12 Great Things To Do in Glasgow

Glasgow is a city is full of surprises, there’s an exciting food scene, fabulous art trails, architecture to drool over and friendly people.Here are 12 attractions you won’t want to miss.

1.Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

The stunning Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is one of Scotland’s most popular attractions and it’s easy to see why- it’s full of treasures. The 22 themed state-of-the-art galleries display more than 8000 objects ranging from Dali’s The Christ of St John of the Cross, a World War Two Spitfire and the Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Glasgow Style gallery. The building is an architectural masterpiece of Victorian splendour and attracts just as much attention as the exhibits.  www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums

2.The Riverside Museum

You can spend hours here as you follow Glasgow’s history with 150 interactive story displays that detail the social histories of hundreds of individuals.Crowned as the 2013 European Museum of the Year and designed by internationally renowned architect Zaha Hadid, the Riverside Museum houses Glasgow’s world class transport collection. There’s everything from a South African locomotive and a recreated city street from the city’s past. Visitors to Riverside can also venture aboard The Tall Ship Glenlee, Glasgow’s lovingly restored Clyde built ship. www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums

3.The Burrell Collection

Exciting works by Degas and Rodin feature in the award-winning Burrell Collection. Located in a picturesque woodland setting of Pollok Country Park, it also has important examples of late medieval, Chinese and Islamic art. The collection is named after its donor, the shipping magnate Sir William Burrell and is one of the greatest collections ever created by one person. www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums

 4.Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Glasgow- born architect, designer and artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh is renowned internationally as one of the most creative figures of the early 20^th century. Glasgow is the best place in the world to view the genius of his work that can be witnessed at the Glasgow School of Art, Mackintosh House, Willow Tea Rooms and Queen’s Cross Church. www.crmsociety.com Book into The new Glasgow School of Art City Walking Tours to learn more about Mackintosh and his contribution to the international Art Nouveau movement- it’s a fascinating insight. www.gsa.ac.uk/visit-gsa/city-walking-tours

 

5.Whisky Tasting at Glengoyne Distillery

Whisky tasting is a tradition in Glasgow and this is revered as Scotland’s most beautiful distillery. It’s a great place to enjoy a dram. The distillery offers a range of excellent tours including a Master Blender Tour where you can create your very own whisky blend and a Whisky and Chocolate Matching workshop with chocolate supplied by Glaswegian chocolatier Nucoco. www.glengoyne.com

6. Shopping

Glasgow is the largest retail centre in the UK outside of London’s west end.If you are after a kilt or all things Scottish there are many speciality shops.You can trace your family ancestry and discover your family tartan.There are also lots of cool vintage shops, designer boutiques and a range of shopping malls. Adding to its impressive retail offering Glasgow the Buchanan Quarter in the city centre is perfect for retail therapy.www.glasgowstylemile.com

7.Dining

Glasgow has a sophisticated food scene  and you won’t find a fried Mars bars in most of Glasgow.There’s everything from great Indian – curry can be fabulous. From Dear Green Coffee Roasters and Nucoco Chocolate to Fantoosh Fish, Delizique and Brewhaha, Glasgow is home to a range of local producers.Specialist delicatessens such as George Mewes Cheesemongers that offer a delicious taste of Scottish cheeses. The Gannet at 1155 Argyle St is fabulous for dinner with produce from sustainable sources. Signature dishes include stalked venison from Arran, rare breed pork and duck eggs. Drygate Brewing is a great place to try a few ales.

8. Views

Get a bird’s eye view of beautiful Glasgow from a Loch Lomond Seaplane.  Loch Lomond Seaplanes is Europe’s only city centre based seaplane company and offers scenic tours from the River Clyde in the heart of Glasgow and from the idyllic Loch Lomond to Scotland’s stunning West Coast.  It’s a great way to see this city and beyond from above. Don’t miss Glasgow Cathedral, Botanic Gardens and Glasgow University.www.lochlomondseaplanes.com

9.Music

Music lovers will be in their element in this city with a huge range of musical events each week. As a UNESCO City of Music, Glasgow hosts an average of 130 music events each week.  Glasgow’s legendary music scene stretches across the whole spectrum from contemporary and classical to Celtic and country. The iconic King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut and Barrowlands are consistently voted as top live music venues by musicians and fans alike. www.kingtuts.co.uk  www.glasgow-barrowland.com

10.Parks and Gardens

The Gaelic translation of Glasgow, Glaschu, literally means Dear Green Place – a very appropriate name for a city which boasts more than 90 parks and gardens within its city boundaries. Glasgow’s parks and gardens offer residents and visitors a chance to relax in natural and tranquil surroundings and enjoy some peace and quiet away from the hustle and bustle of city life.  Why not take a walk around Kibble Palace in the Botanic Gardens, visit the Highland Cattle at Pollok Country Park or simply enjoy a stroll along the banks of the River Kelvin in Kelvingrove Park. www.glasgow.gov.uk

11.Art works

Glasgow knows how to produce great artists including six Turner Prize winners – Martin Creed, Douglas Gordon, Simon Starling, Richard Wright, Susan Philipsz and Martin Boyce and nine Turner Prize nominees – Christine Borland, Phil Collins, Nathan Coley, Jim Lambie, Cathy Wilkes, Lucy Skaer, Karla Black, Luke Fowler and 2013 nominee David Shrigley have hailed from, trained in, or worked out of the city in recent years. German curator Hans Ulrich Obrist described this success as the ‘Glasgow Miracle’ and Glasgow School of Art has since been awarded a research grant to uncover the reasons behind this phenomenon.

12.Sporting and entertainment arenas.

The SSE Hydro that seats a total capacity of 12,000 hosts 140 events every year – from national and international music mega stars to global entertainment and sporting events. Another great place to visit is the state-of-the-art Emirates Arena that opened in Glasgow in October 2012 as one of the most versatile and innovative purpose built structures of its type in Europe.  The Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome was designed by Ralph Schuermann, the internationally renowned designer of the 2008 Olympic Games Velodrome in Beijing.  If you are feeling adventurous you can book an introductory cycling session on the 250m Velodrome track. www.emiratesarena.co.uk

Did you know?

Glasgow is Scotland’s largest city with a population of around 600,000 and 2.5 million in the city region.

Fast Facts

Stay: Grand Central Hotel

999 Gordon St, Glasgow www.thegrandcentralhotel.co.uk

This hotel is in the heart of Glasgow, adjacent to the Glasgow Central Station and has  undergone a $20 million pound refurbishment.

For more information on Glasgow see www.peoplemakeglasgow.com