The City of Dundee

Our Location

Satellite map from our own satellite station

Dundee is situated beside a broad estuary of the River Tay surrounded by hills and farmland. The Tay road and rail bridges over the estuary provide a striking introduction to the city: you round a bend and suddenly the city is spread out before you in a wide panorama.

The city is dominated by the basalt plug of an extinct volcano, called Dundee Law. If you climb the 571 feet you will be rewarded with fantastic views of the city and its surroundings.

Dundee is south-facing and is Scotland's sunniest city. The climate is mild and snowfalls are rare.

Dundee City Webcam
Dundee City's Information Portal
Dundee City Council

Sports and Recreation

Windsurfing near Dundee

Lovers of the great outdoors will find that Dundee has a lot to offer all year round, both on land and water. Famous river fishing and golf courses are nearby, and an hour's drive will take you to magnificent mountains perfect for climbing, hiking, skiing or even snowboarding.

There are over 50 golf courses within a 30 minute drive of Dundee, including St Andrews, Carnoustie and Gleneagles but also many affordable golf clubs and courses in the local area.

In the city itself, there are several municipal sports centres, swimming pools and private fitness clubs, an artificial ski slope, sailing clubs and an ice rink with an ice hockey team in the UK leagues. Dundee has one Scottish Premier League football club, Dundee United, and a further team, Dundee FC, in the Scottish First Division.

Dundee also boasts 59 parks - more per head of the population than anywhere else in the UK. Camperdown Park even features a wildlife centre with wolves, bears and wildcats.

Dundee City Sports Council
Dundee Ice Arena
Dundee Sailing Club
Dundee United
Dundee FC
Scottish Golf Courses

Arts and Culture

DCA at night

Dundee is called the City of Discovery and there's certainly plenty to discover. For example, Scott of the Antarctic's ship - RRS Discovery, built in Dundee - and the early 19th century warship, The Unicorn. The city's industrial museum, the Verdant Works, shows how Dundee folk lived and worked over a century ago.

There are two free galleries - a traditional one, McManus in Albert Square - and Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) beside the University, which also shows art films. Across the road from DCA is the Rep Theatre offering mainly new works. The Rep is home to Scotland's only permanent company of actors and to the Scottish Dance Theatre.

For conventional film-goers, Dundee also has two multi-screen complexes.

Music

The Caird Hall is one of the finest concert halls in the country and plays host to a varied programme each year. In 2010, the Caird Hall was the venue for the BBC's Proms in the Park, witnessing performances by Lesley Garrett, Nicola Benedetti and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

Dundee also hosts the annual Dundee Blues Bonanza (one of the largest free music festivals in the UK), the Dundee Jazz Festival and the Dundee Guitar Festival.

Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA)
Dundee Rep Theatre
RSS Discovery
Verdant Works
McManus Galleries and Museum
Scotia Heritage - offers walking tours of Dundee

Shopping

Overgate Shopping Centre

Dundee has a great range of shops to suit all tastes and budgets. Less than five minutes walk from campus, you'll find the Overgate Shopping Centre, which carries familiar high street brands, as well as a selection of quirky trading stalls.

The High Street, Murraygate and Wellgate Centre add to the 'mainstream' shopping, while close to the campus you'll find a selection of boutiques and galleries - the ideal area to find unique gifts, art and jewellery.

City Quay, a re-development of the city docks, features factory outlets with designer labels at low prices.

Many shops also offer student discounts.

Overgate Shopping Centre

Food and Drink

Enjoy hot chocolate in one of our cosy coffee shops

Dundee has a wide selection of good and affordable restaurants, eateries and pubs. Greek, Mexican, Italian, Turkish, Thai, Chinese, Indian and French cuisine are all on offer in the city centre. There's a huge selection of 'student-friendly' bars and restaurants located near the campus, offering plenty of promotions to appeal to student budgets.

As well as the usual selection of supermarkets, Dundee holds a Farmers' Market every month and there are specialist food shops for halal, Chinese, Polish and Russian cuisines.

Eat and drink in Dundee - includes a map of cafe and restaurant locations
Calendar of Farmers' Markets

Nightlife

Liquid nightclub

The Students' Union has plenty to offer any night of the week, but if you venture further afield the city also offers a mix of mainstream and alternative clubs. Popular city centre venues include nightclubs Fat Sams & Liquid, and on our doorstep, Perth Road is full of great pubs.

The city is a regular stop for touring bands who play at venues such as Duke's Corner & the Doghouse.

Fat Sams
Liquid
The Doghouse

Transport Links

Satellite map from our own satellite station

There are good connections with the rest of the UK by train, coach and motorway. There are daily flights from Dundee airport to London City, Birmingham and Belfast. Edinburgh International airport, an hour away by motorway, provides a wider choice of destinations.

If you want a change of scenery, both Edinburgh and Glasgow are only an hour and a quarter away.

Find out how to get here »

Cost of Living

University halls of residence

Dundee is Scotland's most cost-effective student city - meaning that your money will go further. The cost of living is estimated to be around 15% cheaper than the UK average with good quality private accommodation available if you want to share a flat with your friends after your first year.

The University came first in Scotland and second in the UK in the 2010 UK-wide Royal Bank of Scotland Student Living Index, which ranks universities based on the cost of living.

Dundee also has a higher percentage of students in its population than any other Scottish city.

Find out more about living costs »

Faith and Worship in Dundee

Dundee is a cosmopolitan city with people from many different cultures and faiths, so you shouldn't have any difficulty in finding suitable places of worship.

The video on this page will also show you some places to worship in the City itself.

The Chaplaincy website contains a list of contacts of various religious institutions throughout Dundee, and additional centres are listed below.

Contacts

Christian Churches

Dundee has far too many churches to list here. If you're looking for a church to join, please talk to our Chaplain who can discuss your preferences with you and point you in the right direction. You can also view our map of places to worship to see where the churches are located.

Dietary requirements

Some community centres in the city offer a range of activities including meals at times when it might otherwise be difficult to find somewhere to suit dietary requirements.

Please also see our shopping, eating and drinking page if you want to learn more about the availability of halal, kosher and international foods.