9 Best Shopping in Aberdeen and the Northeast, Scotland

Even if the weather is lousy, this coffee, sweets, and ice-cream shop confirms you are on your summer holidays. Grown-ups will love the gin-and-tonic or champagne sorbet; kids, the complimentary sprinkles.

This independent bookshop has its own café with free Internet access and sells a good range of flavored coffees. You're welcome to browse, sip, and surf the Web at the same time.

This shop is the place to go for small antiques, interesting prints, and regional maps.

Housed in a former church, this is a treasure trove for anyone looking for quirky vintage trinkets, Victoriana items, movie memorabilia, antiquarian books, and Scottish-heritage bits and bobs such as vintage fishing tackle.

Beyond the gifts section, veer to the right and you will find an interesting collection of old, out-of-print, and hard-to-find books about Scotland, which make splendid gifts for lovers of all things Scottish.

An outstanding delicatessen and wine merchant, Gordon and MacPhail also stocks rare malt whiskies. This is a good place to shop for gifts for your foodie friends.

This woolen mill has a worldwide reputation for its luxury fabrics, especially cashmere. The large shop stocks not only the firm's own products, but also top-quality Scottish crafts. There's a coffee shop on the premises.

A mile west of Ballater, the McEwan Gallery displays fine paintings, watercolors, prints, and books (many with a Scottish or golf theme) in an unusual house built by the Swiss artist Rudolphe Christen in 1902.

This shop has small collectibles, jewelry, ornaments, and china.