You have all been very helpful in planning our trip. The first half of our second visit to Scotland will start by arriving from US to Manchester, England on a Saturday morning. After customs, we plan to take the train to Glasgow, staying at the Grasshopper Hotel for 4 nights. My thinking is that the train will give us a chance to adapt a bit to the time change, and my husband loves riding trains. We are planning to take two Discover Scotland tours the following two days: (1) Loch Lomond & Stirling Castle and (2) Glenfinnan Viaduct, Glencoe & Loch Shiel. The last day in Glasgow we will do on our own, so any must sees recommended by you are appreciated. We will then be ready for our long travel day, taking the train from Glasgow to Oban, then ferry to Criagnure, Mull - bus across Mull to ferry from Finnphort to Iona. We will be staying two nights on Iona at the Argyll. We would like to take a half day tour to Staffa from there. Leaving Iona, we will spend one night in Oban before taking the train for our second leg to Lake District in England, and then home. I have been to Oban and Iona and am excited to take my husband to view the beauty of the area. Our first trip to Scotland about 5 years ago we did Edinburgh and the northern part of the Highlands. Excited to see more of this beautiful country.
Would appreciate your thoughts on this, as well as anything to do in Glasgow, restaurants for dinner (not all fine dining, but one or two would be good).
Posted by
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
4405 posts
https://www.santaluciaglasgow.com/ So good we ate here twice.
By far, our favourite day in Glasgow was a daytrip to Stirling Castle where we spent 6 hours. Hopefully your tour gives you enough time. We did enjoy the Kelvingrove Museum and then wandered the beautiful campus of the University of Glasgow where the museum is. On another day we did a 2 hour tour with https://walkingtoursin.com/scotland-tours/glasgow/ which gave us a bit of the history of Glasgow. After that we wandered to the cathedral and then stopped at Drygate Brewery for lunch https://www.drygate.com/bar-and-kitchen . Typical pub food like burgers but the beer I had was outstanding-a Peanut Butter stout. Cash only at the brewery.
Posted by
Duluth 🛶
7465 posts
The last day in Glasgow we will do on our own, so any must sees recommended by you are appreciated.
Here are my comments cribbed from my trip report last year:
Kelvingrove Museum: This museum was so much fun. I hadn’t read up on it so the contents were a total surprise. Really visually, stimulating, and some beautiful art. Everything was just wonderful. I really enjoyed this and would highly recommend a visit. There are also quite a few good restaurants in the area so it would be worth stopping by and getting a meal before or after. I ate at Mother India’s Cafe, which was practically across the street from the Kelvingrove Museum. Very good, although keep in mind that many Indian restaurants in Scotland do not serve rice with a dish. You have to order it separately.
Glasgow Cathedral and Necropolis: I stopped by here on the day of the coronation, and they had TV screens up. I liked the cathedral, although it wasn’t as ornate as many other European ones. But I think it’s worth a visit, and I would definitely visit the Necropolis, which is right next to it. That was really fascinating, and it makes for a really interesting walk through.
Tenement House: I liked this place and thought it was interesting. I don’t know that I would put it on my top places to go to, but I was in the area and enjoyed it.
Hunterian Art Gallery: The art here was really nice, especially their Whistler collection. This is a great place to just wander around enjoying their small but nice collection. It’s pretty easy to get to by public transportation as it is right on the campus and a quick walk from the bus stop.
FWIW, I stayed at Grasshoppers and loved it there. The hotel is located right next to the train station - in fact, there is a shortcut through the station to get there. Once you walk through the station to Union Street, look to your right and then up and you will see the Hotel Grasshoppers sign above the door. Go to the front door, press the buzzer, and they will give you a passcode to enter. Take the elevator up to the 6th floor.
The rooms are very nice with a desk area and lots of room and a comfy bed. They have an amazing selection of homemade cupcakes and ice cream (with vegan options) in the hallway that are always available (gratis!) for guests. There is a lounge with coffee and tea makings available for guests and wine and beer is available for purchase. Wine was €4 for a glass and it’s based on the honor system - you pour a glass and let them know. The lounge was a wonderful place to meet people as everyone tends to gravitate there. Breakfast is included and is served buffet style with cooked options as well as cereals, yogurt and so on. The staff was very friendly and went out of their way to be helpful. I think you will really enjoy it.