Discovering Glasgow
Glasgow (Gaelic: Glaschu) is Scotland's largest city (635,000 inhabitants, metropolitan area 1.8 million) and its cultural powerhouse. Where Edinburgh is elegant and reserved, Glasgow is loud, warm-hearted, and unpretentious. The city has one of the best music scenes in Europe, a vibrant art scene, world-class museums — and the best part: almost everything is free.
Glasgow was once the industrial heart of the British Empire: shipbuilding on the Clyde, tobacco trade, cotton industry. The deindustrialization of the 1970s–80s hit the city hard. But Glasgow reinvented itself: 1990 European Capital of Culture, 2014 Commonwealth Games, and today a city brimming with creativity, diversity, and joie de vivre.
Plan at least 2 days for Glasgow — one for museums and architecture, one for the neighborhoods and the pub scene. The city is also the gateway to the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, just 30 minutes away.
Orientation
Glasgow is generously laid out and somewhat more sprawling than Edinburgh:
- City Centre: Around George Square with the City Chambers. Shopping on Buchanan Street and Sauchiehall Street. Also home to the Glasgow School of Art (Mackintosh).
- Merchant City: The elegant district east of the center — former merchant district, now: restaurants, bars, galleries, and the GoMA (Gallery of Modern Art).
- West End: The boho district around the University of Glasgow. Ashton Lane (a cobbled lane full of pubs and restaurants), Kelvingrove Museum, Botanical Garden. The city's most creative district.
- Finnieston: Glasgow's trendiest district — craft beer bars, innovative restaurants, and the Hydro Arena. The "Strip" on Argyle Street is Glasgow's culinary mile.
- South Side: Pollok Country Park with the Burrell Collection and the magnificent Pollok House. Also Queens Park and the lively Shawlands scene.
