Find shops and businesses on Union Street

In the heart of Aberdeen, Scotland, is Union Street, the city’s main high street. It is the most prominent area in the city for shopping, containing a wide array of shops, restaurants and other businesses. Union Street is also home to well known retail brands such as HMV, Vodafone and H&M, offering locals and visitors to the city familiar places to shop.

Built in the beginning of the 19th Century for the purpose of creating a direct entrance into city, Union Street has developed into a bustling shopping region attracting shoppers from far and wide. Stretching for about one mile long, the high street offers direct access to approximately 250 businesses, ranging from estate agents to opticians, so it has almost everything anyone might need.

During the festive season, Union Street is decorated with Christmas lights from one end to the other, bringing colour to the very grey high street, and this event is sometimes celebrated with a ‘Lights Switch On’ in November. Gigs are also sometimes held at Castlegate, the east end of Union Street, on New Years Eve, with artists including The Proclaimers, Sandi Thom and Amy Macdonald having graced the city with their presence.

The high street used to host the International Market which saw market stalls from across Europe selling a variety of goods and produce but this has now been moved to the adjacent Union Terrace to prevent traffic congestion in the centre of the city. If you ever get a chance to visit the International Market, make sure you try the kangaroo and venison burgers, they’re delicious!