My husband and I will be in Glasgow for 3 days. I have booked two day tours with Mountain Goat tours - one to Loch Lomond and Stirling Castle and the next day to the Glenfinnan Viaduct, Glencoe & Loch Shiel. I don't think this will overlap too much. I would like to see Stirling Caslet and Glencoe as the top two on my list. We are both history buffs and were in Edinburgh 7 years ago and explored the eastern highlands at the time. The third full day we have on our own to discover Glasgow. I believe the Kelingrove Museum is a must, maybe the cathedral and botanic gardens. We wondered about a walking tour, the hop on hop off bus, or even a food tour. Your recommendations would be greatly appreciated. We will be spending 4 nights at the Grasshoppers Hotel near the Central train station. You have all been so helpful in planning our trip. I appreciate your time in giving us information. We leave Glasgow for Iona and Oban for three nights. So excited about it all.
Posted by
RIchmond, BC,Canada
916 posts
The hop on hop off bus in Glasgow is good, and worth the ticket. Wandering Sauchiehall Street is fun, and stopping for tea at the Willow Tea Room is nice ( designed by Charles Rennie Macintosh). Glasgow is all about the architecture, so as you are walking remember to look up and admire the facades of buildings. Definitely go to the museum and cathedral, not sure if you could also fin in the gardens in one day if you also want to walk around and do the HOHO bus route.
Posted by
Lake District, England
7214 posts
The HoHo red route will take you to the Botanic Gardens, Kelvingrove and the Cathedral among many other north side attractions.
That would be a good basis for your day I think to use the HoHo. There is a combo ticket you can buy which includes a Glasgow subway ticket. It may be a good idea to buy a Yellow (south side tour) and Red Routes and Subway combo ticket, to get the best value out of your day.
There is a company called Walking Tours in Glasgow who do a Street Art Tour at 2pm every day and a a Wee Walk and Whisky Tour at 5pm daily and a Mackintosh Tour at 10am on a Saturday only.
Also a city centre walking tour at 1030, 2pm and 5pm daily. Also see their range of private walking tours.
Posted by
London
1126 posts
Walking from Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery to the Botanic Gardens is a nice way to see a little of the west end. A walk through Kelvingrove Park, University Avenue and up Byres Road to the entrance on Great Western Road is an easy stroll.
Glasgow University is a a lovely building on the way. You can get a nice photo of the University's tower from Dumbarton Road or the park. There's some very ornate cloisters but I'm not sure of the access on campus for visitors.
Here's a link to Google Maps.
Posted by
West Coast
434 posts
Third for the HoHo bus. It stops at or near the major tourist sites and comes with a really nice audio guide, or sometimes a real live person guide. I don’t know if guides are typical for these buses since I don’t usually use them but I found it interesting. It’s good way to get to get to everything you want to see, especially if you start early. I thinking was only a pound or two more for a two day ticket which gives you a little more flexibility.
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
58 posts
If you only have one day to sight see in Glasgow, you will need to decide what to see and what to leave out. Your ideas could fill several days in the city.
There are two tea room with similar, confusing names - the Willow Tea Room and MacIntosh at the Willow Team Room- this in the Rennie MacIntosh venue- make sure you reserve well ahead of time- by several weeks- and go to the correct place, if this is something you are interested in. When I went to MacKintosh at the Willow Tea room, there were several groups that had reservations for the Willow Tea Room and had to be redirected and those that were hoping for a seating but were out of luck as none available.
I really enjoyed the Kelvingrove and saw a special exhibit while I was there. You can walk to Glasgow University through Kelvingrove Park and walk through the cloisters.
The catherdral is very interesting.
Posted by
Lincolnshire, UK
2187 posts
If you have time add the Burrell Collection to the list. It's a bit further from the centre but is an amazing collection.
Posted by
Duluth 🛶
7463 posts
Definitely, yes to the Kelvingrove.
Another fascinating place is the Necropolis, which is near St. Giles Cathedral, and is definitely worth a visit. It is a Victorian cemetery and was inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. It has very elaborate and ornate tombs and monuments, all in different architectural styles. You will also find some wonderful views of the city at the top. It's a very unique and captivating site.