If you are planning a trip to Scotland, you might already know that
Edinburgh has everyone in love and that the famous Scottish Highlands
are also a great attraction. However, there is a destination that at
first might not impress you, but that won't let you down after you
visit it: Glasgow.
The biggest city in Scotland in terms of population is a gem that
has many places free to enter. The City Chambers, art galleries and
Glasgow Cathedral, among others, are good examples. Going inside
those places won't cost a single penny, and it's definitely worth
it!
Mackintosh architecture
One of the best things to see in Glasgow is the masterpieces that
Charle Renne Mackintosh left us. He is not that well-known outside
Great Britain, and he wasn't even that famous when he was alive...
But nowadays, he is considered one of the extraordinary sons of
Glasgow, with all fairness. Some of his work from the early 20th
century is so irreverent and ground-breaking that even today could
be considered modern. Discover his designs and buildings that he
made with his wife, a truly unique experience.
Football in Glasgow
Glasgow is known for the famous rivalry between its two biggest
teams: the Celtic and Rangers. No matter if you don't like football,
because the history and environment that surrounds this rivalry will
catch your attention anyway.
Food in Glasgow
Glasgow has gone through a radical transformation in its culinary
scene. The diversity and options to taste incredible food in Glasgow
keep growing every year. Try and go to one of the local pubs where
they do "pop-ups". The restaurants let different chefs use their
kitchens each week to guarantee a variety of flavours and styles.
The people in Glasgow
Glasgow's motto is "People make Glasgow''. And once you are here,
you will find why. Glasgow it's been a city that never had it easy
through history. The city has faced bombings in World War Two,
de-industrialization, etc. The effects of some of those events can
be even seen today. It's been the people in Glasgow that have
overcome those struggles and keep improving the city every day.
Street Art
Glasgow sometimes looks like an open-air museum, not only because of
its impressive buildings but also because of its murals. The city is
covered in giant graffiti that brings colour and life all over
Glasgow. Abandoned buildings, old walls and more places become the
perfect canvas for the local artists. Glasgow it's one of the
epicentres of Street Art in the United Kingdom, along with Bristol.
When you walk around Glasgow, you will surprise yourself by
discovering enormous artistic murals in the most unexpected places.
Travel to Glasgow
We'll leave you with a short guide about flights, airports, trains
and buses so you can visit and move around the city.
Flights to Glasgow
If you are planning on travelling to Glasgow by plane, luckily for
you, you have a bunch of options. Glasgow has two airports: Glasgow
International Airport and Glasgow Prestwick. If you can't find any
trip that suits your needs, perhaps you can try Edinburgh airport,
which is not too far from Glasgow city centre (around an hour).
Find the cheapest trip to Glasgow on
Skyscanner, that compares different airlines and travel agencies to give the
lowest price, without extra fees.
Glasgow International Airport
This airport is very close to centre and well connected, a trip will
only take you around 15-20 minutes. First Glasgow operates buses 24
hours, every day of the year except Christmas, so you shouldn't have
any problem getting to and from the airport. You can check here the
bus stops from Glasgow airport to the city centre.
Ticket type
Adult (+16)
Child (5 - 15)
Family
One way
£8.5
£4.5
£19
Open return
£14
£7
£29
Glasgow Prestwick Airport
Low-cost airlines tend to operate this airport, which is at the
southwest of Glasgow. The journey time by bus or train to the city
centre is just under an hour, approximately.
Note: You can check
here
the Prestwick-Glasgow trains options.
Trains to Glasgow
Glasgow is well connected by train with many cities across Great
Britain. These are some of the most popular connections:
Edinburgh: Very high train frequency. Journey takes between 50 and
90 minutes, depending on stops.
London: High frequency of trains. Journey time varies.
Mancheser: High frequency of trains. Joruney takes approximately 3
hours and 30 minutes.
Find the best train to Glasgow on
Trainline, the easiest way to get your tickets.
Buses and coaches to Glasgow
The cheapest place to buy bus trips in the United Kingdom is
Megabus. If you buy the ticket advance enough, the price will be
extremely affordable. For example, you can get deals less than £10
return London - Glasgow.
However, please don't forget the journey length! In short distance
trips, such as Edinburgh - Glasgow, it doesn't take much more time
than the train, but it can be considerably cheaper.
Accommodation in Glasgow
If you have already decided that you want to spend at least a night
in Glasgow, it's time now to pick where! Probably nobody will be
surprised when hearing that, the closer you get to the centre, the
more expensive the hotel tends to be. Luckily, Glasgow has a good
network of subway and buses, and there are many things to see in the
city. The best thing is staying in the city centre or West End, not
incidentally, that's where most of the hotels are.
Tip: Although generally speaking, Glasgow is quite safe, people tend
to recommend avoiding holiday apartments around Calton, Possil and
Castlemilk.
Best Hotels in Glasgow
The prices of hotels tend to vary depending on the season,
occupation, etc. In any case, here you can find two hotels that are
quite popular and tend to have good reviews and value.
Leonardo Inn Glasgow
In Glasgow's West End, the
Hotel Leonardo
it's ideal to discover the university area. Very close to the hotel,
you have a big supermarket, along with plenty of coffee shops and
restaurants. The rooms are modern and warm, equipped with TV and
free Wifi, and the hotel staff is friendly.
Ibis Styles Glasgow
One of the best perks of
Ibis Styles Glasgow
is its location. The best things to do and attractions are really
close to the hotel since it's in the middle of the city centre. In
addition to that, the price, compared with other hotels in the area,
is very reasonable. Another strength is the continental breakfast,
highly regarded by its hosts.
In any case, if you want to see availability or check other hotels
and apartments for better price, find the best deal on
Booking.com.
Where to eat in Glasgow
Which are the best places to eat in Glasgow? Here you have some of
our favourites restaurants in the city.
Hanoi Bike
Without any doubt, the atmosphere and decoration of this canteen are
one of the attractiveness of this place. But the thing is that its
Vietnamese food is delicious too!
Oran Mor Brasserie
This former church, located at Glasgow's West End, features a
traditional Scottish menu ideal for you to taste Haggis!
Jodandys
Jodandys is a coffee shop with a huge variety of vegetarian, vegan
and gluten-free fresh food. The best thing is that it has a very
affordable price, the bad thing, though, is that it may be a little
far from where you stay.
Malaga Tapas
If you want to try something different to Fish and Chips and Haggis,
here you have an option to taste Spanish food.
What to do in 1 day in Glasgow
Many itineraries 4 days itineraries to visit Edinburgh save one day
to spend in Glasgow. Or it's also quite typical, in a 3-day road
trip around Scotland, going through Glasgow. In any case, we will
try to list here all the things you must do in 1 day in Glasgow.
Glasgow Free Tour
The best way to make the most of a day in Glasgow is by doing the
Free Walking Tour. This guided walk will show you the main attractions of Glasgow's
city centre in just 2 hours! In particular, you will get to see
Glasgow City Chambers, the Cathedral and the Gallery of Modern
Art.Besides seeing those things, you will get to understand
Glasgow's history and anecdotes.
If you aren't familiar with the "free tour" system, this is a great
chance for you to try. Instead of paying a ticket at the beginning,
it's at the end when you pay, if anything, what you consider the
tour is worth.
Glasgow University
In the guided walk around Glasgow, you visit the city centre, along
with some famous murals. That's why visiting the West End after that
is a great way of complimenting the tour. It is highly recommendable
to visit the surroundings of Byres Road since there are loads of
delightful restaurants and bars.
What to see and do in 2 days in Glasgow
If you have 2 days to spend in Glasgow, check the city centre in
more detail, you won't regret it!
Go shopping in Buchanan Street
The shopping area in Glasgow is Buchanan Street. Probably after the
famous Oxford Street in London, it's the biggest shopping street in
the whole UK. Glasgow can be heaven for those that want to go
shopping. Edinburgers might have more medieval buildings, but it's
in Glasgow where they go shopping. What can you buy here? Anything.
From malls with all the big brands to vintage and underground shops,
you have everything in Glasgow.
Visit the Lighthouse
Probably, if you do Glasgow's walking tour, the guide will mention
the Lighthouse. The Lighthouse is not really a lighthouse, but a
multipurpose centre with free entry! Most tourists go there to get a
360 degrees view of Glasgow after climbing an iconic spiral
staircase. But besides views, the Lighthouse hosts an exhibition of
Mackintosh and another one of design and architecture.
Have an afternoon tea in Glasgow's city centre
As you probably all know, afternoon tea is a Great British
tradition. And if you want to join the locals with their tea, we
recommend you to go to the Willow Tearoom, a brilliant recreation of
the designs and work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
What to do in Glasgow in 3 days
If you do the Glasgow Free Tour, two days is normally enough to see
the most famous landmarks and monuemnts. For your third day, we
recommend you a wee trip to Loch Lomond and if you aren't too tired,
the Glasgow Pub Crawl!
Trip to Loch Lomond
Glasgow has the privilege of being next to Loch Lomond and the
National Park of the Trossachs. In just 50 minutes, you can leave
the busy and fuzzy city centre of Glasgow behind to be surrounded by
nature. Although Loch Ness is more famous, thanks to its monster,
Loch Lomond is equally or even more beautiful than Loch Ness. It's
also the lake that covers the most area in the whole of Great
Britain, and everything around it is truly stunning.
If you want to discover more places like Loch Lomond and the history
behind them, we recommend you to hire the
Loch Lomond and Oban day tour.
Glasgow Pub Crawl
In the Glasgow Pub Crawl, you will get to meet new people and have
fun while visiting some of the best bars and clubs in Glasgow. Enjoy
discounts, free shots and a night to remebmer!
If you have 4 days to be in Glasgow, we would suggest you spend one
in Edinburgh. You can be there by train in less than an hour! The
Scottish capital is one of the best places you can see, so there is
no excuse to skip it. If you are short of ideas about what to do in
Edinburgh, you can start by doing the Old Town Tour, which will give
you a perfect introduction to the city!
