Find information on Glasgow in our Travel Guide covering sights, foods and nightlife plus more...
Glasgow is a city in the west of Scotland that has successfully combined its historic past with modern times and is now a very popular place in which to work, study and to visit. The Victorian architecture of the city is impressive and stands in contrast to the very distinctive style of Glasgow's most famous architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh. His most visited building is the New Glasgow School of Art. Glasgow, the home of Scottish ship building is now a vibrant city of culture which is due to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games. There is much to see during your Glasgow city break as the city has a plethora of churches, museums and galleries. Glasgow boasts the best shopping outside of London, excellent restaurants catering for all tastes and a good range of accommodation to suit all budgets.
Although not the capital, Glasgow is Scotland's largest city and it offers a wealth of cultural activities and recreational pursuits. A Glasgow holiday or short break has something for everyone. Although it is a popular destination for groups of young singles on stag or hen weekends, very many visitors come to sample the arts as well as to shop.
Glasgow short breaks are popular with young and old alike. It is a city that provides for most interests and tastes.
Glasgow holidays and short breaks can be taken at any time of year.
Glasgow is an vibrant city offering interesting city tours, great cultural venues, an exciting music scene, superb shopping and a lively nightlife. Open topped buses are a good and inexpensive way to obtain an overview of the city as you can get on and off as you wish. The oldest church, Glasgow Cathedral, dates from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries and is well worth visiting. There are many galleries and museums in Glasgow and the Burrell Collection is one of the best. Here you will find artifacts from Egypt, Rome and China as well as medieval tapestries, paintings by the old masters and sculptures by Rodin. Glasgow is home to the Scottish Opera and the Scottish Ballet, and the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. There are several venues where you can hear live music of every genre.
Glasgow has a range of accommodation to suit most budgets. The wide ranging menus in the restaurants of this cosmopolitan city cater for all tastes and the pubs and clubs provide a lively nightlife. Glasgow is second only to London when it comes to shopping. With department stores and shopping malls, outlets and designer boutiques, Glasgow has enough retailers to satisfy the most avaricious of shoppers.
There are excursions from the city into the beautiful Scottish countryside including the renowned Loch Lomond. Edinburgh is only a short train ride away.
Glasgow nightlife can be as lively and raucus or as cultural and gentile as you wish. There are venues to suit every taste and mood. You can spend an evening at the opera or in a jazz cellar; watch a ballet or dance in a night club; enjoy a romantic meal for two or a noisy pub meal. The choice is yours.
Glasgow boasts the best shopping outside London. The pedestrianised area around Buchanan Street, Argyle and Sauchiehall Streets is the main shopping district. The Argyle Arcade, almost two hundred years old, houses over thirty jewellers shops. Scottish jewellery is well known for its quality and craftsmanship. In the west of the city there is a collection of antique shops and secondhand book shops. The open air market in the east of the city is open at the weekend and is the ideal place for souvenirs such as tartan kilts and scarves as well as Celtic jewellery.
Glasgow's many restaurants provide food to suit all palates from international cuisine to traditional fare.
