Glasgow
Glasgow is the most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in west central Scotland.
It is the third-most populous city in the United Kingdom and comprises 23 wards which represent the areas within the city boundaries. Glasgow is a leading city in Scotland for university education and research, finance, industry, commerce, shopping, culture and fashion, and was commonly referred to as the "second city of the British Empire" for much of the Victorian and Edwardian eras.
Getting to Glasgow
- 01Glasgow Airport
- 02Glasgow Prestwick Airport
- 03Glasgow Central
It has trains from London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Preston and Carlisle, from the south of Scotland, slower services from Edinburgh, and from the city's southern districts.
- 04Glasgow Queen Street
This is the terminus for fast trains from Edinburgh via Falkirk, and for all northern cities such as Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness and Oban.
Worth seeing
This was the medieval centre of Glasgow until the 18th century, when the city grew rapidly along the Clyde.
- 01Glasgow Cathedral
This was built in 1197 but much modified in the 13th century and is a fine example of medieval Gothic.
- 02Glasgow Necropolis
- 03Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust
- 04George Square
It marks the centre of this sprawling city.
- 05City Chambers
The City Council headquarters were built in 1888 in Italian Renaissance style.
- 06Gallery of Modern Art
It houses rotating exhibitions of contemporary work; there isn't a permanent collection, but exhibitions generally reside for several months.
Things to do
Glasgow has a big music scene in all genres.
- 01Nice'N'Sleazy
421 Sauchiehall Street G2 4LG (nearest railway: Charing Cross),.
- 02Barrowland Ballroom
Opened in 1934, but rebuilt in ever-so-Sixties style after a fire, this is a popular live venue with 1900 standing capacity.
- 03King Tut's Wah Wah Hut
Venue for up-and-coming bands, where Oasis and Glasvegas were discovered.
- 04O2 Academy
121 Eglinton Street G5 9NT (Subway: Bridge Street),.
- 05SEC Centre
Exhibition Way G3 8YW (train: Exhibition Centre).
- 06SEC Armadillo
Where to eat
Tis beautiful to see the ships passing to and fro, Laden with goods for the high and the low; So let the beautiful city of Glasgow flourish, And may the inhabitants always find food their bodies to nourish. - William McGonagall, who else Fish & chips: There are dozens and dozens of mostly takeaways with only a few sit-in cafes.
Getting around Glasgow the local way
- Get inThere's a range of long-stay parks off-site, with transfer minibuses.
- Get in(The airport is in "Local" zone, so the "City" zone fare isn't enough.) McGill's Bus 757 trundles every 30 min to Paisley Gilmour Street railway station, which has very frequent trains to Glasgow Central, and outbound to Gourock (for Dunoon ferry), Wemyss Bay (for Bute ferry), Ardrossan (for Arran ferry) and Ayr.
- Get inThe fare is the same by any route: in 2024 a day trip is £15 and an open return is £20.
- Get inFor a day trip, park up at one of the outlying railway stations, if you can find a space among all the commuter vehicles.
- Get inThe crossing takes 2 hr 30 min, with almost a dozen car ferries a day.
- Get inFrom Europe the nearest ferry port is Newcastle upon Tyne, with overnight ferries from IJmuiden near Amsterdam.
- Get inFerries from the Clyde islands and Argyll peninsula sail to ports "doon the water" at Gourock, Wemyss Bay and Ardrossan.
- Get inIn the twentieth century paddle steamers ran between Glasgow and other Clyde ports, this continues with occasional sailings of the PS Waverley but these are only a realistic option for a day trip from Glasgow.
From Wikivoyage: Glasgow, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.