Dundee was an industrial city famously built on three Js — jute, jam (actually marmalade) and journalism. But it’s three Vs that have transformed it into a tourist destination in the past few years — video-gaming wealth, a vibrant waterfront and its very own branch of the V&A. You need only step out of Dundee Station to be dazzled by that waterfront, a less-than-30-second stroll from the train platform.
The award-winning V&A building (inspired by an Orkney rock formation) leans out over the silvery water like a huge ocean liner; next door sits the real thing, the iconic , which pioneered research expeditions to the Antarctic. These two attractions alone are worth the trip, along with , Scotland’s oldest ship – and one of the six oldest vessels in the world, moored a few minutes’ walk away on City Quay — but they will soon be joined by a branch of the Eden Project, expected in 2026. Add in a string of new hospitality offerings, and in future this bonny urban bank of the River Tay may rival nearby Edinburgh.
The big draw this summer is the Kimonos exhibition at the V&A, which brings us back to J for Japanese. The current venue for this blockbuster show (which opened in London) is strangely appropriate. The building is not only so handsome that it’s the subject of daily tours, it was designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, while the kimono featured in the exhibition poster is a tartan one.
With a permanent collection of Scottish design, including the recreatio.