Dundee

Dundee is a large industrial and port city in North East Scotland. It stands on the north bank of the broad Firth of Tay, which flows out into the North Sea here. Its prime visitor attractions are the ship Discovery, the Verdant jute mill, and the V&A design museum which opened in autumn 2018. It's also a convenient base for nearby major golf tournaments, and for exploring Deeside and the Eastern Highlands.

Dundee was traditionally a grubby, rough industrial town famous for its three J's of jute, jam and journalism. Jute (see "Verdant" listing) still marks the landscape: the mills have all closed but many still stand as offices and apartments. Jam was made from fruit grown nearby. Journalism refers to the D C Thomson publishing empire, whose renown was less for their journalism than for their stable of comics and cartoon strips. These include the Sunday Post with "Oor Wullie" and "The Broons", the Dandy with "Desperate Dan" and the Beano with "Dennis the Menace". Of course that wasn't all the city traditionally had to offer, delicacies such as Dundee Cake, studded with sultanas and almonds, was probably what your Great Aunt Morag enjoyed for Sunday tea along with some Dundee Marmalade to top it off. And then there was the bridge that famously and tragically fell down. And Dundee's great cultural icon was William McGonagall (see info box), surely the world's worst poet.

But the industrial grubbiness is gradually disappearing, enabling the city to shine in its attractive natural setting. There are major visitor attractions already and more appearing. There's a student buzz from the universities, and generally a friendly feel to the place. It's definitely worth a day or two to visit.

Dundee has its own dialect: the vocabulary is much the same as Lowland Scots (see Scotland: Talk) but pronunciation is distinctive. "T" is often dropped in a glottal stop, but the signature sound is the short "eh" (phonetic: ɛ) replacing ay, ae, e, i, ie, uy, y and more. So a pie is a "peh"; "eh" can mean I, yes, what? or hmmm.... Dundonians can conduct entire conversations by just saying "eh".

Dundee Tourist Information Centre is located at Discovery Quay on Riverside by the RRS Discovery. A further information point is located in the city square, to the left of Carid Hall.

• Discovery Point, Riverside Drive, DD1 4XA. Apr-Oct: M-Sa 10:00-18:00, Su from 11:00; Nov-Mar: closes 17:00. Discovery, launched in 1901, is an Royal Research Ship (RRS) specifically built for Antarctic research. Built in Dundee, she's a wooden sailing vessel with only auxiliary steam power. Discovery was commanded by Robert Falcon Scott; also aboard was Ernest Shackleton. They reached Antarctica in early 1902 (ie summer), intending to spend one winter there, but the ship became icebound for the next two years. They were just about to abandon ship in Feb 1904 when the ice broke and they escaped homeward, to public acclaim. Both men were to return: Shackleton in 1907-09 didn't quite reach the South Pole, but survived; Scott in 1910-12 did reach it, but behind Amundsen, and all his party perished on the trek back to the coast.
  Discovery Point has an extensive display of the 1902-04 expedition, which spent most of its time ashore, and then you go aboard the ship. Adult £11.25, joint ticket with Verdant Works £18.25.
• Verdant Works, West Henderson’s Wynd DD1 5BT. Apr-Oct: M-Sa 10:00-18:00, Su from 11:00; Nov-Mar: M-Sa 10:30-16:30, Su from 11:00. In the 19th century, you just had to have jute. Curtains & carpets & blankets, hard-wearing clothing. Satchels and roof felt, ropes of all kinds, sails for ships, tents for soldiers. The raw material is a coarse flax that grows in Bengal: it was processed here because Dundee had fast ships to import it, whale oil to make it soft and workable, flax-weaving technology, and then again the fast ships to export finished goods globally. The city's mill owners grew very rich; the mill workers didn't, nor did the Bengalis. Verdant Works, built in 1833, was one of many jute factories here. Many of them still stand, converted into offices and apartments; Verdant was turned into a museum in 1996. Adult £11.25, joint ticket with Discovery £18.25.
• Dundee V & A, 1 Riverside Esplanade, DD1 4DE. Daily 10:00-17:00. The Dundee branch of London's Victoria and Albert museum, with a focus on design in Scotland. The building, on the waterfront close to Discovery, is a striking modern design. Free, charges for special exhibitions.

• McManus Gallery & Museum, Albert Square, Meadowside, DD1 1DA. M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Su 12:30-16:30. Museum with 8 galleries tracing Dundee's story. Plus exhibitions, one of which celebrates 80 years of Beano comic, e.g. Dennis the Menace. The building, almost 150 years old, was a memorial to Prince Albert. Free.
• HMS Unicorn, South Victoria Dock Road, DD1 3BP. Apr-Oct daily 10:00 - 17:00, Nov-Mar W-Sa 10:00 - 16:00, Su 12:00 - 16:00. A 46-gun frigate launched in 1824 at Chatham Docks, England, but immediately mothballed, so she was never fitted with masts, rigging or guns. Her hull was roofed over and her only sea voyage was in 1873 when she was towed north to Dundee to act as a training hulk. This means her original Georgian timbers are in unusually good condition.
  
  Her sister ship HMS Trincomalee also survives. She's fully rigged and can be visited at Jackson Dock, Hartlepool. adult £7.25.
• Tay Bridges. There are three... well, two-and-a-bit really:
  Tay Road Bridge, opened in 1966, carries the A92. It's 2.25 km long, and climbs 30 m from Dundee to Newport-on-Tay in Fife. No tolls, and there's a footpath and cycleway from which you can admire the scenery. It may be closed in high winds, see tayroadbridge.co.uk for current road conditions.
  The second Tay Rail Bridge, opened in 1887, carries the railway main line across to Wormit in Fife. It's 3.5 km long; refurbishment in 2003 included scraping 1000 metric tons of bird droppings from the structure.
  And then there's the infamous first Tay Rail Bridge, remnants of which can be seen near the current rail bridge. It opened in 1878 but collapsed in high winds on 28 Dec 1879, taking a train with it, and all 75 aboard were killed.
• The Howff, Meadowside, DD1 1LN (Corner of Barrack St. An ancient cemetery in the heart of Dundee, it was part of Greyfriars Monastery until Mary Queen of Scots gave it to the city in 1564. Unusual and well-preserved gravestones, including that of James Chalmers (d 1853), inventor of the adhesive postage stamp. The last burial here was of George Duncan, businessman and MP, in 1878. Today the Howff is a secluded, peaceful place.
• University of Dundee Botanic Garden, Riverside Drive, DD2 1QH (3 km west of centre: take bus along Perth Rd. Daily Mar-Oct: 10:00-16:30, Nov-Feb: 10:00-15:30. 9-hectare garden with tropical glasshouses. Adults £3.90.
• Mills Observatory, Glamis Road, Balgay Park DD2 2UB (2 km west of centre. Some Wednesdays and Saturdays in June, July, and Aug: 12:00-16:00. A public astronomical observatory. In summer it's only open daytime, the nights are too short for looking through telescopes. Free.
• Dundee Law. A 572-ft high extinct volcano which gives a good view over the city.
• Camperdown Wildlife Park, Camperdown Country Park, Coupar Angus Road, DD2 4TF (NW edge of town off A923. Daily Mar-Sep: 10:00-16:30, Oct-Feb: 10:00-15:30. Menagerie with birds and (mostly small) beasts. Adult £5.50, child £4.40.

• Broughty Castle, Castle Approach, Broughty Ferry, DD5 2TF (On coast 4 km east of Dundee. Tu-Sa 10:00-16:00, Su 12:30-16:00. Castle built in 1496 now housing a local history museum. Free.
• Dundee Museum of Transport, Unit 10 Market Mews, Market Street, DD1 3LA, +44 1382 455196. Mar - Oct: W-M 10:30 - 15:30; Nov - Feb: W Sa Su 10:30 - 15:30. £5.

Discovery Point, Riverside Drive, DD1 4XA. Apr-Oct: M-Sa 10:00-18:00, Su from 11:00; Nov-Mar: closes 17:00. Discovery, launched in 1901, is an Royal Research Ship (RRS) specifically built for Antarctic research. Built in Dundee, she's a wooden sailing vessel with only auxiliary steam power. Discovery was commanded by Robert Falcon Scott; also aboard was Ernest Shackleton. They reached Antarctica in early 1902 (ie summer), intending to spend one winter there, but the ship became icebound for the next two years. They were just about to abandon ship in Feb 1904 when the ice broke and they escaped homeward, to public acclaim. Both men were to return: Shackleton in 1907-09 didn't quite reach the South Pole, but survived; Scott in 1910-12 did reach it, but behind Amundsen, and all his party perished on the trek back to the coast.
Discovery Point has an extensive display of the 1902-04 expedition, which spent most of its time ashore, and then you go aboard the ship. Adult £11.25, joint ticket with Verdant Works £18.25.

Verdant Works, West Henderson’s Wynd DD1 5BT. Apr-Oct: M-Sa 10:00-18:00, Su from 11:00; Nov-Mar: M-Sa 10:30-16:30, Su from 11:00. In the 19th century, you just had to have jute. Curtains & carpets & blankets, hard-wearing clothing. Satchels and roof felt, ropes of all kinds, sails for ships, tents for soldiers. The raw material is a coarse flax that grows in Bengal: it was processed here because Dundee had fast ships to import it, whale oil to make it soft and workable, flax-weaving technology, and then again the fast ships to export finished goods globally. The city's mill owners grew very rich; the mill workers didn't, nor did the Bengalis. Verdant Works, built in 1833, was one of many jute factories here. Many of them still stand, converted into offices and apartments; Verdant was turned into a museum in 1996. Adult £11.25, joint ticket with Discovery £18.25.

Dundee V & A, 1 Riverside Esplanade, DD1 4DE. Daily 10:00-17:00. The Dundee branch of London's Victoria and Albert museum, with a focus on design in Scotland. The building, on the waterfront close to Discovery, is a striking modern design. Free, charges for special exhibitions.

McManus Gallery & Museum, Albert Square, Meadowside, DD1 1DA. M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Su 12:30-16:30. Museum with 8 galleries tracing Dundee's story. Plus exhibitions, one of which celebrates 80 years of Beano comic, e.g. Dennis the Menace. The building, almost 150 years old, was a memorial to Prince Albert. Free.

HMS Unicorn, South Victoria Dock Road, DD1 3BP. Apr-Oct daily 10:00 - 17:00, Nov-Mar W-Sa 10:00 - 16:00, Su 12:00 - 16:00. A 46-gun frigate launched in 1824 at [[Chatham (England)|Chatham]] Docks, England, but immediately mothballed, so she was never fitted with masts, rigging or guns. Her hull was roofed over and her only sea voyage was in 1873 when she was towed north to Dundee to act as a training hulk. This means her original Georgian timbers are in unusually good condition.

Her sister ship HMS Trincomalee also survives. She's fully rigged and can be visited at Jackson Dock, [[Hartlepool]]. adult £7.25.

Tay Bridges. There are three... well, two-and-a-bit really:
Tay Road Bridge, opened in 1966, carries the A92. It's 2.25 km long, and climbs 30 m from Dundee to Newport-on-Tay in Fife. No tolls, and there's a footpath and cycleway from which you can admire the scenery. It may be closed in high winds, see tayroadbridge.co.uk for current road conditions.
The second Tay Rail Bridge, opened in 1887, carries the railway main line across to Wormit in Fife. It's 3.5 km long; refurbishment in 2003 included scraping 1000 metric tons of bird droppings from the structure.
And then there's the infamous first Tay Rail Bridge, remnants of which can be seen near the current rail bridge. It opened in 1878 but collapsed in high winds on 28 Dec 1879, taking a train with it, and all 75 aboard were killed.

The Howff, Meadowside, DD1 1LN (Corner of Barrack St. An ancient cemetery in the heart of Dundee, it was part of Greyfriars Monastery until Mary Queen of Scots gave it to the city in 1564. Unusual and well-preserved gravestones, including that of James Chalmers (d 1853), inventor of the adhesive postage stamp. The last burial here was of George Duncan, businessman and MP, in 1878. Today the Howff is a secluded, peaceful place.

University of Dundee Botanic Garden, Riverside Drive, DD2 1QH (3 km west of centre: take bus along Perth Rd. Daily Mar-Oct: 10:00-16:30, Nov-Feb: 10:00-15:30. 9-hectare garden with tropical glasshouses. Adults £3.90.

Mills Observatory, Glamis Road, Balgay Park DD2 2UB (2 km west of centre. Some Wednesdays and Saturdays in June, July, and Aug: 12:00-16:00. A public astronomical observatory. In summer it's only open daytime, the nights are too short for looking through telescopes. Free.

Dundee Law. A 572-ft high extinct volcano which gives a good view over the city.

Camperdown Wildlife Park, Camperdown Country Park, Coupar Angus Road, DD2 4TF (NW edge of town off A923. Daily Mar-Sep: 10:00-16:30, Oct-Feb: 10:00-15:30. Menagerie with birds and (mostly small) beasts. Adult £5.50, child £4.40.

Broughty Castle, Castle Approach, Broughty Ferry, DD5 2TF (On coast 4 km east of Dundee. Tu-Sa 10:00-16:00, Su 12:30-16:00. Castle built in 1496 now housing a local history museum. Free.

Dundee Museum of Transport, Unit 10 Market Mews, Market Street, DD1 3LA, +44 1382 455196. Mar - Oct: W-M 10:30 - 15:30; Nov - Feb: W Sa Su 10:30 - 15:30. £5.

• Places of worship: Dundee has over 30 churches, 3 mosques, a Sikh temple and a Buddhist group. The two cathedrals are both Victorian Gothic: St Paul's Episcopal on High St, and St Andrew's RC on Nethergate.
• Dundee Rep Theatre, Tay Square DD1 1PB. Programme of theatre, dance and music.
• Dundee Contemporary Arts, 152 Nethergate. Daily 10:00-00:00. Modern art exhibitions, events and films.
• Caird Hall, City Square, DD1 3BB. Often hosts concerts, bands, etc. Caird Hall is also home to a grand 1922 Organ.
• Ice Arena, 7 Dayton Drive, DD2 3SQ (in Camperdown. Public skating & lessons most days. It's the home rink of Dundee CCS Stars: they play in the Elite Ice Hockey League, with games most weekends Sept-March.
• Dundee Science Centre, Greenmarket, DD1 4QB. Daily 10:00-17:00. Interactive science museum. Adult £8.25.
• Olympia Swimming Pool, 3 East Whale Lane DD1 3JU. Full facilities M-F 16:00-20:30, Sa Su 10:00-17:30. Leisure pool is open daily from 10:00, but full facilities - waves, flumes and diving pool - only as noted.
• Whitehall Theatre, Bellfield Street, DD1 5JA, +44 1382 434940. Mostly light fare: musicals, tribute acts, light opera and comedy.
• Flower and Food Show, Camperdown Country Park. 3 days in early Sep. Flower and food show with several competitions. We can only envy the judges of the Scotch Broth and the Dundee Cake competitions. Adult £10 one day, £20 all 3 days.
• Play or watch golf: Dundee is close to several major-circuit golf courses. Just 20 km east is Carnoustie, hosts of the 2018 Open. Within 30 min south over the bridge are the St Andrews and Kingsway courses, and within an hour's drive west is Gleneagles. There are plenty of less renowned courses for a casual game: the city's local club is Caird Park, Mains Loan DD4 9BX. Two courses and a golf simulator.
• Ski: Dundee is about an hour's drive to Glenshee ski area (follow A93 towards Braemar) and two hours from Aviemore (follow A9). Both areas are small, with short runs on unreliable snow: check piste & weather conditions before setting off. Weekends and half-term get very congested.
• Watch football, i.e. soccer. The city has two teams, with stadiums almost adjacent, and (since 2019) both playing in the Scottish Championship, the country's second tier of football. Dundee FC play at Dens Park, capacity 11,000, at Sandeman St DD3 7JY and now called "Kilmac Stadium". It's a mile north of the centre. Dundee United play at Tannadice Park DD3 7JW, capacity 14,000, barely 200 yards from their rivals at Dens Park.
• Westfest is a music festival and community fair held in June on Magdalen Green. The next is on Sun 7 June 2020.

Places of worship: Dundee has over 30 churches, 3 mosques, a Sikh temple and a Buddhist group. The two cathedrals are both Victorian Gothic: St Paul's Episcopal on High St, and St Andrew's RC on Nethergate.

Dundee Rep Theatre, Tay Square DD1 1PB. Programme of theatre, dance and music.

Dundee Contemporary Arts, 152 Nethergate. Daily 10:00-00:00. Modern art exhibitions, events and films.

Caird Hall, City Square, DD1 3BB. Often hosts concerts, bands, etc. Caird Hall is also home to a grand 1922 Organ.

Ice Arena, 7 Dayton Drive, DD2 3SQ (in Camperdown. Public skating & lessons most days. It's the home rink of Dundee CCS Stars: they play in the Elite Ice Hockey League, with games most weekends Sept-March.

Dundee Science Centre, Greenmarket, DD1 4QB. Daily 10:00-17:00. Interactive science museum. Adult £8.25.

Olympia Swimming Pool, 3 East Whale Lane DD1 3JU. Full facilities M-F 16:00-20:30, Sa Su 10:00-17:30. Leisure pool is open daily from 10:00, but full facilities - waves, flumes and diving pool - only as noted.

Whitehall Theatre, Bellfield Street, DD1 5JA, +44 1382 434940. Mostly light fare: musicals, tribute acts, light opera and comedy.

Flower and Food Show, Camperdown Country Park. 3 days in early Sep. Flower and food show with several competitions. We can only envy the judges of the Scotch Broth and the Dundee Cake competitions. Adult £10 one day, £20 all 3 days.

Play or watch golf: Dundee is close to several major-circuit golf courses. Just 20 km east is Carnoustie, hosts of the 2018 Open. Within 30 min south over the bridge are the St Andrews and Kingsway courses, and within an hour's drive west is Gleneagles. There are plenty of less renowned courses for a casual game: the city's local club is Caird Park, Mains Loan DD4 9BX. Two courses and a golf simulator.

Ski: Dundee is about an hour's drive to Glenshee ski area (follow A93 towards Braemar) and two hours from Aviemore (follow A9). Both areas are small, with short runs on unreliable snow: check piste & weather conditions before setting off. Weekends and half-term get very congested.

Watch football, i.e. soccer. The city has two teams, with stadiums almost adjacent, and (since 2019) both playing in the Scottish Championship, the country's second tier of football. Dundee FC play at Dens Park, capacity 11,000, at Sandeman St DD3 7JY and now called "Kilmac Stadium". It's a mile north of the centre. Dundee United play at Tannadice Park DD3 7JW, capacity 14,000, barely 200 yards from their rivals at Dens Park.

Westfest is a music festival and community fair held in June on Magdalen Green. The next is on Sun 7 June 2020.

The Overgate and the Wellgate are Dundee's two main shopping malls which sit at either end of the city centre. Each has various national and international brands such as H&M, Debenhams, Gap, Superdry and Next in the Overgate, and New Look in the Wellgate.

In addition to this, there are substantial branches of High street stores along the Murraygate and city centre area.

Dundee also has the usual large-scale out of town retail parks that are common in Scotland's bigger towns and cities.

In recent years a café culture has flourished in Dundee city centre. Lots of fast-food, takeaways, cafés and restaurants.

• Pearl of Hong Kong, 162 Arbroath Road DD4 7PY, +44 1382 455883. M W-F 16:30-23:00, Sa Su 16:30-01:00, closed Tu. Chinese takeaway with home Delivery.
• Duke's Corner, 13 Brown Street DD1 5EG. Su-Tu 12:00-00:00, W-Sa 12:00-02:30. Lively entertainment venue, serving burgers, salads, pizzas from noon. Student clientele. Good for lunch or early dinner, gets noisy once the music starts.
• Parlour, 58 West Port DD1 5EP. M-F 08:00-18:00, Sa 08:00-16:00, Su 10:00-15:00. Popular café near Uni, small place so it gets busy and cramped. Menu changes daily, lots of vegetarian options.
• Balaka, 115-117 Perth Road. M-Th 12:00-03:30, F 15:00-00:00, Sa 12:00-01:00, Su 17:00-23:00. Long-established budget Indian restaurant.
• Jahangir Tandoori, 1 Session Street, DD1 5DN. M-Sa 12:00-15:00 & 17:00-00:00, Sun 15:00-00:00. Friendly family restaurant with goldfish pool.
• Phoenix, 103 Nethergate, DD1 4DH. Daily 11:00-00:00. Good pub grub at reasonable prices.
• Dil'se, 99-101 Perth Rd, DD1 4JA, +44 1382 221501. Daily 16:00-23:30. Friendly Indian and Bangladeshi restaurant. Earlybird dinner (17:00-18:30) for £15.
• Domino's Pizza, Unit 1c/d City Quay Victoria Docks, Camperdown Street, DD1 3JA, +44 1382 220220. Daily 11:00-05:00. Takeaway pizza.
• City Harbour Chinese Buffet, Unit 3 & 4, City Quay, 21A Camperdown St DD1 3JA. Daily 12:00-16:30 & 17:00-21:30. Waterfront all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet.
• Jimmy Chung's, 7-9 Whitehall Street DD1 4AA. Daily 12:00-22:30. Fixed-price all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet in Scottish chain restaurant.
• Tickety Boo's, 51 Commercial Street DD1 2AA (on corner with Seagate. Daily 11:00-00:00, F Sa to 01:00. Highly recommended food & drink.
• The Old Bank Bar, 34 Reform Street DD1 1RH. Daily 11:00-23:00, F Sa till 00:00. Pub with reliable food.
• Rancho Pancho, 16 Commercial Street, DD1 3EJ. M-Sa 17:00-22:00, Sa 12:00-14:30, Su 16:00-21:00. Mexican classics, hefty portions.
• The Counting House, 67-71 Reform St. Daily 08:00-00:00. JD Wetherspoon's efficient chain choice.
• The Globe, 53 West Port, DD1 5ER. Daily 11:00-00:00. Pub with extensive menu including vegetarian.
• Don Michele, 177 Perth Road DD2 1AS, +44 1382 660600. M-Sa 17:00-22:30, Th-Sa 12:00-14:00, Su 13:00-22:30. Italian restaurant.

For self-catering, there are lots of supermarkets. Tesco predominates, with four branches: in the city centre, one next to the railway station (24 hrs), one in South Road near Sterling Mills and another on Kingsway. ASDA have a big store on East Kingsway (24 hr) and a smaller one on Gilburn Road. Morrisons are on the Forfar Road, north of A90 Kingsway.

Pearl of Hong Kong, 162 Arbroath Road DD4 7PY, +44 1382 455883. M W-F 16:30-23:00, Sa Su 16:30-01:00, closed Tu. Chinese takeaway with home Delivery.

Duke's Corner, 13 Brown Street DD1 5EG. Su-Tu 12:00-00:00, W-Sa 12:00-02:30. Lively entertainment venue, serving burgers, salads, pizzas from noon. Student clientele. Good for lunch or early dinner, gets noisy once the music starts.

Parlour, 58 West Port DD1 5EP. M-F 08:00-18:00, Sa 08:00-16:00, Su 10:00-15:00. Popular café near Uni, small place so it gets busy and cramped. Menu changes daily, lots of vegetarian options.

Balaka, 115-117 Perth Road. M-Th 12:00-03:30, F 15:00-00:00, Sa 12:00-01:00, Su 17:00-23:00. Long-established budget Indian restaurant.

Jahangir Tandoori, 1 Session Street, DD1 5DN. M-Sa 12:00-15:00 & 17:00-00:00, Sun 15:00-00:00. Friendly family restaurant with goldfish pool.

Phoenix, 103 Nethergate, DD1 4DH. Daily 11:00-00:00. Good pub grub at reasonable prices.

Dil'se, 99-101 Perth Rd, DD1 4JA, +44 1382 221501. Daily 16:00-23:30. Friendly Indian and Bangladeshi restaurant. Earlybird dinner (17:00-18:30) for £15.

Domino's Pizza, Unit 1c/d City Quay Victoria Docks, Camperdown Street, DD1 3JA, +44 1382 220220. Daily 11:00-05:00. Takeaway pizza.

City Harbour Chinese Buffet, Unit 3 & 4, City Quay, 21A Camperdown St DD1 3JA. Daily 12:00-16:30 & 17:00-21:30. Waterfront all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet.

Jimmy Chung's, 7-9 Whitehall Street DD1 4AA. Daily 12:00-22:30. Fixed-price all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet in Scottish chain restaurant.

Tickety Boo's, 51 Commercial Street DD1 2AA (on corner with Seagate. Daily 11:00-00:00, F Sa to 01:00. Highly recommended food & drink.

The Old Bank Bar, 34 Reform Street DD1 1RH. Daily 11:00-23:00, F Sa till 00:00. Pub with reliable food.

Rancho Pancho, 16 Commercial Street, DD1 3EJ. M-Sa 17:00-22:00, Sa 12:00-14:30, Su 16:00-21:00. Mexican classics, hefty portions.

The Counting House, 67-71 Reform St. Daily 08:00-00:00. JD Wetherspoon's efficient chain choice.

The Globe, 53 West Port, DD1 5ER. Daily 11:00-00:00. Pub with extensive menu including vegetarian.

Don Michele, 177 Perth Road DD2 1AS, +44 1382 660600. M-Sa 17:00-22:30, Th-Sa 12:00-14:00, Su 13:00-22:30. Italian restaurant.

Pubs are dwindling, as in other cities, but there's no shortage. The main concentration is along Hawkhill, Perth Road or West End of the city, with another strip along Nethergate. The student unions of Dundee and Abertay Universities have many good nights and are great for a cheap night out.

City centre pubs:

• Tickety Boo's, Seagate / Commercial Street.
• Klozet, Seagate is the main gay bar.
• Trades House Bar, Union Street.
• The Old Bank Bar, Union Street.
• The Westport Bar, North Lindsay Street.

Pubs along Hawkhill / Perth Road / West End:

• The Globe, Westport / Hawkhill. Handy for nightclubs.
• The Nether Inn, Nethergate. Cheap Student 'Scream' pub.
• Phoenix, Nethergate / Perth Road. Traditional pub
• Number Twenty Five, South Tay Street. Boutique hotel, restaurant, bar.
• Jute Cafe Bar, Perth Road. Trendy bar attached to Dundee Contemporary Arts Centre
• Braes, Perth Road. Modern bar, middle-aged clientele at weekends.
• Speedwell Bar, Perth Road. Locally renowned traditional pub

Nightclubs are all in the city centre:

• Fat Sams, South Ward Road
• Reading Rooms, Blackscroft
• Toffs Piano Bar (formerly Mondo's), Session Street
• Deja Vu, Cowgate
• Underground, South Tay Street.

Cellular network coverage is provided by the normal UK carriers.

The local police is Police Scotland and the main office is in the town centre at the end of West Bell St beside Dundee's Sheriff Court. In the UK, '999' is the number to call the emergency services, and 101 for less urgent calls to the police. The pan-European emergency number 112 also works.

Dundee has an extensive CCTV system, covering most of the city and the entire city centre. This is owned by Dundee City Council and run by Tayside Police and has helped reduce crime significantly.

Dundee, like any other major city, has its anti-social problems, mainly drugs. The area round the rear of the Wellgate centre (Hilltown) and Stobswell have a bad reputation and care should be exercised on The Law at night. Overall the city has a good reputation.

Dundee has a dual carriageway going through it, the Kingsway, which almost splits the city in half. Be aware of speeding cars, as in any other busy city, as accidents are common.

• South across the Tay is St Andrews, an ancient university town by the sea. It's the home of the Royal and Ancient (the ruling body of Golf), and the former ecclesiastical capital of Scotland. Frequent Stagecoach buses (No 99) take 30 mins. With your own car, continue south to Falkland Palace, and the charming fishing villages of East Fife.
• A short bus or train ride brings you to Perth and Stirling.
• Visit the nearby glens: Glenshee, Glenisla & Tay Valley. North on A9 through Dunkeld and Blair Atholl leads to Aviemore, the Spey Valley and Inverness.
• North along the coast is Aberdeen and Deeside, and eventually Inverness. So the coast route and the Tay Valley route together make a natural circuit of the east/central Highlands.