Hotels in Aberdeenshire

Aberdeenshire is largely mountainous to the southwest; dominated by the Scottish Highlands that rise to a height of 1,309 m (4,296 feet) at Ben Macdui. This mountainous region was incorporated into the Cairngorms National Park in 2003. In the northeast the uplands give way to undulating, fertile coastal plains, and the How of Means near the southeastern border with Angus and Kincardineshire is a particularly rich arable farming area.

There is fishing from the coastal ports, and also important to the economy is the area's involvement in the offshore oil and gas industry. With almost 80% of the land used for agriculture or forestry however, Aberdeenshire is predominantly a rural area with some magnificent scenery.

The City of Aberdeen is a tourist resort famous for its sandy beaches, and is popularly known as the 'Granite City' because many of its buildings are constructed of local granite. Points of interest in the city include the 15th century cathedral of St Machar, and the University of Aberdeen, formed in 1860 by the merger of the Roman Catholic King's College (1495) and the Protestant Marischal College (1593). The city also has several museums and a fine art gallery.