Fashion bible Vogue latest publication to rave about '˜buzzing' Dundee

Japanese architect Kengo Kuma designed the new V&A museum in Dundee. Picture: Getty

An article in this month’s magazine sings the praises of Scotland’s fourth largest city, saying there is now a “compelling case” for travellers to visit if they are planning a trip north of the border.

Traditionally known as the city of “jute, jam and journalism”, in recent years Dundee has reinvented itself and has been named on numerous lists of up-and-coming travel destinations.

The opening of the V&A Museum of Design in September is expected to generate international interest, forming the centrepiece of a £1bn transformation of the city’s waterfront.

In its profile of the city, Vogue describes Dundee as a “curious little town that balances its post-industrial history with a buzzing design scene” and an “emerging hub” for creativity.

“Converted warehouses and contemporary design shops abound, and a £1bn investment by the city has turned its languishing waterfront into one of Scotland’s most exciting places to be,” it adds.

‘Sex appeal’

It also name-checks local restaurant Brassica, which it says has “no shortage of sex appeal to draw in discerning foodies”, as well as The Tail-End, which it describes as a “contemporary take on the classic UK fish and chips shop”.

Earlier this month Dundee celebrated the opening of its new £38m train station after more than two years of construction work, as it readies itself for the V&A’s grand opening in the autumn.

The new station includes a 120-room hotel and is at the heart of the city’s waterfront, with a new passenger concourse and ticketing facilities as well as a restaurant and retail space.

Public health minister Joe Fitzpatrick said the building would provide “an attractive gateway into the city”, adding that Dundee was fighting back after years of high unemployment.

In May the influential travel company Lonely Planet also named the city as one of the best places in Europe to visit this year.

Dundee was the only place in the UK to make the annual list, ranking alongside other must-visit travel hotspots in Italy, Spain and the Netherlands.

Experts at the travel company, known for its series of guidebooks, praised Dundee’s “head-turning” urban redevelopment as well as its dynamism and friendliness.

Last year the Wall Street Journal also described it as “Scotland’s coolest city” and ranked it alongside Madagascar, Shanghai and Grenada in a list of the best places to visit in 2018.