Aberdeen Art Gallery

Aberdeen Art Gallery on Schoolhill is one of the better regional art galleries in Britain, free to enter and usually uncrowded. The collection spans Scottish and European painting from the 17th century onward, with particular strength in 19th-century Scottish work and a notable collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist pieces. The permanent collection is displayed across the main building, which was extensively renovated and reopened in 2019.

The building itself is handsome — a 1885 design in Renaissance style with a skylit central atrium used for contemporary exhibitions. The café on the ground floor is good. Open Tuesday to Sunday; closed Mondays. Worth at least two hours, more if you engage with the contemporary exhibition.

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The gallery holds one of the most significant collections of Scottish Impressionist paintings outside Edinburgh — including several works by the Aberdeen-born painters who became known as the "Scottish Colourists." It also has a substantial collection of works by Francis Bacon, Henry Moore, and Barbara Hepworth, acquired during the mid-20th century when the gallery was unusually progressive in its buying.