Scotland’s biggest city is its friendliest and liveliest, with superb free museums, Mackintosh architecture and a music scene to match any in Britain.
Glasgow is Scotland’s largest city, built on the banks of the River Clyde. In the nineteenth century it was called the second city of the British Empire, and its shipyards built a large share of the world’s ships. The wealth of that age built grand Victorian streets, parks and public buildings, many of which still stand.
Today Glasgow is famous for its warmth and humour, its free museums, its music and its architecture, especially the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. It is a city with a big heart and a lively spirit. This guide covers twelve things to see and do, followed by where to eat, where to stay, a weekend plan and how to get there and around.
1. Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is one of the most popular free museums in Britain. It opened in 1901, in a huge red sandstone building in Kelvingrove Park, in the West End. Its central hall, with its great organ, is spectacular.
The museum’s collections are extraordinarily varied. There are paintings by old masters, Impressionists and Scottish artists, as well as natural history, arms and armour, and ancient Egyptian treasures. A Spitfire hangs from the ceiling of one of the halls.
Its most famous painting is Salvador Dalí’s Christ of Saint John of the Cross, which shows Christ on the cross from above. The city bought it in the 1950s, and it is now one of Glasgow’s most treasured possessions. The Glasgow Style gallery shows the work of Mackintosh and his circle.
Every day, a free organ recital is played on the great organ in the main hall. Entry to the museum is free. Allow at least half a day, and take a walk in Kelvingrove Park afterwards.
2. The Riverside Museum and the Tall Ship
The Riverside Museum is Glasgow’s museum of transport, in a striking zigzag building designed by the architect Zaha Hadid, on the banks of the Clyde. It opened in 2011, and it won the European Museum of the Year award. It is free to enter.
Inside are trams, buses, cars, bicycles, locomotives and ship models, many from Glasgow’s industrial past. A recreated Glasgow street from the past has shops, a subway station and a pub. Children love climbing aboard the old trams and buses.
Moored outside the museum is the Tall Ship, the Glenlee, a sailing ship built on the Clyde in 1896. She sailed around the world many times. You can explore her decks and holds for free.
The museum is a great place to understand Glasgow’s history as a city of shipbuilding and engineering. The views over the river are lovely. Allow a couple of hours.
3. Glasgow Cathedral and the Necropolis
Glasgow Cathedral is the most complete medieval cathedral on the Scottish mainland. It survived the Reformation largely intact, when many other Scottish cathedrals were damaged or destroyed. It stands on the site where St Mungo, the patron saint of Glasgow, is believed to have founded a church in the sixth century.
The cathedral is a fine Gothic building, with a lower church where St Mungo’s tomb lies. The atmosphere is peaceful and ancient. Entry is free.
Behind the cathedral, on a hill, is the Necropolis, a Victorian garden cemetery opened in 1833. It is full of grand tombs and monuments to the city’s merchants and families. From the top, there are wonderful views over the cathedral and the city.
Opposite the cathedral stands Provand’s Lordship, built in 1471, the oldest house in Glasgow. It is a museum, and it is free to visit. Behind it is a peaceful garden of medicinal plants.
4. Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Charles Rennie Mackintosh, born in Glasgow in 1868, was one of the most important architects and designers of his time. His distinctive style, with tall, elegant lines, geometric patterns and stylised roses, is recognised around the world. Glasgow is full of his work.
The Lighthouse, his first public building, was built for a newspaper and became a centre for architecture and design, with a viewing platform over the city, though it has had periods of closure, so check before you go. Mackintosh at the Willow, on Sauchiehall Street, is a restored version of the tea rooms he designed, where you can still have tea in his beautiful rooms. The Hunterian Art Gallery at the university has a reconstruction of the interiors of his own home.
House for an Art Lover, in Bellahouston Park, was built long after his death from designs he entered for a competition. Scotland Street School Museum, one of his buildings, tells the story of education in Scotland. Mackintosh Queen’s Cross, a church he designed, is the headquarters of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society.
His most famous building, the Glasgow School of Art, was badly damaged by fires in 2014 and 2018, and it is being rebuilt. Walking tours explore his work across the city. It is one of the best ways to see Glasgow.
5. The West End
The West End is one of the most attractive parts of Glasgow, a district of elegant terraces, parks, cafés and bars around the University of Glasgow. The university’s main building, with its tall Gothic tower and cloisters, is one of the finest in Britain. The university is the fourth oldest in the English speaking world.
The Hunterian Museum, in the university, is the oldest public museum in Scotland, with collections including Roman objects from the Antonine Wall and scientific instruments. Entry is free. Kelvingrove Park and the museum lie just below the university.
Byres Road, the main street of the West End, is lined with independent shops, cafés and restaurants. Ashton Lane, a cobbled lane just off Byres Road, is full of bars, restaurants and an old cinema, and it is lit with fairy lights at night. It is one of the liveliest spots in the city.
The Botanic Gardens, at the top of Byres Road, have beautiful glasshouses, including the Kibble Palace, a huge Victorian glasshouse full of tree ferns and statues. They are free to visit. It is a lovely place to relax.
6. Live music
Glasgow is one of the great music cities of the world, and it was named a UNESCO City of Music in 2008. It has venues of every size, and there is live music every night of the week. Glaswegians love a gig, and bands say the crowds here are among the best anywhere.
The Barrowland Ballroom, in the East End, with its famous neon sign, is one of the most loved music venues in Britain. King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, a small venue on St Vincent Street, is where Oasis were famously signed in 1993. The OVO Hydro, beside the river, is one of the busiest arenas in the world.
Glasgow also has a rich traditional music scene, and Celtic Connections, held every January, is one of the largest festivals of folk and roots music in the world. There are classical concerts at the Royal Concert Hall and the City Halls. Pubs across the city host live sessions.
After a big gig, the streets around the venues are busy. A car booked ahead is the easiest way to get home at the end of the night.
7. George Square and the Merchant City
George Square, in the heart of the city centre, is Glasgow’s main public square, surrounded by grand Victorian buildings and statues. The City Chambers, on the eastern side of the square, is one of the grandest civic buildings in Britain, with a magnificent marble staircase. Free tours take you inside.
The Merchant City, just east of George Square, is the old heart of Glasgow’s trade, where the tobacco lords and merchants built their warehouses and mansions. Today it is full of bars, restaurants and boutiques in restored buildings. It is lively in the evenings.
The Gallery of Modern Art, in a grand neoclassical building on Royal Exchange Square, has changing exhibitions of contemporary art, and it is free to enter. Outside stands a statue of the Duke of Wellington on horseback, which almost always wears a traffic cone on its head. The cone has become a symbol of Glasgow’s humour.
Buchanan Street, Sauchiehall Street and Argyle Street, known as the Style Mile, are Glasgow’s main shopping streets. The city is one of the best places to shop in Britain outside London. Princes Square, a shopping centre in a Victorian building, has a beautiful glass roof.
8. The Burrell Collection and Pollok Country Park
The Burrell Collection, in Pollok Country Park on the south side of the city, is one of the greatest art collections ever given to a city. It was assembled by Sir William Burrell, a wealthy shipping owner, and given to Glasgow in 1944. It has more than nine thousand objects.
The collection includes Chinese ceramics, medieval tapestries and stained glass, and paintings by artists such as Degas and Cézanne. It is displayed in a modern building with huge windows looking out into the woodland. After a major refurbishment, it reopened in 2022 and won a national museum of the year award.
Pollok Country Park, around the museum, is a large park of woodland and meadows. A herd of Highland cattle grazes in the park, and they are a favourite with visitors. Pollok House, a grand country house run by the National Trust for Scotland, is also in the park.
The Burrell Collection is free to enter. The park is lovely for walking and cycling. It is easy to reach by train or car from the city centre.
9. The Clyde, Finnieston and the Science Centre
The River Clyde runs through the heart of Glasgow, and its banks have been transformed in recent years. Where shipyards once stood, there are now museums, concert venues and apartments. The riverside walkway is lovely for a stroll.
On the north bank, the SEC Armadillo, a concert hall shaped like a series of overlapping shells, stands next to the OVO Hydro. The Clydeside Distillery, in an old pumphouse, makes whisky and offers tours. Nearby, the Finnieston Crane, a giant crane once used to load locomotives onto ships, is a reminder of the city’s industrial past.
Finnieston, just north of the river, has become one of the best areas in Glasgow for food and drink, with restaurants, bars and cafés along Argyle Street. It is lively in the evenings. Many of the restaurants specialise in Scottish seafood.
On the south bank, the Glasgow Science Centre has interactive exhibits, a planetarium and an IMAX cinema. It is great for families. Check what is open before you go.
10. Football in Glasgow
Glasgow is one of the most passionate football cities in the world. Its two biggest clubs, Celtic and Rangers, are known together as the Old Firm, and their rivalry is one of the most famous in sport. Celtic play at Celtic Park, in the East End, and Rangers at Ibrox, on the south side.
Both clubs offer stadium tours, which take you behind the scenes and tell the story of their history. The atmosphere on match days is extraordinary. Tickets for Old Firm matches are very hard to get.
Hampden Park, the national football stadium of Scotland, is also in Glasgow. It is home to the Scottish Football Museum, which tells the story of the game in Scotland. Scotland played in the first ever international football match, against England in 1872.
On match days, the roads around the stadiums are extremely busy. A car booked ahead, with a pickup point agreed away from the ground, is the easiest way to get home.
11. Glasgow Green and the East End
Glasgow Green, beside the Clyde on the eastern edge of the city centre, is the oldest public park in the city. It has been used by Glaswegians for centuries for walking, meetings and celebrations. It has monuments, fountains and wide open spaces.
The People’s Palace, on Glasgow Green, is a museum of the social history of Glasgow, telling the story of ordinary people in the city. The Doulton Fountain, nearby, is the largest terracotta fountain in the world. Check what is open before you go.
The Barras, a famous weekend market in the East End, has stalls selling everything from antiques to clothes. It has been a Glasgow institution for more than a century. The area around it has been transformed with new bars and venues.
Tennent’s Wellpark Brewery, in the East End, has been brewing beer on the site for centuries, and tours are available. The Barrowland Ballroom is nearby. The East End has a proud, working class character.
12. Loch Lomond and day trips
Loch Lomond, the largest loch in Britain by surface area, is about forty minutes north west of Glasgow. It is surrounded by mountains, forests and pretty villages, and it is part of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. It is one of the most beautiful places in Scotland.
Balloch, at the southern end of the loch, has boat trips, a visitor centre and a sea life aquarium. Luss, a pretty conservation village on the western shore, has cottages, a beach and walks. Ben Lomond, the most southerly of Scotland’s high mountains, is a popular climb.
Stirling, with its castle and the Wallace Monument, is about forty five minutes away. New Lanark, a restored cotton mill village and UNESCO World Heritage Site, is about forty five minutes south east. Edinburgh is less than an hour away by train.
A driver for the day is the easiest way to explore Loch Lomond and the Highlands. The scenery on the roads north of the loch is spectacular.
Where to eat and drink
Glasgow has one of the best food scenes in Scotland. Finnieston, the West End and the Merchant City are full of excellent restaurants, from Scottish seafood to food from around the world. Glasgow has won the title of the best curry city in Britain several times, and the chicken tikka masala is said by some to have been invented in a Glasgow restaurant.
Glasgow’s pubs are legendary, from traditional bars with live music to modern craft beer pubs. Irn-Bru, Scotland’s famous orange soft drink, and Tunnock’s teacakes are both made near the city. A full Scottish breakfast, with square sausage and tattie scones, is the best start to the day.
Where to stay
For a first visit, stay in the city centre, close to the main stations, the shops and the Merchant City. The West End is quieter and more elegant, with hotels in Victorian terraces close to the university and Kelvingrove. There are also hotels beside the river, near the SEC and the OVO Hydro.
Big concerts, football matches and festivals fill hotels quickly, so book ahead.
A weekend in Glasgow
On the first day, start at Glasgow Cathedral and the Necropolis, then walk to George Square and the Merchant City. After lunch, visit the Gallery of Modern Art and explore the Mackintosh buildings in the city centre, including the Lighthouse and the Willow Tea Rooms. In the evening, catch a gig.
On the second day, head to the West End for Kelvingrove, the university and the Botanic Gardens, with lunch on Ashton Lane. In the afternoon, visit the Riverside Museum and the Tall Ship, and finish with dinner in Finnieston. With a third day, head to Loch Lomond or the Burrell Collection.
Getting around
Glasgow’s Subway is the third oldest underground railway in the world, after London and Budapest. It runs in a simple circle around the city centre and the West End, and locals call it the Clockwork Orange because of its orange trains. It is quick and easy to use.
The city also has a good network of trains and buses. The city centre has a low emission zone, which some older vehicles cannot enter without a charge. A car booked ahead is the easiest way to reach the airports and places outside the city.
Getting there and getting around
Glasgow has two main stations. Glasgow Central has trains to London Euston in around four and a half hours, and to the south and west, while Queen Street has trains to Edinburgh in under an hour, and to the Highlands. They are a short walk apart.
Glasgow Airport is about eight miles west of the city centre, around twenty minutes by road, and there is no railway link, so most people travel by road. Glasgow Prestwick Airport is about thirty miles south west, with its own railway station. Edinburgh Airport is about forty five minutes away.
A car booked ahead is the easiest way to travel between Glasgow, the airports and the stations with luggage, and to reach Loch Lomond, Stirling and the Highlands.
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