I’d been waiting for the right time to finally board the Discover Dundee tour bus and last week I hit the jackpot.
The open-topped double decker tours were launched at the end of April. But even Scotland’s sunniest city has to deal with the odd stretch of rain, wind and overcast weather.
So with last week’s heatwave bringing blue skies and temperatures hitting up to 29 degrees, my brother and I decided it was the perfect time to experience the new tour bus and explore the city in a whole new way.
At last, an excuse to dig out my Sunny Dundee glasses.
We caught the bus at Discovery Point, along with quite a lot of other people, as you’d expect on a hot, sunny day.
There were a few American tourists, and a local family sitting next to us at one point too. They were all taking photos and smiling and looked really interested to be learning about Dundee through the on-board commentary.
Local touch makes Dundee bus tour special
The V&A Dundee and Discovery provided a great starting point for the journey. And from there we left the Waterfront and headed for the Nethergate, going on to explore parts of the West End, and then the Hilltown.
I liked the idea of mixing Dundee’s tourist attractions with a look at the local, residential side of life.
And the inclusion of the Dundonian dialect by the tour guide was a fantastic touch too.
🚌❤️ Here was the last time Dundee and outer area had a city tour bus back in the 1990s. Its really good the city has got it back in the form of Discover Dundee!
📍 Dundee from Fife
📸 via @XploreDundee pic.twitter.com/lZRyicOJ72— Dundee Culture (@DundeeCulture) May 9, 2022
I also loved the way the commentary acknowledged Dundee’s past, present and future from the three Js – jam, jute and journalism – through to the city’s video game industry and the anticipated Esports arena.
I definitely learned some things I didn’t know before, such as the stories about Janet Keillor who invented Keillor’s marmalade.
It made me look at my home city in a new light, which made for a brilliant experience.
The full journey takes about 50 minutes but you can hop on and off at any point along the way.
We ended the first part of our tour up near the Dundee Law next to the Beanotown sign, where you can enjoy an amazing view of Dundee.
I was pleased to see the American tourists got off here too and walked up to the summit of the Law to take in the breathtaking panorama of the city.
River crossing made my day
We hopped back on the bus soon afterwards and went back towards the city centre, passing the beautiful McManus Galleries looking bonnie in the glorious weather.
For me though, one of the best parts of the tour which was a fantastic ride over the Tay Road Bridge.
Glorious ❤️ #Dundee #DundeeSummerStreets @XploreDundee #DiscoverDundee pic.twitter.com/J32mvgZL8w
— Andrew Batchelor 🏴🇺🇦 (@andybfaedundee) July 18, 2022
Maybe you’ve never crossed the Tay on an open-topped double decker bus with the breeze in your face on a hot sunny day.
Well I have now and I can tell you it made for a joyous end to my trip.
I would definitely recommend the Discover Dundee tour bus, even if you think you know the city inside out.
Check the weather on the day you’d like to go so you know whether to pack a rain jacket or your Sunny Dundee shades.
And take your phone or camera because the sights are fabulous.
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