Travel Guide & Review: Glasgow

This is the first of many personal guides and reviews of cities I’ve been to that will be posted on this site. Glasgow is a city I’ve been to twice in the last two years, and a large part of the reason for that is because I have two of my very good friends that live there named Craig and Danielle. In fact, the second time I was there was because of their wedding that I was invited to. Glasgow is also the first international city I visited, so it holds that much more of a special place to me.

 

Glasgow is a city that dates back to prehistoric times. The Romans had built outposts in the area when in power, and the supposed founding of the city was in the 6th century. It grew to be the largest seaport in Scotland, and it has the fifth largest urban population in the United Kingdom. The wider metropolitan area takes up about one third of the Scottish population as it is the largest city in the constituent country of Scotland.

 

Quick facts:

Language: Scottish English, Gaelic

Currency: British Pounds

International airports: Glasgow(GLA), Prestwick(PIK)

Railway/train/metro: Glasgow Central

Official website: Glasgow City Council

 

Transportation:

 

You can take a taxi, bus, and even an Uber in this city. I have taken two of the three before on my visits there. As of my last time in Glasgow in July 2018, Uber has limited availability within the city. In surrounding areas, you’ll have to take a taxi or bus to get back into the city limits or center. But what that does do is give you the option of staying out later and safely returning to where it is you’re going.

 

Attractions/Sites

Here are some favorite attractions and sites in Glasgow that I’ve seen and been to. There’s still some more I haven’t seen, but here’s places I’d recommend:

 

Necropolis

Necropolis is such a beautiful cemetery of Glasgow with over 3,500 monuments and some of the best views of the city. It is just east of Glasgow Cathedral, and you can get some great photos to overlook that as well as the rest of the city. This is one of the most prominent areas and hills in Glasgow. Highly recommend this place in Glasgow!

 

George Square

George Square is one of six squares in Glasgow, but this one has important collections and statues that separate it from the others. The City Chambers overwhelms the area there, but there are plenty of monuments around here such as the Queen Victoria and Sir Walter Scott statues. It can be a very busy area, so getting pics with no one around will be a challenge. However, you won’t have trouble finding anyone to take a photo of you and those with you if need be. I love this area of Glasgow though.

 

Glasgow Science Centre

Glasgow Science Centre is a favorite amongst locals and one of the first places I’d recommend taking children to — if you have any. It has multiple levels of learning science as well as physical and competitive activities to keep your kids busy on the top floor. Plus, it’s connected to a Planetarium and viewing Tower, so that it gives everybody a little something to enjoy. Furthermore, it’s the best place to go if there’s precipitation out that day.

 

Glasgow Tower

As stated above, Glasgow Tower is connected to the Science Centre, and it gives you the best indoor views in the city. It’s the tallest free-standing, rotating tower in the world, and was re-opened to the public in 2014 after years of problems with it. You can purchase a ticket at the museum and/or in a combo. The tower itself can’t hold as many on the top, but you can see everything you want from here. Most major cities now have scenic towers, and this one is it in Glasgow.

 

Hampden Park

Craig and Danielle took me to Hampden Park to go on a tour during my first time in Glasgow in 2017. This was actually my first sports stadium visit outside the U.S. for me going here. It is home of the national football team in Scotland and a site that was used for the 2012 Olympics. The tour guide we had was extremely knowledgeable and he took us everywhere that was accessible. The tour also includes the Scottish Football Hall of Fame.

 

Riverside Museum

Riverside Museum is the ultimate transportation museum with over 3,000 displays there. It has cars, paintings, skateboards, and a large collection of ships. I personally like all the motorcycles on the walls, and you can climb inside trains or buses to get a feel of what that’s like. It’s also free to enter, and you can make a donation to the museum in Pounds, Euros, or US dollars.

 

Glasgow Cathedral

Glasgow Cathedral is the oldest cathedral in Scotland and the oldest building in the city. That alone makes it worthwhile to see. The cathedral was dedicated in 1136, and it’s easy to spot as it dominates the skyline on Cathedral Square. If you’re going to Necropolis, you might as well go here, too.

 

Duke of Wellington Statue

You’ll know it when you see this one because of the traffic conehead(s) on it. It’s located at the Royal Exchange area, and the practice of placing the traffic cone on the statue has gone on since at least the 1980s. There’s no shortage of humor with the people of Glasgow.

 

Hotels:

 

The hotels I stayed at were Lorne Hotel close to the city center and Best Western Eglinton Arms in Eaglesham. From the Lorne Hotel, you can get to most everything in the city center from there. Danielle and Craig helped me out the first time I was there. I stayed at the Best Western because that’s where their wedding was at last summer. You can take an Uber from the airport or city center to the hotel. But when you want to go to the city or airport from the hotel, you’ll have to take a taxi. Just let the front desk know and they’ll tell you the rate. They do take credit cards, too. I liked both hotels as they served their purposes. The Lorne Hotel was affordable for being in the city center and most everything you want to see or do is within walking distance. If not, you can use Uber to get around especially on rainy or colder days. The Best Western doesn’t have a lot of rooms, but they have one of the largest breakfast selections I’ve seen and a very friendly staff. The rooms there are nice and affordable, but keep in mind that you’ll need taxi service and not Uber to get into Glasgow from Eaglesham.

 

Restaurants/Grocery

 

Restaurants are plentiful in the city. They also have a large number of them if you have dietary restrictions like I do. I was able to look up plenty of gluten free locations in the city. One of my favorite places is Di Maggio’s Italian restaurant, and they have a few of them in Glasgow. I’ve went there twice at the Royal Exchange location because they have gluten free pizza. They also have a number of America-themed restaurants as well. Danielle and Craig took me to a TGIFriday’s at Cineworld for example. I do like going to local restaurants as you should, but you’ll see a number of American-themed ones if you want to go that route, too.

 

As far as grocery stores, you won’t have no trouble finding many places there either. So if you’re staying longer, this is worth considering so that you don’t have to eat out a lot while saving some cash. I found a few local grab & go places that had what I needed and I was able to take some food back with me to the Best Western in Eaglesham because there’s not as much to choose from there.

 

My Thoughts on Glasgow

 

Glasgow has some of the most friendliest people I’ve met anywhere, and they have a sense of humor to match. For example on their humor, I told one taxi driver that I’m used to America’s way of driving on the right side of the road. His reply, “No, you guys drive on the wrong side of the road.” They are funny residents.

 

Glasgow has a big party scene and a lot of that is due to the university in the city. However, you’ll find a number of activities to do if you like exploring, and more than enough new and old architecture to keep you busy. There’s three sports stadiums to visit if you’re a sports fan. And if you are, I’d recommend Hampden Park. Also, you can often times find more affordable flights to Glasgow than any other city in the UK. So if you want to visit many places in the UK and you’re from another country, it would be wise to look at how much it is to go Glasgow first.

 

Just remember three things about Glasgow(and the UK in general):

-Look right first before crossing any street since they drive on the opposite side of the road.

-Bring a jacket because even in summer months, it still gets cool enough for one.

-Bring an umbrella because it rains there often. I’ve been lucky on my two visits where it only did that one day.

 

The People really do Make Glasgow.