Glasgow was a small market town until the 18th century, focused on the cathedral, so its "High Street" is a modest thoroughfare a mile east of the present centre. It grew rapidly when the 1707 Act of Union allowed Scotland to trade with English overseas colonies, flourishing with the transatlantic trade in tobacco, sugar and slaves. Glasgow's mills and foundries also drew in labour from the west Highlands and Donegal, as those regions lost their traditional smallholding ways of life. But the River Clyde was shallow, so the ports and shipyards grew up 25 miles downstream at Greenock, while a ramshackle flotilla of Cluthas and "Clyde Puffers" plied the city river. In the 1880s a deep channel was blasted, so shipyards and other metal-bashing industry developed at Govan. Their wealth created an elegant Victorian West End of mansions and parks, while the inner city earned a reputation as a dirty, rough place of teeming tenements, sectarian tensions, drunken brawls and poor life expectancy. The 1960s saw the collapse of industry and employment, ill-designed new housing schemes, and drug misuse.

City Centre has the transport hubs, most visitor attractions, shopping and entertainment, and the commercial sector. It's an elegant grid of Victorian streets, several pedestrianised, bounded to the south by the Clyde and to north and west by M8. Principal thoroughfares are Argyle Street and Sauchiehall Street running east-west, and Buchanan Street south to north. East side of the centre is marketed as Merchant City, focussed on Glasgow Cross.

East End: the medieval small town was around the cathedral, then it expanded west around Glasgow Cross. But property development means that the likes of Trongate, Saltmarket, High Street, Gallowgate and London Road now feel instead like the eastern expansion of Merchant City.

West End is the prosperous district with the University of Glasgow, Hunterian and Kelvingrove Museums, and Botanics, with the small River Kelvin running through. The main thoroughfare is A82 Great Western Road, the traditional road to Loch Lomond and the Highlands, though now you do better to follow M8 then Erskine Bridge. Byres Road is its main north-south route. It's a boho area of cafés, restaurants and quirky independent stores.

South of the Clyde has the football stadiums and Bellahouston Park. Clydebank west of the centre is the former ship-building area, now regenerated with event venues such as the Armadillo, and the Science Centre and Riverside Museum. North of the M8 has little to interest visitors.

Visit Scotland iCentre, 156 Buchanan Street G1 2LL (west side of Queen St Station), ☏ +44 141 566-4083. Daily 9:30AM-5PM. Friendly knowledgeable staff. (updated Apr 2023)

• Glasgow visitors information website

English is universal, but such a large city has multiple accents representing its waves of immigration and social strata. One major wave was from the Gaelic-speaking Highlands, and probably for this reason Glaswegian has a sing-song pattern. It can be low and rapid, but whether it's hard to follow depends on whether people have a financial interest in you understanding them. Those in the hospitality sector will make sure you do, no-hope Neds will take pride if you don't.

Most dialect words are common to Scotland, and a remarkable proportion are insults. For instance "teuchter" (say "chookter") means a Highlander. It had been used by Highlanders to mock southerners trying to pronounce Gaelic, then it got inverted. Glasgow has the world's largest Gaelic-speaking population and that language is being promoted (you'll see it on signage), so perhaps a re-inversion is coming.

55.8645-4.4321 Glasgow Airport (GLA  ^IATA), Paisley PA3 2ST, ☏ +44 344 481 5555. This is the city's principal airport, and a major portal of entry into Scotland. It has a wide range of European flights by traditional airlines, budget carriers and package/charters. Long-haul routes are from Toronto with Air Transat and Dubai with Emirates; other direct routes lapsed with covid. Flights from London by BA are frequent from Heathrow, less often from London City. Easyjet flies from Gatwick, Luton, Stansted, Belfast and Bristol. Flights within Scotland, including the Hebrides, Orkneys and Shetland, are by Loganair. The single terminal has the usual facilities, including car hire, cafes, and prayer rooms. (updated Apr 2023)

Airport hotels: see Paisley, as the airport is a couple of miles north of that town. Several are within walking distance, others are reached by shuttle bus or taxi.

Parking: Pick-up and drop-off costs £5 for 15 min. Use Short Stay for up to 90 minutes. There's a range of long-stay parks off-site, with transfer minibuses.

Transport from GLA is usually by bus, there's no railway station.

• Glasgow Airport Express takes 15 min from the terminal via Dundas St (for Queen Street Station) to Buchanan Bus Station. It's every 10-15 minutes from 8AM to 11PM and hourly through the night. Tickets cost £10 for a single adult, £16 for an open return (within 28 days), and can be paid in cash (change is given) or by card, a little cheaper if booked online. Single tickets (but not returns) include an onward transfer to any other First Glasgow bus in the city centre.

• First Glasgow Bus 77 takes an hour via Renfrew, Braehead, Govan (for QE Hospitals), Partick and Kelvingrove to Buchanan Bus Station. It's every 30 min 5:20AM to 9PM and while it's slow, it may be more convenient for the West End, and cheaper at £5.40 for a Dayrider single. (The airport is in "Local" zone, so the "City" zone fare isn't enough.)

• McGill's Bus 757 trundles every 30 min to Paisley Gilmour Street railway station, which has very frequent trains to Glasgow Central, and outbound to Gourock (for Dunoon ferry), Wemyss Bay (for Bute ferry), Ardrossan (for Arran ferry) and Ayr. The bus takes 15 min by a zigzag route and you could almost walk it in that time; northbound it continues from the airport to Inchinnan, Erskine and Clydebank bus station.

• The west: Bus 926 calls once a day at the airport on the way to Dumbarton, Inverary, Tarbert and Campbeltown. Others on that route, and all buses to Oban, Fort William and Skye, go north of the Clyde, so join them either at Buchanan Station or at Dumbarton.

• Taxis to the city centre take 20 min, and in 2023 are about £40.

55.509-4.6122 Glasgow Prestwick Airport (PIK ^IATA) is on the Ayrshire coast 32 miles southwest of Glasgow. Its heyday was over 50 years ago when its long fog-free runway served transatlantic flights, but these now land elsewhere. Ryanair is nowadays the only operator, with routes to the Mediterranean and the Canaries, many seasonal. This means Prestwick takes Glaswegians on their holidays but is seldom a route to get into Scotland.

See Prestwick#Get in for details of the trains to Glasgow Central (with half-price fares for air passengers), Bus X77, and motorway routes.

Edinburgh Airport (EDI ^IATA) has several routes not available from Glasgow, such as Istanbul, and is easily accessible from Glasgow since it's west edge of Edinburgh, only 35 miles away. See Edinburgh#Get in for the direct bus to Glasgow Buchanan Station, and trams/buses to Edinburgh Haymarket for trains and buses onward.

Manchester Airport (MAN ^IATA) has global connections to rival the London airports. Hourly train services from the airport take five hours to Glasgow Central with a change.

Wikivoyage has a guide to Rail travel in Great Britain

• 55.8591-4.25823 Glasgow Central. This has trains from London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Preston and Carlisle, from the south of Scotland, slower services from Edinburgh, and from the city's southern districts. It's mostly a terminus station, but some through services reverse out (eg Ayr-Edinburgh) while the low-level platforms have regional through-trains (eg Motherwell-Milngavie). Opened in 1879, it's a grand Victorian structure and you can take a guided tour, see below. A glass-sided bridge spans Argyle Street, once known as "The Hielanman's Umbrella" as it was a common place for the city's Highland exiles to meet up. The station has left-luggage lockers, eating places and an upscale hotel. There is level access to all platforms. The nearest Subway, 300 yards south, is St Enoch. (updated Mar 2024)
• 55.8625-4.25114 Glasgow Queen Street. This the terminus for fast trains from Edinburgh via Falkirk, and for all northern cities such as Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness and Oban. Its low-level platform has through-trains for nearby places such as Dumbarton. It has left luggage lockers. There is level access to all platforms. The nearest Subway, 100 yards west, is Buchanan Street, and the city's main bus station is a quarter mile north. (updated Mar 2024)

The stations are an easy 10-minute walk apart and the route is well signposted, don't take the Subway. Link Bus 389 plies from Central to Queen Street (6 min) and the bus station then back to Central. It's every 15 min M-Sa, 20 min on Sunday, and free if you are holding a through railway ticket.

Most trains within Scotland are run by ScotRail, but for comprehensive times, fares and tickets see National Rail.

From Edinburgh all trains start from Waverley and stop at Haymarket then fan out, with four routes to Glasgow.

• Fastest: The ScotRail Shuttle takes 50 min via Falkirk High to Queen Street, every 15 min on weekdays until 6:30PM, then half-hourly.
• Fast: LNER trains starting from London King's Cross and CrossCountry from Bristol, Birmingham and Leeds take an hour from Edinburgh to Central.
• Slow: 80 min via Bathgate and Airdrie into Queen Street (Low Level) en route to Milngavie or Helensburgh Central, every half hour.
• Slower: 90 min via Shotts or Carstairs into Central, hourly.

The fare is the same by any route: in 2024 a day trip is £15 and an open return is £20.

From London and the south train is quicker and cheaper than plane, once you factor in transport to the airport and check-in times.

• West coast: Avanti West Coast run hourly from London Euston, taking five hours via Crewe, Preston and Carlisle. There are also direct trains from Birmingham (4 hr 30 min) and Manchester Airport and Piccadilly.
• East coast: LNER has hourly trains from London King's Cross via York and Newcastle to Edinburgh, where you change for the shuttle, journey time 7 hours.
• Overnight: The Caledonian Lowland Sleeper runs Su-F from London Euston, departing around 11PM to arrive at Glasgow Central by 7:30AM and you can stay aboard to 8AM. (Another portion divides at Carstairs to run to Edinburgh.) The southbound train leaves around 11:30PM to reach Euston at 7AM, again you can stay aboard until 8AM. No trains on Saturday night, and the Highland Sleeper doesn't run via Glasgow. Sleeper compartments have two berths and are sold like hotel rooms, so you won't be sharing with a stranger. Tickets can be booked at any UK mainline railway station or online: in 2024 a single fare is around £230 for a two-bunk cabin. You can also just use the sitting saloon, single from £50. If you have an existing ticket or rail pass for a daytime train you need to buy a sleeper supplement. Pricing is dynamic: weekends cost more and may sell out. Booking is open 12 months ahead, and you need to print out your e-ticket to present on boarding.

From elsewhere in Scotland the other inter-city routes are:

• Aberdeen via Dundee and Perth: hourly to Queen Street.
• Inverness via Aviemore and Perth: every two hours to Queen Street.
• Stirling: every 30 min to Queen Street.
• Fort William, Oban and Mallaig (for the Hebrides): three trains per day to Queen Street.
• Stranraer (for Northern Ireland): four trains per day to Central.
• Ayr via Prestwick Airport and Troon: every 30 min to Central.
• Dumfries via Kilmarnock: every two hours to Central.

From 1 June 2023, the city centre is a Low Emission Zone. There is a £60 penalty charge for driving into the city centre in a non-compliant car or van. Cars built after 2015 generally are compliant, but check online. The zone covers the area between the M8, River Clyde and High Street.

From England follow M6, which becomes A74 (M) / M74 from the border. This crosses Beattock Summit at 1029 ft / 314 m, but it's rarely closed by snow.

From Edinburgh follow M8 west, but for Glasgow Airport use M73 and M74 to bypass city centre. From Stirling follow M80 south.

From the western Highlands follow A82 to Dumbarton, then cross the Clyde on Erskine Bridge onto M8 east, instead of grinding through west end traffic.

Car hire is available from several companies at the airport and in city centre, but you only need it to get further afield. For a tour of Scotland, consider seeing Glasgow and Edinburgh by public transport before picking up the hire car to visit the Highlands, where you certainly do need it.

Don't take a car into city centre if you can avoid it. For a day trip, park up at one of the outlying railway stations, if you can find a space among all the commuter vehicles. Closest in is Shields Road, by the junction of M8 and M74, where you transfer to the Subway. It has 840 spaces and in 2023 you pay £5.70 for all-day parking plus the Subway fare, see below. It closes at the same time as the Subway so it's not for overnight stays. There is no Park & Ride with a dedicated connecting bus - one was established at Hampden but folded with covid.

Best option for central parking is one of the many multi-storeys. These are clearly signposted into "East", "West", "North" and "South" zones on the approach roads, with a display showing how many spaces are left. They don't, however, differentiate between the expensive NCP car parks and the cheaper ones inside shopping centres or run by the council. Check what your accommodation has to offer: in city centre they'll probably just direct you to the nearest multi-storey. West End hotels may have their own car parks but charge. On-street parking is too scarce, time-limited and expensive for sight-seeing.

55.8653-4.25075 Buchanan Bus Station is the hub for inter-city buses. It's in city centre, just north of Queen Street railway station off Killermont Street, and ranged around a square. West side has a small mall with toilets, ticket office, news shop and luggage store, but no cafe or retail, head out into the street. Long distance bus stands (48-57) are down this side, eg Scottish Citylink to Belfast, Oban, Skye, Inverness, Edinburgh city and airport, and Aberdeen. Here too are National Express and Megabus for London. The Glasgow Airport bus departs from stand 47 on the southwest corner. The north and south stands are for medium-distance destinations such as Kilmarnock and Fife, and the east stands are only for tour buses.

Ember Electric Buses glide ever so quietly from Dundee every two hours daytime, with two night runs, for a single fare in 2022 of £8.50. They take two hours via Perth Broxden P&R, Dunblane, Stirling Castleview P&R and Cumbernauld.

City buses and those to nearby towns don't come into the station, find them out on the street. Those are the daytime buses for Balloch, Bearsden, Dumbarton, East Kilbride, Milngavie, and one of the routes to Paisley; and all the night buses. The main taxi stand is north side of the station.

From Ireland you sail to Cairnryan near Stranraer, by either Stena from Belfast or P&O from Larne. The crossing takes 2 hr 30 min, with almost a dozen car ferries a day. Without a car, take the daily bus from Belfast via Cairnryan and Ayr to Glasgow and Edinburgh.

From Europe the nearest ferry port is Newcastle upon Tyne, with overnight ferries from IJmuiden near Amsterdam.

Glasgow itself has never been a liner port. Ferries from the Clyde islands and Argyll peninsula sail to ports "doon the water" at Gourock, Wemyss Bay and Ardrossan. In the twentieth century paddle steamers ran between Glasgow and other Clyde ports, this continues with occasional sailings of the PS Waverley but these are only a realistic option for a day trip from Glasgow.

By canal: you can get here from Edinburgh, Linlithgow, Falkirk and Dumbarton by boat. Small craft must give notice so that locks and low bridges can be opened, kayaks and canoes can portage, and it's a pleasant hiking or cycle route, see "Further out" below.

This is the best way to see city centre and the East End. Many streets (eg Sauchiehall St) are pedestrianised, and all areas have proper pavements, with pedestrian crossings at major junctions. The River Clyde also has road and foot bridges. The main impediment as you head north or west is the M8, with dingy underpasses and bridges.

Kelvingrove is two miles west, and Glasgow University campus even further, so you might prefer Subway or bus.

The Subway is a loop around city centre, West End and inner suburbs. It's the third oldest subway system in the world, after London and Budapest, and at times has smelled that way. It's now modern and pleasant enough to use, but has never expanded beyond its original loop. Always call it simply the Subway, rather than the "underground, "metro", or "tube" (a Scottish insult), and never "the clockwork orange", which is a myth created for tourists. The gauge is only 4 ft (1219 mm), so any chubby passengers will need to breathe in as they step aboard the coaches. Glasgow Subway underwent several periods of underinvestment and its never-expanded 1896-infrastructure can make for a bumpy ride, but new trains made by Swiss company Stadler Rail replaced the aging rolling stock in the 2020s. The trains are walkthrough but the 11 feet (3.4 m) tunnel diameter still limits height and width of the trains.

It's described as an inner and outer circle but that just means the direction of travel, with the outer circle running clockwise. Going anti-clockwise on the inner circle, the Subway runs from the city centre to West End and Glasgow University, south under the Clyde to Ibrox Stadium then back into the city, with each orbit taking 24 min. Use St Enoch for Central and Argyle St stations, and Buchanan St for the bus station and Queen Street station. No bikes are carried, and wheeled access to platforms is limited.

The system runs M-Sa 6:30AM-11:30PM and Sunday 10AM-6PM, with trains every 4-8 minutes. There's a flat fare regardless of distance, which by cash at any station in 2023 is £1.75 single, £3.30 return, day ticket £4.20. Smartcards are cheaper if you're doing a lot of travel but are unlikely to benefit short-stay visitors. They're free if ordered in advance to a UK address, or £3 if bought at the station for immediate use, and can be topped up with any amount from £5. Your first journey of the day is £1.55, then with the second the total is capped at £3 for all-day travel. See below for the SPT ZoneCard & Roundabout ticket.

The Plusbus rail ticket add-on does not include the Subway.

Lines radiate from Central and Queen Street stations to the suburbs and surrounding towns. There isn't a separate entity called a suburban railway, these services are all part of the mainline Scottish network, so the National Rail website has full details of times, fares, real time running and station facilities. The only difference is that local trains stop at dozens of small places that the inter-city trains flash through. They're primarily commuter routes and visitors would only use them for the few outlying attractions that are beyond the Subway loop and inconvenient by bus. For instance to reach Holmwood House and Linn Park, take the train from Central to Cathcart: these run every 30 min and take 12 min on their way to Neilston, and an off-peak return is less than £3.

Bikes go free, but many trains have no bike spaces. See below for the SPT Zonecard & Roundabout day ticket.

First Glasgow is the principal bus operator within the city. Buses on main routes are every 10 min or better during working hours and on Saturday, but become sparse in the evening and on Sunday.

Check from the sign on the bus stop that your intended route stops there, and signal clearly as the bus approaches; the driver won't stop for folk just milling about.

First buses do not give change: you put your money in a slot that checks the amount and deposits it in a storage box. Better still, use a bank card to tap in and out. In 2023 a single ticket within the city costs £1.95 and a day ticket is £5.40. The bank card charges are capped at this amount. A one-week city ticket is £20.40. Higher charges apply beyond the city zone (such at the airport), and tickets are only valid on First buses.

Half a dozen other operators ply to the outlying towns: these include McGill's, JMB, Stuart's, McColl's, West Coast Motors and Stagecoach West Scotland. They each sell tickets valid only on their own services.

SPT offers tickets valid over several travel modes and different bus operators, but they're mostly aimed at regular commuters.

The ZoneCard is for a minimum seven days, valid for all daytime buses plus Subway and Scotrail trains, and ferries if you buy zones far enough out. A seven-day card valid for the two city zones (basically north and south of the Clyde) is £20.90 in 2023. Buy them from mainline railway stations, and you need to bring a passport-style photo of yourself.

The Roundabout day ticket (Adult £7.40) is valid on Subway & Train in the Greater Glasgow area after 9AM and all day at weekends and local public holidays.

Traditional cabs can be hailed from the roadside - look for the yellow "Taxi" sign, illuminated when available. The fleet is operated by Glasgow Taxis, and can be ordered by phone (☏ +44 141 429-7070). There are taxi ranks outside Buchanan Bus Station, Central and Queen Street railway stations, adjacent to George Square and along the southern end of Queen Street. The cabs seat five or six and are wheelchair accessible. From city centre to the West End you might pay £6 in 2023. They also offer guided tours.

Private cabs must be pre-booked by phone or app. There are multiple operators, somewhat cheaper than traditional cabs, and display a yellow Glasgow City Council licence number at the back. They include Uber, Glasgocabs (☏ +44 332 5050), Executive Cabs (☏ +44 7825 911179), Saltire (☏ +44 141 319-5344), Deuce Private Hire (☏ +44 141 222-2222) and GLA Transfers .

Unlicensed taxis lurk for trade especially around pub closing time. Don't use them, their fare may include a demand for sexual services.

A foot-passenger ferry plies every 30 min or so between Yoker on the north bank of the Clyde and Renfrew on the south. It's a cute rinky-dinky affair, bikes can be carried. The Renfrew pier is within walking distance of Braehead shopping centre and the Xscape leisure complex.

A road bridge between Yoker and Renfrew is expected to open in spring 2025 - this may spell the end of the ferry.

• OVO Bikes offer app-based cycle hire in Glasgow. Bikes and e-bikes cost £1 for 20 minutes, or £10 for the day. Bikes are hired and returned to stations around the city.

This was the medieval centre of Glasgow until the 18th century, when the city grew rapidly along the Clyde.

• 55.86302-4.234711 Glasgow Cathedral, Castle Street G4 0QZ, ☏ +44 141 552-6891. M-Sa 10AM-noon, 1-4PM; Su 1-4PM. This was built in 1197 but much modified in the 13th century and is a fine example of medieval Gothic. It's dedicated to St Mungo, the city's patron saint, who is buried in the crypt. The Church of Scotland doesn't have bishops so it actually only a parish church. Free. (updated Jan 2022)
  • St Mungo's Museum of Religious Life and Art, 2 Castle Street G4 0RH (next to Cathedral), ☏ +44 141 276-1625. M-Th, Sa 10AM-5PM, F, Su 11AM-5PM. This depicts Glasgow's patron saint and the growth of Christianity in the city, and of other faiths practised locally and worldwide. Free. (updated Jan 2023)
  • Provand's Lordship, 3 Castle Street G4 0RH (opposite Cathedral), ☏ +44 141 276-1625. Closed until late 2023. Glasgow's oldest remaining house, built in 1471, has been renovated to illustrate city life circa 1700. Free. (updated Aug 2023)
• 55.8627-4.23092 Glasgow Necropolis (on the hill east of the cathedral, easiest reached by the footbridge). Dominated by the statue of John Knox, it's a pharaonic “City of the Dead”, with its grand monuments to merchants and baillies who would be as prestigious in the next world as they were in this. One fellow was so renowned that there was no need to inscribe his name: wonder who he was, and how we've coped without him? (updated Feb 2022)

Called Merchant City in tourist material, this is the confident Victorian heart of the city, bounded by M8 and the Clyde.

• 55.861111-4.2502783 George Square (just south of Queen St Station). It marks the centre of this sprawling city. It was laid out in 1781 and named for King George III, since he wasn't mad at the time, though he made up for that later. In that era Glasgow expanded south from its medieval East End nucleus, banishing the cattle to build elegant Georgian terraces. The square is paved so it's more like a piazza.  
• The Mural Trail is a series of street-artworks painted on any available bare wall. They come and go, see the website for the latest. In 2022 they included St Mungo as a rough sleeper, Honey I shrunk the kids, and da Vinci's "Mona Lassie".

• 55.8609-4.24864 City Chambers, 82 George Square G2 1DU, ☏ +44 141 287-2000. The City Council headquarters were built in 1888 in Italian Renaissance style. Tours take in the marble staircases, lobbies, debating chamber and banqueting hall. Public tours are conducted M-F at 10:30AM and 2:30PM. Tickets for the tour can be obtained from the reception desk 30 minutes prior to each tour commencing. Free. (updated May 2023)
• 55.86-4.25235 Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA), Royal Exchange Square G1 3AH, ☏ +44 141 287-3050. M-W Sa 10AM-5PM, F Su 11AM-5PM. It houses rotating exhibitions of contemporary work; there isn't a permanent collection, but exhibitions generally reside for several months. In the basement is one of Glasgow's many public libraries. The building was erected in 1778 as the town house of a tobacco merchant and slave-trader, and the Corinthian pillar frontage was added around 1830. The equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington arrived in 1844 and almost ever since has had a traffic cone perched his head. Every so often the Council removes it, but next day it re-incarnates. Free. (updated Apr 2022)
• 55.8567-4.24386 Glasgow Cross. was the centre of the early modern city, as it expanded south from its medieval core towards the Clyde. Only the clocktower survives of the former city chambers, demolished in 1921. 
• 55.8579-4.24487 Glasgow Police Museum, First floor, 30 Bell St G1 1LG, ☏ +44 141 552-1818. Apr-Oct: M-Sa 10:30AM-4:30PM, Su noon-4:30PM; Nov-Mar: Tu Su 10AM-4:30PM. Early police forces had a variety of roles that were later separated as firefighting, event security, night-watch and sanitary regulation (which often meant extorting bribes from the sex trade). Glasgow had the world's first police force from 1779, but it lacked state backing and folded. The first regular force was from 1800, and since then has grappled with criminals' ingenuity, but fortunately more often their gob-smacking stupidity. This small but well-stocked museum takes you through the history. Free. (updated Apr 2022)
• 55.857034.246778 Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre, 103 Trongate G1 5HD (next to Panopticon, inside Trongate 103 building), ☏ +44 141 552-7080. 45-min show adult £14, conc £12, child £8.62. "Sharmanka" is Russian for "barrel-organ" and it's a kinetic gallery. It has dingbat machines created by Eduard Bersudsky, described somewhere between Heath Robinson and Jean Tinguely. (updated Apr 2023)

• Street Level Photoworks, 103 Trongate G1 5HD, ☏ +44 141 552-2151. Tu-Su noon-5PM. An alternative art gallery and installation space. Free. (updated Apr 2022)
• Transmission Gallery, 28 King Street G1 5QP (next to Sharmanka Trongate Gallery), ☏ +44 141 552-2540. Tu-Sa 11AM-5PM. A gallery set up in 1983 by former students of Glasgow School of Art as a hub for the local art community and to provide exhibition space. Free. (updated Apr 2022)
• 55.857525-4.2552299 St Enoch Subway Station. A Victorian Saint Pancras Station-style anomaly in an otherwise grey square. It's the nearest Subway to Central, though you'd only use it for outlying parts. The interior is modern.  
• 55.855-4.243310 St Andrews in the Square, 1 St Andrews Square G1 5PP, ☏ +44 141 559-5902. M-F 10AM-4PM. Church completed in 1756 in classical style. This closed in 1993 and became a centre for traditional Scottish music, song and dance. It still promotes those but the church itself is seldom used as a venue. (updated Apr 2023)
• 55.850264-4.23928311 Glasgow Green. is the extensive green space north bank of the Clyde. It was created in 1450 as separate plots of soggy grazing land, which were combined and drained. It became an area for bleaching and drying, mass protests and inflammatory speeches, and recreation and events. It's always open, with multiple access points, but from city centre a good approach is from the foot of High St through the Maclennan Arch. Follow the main path southeast to reach Nelson's Memorial, an obelisk commemorating his victory at Trafalgar. Central is the People's Palace, see below. North side of that is the elaborate terracotta Doulton Fountain, with Queen Victoria teetering atop it. At the park's east boundary, the Templeton Carpet Factory is now a business centre. St Andrew's suspension bridge gives access to the south river bank. See Clyde section below for the Tidal Weir.  
• 55.8512-4.237412 People's Palace, Glasgow Green G40 1AT, ☏ +44 141 276-0788. M-Th Sa 10AM-5PM, F Su 11AM-5PM. This is a great folk museum, telling the history of Glasgow and its people from 1750 to 2000. One of Billy Connolly's banana boots is on display. The Winter Gardens are a large adjacent glasshouse. The museum and glasshouse are closed for refurbishment and expected to re-open in the autumn of 2025. Free. (updated May 2024)
• 55.8597-4.255313 The Lighthouse, 11 Mitchell Lane G1 3NU (off Buchanan Street), ☏ +44 141 276-5365. Closed. It was built in 1895 by Rennie Mackintosh, and for many years was the offices of the Glasgow Herald. Since 1999 it's housed the Centre for Design & Architecture, with changing exhibitions and events. It closed "temporarily" in 2020 and might not reopen. Free. (updated Mar 2024)

• 55.8651-4.260814 Willow Tea Rooms (Mackintosh at the Willow), 217 Sauchiehall St G2 3EX, ☏ +44 141 204-1903. Daily 11AM-5PM. The temperance activist Kate Cranston established a chain of artistic tea rooms, where citizens (especially women) could enjoy non-alcoholic refreshments in genteel surroundings. Her designer was Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and this Sauchiehall St branch, opened in 1903, was the most popular and has been lovingly restored. It's still a cafe-bistro, and that's the best way to enjoy it. But so many people have come just to look at the decor that it's morphed into a museum, so taking a tour or having a meal is now the only way to see the Room de Luxe on the second floor. Tour £7.50, conc £6.50. (updated Apr 2022)
• 55.8661-4.263815 Glasgow School of Art, 167 Renfrew St G3 6RQ (Subway: Cowcaddens), ☏ +44 141 353-4500. GSA is an independent art school offering university level programmes and research in architecture, fine art and design. It also has evening classes and a summer school. However the main draw for general visitors was its Mackintosh building, one of CRM's finest. This was severely damaged by fire in 2014, and restoration was coming along nicely when a worse fire struck in 2018. The only saving grace was that much of the art collection (with many Mackintosh pieces of furniture) was rescued from the first fire and hadn't returned, so along with the decanted teaching arrangements wasn't affected by the second fire. Another rebuilding is in progress, which has a £100M budget and is expected to complete in 2030. So for the next few years you can't visit the building, but see the GSA website for an online tour of the collection, and details of physical exhibitions in other buildings such as the graduating students' show. (updated Aug 2023)
• Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA), 350 Sauchiehall Street G2 3JD (next to GSA), ☏ +44 141 352-4900. Tu-Sa 11AM-midnight, Su noon-midnight. This gallery also shows films and is a concert venue. (updated Apr 2022)
• 55.8681-4.268416 Tenement House, 145 Buccleuch Street G3 6QN, ☏ +44 844 493 2197. Jan Feb: F-Su; Mar-Dec: Th-Su 10AM-5PM. Miss Agnes Toward was a shorthand typist who lived here 1911-1965 and never changed or discarded a thing. So it's a wonderful gas-lit Edwardian time-warp, now in the keeping of the National Trust for Scotland. Adult £8.50, conc £6, child £1, NTS / NT free. (updated Apr 2022)
• 55.8671-4.256517 The Museum of Piping, National Piping Centre, 30-34 McPhater Street. M-F 9AM-5PM, Sa 9AM-1PM. The home of the bagpipes is in the former Cowcaddens Free Church. The museum shows 300 years of piping history, mainly showing Scottish bagpipes, but also showing Northumbrian pipes and some from Poland, Hungary, Italy and Spain. The piping centre also has a restaurant, an 8-room hotel and teaches piping. £4.50. (updated May 2023)

This prosperous, elegant quarter lies along the River Kelvin, with Glasgow University, multiple attractions and quality accommodation.

• 55.8651-4.27218 Mitchell Library, North St G3 7DN (train: Charing Cross), ☏ +44 141 287-2999. M-Th 9AM-8PM, F Sa 9AM-5PM. Grand Edwardian Baroque pile endowed by the Mitchell tobacco fortune and opened in 1911. It houses a huge municipal public reference library, with over a million volumes and many more primary source archives for tracing family and civic history. It was gutted by fire in 1962 but the facade survived, and in 1980 a less-than-elegant extension was added with an events venue. Free. (updated Apr 2023)
• 55.869097-4.27981219 Park Circus. built around 1860, is the centrepiece of the well-heeled Park District. If they were aiming to recreate Bath, what they got was Edinburgh Scotland Street, with legal brassplates set around a leafy oval - the Montessori School seems inevitable. Approaching from Kelvingrove Park, come up the imposing Granite Stairs from the south. The steps were once a pilgrimage site for fans of the rock band Deacon Blue, as the view from the top was the cover picture of their 1987 album Raintown. But tree growth and other development since means you can no longer recreate that cloud-wracked vista, nor the rear-cover view of the M8.  
• 55.8689-4.283820 Kelvingrove Park. stretches west, with the River Kelvin running through it. It was laid out in the 1850s when the city's earlier green space, Glasgow Green, became hemmed in by slums. The bandstand was refurbished in 2014, and worthy statues include physicist Lord Kelvin, writer Thomas Carlyle, Field Marshal Lord Roberts and chemist Lord Lister. It's always open and popular with students of the nearby university; see below for the museum and gallery in its west corner. The easiest access from city centre is by bus towards Argyle St; by Subway use Kelvinbridge north or Kelvinhall west. 

• 55.8685-4.290821 Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Argyle Street G3 8AG (Subway: Kelvinhall), ☏ +44 141 276-9599. M-Th Sa 10AM-5PM, F Su 11AM-5PM. Magnificent public gallery and museum, opened in 1901 as a legacy of the 1888 International Exhibition. It's in red sandstone, in sort-of Spanish Baroque via St Pancras, and was refurbished in 2006. Extensive collections and displays, well-geared to children and families. The 22 galleries cover natural history, civilisation from ancient Egypt to the present, big-name artists such as Dalí, Van Gogh, Monet and Rembrandt, and furnishings by Rennie Mackintosh. A Supermarine Spitfire hangs in the main hall. The organ in the main hall has recitals M-Sa at 1PM and Sundays at 3PM. Free. (updated Mar 2022)
• 55.86914.2934722 Kelvin Hall. is across the street from Kelvingrove and mirrors its style. This was the city's main event and exhibition venue until SECC opened in 1985, see "Do". It's since been a bit of everything and nowadays is a study and research outpost of the Hunterian, a storage facility for Glasgow Museums, and has a climbing wall and soft play areas. The Moving Image Archive of the National Library of Scotland lets you watch archive films and videos - fill a wet afternoon by watching a 100 year old film. (updated Aug 2023)
• 55.871944-4.287523 Glasgow University. main Gilmorehill campus is a district of half a square mile, bounded to the east by the River Kelvin, to the north by Great Western Road, south by Dumbarton Road, and west by Byres Rd - by Subway use Hillhead. It was founded in 1451, the fourth oldest in the UK, and has some 21,000 undergraduates, 11,500 postgrads, 4700 academic staff, and earns high ratings for teaching and research. You can stroll the neo-Gothic area anytime, but the main visitor attractions are the several branches of the Hunterian, founded around the vast collections of William Hunter (1718-83). Three are on campus, and there's a satellite museum in Dumfries. (updated Aug 2023)
  • 55.873-4.288824 Hunterian Art Gallery, 82 Hillhead St G12 8QQ, ☏ +44 141 330-4221. Tu-Su 10AM-5PM. It holds a huge collection of work by Whistler, Rennie Mackintosh, the Scottish Colourists and the Glasgow Boys. The Mackintosh House is a reconstruction of the interior of CRM's nearby home, which was lost to university expansion in the 1960s. So he didn't design that house, but embellished the interior in his distinctive style. Gallery free, Mackintosh House £8 adult, £6 conc, child free. (updated Mar 2022)
  • Hunterian Museum, Gilbert Scott Building, University Ave (between Gallery and Zoology Museum). Tu-Su 10AM-5PM. The Hunterian artwork and dead animals are now in separate buildings, so this museum is on the theme of civilisation. It exhibits many Roman findings from the Antonine Wall, the development of medicine in Glasgow, and Kelvin's scientific instruments. "Curating Discomfort" confronts the many links between the collections and western colonialism, slavery, tobacco and partial versions of history. Free. (updated Mar 2022)
  • 55.8714-4.292425 Hunterian Zoology Museum, Graham Kerr Building, University Ave, ☏ +44 141 330-4772. M-F 9AM-5PM. "Zoology" over the door proclaims the intent, and it's a classical natural history museum where stuffed animals regard you with reproachful glass eyes. Free. (updated Mar 2022)
  • Country Surgeon Micro Museum is in the Wolfson Medical Building on University Ave, a block west of Gilbert Scott Building. It exhibits the life and times of James Douglas (1798-1882), who practised medicine and surgery for 60 years in Carluke. It's open M-F 9AM-5PM, free. For specialist visitors there's a separate Anatomy Museum, by appointment.
• 55.8789-4.29126 Botanic Gardens, 730 Great Western Road G12 0UE, ☏ +44 141 276-1614. Gardens 7AM to dusk, glasshouses noon to 4PM. Extensive gardens established in 1842 besides the River Kelvin, with tropical and temperate plants. Its distinctive landmark is the Kibble Palace, a 19th-century wrought-iron temperate glasshouse, rebuilt 2004-06. Free. (updated Mar 2022)
• 55.8767-4.338227 Fossil Grove, Victoria Park Drive North G14 9QR, ☏ +44 141 287-5918. Sa Su noon-4PM. The remains of an ancient forest of Lepidodendron, extinct giant quillworts. About 330 million years ago this area flooded with mud, which killed the trees but made casts of their trunks. They were discovered during quarrying in 1887, and enclosed by a building for protection. This is open at weekends, while the rest of Victoria Park is always open. Free. (updated Apr 2023)

• 55.8488-4.238428 St Andrew's Suspension Bridge. This elegant footbridge between Hutchisontown on the south river bank and Glasgow Green on the north opened in 1855.  
• Clyde Tidal Weir spans between Glasgow Green and Adelphi Street. It was built in 1901 to maintain a constant water level upstream, with its three gates adjusting for tidal or river flow. The motive was to create a constant head of water for industry, but other benefits are in stabilising the river banks, and creating a pleasant freshwater channel through Glasgow Green submerging what had been tidal mud flats. There's no public access over the weir.
• 55.8561-4.263729 Tradeston Bridge is a footbridge between Broomielaw near Central station on the north bank, and Tradeston and Kingston on the south bank. Opened in 2009, it's known as the "Squiggly Bridge" for its distinctive S-shape. The reason for this was to create clearance for small boats on the Clyde, by making the bridge longer not steeper.
• Central Mosque is south end of Gorbals St Bridge. Built in 1983, it's a striking mix of Arabian, modern, and traditional city red sandstone. Its religious affiliation is Deobandi Sunni Islam. It's open M-F 10:30AM-4:30PM.
• 55.856-4.270330 Kingston Bridge, opened in 1970, carries the seething five-lane M8. There's no walkway, so pedestrians and cyclists should use Tradeston footbridge or Clyde Arc. Traffic volumes beyond its design capacity, and shoddy construction, necessitated a decade of repairs from 1990, with the entire bridge lifted on jacks while its piers were replaced. Completion of M74 southern city bypass in 2011 has reduced some of the traffic pressure. Southbound visitors should think ahead which motorway they're joining on the other side (choice of Carlisle, Prestwick or Glasgow Airport) as this is no place for hysterics over a crumpled map or misfiring Satnav. On foot, you can admire its arches and murals from Broomielaw below.
• 55.8571-4.282831 Clyde Arc is known as the "Squinty Bridge" as it crosses the river at an angle and has a curved steel arch. Opened in 2006, it carries Finnieston Street (vehicles, cycles and pedestrians) between Anderson Quay north bank and Govan south. In 2008 one support cable snapped and a second was found to be cracking, so two years of repairs followed. Since then the dual-carriageway bridge has reserved one carriageway for public transport, reducing the weight of general traffic.
• 55.8496-4.273732 Scotland Street School, 225 Scotland St G5 8QB (Subway: Shields Road), ☏ +44 141 287-0500. Closed ufn. This school, opened in 1906, was Charles Rennie Mackintosh's last major building. It was a wonderful Art Nouveau design (so naturally it was way over budget) and closed in 1979 when the Gorbals slums were demolished and school enrolment fell. In 1990 it was converted into a museum of school education, with Victorian / Edwardian classrooms, and an exhibition on the work of Mackintosh. It's now again closed for rebuilding, which will partially return it to educational use for early years. (updated Apr 2022)
• The giant metal armadillo turns out on closer inspection to be Clyde Auditorium. See "Do" for this and the adjacent Exhibition Centre.
• 55.8589-4.295333 Glasgow Science Centre, 50 Pacific Quay G51 1EA (train: Exhibition Centre or Cessnock), ☏ +44 141 420-5000. seasonal, see website.. Science museum with hundreds of interactive exhibits for children. You pay extra for the IMAX cinema, planetarium and the 125-metre Glasgow Tower (summer only), the only tower in the world which can rotate 360 degrees from its base. Adult £14.00, child £11.00, concessions £12.50. (updated Mar 2024)
• 55.8653-4.305934 Riverside Museum, 100 Pointhouse Place, Govan G3 8RS (Bus 100; subway: Govan (and walk 5 minutes across the Govan / Partick Bridge) or Partick), ☏ +44 141 287-2720. M-Th, Sa 10AM-5PM, F Su 11AM-5PM. Offers an excellent collection of vehicles and models telling the story of transport by land and sea, with a unique Glasgow flavour. Besides the usual rail locomotives, buses, trams, cars and planes, the museum also includes a recreated Subway station and a street scene of old Glasgow. The museum was designed by Zaha Hadid and completed in 2011. Free. (updated Oct 2024)
• Tall Ship (Glenlee), 150 Pointhouse Rd, Govan G3 8RS (by Riverside Museum - Subway: Kelvinhall), ☏ +44 141 357-3699. Apr-Oct 10AM-5PM, Nov-Mar 10AM-4PM. The Glenlee was built in 1896, a three-masted cargo barque. She plied to Australia then was sold for use as a Spanish training vessel. She was eventually laid up in Ferrol, and in 1990 on the verge of being scrapped, but was towed to Glasgow for restoration. Free. (updated Jan 2022)

• 55.863-4.31335 Govan Stones (Govan Old Church), 866 Govan Rd G51 3DL. Apr-Oct: daily 1-4PM. The present church is from 1888, but there's been a church here since the 6th century, and from about 900 AD it looks to have been the ecclesiastic centre and royal burial ground of the Kingdom of Strathcylde. There's an impressive collection of 9th-11th century tombs and grave slabs, many of Norse "hogback" design, suggesting that the Vikings and ancient Britons coexisted here whenever they weren't hacking each other to bits. Many stones were lost when Govan shipyards were demolished and they were mistaken for masonry rubble, and the survivors have been moved within the church for safekeeping. Free. (updated Aug 2021)
• 55.8641-4.320236 Fairfield Heritage Centre, 1048 Govan Rd G51 4XS (Subway: Govan; Bus 23 or 26), ☏ +44 141 445-5866. M-F 1PM-4PM. Govan became the city's main shipbuilding quarter once the Clyde channel was blasted open, and Fairfield was one of its leading companies. Built to impress in 1891, these were the august headquarters of a series of shipbuilders until the last vacated in 2001. It's now a heritage space and museum of Clyde shipbuilding. Free. (updated Apr 2022)
• 55.84736-4.3136737 House for an Art Lover, Bellahouston Park G41 5BW (Subway: Ibrox), ☏ +44 141 483-1600. Varies, often 10AM–4PM. In 1901 a German design magazine ran a competition for a Haus eines Kunstfreundes, a house for an art lover. Charles Rennie Macintosh's entry was late and incomplete so it was disqualified, but awarded a special prize for its creative designs harmonising exterior and interior. From the 1980s there was a project to build to his original design, and this was completed in 1996. The building needed to pay its way, and wouldn't be viable just as a museum piece, so from the outset it was constructed as an event space not part of the original design for a residence. That means it's often closed, especially in wedding season. It is however a wonderful realisation of the Rennie Mackintosh style, which you will be so grateful you don't have to live in, with those bolt-upright chairs and where even the cutlery and bathroom fittings have to be exactly so. Adult £6.50, conc & child £5. (updated Jan 2022)
• 55.8438-4.3173238 Bellahouston Park (south of House for an Art Lover). The park has a sports centre and an artificial ski slope. The park is often used for open-air concerts and similar events. Its biggest audience to date, of 250,000, was for the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1982. (Benedict XVI drew about a third of that in 2010.) The park used to extend all the way to Pollok Country Park, which you can reach (for the Burrell Collection) by walking along Drumbreck Road to pass under M77.  

A summary of some of the styles and gems described in other sections

• Medieval and earlier: the East End has Provand's Lordship, but early years have few remnants here.
• Victorian: the city sprang up in a profusion of Italianate, neo-Grecian and Gothic styles. Its housing was in tall sandstone tenements, traditionally grimy but now scrubbed up to their glowing red glory. The most florid are known as "Glasgow Baroque", top examples being Kelvingrove Gallery in the West End, and Athenaeum Theatre on Buchanan St.
• Charles Rennie Macintosh (1868-1928) did for Glasgow what Gaudí did for Barcelona, with his unique exterior and interior unified style. The best example is the House for an Art Lover (south of Clyde); the Glasgow School of Art has twice been ravaged by fire and Scotland Street School is closed for rebuilding.
• Modern: the "armadillo" of the Scottish Exhibition Centre graces the north bank of the Clyde.

• 55.8803-4.271939 Queen's Cross Church (Mackintosh Church), 870 Garscube Road G20 7EL (near Partick Thistle football ground). M W F 11AM-4PM. The only church built to a design by Rennie Mackintosh, opened in 1899 for what was then the Free Church. They'd split with the Church of Scotland in 1843 but were reconciled in 1929, so the building continued as C of S until it closed in 1976. The exterior looks squat and Gothic, you wouldn't recognise it as the work of CRM, but the interior is distinctively his. (He also designed for Liverpool Cathedral, but that was built to a different design.) The church is now the headquarters of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society, with a small shop. Adult £5, child free. (updated Apr 2022)
• 55.892-4.28640 Forth and Clyde Canal, completed in 1790, runs from the Forth estuary below Falkirk (where the ingenious Wheel connects it to the Union Canal to Edinburgh) via Kirkintilloch into the north of Glasgow. The main canal continues west to join the Clyde near Dumbarton, while a spur branches south for two miles to Port Dundas near city centre. Reach it by walking north up Cowcaddens Rd onto Garscube Rd under the M8, and join the well-signed cycleway. The towpath is a good paved track on the west bank of the spur, lined with restored 18th- and 19th-century warehouses before becoming a woodland linear park. There are no gradients on the spur, but "stop-locks" were fitted in wartime in case bombing broke the banks and flooded the factories below. The spur meets the main canal at Stockingfield footbridge, built in 2022 and surrounded by weird statues such as the monster "Bella the Beithir". The canal is navigable all the way to Edinburgh, but they need notice to open the locks and low bridges - these are easily portaged by canoe or kayak.
• 55.8308-4.307241 Burrell Collection, 2060 Pollokshaws Rd, Pollok Country Park G43 1AT (train: Pollokshaws West; buses 57, 3, 34), ☏ +44 141 287-2550. M-Th Sa 10AM-5PM, F Su 11AM-5PM. Sir William Burrell (1861-1958) was a shipping magnate who amassed a huge art collection. He gifted it to the city with the condition that it should be displayed in a nearby yet rural setting, and this was difficult to satisfy until Pollok House was acquired in extensive parkland, and the purpose-built gallery was added. It was closed 2014-2022 for refurbishment and even now can only show a fraction of his 9000-strong collection. Other items appear in the various city museums such as Kelvingrove. Gallery free, parking £2.50. (updated Apr 2022)
• 55.8313-4.269242 Queen's Park was laid out in the 19th century to serve the teeming city south side. It's named for Mary Queen of Scots, who lost the Battle of Langside nearby in 1568, and was fugitive or captive for much of her remaining twenty years. "Queens Park" also is the name of a football team, but they nowadays play at Firrhill, see Football below. The hill has good views north and is a popular sledging spot in winter. Earthworks round its summit were probably a Norman motte-and-bailey redoubt. Take the train from Central to Mount Florida or Queens Park, 10 min.

• 55.80992-4.2593643 Holmwood House, 61-63 Netherlee Rd, Cathcart G44 3YU, ☏ +44 141 571-0184. Mar-Oct: Th-Su 10AM–5PM. Wonderful stylish off-beat villa, built in 1858 by the influential Alexander 'Greek' Thomson. It was originally the home of a paper magnate, and a copy was built for another tycoon in Adelaide in 1885. Holmwood had several owners then the Sisters of Our Lady of The Missions, who piously obliterated all style and decor beneath the dullest paint they could find. They left in the 1990s and it was acquired by the National Trust for Scotland, who have been restoring it ever since. Adult £8.50, conc £6, NTS / NT free. (updated Jan 2022)
• 55.8048-4.260544 Linn Park lies south of Holmwood House across the White Cart Water, cross either upstream by the Ha'penny Bridge or downstream by the Snuff Mill Bridge. There are bosky dells and a golf course. At the north end on Court Knowe, only a few foundation scraps remain of Cathcart Castle.
• 55.835-4.35645 Crookston Castle, 170 Brockburn Rd G53 5RY. Apr-Sep: daily 9:30AM–5:30PM; Oct-Mar: Sa-W 10AM–4PM. Ruin of a turret built in 1400 within a 12th-century earthwork, and repaired after a siege of 1544. It's perched on a hill over the Levern Water and has an unusual "X" design: a sturdy central keep within four corner towers; only the northeast of these survives. Free. (updated Jan 2022)
• 55.8974-4.408746 Titan Crane, Cart Street, Clydebank G81 1BF (train or bus to Clydebank), ☏ +44 141 952-3771. Closed. This stonking great cantilever crane stands 49 m tall. It was built in 1907 to instal massive items such as boilers, engines and gun turrets during ship construction, enabling John Brown & Co to build bigger ships than their competitors. it survived the 1941 blitz of Clydebank but the UK ship-building industry failed in the 1970s and the crane fell derelict. It was restored from 2005 and opened as a visitor attraction, but has been closed since 2018. You ascend by lift to the breezy platform, which has been used as a bungy-jump platform. (updated Apr 2022)
• 55.7808-4.296747 Greenbank Garden, Flenders Road, Clarkston G76 8RB (Train to Clarkston). Apr-Jun Sep-Oct: Th-M 10AM–5PM; Jul Aug: daily 10AM–5PM. Garden surrounding an 18th-century mansion, which in 1976 passed to the National Trust for Scotland. It has a large walled garden and parterre, and a brilliant display of daffodils and bluebells in spring. The mansion is an events venue and you can't tour it. Adult £8.50 adult, conc £6, NTS / NT free. (updated Jan 2022)
• Antonine Wall was the Roman frontier defence built across the narrow waist of Scotland from 142 AD. Its western sections have mostly been lost, but in 2023 the buried remains of a fort were found at Carleith near the Auchentoshan distillery. Nothing to see there and the site is not being excavated: go further east for the Roman bathhouse at Bearsden and substantial earthworks around Kilsyth. The wall was only garrisoned for 20 years then they retreated to the more substantial Hadrian's Wall.

Glasgow has a big music scene in all genres.

• 55.8659-4.26891 Nice'N'Sleazy, 421 Sauchiehall Street G2 4LG (nearest railway: Charing Cross), ☏ +44 141 333-0900. M-F 6PM-3AM, Sa Su 5PM-3AM. A student favourite, Sleazy's is a cross between a bar and a nightclub. Live bands most nights downstairs, and the bar upstairs also has small acts. Over 18s only. (updated Apr 2023)
• 55.8552-4.23672 Barrowland Ballroom, 244 Gallowgate G4 0TS, ☏ +44 141 552-4601. Opened in 1934, but rebuilt in ever-so-Sixties style after a fire, this is a popular live venue with 1900 standing capacity. It's renowned for its sprung dance floor and excellent acoustics. (updated Apr 2023)
• 55.8626-4.26543 King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, 272a St Vincent Street G2 5RL, ☏ +44 141 846-4034. Venue for up-and-coming bands, where Oasis and Glasvegas were discovered. (updated Apr 2023)
• The Cathouse, 15 Union St G1 3RB (east side of Central Station), ☏ +44 141 248-6606. W-Su 11PM-3AM. Rock club founded in 1990. (updated Apr 2023)
• 55.8505-4.25924 O2 Academy, 121 Eglinton Street G5 9NT (Subway: Bridge Street), ☏ +44 141 418-3000. Opened in 2003, this venue in Gorbals hosts rock, indie and comedy, and has a capacity of 2500. (updated Apr 2023)

• Classic Grand, 18 Jamaica Street G1 4QD (east side of Central Station), ☏ +44 141 847-0820. Su-F 9AM-1AM, Sa 9AM-3AM. Alternative music venue in a former tacky "adult" cinema. (updated Apr 2023)
• Sub Club is a basement nightclub and music venue within Classic Grand, open F Sa 11PM-4AM.
• 55.8603-4.28895 SEC Centre, Exhibition Way G3 8YW (train: Exhibition Centre). Large events and exhibition venue, the main theatre (Hall 4) seats 10,000. Opened in 1985, it was that first of what's grown into an "Event Campus", with the Armadillo and the Hydro following. (updated Apr 2023)
• 55.8596-4.28786 SEC Armadillo (formerly Clyde Auditorium), Exhibition Way G3 8YW (train: Exhibition Centre), ☏ +44 141 248-3000, +44 141 576-3230 (Box Office). Box office M–F 9AM-2PM. They've capitulated, and re-named this shiny metal venue what Glaswegians have called it since it opened in 1997. It has a 3000-seater auditorium and is part of the "Scottish Event Campus" alongside the SEC Centre and OVO Hydro. They're at pains to point out that it wasn't inspired by Sydney Opera House, it's supposed to represent ship's hulls. If so, they're bottom-up like The Poseidon Adventure. (updated Apr 2023)
• OVO Hydro the third on the Event Campus was completed in 2013. It has an all-seater capacity of 12,300 and 14,500 with standing.

• 55.8643-4.25277 Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 2 Sauchiehall Street G2 3NY (Subway: Buchanan Street), ☏ +44 141 353-8000. Stonking great hall completed in 1990, with a main auditorium seating 2475 and four other spaces of 300+. It's home to the