Hello,
I pla on visiting Glasgow for a Celtic match in October. I have never been to Glasgow.
Are there any Glaswegians that could provide recommendations on the neighborhoods to stay in and the neighborhoods to avoid? I will be staying in a hotel and not an AirBnB. Thanks in advance.
Hi, Kevin,
Places to avoid: Gorbals, Castlemilk, Shettleston, Maryhill, and Easterhouse. Although The Gorbals has cleaned up its act. You definitely want to avoid any Rangers' pubs if you're wearing anything green. Also avoid discussing religion anywhere on game day. Also avoid discussing politics. It's okay to say that you hate the current president of the U.S. That's pretty much a given.
Hope that helps. Enjoy the match! Parkhead is a beautiful stadium.
Slainte!
Mike (Auchterless)
p.s.: Be careful walking to your lodging after the match.
That’s fantastic. Thank you. I usually zip my scarf inside my jacket on my walks back from matches.
By chance have you walked back from Parkhead after a match into the city center? Just from looking at a map, that seems like the best place to stay for one night.
Do not walk back to the city centre on your own after a match at Celtic Park, use public transport where possible.
Thank you, MC
Hi again, Kevin,
I was thinking that you were going to an Old Firm (Celtic vs. Rangers) match, but if it's a regular SFA match, it shouldn't be as rowdy. As MC recommended, don't walk back toward town alone. There will probably be large groups of people heading in your direction. Travel with them if you can. You'll probably make some new friends.
If you take the bus back, don't sit upstairs on a double decker.
Center city is a good place for an overnight. There are several good hotels in the George Square area. Premier Inn is a good one, and if you reserve in advance, you can often get a good rate.
Slainte!
Mike (Auchterless)
Thank you, Mike. Should have been clearer.
Headed over for a European night depending on how they do the next few weeks in qualifying. Hoping it’s UCL but UEL is fine too.
Hi once again, Kevin,
It's a bit of a hike from Parkhead back to city center, so you may want to consider taking a bus. However, if it's an afternoon match, and it's not raining, you could walk. It would give you the opportunity to see some of Glasgow that tourists don't normally see.
However, if you do take a bus back to your lodging, there are several that leave from (and return to) Buchanan Street bus station (which is almost directly across from George Square), and will drop you off near the stadium. You could also get off or get on the bus at the Glasgow Forge, which is a huge shopping center. Best thing to do would be to check with your lodging, or take a quick trip across to the bus station to check the schedules. Once again, don't sit upstairs on a double decker on match day!
You could also catch a taxi from the Forge. There is a taxi rank there. I think that the ASDA supermarket is open 24/7. Perhaps MC can confirm that.
Once again, enjoy the match!
Mike (Auchterless)
p.s.: I'm not a Weegie, but it's my favourite city in Scotland, and I have many friends there.
Mike,
Thank you. I have to ask. Why not the top on a match day?
Hi, Kevin,
That's where the fights sometimes start. Especially if you're wearing club colors. The driver normally has no control over what's going on upstairs, even if he/she has a remote video camera for the upstairs section.
Fights don't happen often, but best not to take any chances. The razor gangs of the 1930s are fortunately a thing of the past, but teenage gangs will sometimes sit upstairs and intimidate bus passengers, especially at night. If you see a group of skinheads, or lads (and lassies) with lots of tattoos, best to avoid them. Most of the time they're harmless, and just showing a bit of bluster, and your chances of encountering someone like Begbie from "Trainspotting" are almost nil.
Speaking of "nil," there's an old Billy Connolly routine about the Partick Thistle team being so bad that people thought that the actual name of the team was "Partick Thistle Nil." :)
Anyway, I don't want to scare you. Glasgow is a wonderful city, and I love it. As a solo traveller, however, you should take the same precautions that you would in any large city.
Best wishes once again.
Mike (Auchterless)
Mike,
Can any place be worse than Millwall? Lol
Hi, Kevin,
As rowdy as the Old Firm supporters can get, the don't hold a candle to Millwall. Of course, a good bit of the clashes between Celtic and Rangers supporters is sectarian in nature, while Millwall is just violence for the hell of it!
Slainte!
Mike (Auchterless)
Can any place be worse than Millwall? Lol
Unfortunately Portsmouth came pretty close during the height of the 6.57 Crew (so called because it was the time that the train left Portsmouth and Southsea station to London Waterloo, I'm not sure of the relevance and I doubt the founders did either!). It's still very bad when they play rivals Southampton (worse than Rangers v Celtic) but this is now a rarity as they are in different leagues however when they played each other in 2004 over 300 people were arrested.
The local ASDA to Parkhead is I think 24 hours. The issue of wearing the top and walking back is very much attached to sectarianism. The main road into the city centre from Parkhead goes through Bridgeton, one of the stronghold areas of the Orange Order in the west of Scotland.
