As Scotland's largest city, and one of the largest in the United Kingdom, it should be no surprise that there are plenty of things to do and places to go in Glasgow.
Glasgow is a vibrant city with a busy arts, music, and cultural scene, offering museums, historical places, art galleries, and events throughout the year. With a history dating back to the Roman Empire, Glasgow has a wide range of attractions appealing to locals and visitors from all walks of life..
The city hosts several festivals and seasonal events. The summer months are especially busy, with music festivals, such as TRNSMT, the Glasgow Jazz Festival, and Celtic Connections. Others taking place during the summer include the Glasgow International Comedy Festival and the Merchant City Festival.
Although temperatures can be harsh, Glasgow's Christmas events bring people in each December. The Santa Dash is a charity event featuring participants dressing up as Santa and running through the city streets.
Some of the more prominent tourist attractions in Glasgow include Glasgow Cathedral. Also known as St. Mungo's Cathedral, this is a medieval church in downtown Glasgow, and an example of Gothic architecture. Admission to the cathedral is free, although contributions are welcomed.
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum features more than eight thousand objects in twenty-two themed galleries. While some temporary exhibitions may require a fee, admission to the museum is free.
Housing vintage cars, buses, trains, and bicycles, the Riverside Museum of Transport and Travel is free to visit on your own or through a guided tour.
On the campus of the University of Glasgow, the Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery features a large collection of art and artifacts, including examples of the works of Whistler and Rembrandt.
Situated in the heart of Glasgow, the Lighthouse in Glasgow is Scotland's Centre for Design and Architecture. Opened as part of the city's status as the UK City of Architecture and Design in 1999, the Lighthouse has a viewing platform on the upper floor, offering views of the city. Also included are exhibitions on the history and development of architecture, design, and creative industries.
The Glasgow Green is a large public park in the East End of the city. It includes a boating pond, playground, sports centre, and several monuments. It is also home to several events throughout the year. On the West End of Glasgow is the Glasgow Botanic Gardens, a 27-acre park with a variety of plants and flowers, including a topical rainforest in the Kibble Palace. Both of these are excellent choices for families with children.
Often referred to as GoMA, the Gallery of Modern Art is a contemporary art museum in downtown Glasgow. Exhibitions rotate often, admission is free, and guided tours and events are available throughout the year.
The Scottish Football Museum is part of Hampden Park Stadium. It houses a large collection of memorabilia from Scottish football (soccer) history, including trophies, apparel, photographs, and others. Guided tours are available, and visitors can also explore the stadium itself.
Hampden Park is the national stadium of Scotland, and the home stadium of the Scottish men's national football team, sometimes known as the Tartan Army. The stadium has a capacity of more than fifty thousand, and hosts international football matches, cup finals, and other events.
Celtic Park is the home stadium of the Celtic Football Club. Situated east of the city centre, it has a capacity of over sixty thousand, and hosts regular matches during the Scottish football season. On the south side of the River Clyde, the Ibrox Stadium is home to the Rangers Football Club, another top football club. The Partick Thistle Football Club is another professional football club in Glasgow. It is based at Firhill Stadium in the Maryhill area of the city and hasn't played in the Partick area since 1908. The oldest association football club in Scotland is the Queen's Park Football Club. Fully amateur for the first 152 years, until 2019, it was the only amateur club in the Scottish professional leagues.
Glasgow has a professional rugby union club, the Glasgow Warriors, which plays in the European Rugby Champions Cup and Pro14. Its home stadium is Scotstoun Stadium. The Easterhouse Panthers, based in the East End of Glasgow, are a rugby league team that plays in the Rugby League Conference Scotland Division.
Glasgow hosts the only professional basketball team in Scotland. The Caledonia Gladiators compete in the British Basketball League, and have been based at the Emirates Arena since 2012.
Among the resources appropriate for this portion of our web guide are websites representing museums, historical places, libraries, art galleries, parks, gardens, and hiking trails in Glasgow, as well as other attractions and events.
Recommended Resources
Begun in 1994, the festival is held every January. Featuring over three hundred concerts, cèilidhs, talks, free events, late-night sessions, and workshops, the festival focuses on the roots of traditional Scottish music, and also features international folk, roots, and world music artists. Schedules of upcoming events are highlighted, along with featured artists, support information, venues, and volunteer opportunities. Press information is included.
https://www.celticconnections.com/
Supporting contemporary art in Scotland since 1969, the Glasgow facility presents an annual programme of contemporary exhibitions, including solo exhibitions, mixed-themed shows, and its "New Generation Show," which takes place immediately after the Art School degree shows. Situated on West Regent Street, the Gallery's exhibitions change from month to month. Exhibition schedules, featured artists, contacts, and online bookings of individual appointments are set forth.
https://compassgallery.co.uk/
Friends of the Glasgow Botanic Gardens, The
Established as a charitable organisation in 1994, the volunteer-led organisation raises funds to deliver educational and social programming within the Botanic Gardens. Situated on the West End of Glasgow, Scotland, the Gardens has a wide variety of temperate and tropical flora, an herb garden, a chronological bed bed with plants arranged according to their introduction to Scotland. The organisation, its educational programmes, and contacts are posted.
https://glasgowbotanicgardens.com/
Established in 1450, Glasgow Green is the oldest of the city's parks. The 55-hectare (136-acre) park is on the east end of Glasgow, Scotland. Situated on the River Clyde, it connects to the south via the St. Andrew's Suspension Bridge, which opened in 1855. Its location is shown on a map, and its history, management plan, and Green Heritage Trail information can be downloaded in PDF format, and its opening hours are posted on the city's official website.
https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/glasgowgreen
Glasgow Life is the brand for Culture and Sport Glasgow, a charity based in Glasgow, Scotland. It is an Arms' Length External body from the Glasgow City Council, charged with managing the city's arts, music, sports, events, festivals, libraries, and learning programmes. Its museums, libraries, sports programmes, arts, music, and culture events and activities, schedules, and ticket information are featured. Venue hire policies, support data, and contacts are included.
https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/
Museums in Glasgow, Scotland operated by Glasgow Life are featured here, including the Burrell Collection, the Gallery of Modern Art, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Kelvin Hall, the Open Museum, People's Palace, Provand's Lordship, Riverside Museum, Scotland Street School Museum, St. Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art, and others, with addresses, hours, and touring information. Special collections, city archives, and family history programmes are highlighted.
https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums
Providing a public platform for thousands of performers in varied programmes of events over a two-week period in March, the annual festival features music, dance, speech, and drama. While much of the festival focuses on young people, amateur performers of all ages take part. The organisation and administration of all aspects of the events are undertaken by a team of volunteers, some who work year-round while others help with the event itself. Schedules and contacts are posted on the site.
https://glasgowmusicfestival.org/
Parks and gardens maintained by the Glasgow City Council are featured here. Listed alphabetically, by name, a brief description of each park or garden is provided, including the size and other information, along with a map showing its location, directions, opening hours, and various documents relating to each in PDF format, along with related links. Included are Alexandria Park, Auchinlea Park, Bellahouston Park, Castlemilk Park, Cathkin Braes Country Park, and others.
https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/parks
The Glasgow Police Museum is an independent accredited museum manned and operated by volunteer members of the Glasgow Police Heritage Society, an incorporated charitable organisation that is not connected to Police Scotland and which receives no funding from them or from the Glasgow City Council. Supported entirely by donations, entry to the museum is free. A brochure may be downloaded from the site, and its opening hours and contacts are published, along with a photo gallery.
https://www.policemuseum.org.uk/
Situated in the Clyde Waterfront Regeneration area on the south bank of the River Clyde, the Glasgow Science Centre is a popular visitor attraction. It features three main buildings: Science Mall, Glasgow Tower, and an IMAX cinema. Besides its main Science Centre, the Centre also manages the visitor centre at Whitelee Wind Farm. Its location, hours of operation, and online ticket sales are set forth, along with its membership option, which provides unlimited access for a year.
https://www.glasgowsciencecentre.org/
The public library is located in the Bridgeton area of Glasgow, Scotland. The only accredited museum in Scotland dedicated to women's history, it provides information relevant to women's culture and achievements. Operating on feminist principles, it was established in 1991. Its location, hours of operation, collections, projects, and volunteer and job opportunities are noted on its website. Contributions may be made and an online shop offers a variety of products.
https://womenslibrary.org.uk/
Situated in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland, the football stadium is the national stadium of football in Scotland, and home to the Scotland national football team. Owned by the Scottish Football Association, Hampden Park regularly hosts the latter stages of the Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup final, as well as other sporting events. Upcoming events are announced on the website, along with meeting schedules, and information about its museum and stadium tours, and cafe.
https://www.hampdenpark.co.uk/
The Mitchell Library is a large public library in the Charing Cross area of Glasgow, Scotland. Maintained by Glasgow Life, it is the largest public library in Europe and the centre of Glasgow's public library system. Established in 1877 through a bequest from Stephen Mitchell, the library houses over a million items. With a focus on reference material, it established a substantial lending library facility in 2005. A map of the facilities, hours, and contacts are featured.
https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/libraries/venues/the-mitchell-library
Opened in 1992, the Roger Billcliffe Gallery was Scotland's largest private gallery, occupying five floors of an early 19th-century building in downtown Glasgow. In 2022, the gallery moved into its own premises on Bath Street. The gallery represents many of Scotland's leading painters, as well as supporting younger artists. Its location, exhibitions and art items, participating artists (listed alphabetically), and publications are featured on the gallery's website.
https://www.billcliffegallery.com/
Situated in the Hampden Park area of Glasgow, Scotland, Scotland's National Museum of Association Football houses over two thousand objects of football memorabilia, including the world's oldest cap and match ticket from the first official international match of 1872, and the world's oldest national trophy, the Scottish Cup, made in 1873. Its locations, hours of operation, exhibitions, and a digital archive of Scottish football history are set forth, along with contacts.
https://www.scottishfootballmuseum.org.uk/
One of the oldest and largest university libraries in Europe, the Glasgow University Library is housed in a 12-story building, as well as branch libraries. Besides 2.5 million books and journals, along with access to thousands of e-books and e-journals, the library also holds large archival material in a separate building, including the Scottish Business Archive. Its opening hours and locations, floor plans, research units, strategies, and policies are set forth, along with contacts.
https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/library/
