HOW TO GET TO GLASGOW
In addition to being Scotland’s largest charter hub, Glasgow Airport serves more Scottish destinations than any other airport and is a key component of Scotland’s transport infrastructure.
Glasgow Airport is located around 20 minutes from Glasgow city centre and is the only airport in Scotland with direct motorway access. The airport is well served by public transport for access to Glasgow city centre and further across Scotland.
If you arrive by plane we suggest you to use the Glasgow Airport Express service 500 bus:
- Service 500 is a 24-hour service, departing from every 10 minutes from Glasgow Airport stance 1 and Buchanan Bus Station stance 46. Evening frequency is every 30 minutes daily.
- Single tickets are £11.00 per adult, or you can purchase Return tickets for £17.50, which is valid for two single journeys on Service 500 and two single connecting journeys on any First Glasgow service. Ticket must be used within 28 days of purchase.
- Timetable >
- For more information please visit the First Bus website.
Taxi
The taxi rank is outside the arrival terminal, and with over 180 taxis waiting for passengers, there is no need to prebook one.
Arriving by train at either Queen Street or Glasgow Central Station puts you right in the heart of the action. Travelling from Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee, Perth, or Stirling, you can enjoy fabulous scenery. Travelling from London, you pass through both the Lake District and the Scottish Borders.
Station opening hours
- Monday to Saturday: 04:00 – 00:30
- Sunday: 07:00 – 00:30
You can purchase your tickets here: https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/
If you plan on getting to Glasgow by car, the M74 and M8 motorways run north and south through the city center. If driving in from the south, try a scenic alternative and take the fascinating Clyde Valley Tourist Route, which runs alongside the River Clyde and passes many places of historic interest.
GETting around in GLASGOW
The subway is the easiest way to get around the City Centre and West End of Glasgow. Running every four minutes at peak times, it takes just 24 minutes to complete a circuit of the fifteen stations and costs from £1.55 for an adult single to travel anywhere else on the system. You can find more information on the SPT’s website: https://www.spt.co.uk/travel-with-spt/subway/
There are several bus stops around Glasgow: Buchanan, East Kilbride, Greenock, and Hamilton, provide accessible public transport and help keep communities connected when there are no commercial services.
Glasgow is a very walkable city, especially the city centre, so you can easily explore it on foot whilst taking in the beautiful buildings and architecture around you – don’t forget to ‘look up’ when you’re in the city.
If you consider getting some miles in on the bike, there is on-street cycling hire across the city with NextBike or Ovo.
ABOUT GLASGOW
Glasgow, Scotland’s most populous city and the “Second City of the British Empire”, welcomes the lovers of Gothic and Victorian architecture and Outlander as well as night owls, who can enjoy the diverse culinary scene, abundance of pubs and bars and some of the UK’s best music venues.
Glasgow grew from a small rural settlement on the River Clyde to become the largest seaport in Scotland: it was one of Britain’s main hubs of oceanic trade with North America and the West Indies, followed by the Orient, India and China since the 18th century. During the Industrial Revolution, Glasgow became one of the world’s pre-eminent centers of chemicals, textiles, and engineering; most notably in the shipbuilding and marine engineering industry, which produced many innovative and famous vessels.
What to do
what to see
Necropolis
Inspired by the famous Père Lachaise in Paris, Glasgow’s Necropolis is a remarkable Victorian cemetery adorned with some 3,500 monuments. Amongst the most notable graves are a monument to Protestant Reformation leader John Knox, and a Celtic cross designed by influential Glaswegian architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
Scottish Football Museum
Inside Hampden Park, the national stadium of football in Scotland, you’ll find the Scottish Football Museum. Explore over 2,000 objects, learn about the history of Scottish football, and marvel at the world’s oldest national football trophy.
The Glasgow Women’s Library
The Glasgow Women’s Library welcomes visitors from around the corner and across the world into their library and museum, which celebrates the lives and achievements of women, sharing fascinating stories from the past through heritage walks, exhibitions, and archives.
Ashton Lane
Hidden away in the city’s West End, this picturesque, cobbled street is adorned with fairy lights and is home to several great bars and restaurants, including Innis & Gunn, The Grosvenor, and the famous Ubiquitous Chip.
The Burrell Collection
Set within one of the city’s beautiful country parks, the recently refurbished Burrell Collection is a must-visit. Visitors can explore more of the world-class collection than ever before, including one of Europe’s finest displays of Degas.
Outlander tour
Start at the Glasgow Cathedral, which medieval crypt doubled as L’Hopital Des Anges in Paris where Claire volunteered to work. It is a stunning example of Gothic architecture and boasts one of the finest post-war collections of stained-glass windows in Britain. It is also one of the few Scottish medieval churches to have survived the Reformation unscathed.
Next to the historic George Square, in the very center of Glasgow, which was turned into a 1940s set to film Frank’s spontaneous proposal to Claire.
Take a walk to Kelvingrove Park with its many statues, monuments, and varied wildlife and the nearby famous and free to enter Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum. It doubled for the Boston Park where Claire frequently took walks.
Close to Kelvingrove Park, you can find the University of Glasgow (Harvard University on Outlander). Established in 1451, the university is the 4th oldest in the English-speaking world and has around 28,000 students.
Finish the tour in Pollok Country Park, on the south side of Glasgow. The park was voted best park in Britain and Europe and served as the grounds surrounding the fictional Castle Leoch in season one out Outlander.