Glasgow
So you’re planning a long weekend in Glasgow and you want to make the most of it. Edinburgh has the Castle, the Royal Mile and a tonne of history to dive into. In Glasgow you want to relax and have some fun so here’s some ideas for a weekend break which is a bit less on the tourist hotspots and a bit more on entertainment.
Getting there
Getting to Glasgow couldn’t be easier. Flights arrive every day into Glasgow international airport from all over the world. The Airport Express 500 bus leaves from Stance 1 outside the airport terminal and the journey into the city centre takes just over 15 minutes. A return ticket costs £16.50. If you prefer to take a taxi, it will cost between £28 and £40 depending on your drop-off point.
If you’d rather not take a flight, there are regular trains travelling up the west coast from London. The fastest trains take a little over four and a half hours and the best bit is that you arrive straight into the city centre.
George Square
George Square is the main square in the city centre and a popular gathering place for locals, tourists and what seems like half of Glasgow’s pigeon population. Currently undergoing redevelopment, it’s partially open with new seating areas where you can sit and watch the world go by.
Shopping
Buchanan Street
Known to some as the Style Mile, Buchanan Street is Glasgow’s main shopping street with a range of high street and upmarket stores. As you work your way down the pedestrianised street you’ll be entertained by some excellent buskers and street performers - there’s always something going on. Halfway down is the upmarket Princes Square, a beautiful indoor shopping mall with high end fashion names as well as bars and restaurants on the lower and upper floors. At the bottom of Buchanan Street, turn left into Argyle Street for more high street stores.
Food and Drink
Glasgow’s food scene has really come to life over the last few years with new and exciting restaurants opening up and serving everything from American gourmet burgers to flavours of the far east and everything in between. If you want to eat traditional Scottish food, you’ll find a number of great Scottish restaurants around the city.
Some of the best restaurants are a little bit away from the city centre. Check out areas such as Finnieston, Kelvinside and Byers Road for some inspired world cuisine.
If you want to spend your evening checking out the Glagow bars you’ll be spoilt for choice. Whether it’s traditional pubs such as the Horseshoe Bar or trendy cocktail bars, whatever vibe you’re looking for, you’ll find it in Glasgow.
Art Galleries and Museums
Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery
The biggest and most well known of Glasgow’s museums and art galleries is Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery. The Museum hosts a number of temporary exhibitions as well as permanent displays featuring Scottish artists.
Be sure to check out the organist in the main hall who plays popular tunes on an historic pipe organ. You’ll find them there Monday to Saturday at 1pm.
Address: Argyle Street, Glasgow G3 8AG
Closest Underground Station: Kelvinhall
Gallery of Modern Art
You’ll know when you’ve arrived at the Gallery of Modern Art in the city centre. Outside the gallery is the famous statue of the Duke of Wellington on his horse and with a street cone on his head - an iconic Glasgow sight. Check the website for temporary and permanent exhibitions. Entry is free.
Address: 111 Queen Street, Exchange Square, Glasgow G1 3AH
Hunterian Art Gallery
The Hunterian Art Gallery is dedicated to the best of Scottish art as well as being a celebration of the renowned Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Situated within the University of Glasgow Campus, it’s the oldest public museum in Scotland. Entry to the Hunterian Art Gallery is free.
Located inside The Hunterian is Mackintosh House, a reassembly of the main rooms of the home of the renowned Scottish architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh. The original house was demolished in 1963 during expansion of the University but fixtures, fittings and furniture were saved and rebuilt inside the Hunterian.
Tickets to the Mackintosh House cost £12. Guided tours take place on the fourth Thursday of the month.
Address: 82 Hillhead Street, Glasgow G12 8QQ
Closest underground station: Hillhead
Live Music
Glasgow is well known for its thriving live music scene. All the biggest names in music have played gigs in Glasgow over the years. Hampden Park is Scotlands national stadium and major acts such as Beyoncé, Metallica and Bruce Springsteen have played sold out shows in recent times.
The biggest indoor arena in Glasgow is the OVO Hydro where you can see top music acts as well as big name comedians such as Glasgow’s own Kevin Bridges.
The Barrowlands is a long standing indoor venue and a favourite with locals. Previous acts who have played here include David Bowie, Robbie Williams and The Foo Fighters.
Address: 244 Gallowgate, Glasgow G4 0TT
If you’re looking for venue where you can see up and coming acts, Glasgow has a number of great smaller venues. I’ve noted just a few of them here:
Oran Mor - a converted church on Great Western Road. Upstairs is a popular bar and restaurant and down in the basement is the live music venue.
King Tuts - the legendary nightclub on St Vincent Street where Oasis were discovered and still going strong as a music venue.
Saint Luke’s and the Winged Ox - another converted church, close to the Barrowlands, a popular venue for live music.
SWG - a multi-purpose event space for club nights and gigs in the west end of Glasgow.
The Glasgow Grand Ole Opry
If you’re a country music fan you might want to head along to Glasgow’s original country music venue. It first opened in 1974 as a Country and Western Club and was the largest club of its kind in the UK. Still going strong today, there is live music every Friday and Saturday nights and club nights where you can dance the night away to your favourite country songs.
Address: 2-4 Govan Road, Kinning Park G51 1HS
Getting there: Take the underground to Shields Road
Sport
Football is without question Scotland’s national sport and nowhere is it more strongly felt than in Glasgow. The long standing rivalry between Rangers and Celtic goes deep, however when it comes to the National Team, the travelling fans aka the Tartan Army are generally loved wherever they go.
Hampden Park is Scotland’s national football stadium and where championship final matches are played. You can take a guided tour of the Stadium or visit the Scottish Football Museum.
Closest railway station: Take the train from Glasgow Central Station to Mount Florida. It’s then a ten minute walk to the stadium.
Cycling
Cycling has grown hugely in popularity in Scotland in recent years, thanks partly to the success of Sir Chris Hoy, 6 times Olympic Gold Medallist who has an indoor cycling track named after him at the Glasgow International Arena.
If you have basic bike riding ability, you can book a session at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome. Or you can look out for the next big racing event and watch the professionals speed round the track.
Check the website for further information.
Address: 1000 London Road, Glasgow G40 3HG
Getting there: Catch the train at Glasgow Central Station and get off at Dalmarnock.
Swimming
If swimming is your passion then head for the Tollcross International Swimming Centre. The centre played host to the swimming events at the last two Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and features an Olympic sized pool and state of the art gym. So if you want to race up and down the pool like an Olympian, pack your swimwear and head on over. There’s no need to pre-book but there may be restricted access if there is an event on.
Address: 350 Wellshot Road, Glasgow G32 7QR
Getting there: Take the No 61 bus from outside the Gallery of Modern Art and get off at Wellshot Road. The journey takes around 30 minutes.
Finally
For a lively, fun weekend Glasgow is hard to beat. There’s no shortage of things to do and the people are friendly. So whether you’re into music, the arts, sport or just hanging out in the bars and restaurants, it’s a great choice for a long weekend.