Glasgow Airport provides a gateway to Scotland’s largest city and the wealth of exciting attractions, museums and nature on offer. Situated on the banks of the River Clyde, Glasgow has been transformed from an industrial powerhouse into a thriving hub of cultural activity that is just waiting to be discovered.
Your travel options
Located around eight miles to the west of Glasgow city centre, Glasgow Airport has direct motorway access and several different bus connections. The Glasgow Airport Express is the official bus service, operated by First Glasgow, and can have you in the centre of the centre in around 15 minutes, while other buses also serve the centre and the surrounding areas. The nearest station to Glasgow Airport is Paisley Gilmour, roughly one mile from the terminal and accessible via the McGill’s 757 bus service. From there, services run into Glasgow Central train station in the city centre.
What you can do
Once you’re in Glasgow, you can rely on an extensive public transport network to reach the city’s main attractions. A circular subway system with 15 stations covers the West End and city centre, with one single line running clockwise and another anti-clockwise, alongside local bus services. Travelcards and day tickets make getting around both easy and affordable, giving you plenty of flexibility to discover Glasgow’s array of cultural, historical and social sites.
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
With 22 themed galleries covering everything from art and animals to Ancient Egypt, the family-friendly Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum has something for everyone. Alongside an array of ever-changing exhibitions, you can also marvel at the building’s exceptional architecture, browse a display dedicated to Charles Rennie Mackintosh and see a Mark 21 Spitfire LA198 fighter plane dangling from the ceiling. Don’t miss the organ recitals that take place daily alongside Kelvingrove’s magnificent organ too.
The Museum of Piping at the National Piping Centre
Discover Scotland’s rich piping heritage at the National Piping Centre where you can explore the history of bagpipes and their place in Scottish culture. The Museum of Piping holds the most authoritative display of its kind and there’s even a chance for you to try playing the bagpipes yourself with expert guidance and supervision.
Glasgow Science Centre
Embark on a fantastic journey into the world of science at the Glasgow Science Centre, with workshops, experiences and science shows for people of all ages that question perceptions and explore some of the planet’s mysteries. Delve into outer space, get a buzz for electricity, be fascinated by physics and dive into the world of health and wellbeing at the interactive Bodyworks exhibition.
Outdoor Pursuit Scotland
Cascade your way down Scotland’s only artificial white water course at Pinkston Watersports Centre with Outdoor Pursuit Scotland. Based just 15 minutes from the city centre, you can try your hand at riverboarding, white water rafting, funyaking and much more! There’s activities for all ages and abilities, and the company even offers trips further afield if you’d like to try out the pulsating water sports on Scotland’s natural waterways.
Gallery of Modern Art
Situated in the heart of the city’s Royal Exchange Square, the Gallery of Modern Art houses a thought-provoking set of local and international artworks, as well as carefully curated exhibitions and events. The TASTE! exhibition showcases a handful of the contemporary pieces that have been collected on behalf of Glasgow over the last two decades, providing a unique insight into the influences and rationale behind the creation of vast artistic collections.
Riverside Museum
The award-winning Riverside Museum hosts many of the exhibits housed in the city’s former Transport Museum, showcasing vintage cars, trams and trains, as well as numerous exhibitions exploring the history of travel in the city. Outside you’ll find the Tall Ship, a restored Glasgow-built three-masted barque that showcases the city’s rich maritime past.
Buchanan Street shopping
Glasgow is renowned for its shopping opportunities and if you wander down Buchanan Street, the city’s main pedestrian boulevard, you’ll find an array of designer shops, architectural gems and an eclectic mix of retailers. Buchanan Galleries shopping centre has more than 80 stores, housing everything from small independents to the major retail giants.
Glasgow Cathedral
The imposing 12th-century cathedral is impressive in itself, but the structure also houses one of the finest post-war collections of stained glass windows in Britain. Explore the grand crypt housing the tomb of St Mungo, founder of the bishopric, who was buried there in AD 603, or venture to the adjacent Necropolis, a 37-acre Victorian gothic cemetery that is packed with memorial stones, intricately carved Celtic crosses and sculptures by the city’s artists, including Charles Rennie Macintosh.
Pollok House and Pollok Country Park
Four miles to the south west of Glasgow city centre is the picturesque Edwardian mansion Pollok House, set in grounds covering 355 acres. A vast collection of Spanish art, amassed by Sir William Stirling Maxwell, is displayed within the building while you can venture outside to explore the immaculately kept grounds and extensive woodland trails.