, apart from constant raining, there are no threats in Aberdeen!
MUGGING RISK: LOW
When it comes to mugging and kidnapping, Aberdeen is mostly safe. However, you should be careful and avoid dangerous areas where you could get attacked.
TERRORISM RISK: HIGH
The United Kingdom has recently been targeted by terrorist attacks and it is now publicly announced that the threat to the UK is severe.
SCAMS RISK: LOW
Since it is so filled with tourists, it only makes sense that there will always be people trying to scam them. Always be cautious with people trying to distract you, help you with your luggage, or groups of people acting strange. Always check your change twice and negotiate everything in advance
WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW
Aberdeen is mostly very safe for women to travel to. Just follow your basic common sense and general rules of things to avoid, and you should be fine.
So... How Safe Is Aberdeen Really?
Aberdeen is, for the most part, a safe city though it does have its dangers.
There are a couple of places that shouldn’t be considered a great location to live in Aberdeen, and these are Tillydrone, Sandilands drive, Northfield, Balnagask, Manor Avenue and Seaton.
The great thing about Aberdeen is how the police patrol the city; everywhere you go at any time of the night, you must see a police patrol team after a couple of minutes passing with their car.
The biggest nuisance for tourists has to be the risk of pickpockets, so you should be very careful when visiting important city landmarks and tourist areas, or crowded places such as airports, train or bus stations, and public transportation.
Do not leave your valuables in plain sight or at a visible place in a locked car, and always lock the car when exiting the vehicle.
Pickpockets, as well as beggars often work in teams.
Another thing to watch out for is crossing the roads since every year tourists suffer from traffic accidents because the British people drive on the left side of the road which is highly confusing for people from around the world.
How Does Aberdeen Compare?
| City | Safety Index |
|---|---|
| Aberdeen | 63 |
| London | 68 |
| Northern Ireland | 56 |
| Belfast | 56 |
| Edinburgh | 70 |
| Scotland | 71 |
| Glasgow | 55 |
| Buenos Aires (Argentina) | 60 |
| Vancouver (Canada) | 82 |
| Cordoba (Argentina) | 61 |
| Toronto (Canada) | 81 |
| Melbourne (Australia) | 80 |
| Montreal (Canada) | 81 |
Useful Information
Visas
Member countries of the EU do not need visas to enter the United Kingdom, as well as some other countries, but there is a considerable number of countries that do. Your passport should be valid for a minimum period of 6 months from the date of entry into the United Kingdom.
Currency
The British pound is the currency in Aberdeen. Keep in mind that this is one of the most expensive countries in Europe and the prices of accommodation in most cities in the country are skyrocketing. You should bear in mind that you will need about 100£ per day, including accommodation.
Weather
The weather in Aberdeen is mild, although a few degrees colder than much of the rest of Britain. This means it has cool summers, and heavy rainfalls during the year. The best time to visit is during summer, from June to August.
Airports
The busiest airport in Aberdeen is the Aberdeen International Airport. It is located at Dyce, some 11 km from the city center.
Travel Insurance
Just like anywhere else, we recommend getting travel insurance when traveling to Aberdeen, since it covers not only the costs of medical problems but also theft and loss of valuables.
Aberdeen Weather Averages (Temperatures)
Average High/Low Temperature
| Temperature / Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °C | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 8 | 7 |
| Low °C | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| High °F | 43 | 43 | 46 | 50 | 54 | 59 | 63 | 63 | 59 | 54 | 46 | 45 |
| Low °F | 32 | 34 | 36 | 37 | 41 | 46 | 50 | 50 | 46 | 43 | 36 | 34 |
United Kingdom - Safety by City
| City | Safety Index |
|---|---|
| Aberdeen | 63 |
| Bath | 81 |
| Belfast | 56 |
| Birmingham | 44 |
| Bradford | 42 |
| Brighton | 67 |
| Bristol | 58 |
| Cambridge | 78 |
| Canterbury | 79 |
| Cardiff | 64 |
| Coventry | 41 |
| Dundee | 60 |
| Edinburgh | 70 |
| Exeter | 77 |
| Glasgow | 55 |
| Inverness | 73 |
| Leeds | 56 |
| Leicester | 43 |
| Liverpool | 56 |
| London | 68 |
| Manchester | 44 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 72 |
| Northern Ireland | 56 |
| Nottingham | 56 |
| Oxford | 66 |
| Peterborough | 70 |
| Salford | 43 |
| Scotland | 71 |
| Sheffield | 74 |
| Southampton | 65 |
| Surrey | 77 |
| York | 83 |
Terrible review
Shocking report definitely not Aberdeen. Naming areas that you should not live in when you know nothing about is a big lie. Aberdeen is a safe place. Begging yes there are plenty of this but scamming is zero. Please do not believe this story. This person obviously has went on a day trip and not lived here
Better places to go in Scotland
To be honest it’s a real dump, the city council has ruined the city, neglected matinance of roads, pavements, drains, rubbish collection, traffic management has became a joke, pubs full of roudy unfriendly mobs that are on ego Boosts, drug problem out of control, petty thieft the same, as for police every two minutes this is true, but they never get out of there cars and avoid conflict, famous saying there was no one hurt so we won’t be urgently attending, bike theft is rediclus and police do nothing even if you have evidence, food eating places poor, its mostly chains, shopping main street has more empty premises than full ones unless you want fast food or a charity shop…… My advice pass through to some where more welcoming……
Beautiful Aberdeen (Granite City)
I live in Aberdeen, and agree to a certain extent with both of the above reviews, but depends if you are a glass half full person?
But what I I will say is that we have the most beautiful parks, walks and beach, yes the council have been appalling at maintaining parts in recent years but it will not spoil your visit.
Aberdeen is one of the safest city’s in Aberdeen, and has lots of lovely restaurants and bars, each with their own character, you just need to look slightly off the Main Street. We have 4 cinemas, award winning art gallery, two beautiful theatres, two old and stunning dance halls.
We also now have the brand new P and J arena just waiting for corona to pass so we can have big name concerts.
A few min out of Aberdeen visitors are spoilt for walks, stunning mountains, and numerous castles to visit.
With one of the oldest universities set next to beautiful parks and beach, what more could you want.
West is best
I feel it is important to remain in the West end of Union Street. The other end is frequented by rat faced junkies, beggars and smelly bag women. Stay safe and avoid Seaton and Tillydrone and your trip should be ok.
Tillydrone is grim but I walk through it often and have never felt unsafe, and I’m about as physically imposing as Mickey Rooney. I’ve known only person to be robbed in the street this last 20 years, I should say attempted robbery, he’s a big lad and was able to fend off his attackers.
I can’t honestly say I’ve ever known anyone get pickpocketed either.
Can't fail if looking for "love"
Aberdeen is a great city and has good night life. The girls wear next to nothing and if you buy one a half of cider you will probably get a shag. If you find a girl actually wearing knickers you will be unluckyThe best bars are Revolution, Soul and Kirkgate bar.Please have some change for the beggars in the town centre. They really are the salt of the earth and one enterprising family has 5 separate beggars. Best restaurant is Goulash in the Adelphi for decent Hungarian food. The police are amazing and love to chat to inebriated youths.
aberdeen
lovely city stay away from harlaw though chavs
Mental St. Megs
If you think Harlaw is bad you will cower with fear when you see the Saint Margarets school girls- poshers
Minkers
Very safe city on charity street collection days, they all stay in then.
Money for me
Aberdeen is extremely safe on charity collection days, they all stay at home then.
Icy not spicy
Aberdeen is really really safe. It is too cold to go out.
Aberdeen Aberdeen Aberdeen
Aberdeen is definitely not safe when the football team known as Aberdeen fc are playing. The fans all leave as if they have been attacked by tear gas. It is, however just another last minute goal against them ( which was actually offside) that has robbed the once mighty ” Dons” of a draw against a fellow perennial relegation skirter. Best not to wear your Rangers scarf, no matter how cold it is because you will definitely get a good hiding.