Holidays in Dundee

There are many well known cities in Scotland that offer many exciting cultural attractions, and Dundee is not one of them; not 'well known', that is, but 'cultural attractions' it does have.  Being that Dundee has been consistently voted one of the top ten cities in Britain for quality of life probably hints to why it is now the choice of most Edinburgh professionals looking for a hometown without the price tag of said 'Edinburgh'.  Still, with growing popularity Dundee remains a lesser known city, good or bad.

So what does Dundee offer?  (Don't ask too many non-Dundonian Scots, they don't seem to know.)  You will find a beautiful and proud city centered around an old town midway between the Mouth of the River Tay (longest in Britian) and the unusual dormant Volcano that towers over everything and lends itself to being the centerpoint of Dundee.  The views are magnificent and stretch for miles on a clear day. 

Historically, Dundee was known for its Jute, Jam and Journalism.  (Think of backs of carpets, Marmalade and, well, journalism.)  Nowadays, they don't really exist except  the converted old mills and the odd museum giving you a good-old-days story.  Today, they have been replaced by the industrial strength Universities, Research Centers, Hospital Training Grounds, Art school and pubs that service those who attend.  The student population is very international and creates quite a sub-culture itself. 

Culturally, you can hit the Seaside fare of Broughty Ferry Castle (plenty more Castles on the outskirts) and venture aboard the Century old ship 'Discovery' that carried Sir Walter Scott to the Arctic, or was it the Antarctic; anyway, it was a magnetic pole!  Or, you can time your trip to coincide with one of the growing mini-festivals like the Guitar Festival sometime in the Summer.  If that's not enough, the Indio-Pakistani-Chinese community have plenty food restaurants.  Cafe's abound.  And, no town is complete without endless pubs and bars, European style. 

To sum, Dundee is a great place to live but doesn't really boast of touristy stuff.  There is much to shop, see, eat and learn but its just not made easy for the tourist.  You have to go get it yourself, which for people who want to escape spoon-fed culture, its just perfect!