Glasgow

Introduction

Winter comes to the Glasgow botanical gardens

© silvara

There is a lot to see and do in Glasgow, the biggest city in Scotland. From the shopping, frequenting the many bars or just wandering around the streets taking in the fantastic architecture - you certainly won't be bored. The other main part that makes Glasgow very special is the people, you are always guaranteed a smile in many of the bars and you'll find that people will just speak to you and sometimes you have new friends by the end of the evening.

Neighbourhoods

The West End

Students and Wendys (West End Trendies) occupy The West End. The main street is Byres Road which offers a variety of restaurants, cafés, bars, gift shops, vintage & second hand shops (such as Glorious). Glasgow University is situated near Byres Road. There are two parks- Kelvingrove and The Botanics. Finnieston (bottom of Byres Road, turn left) is also popular with people who live in the area. Try a sandwich at Il Cappuccino on Great Western Road.

Southside

Older (yet still trendy) crowd can be found in the Southside. Lots of bars to drink/dine in. Victoria Park takes up a large area of the South Side. Victoria Road hosts shops such as Boots, green grocers and an ice cream parlour.

Sights and Activities

• George Square is the central square in Glasgow City which continues to be used for public meetings and gatherings, protests, celebrations and concerts. The buildings around George Square are worth a look, the Glasgow City Chambers, the Queen Street Railways Station, as well as the many statues and tributes to public figures in the square itself, such as Queen Victoria, Robert Burns and Robert Peel. You can even watch it online on the George Square Webcam.
• The Barras Market is in the East End of Glasgow and has been in operation since the turn of the century. You find many stalls here that sell similar items as other major city markets, such as DVDs, toys, clothing and other cheap household items. The Barras is not the place to got for antiques or high quality collectables however is a great place to walk through and see a different side of Glasgow that is away from the usual tourist spots. Its a great atmosphere, if you're game!
• Glasgow Cathedral is worth a look, and a wander around the area surrounding it. You can find it outside the city centre near the Glasgow Royal Infirmary.
• Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is situated in the west end of Glasgow and is one of Scotlands most popular free attractions, the museums collection includes everything from archaeology and the natural world to fine art and sculptures by artists such as Monet, Van Gogh, Botticelli and Picasso as well as a vast and impressive display of military weapons, prehistoric relics and European armour.

Events and Festivals

September

Council Chambers Interior - Full Marble Staircase

© StephenJen

• Doors Open Day - Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st September. A rare chance for the public to visit some of the most interesting buildings in Glasgow over one weekend in September, which are usually closed to the public. And all for free!

December

• Glasgow's Hogmanay - 31st December annually, George Square, Glasgow City Centre. Glasgow celebrates Hogmanay with thousands of New Year revellers descending on George Square in the City Centre to celebrate the New Year in style. The music programme offers a variety of high profile Scottish, popular and rock music.

Weather

The spring months of March to May are generally mild and cool and Glasgow's plant life and flowers start to really bloom at this time of the year. The summer months of May to September vary from mild and wet or warm with sunshine. The warmest month is usually mid year - July, with a daily high averaging 20 °C. Despite occasional dry days, winters in Glasgow are normally wet and quite cold.

Getting There

By Plane

• The main Glasgow International Airport is closer than Prestwick to the city centre (about 13 kilometres) and serviced by many of the major airlines and some of the smaller ones. It is easy to access transport from this airport to the city centre, at very little cost, about £4.50 on coach direct to city centre. The airport is currently linked to Glasgow City Centre by Glasgow Flyer bus service 500. This is run by Arriva Scotland West under contract to BAA. The service runs 24 hours a day, direct via the M8 motorway. The 747 Airlink has buses all the way to Buchanan bus station.
• Flights to Glasgow Prestwick can be sought from budget airlines like Ryanair and BMI Flights come in and out from all over Europe. Prestwick airport is approximately 32 miles (about 50 kilometres) from Glasgow's city centre, however is serviced by its very own railway station inside the terminal for access to the city, in addition to coaches and other modes of transport.

Eat

Grassroots - Vegetarian restaurant. Very relaxed atmosphere with great imaginative and largely organic veggie menu. Open Monday - Friday 10:00am - 10:00pm, Saturday 10:00am-4:00pm and Sunday 5:00pm-10:00pm. Address: 93 St George's Road, Woodlands (Nr Charing Cross) Tel. +44 (0)141 333 0534

Drink

Committee Room 9 is a new Gastro pub and Wine Bar. This place offers a warm and traditional feel, great value and some of the best pub food you will find in Glasgow. Address: 18 John Street Merchant City Glasgow

Sleep

Upscale

If traveling in a small group, a shared cost for a serviced apartment might be worth your while. City Apartments in Glasgow are spotless and well cared for apartments within easy walking distance from the busy centre of town near to all the bars and cafes you could want. 1-bedroom apartments from £169/2-Bedroom 229/3=bedroom £299. Great base to see Glasgow from, and you can save money on eating out by self catering. The apartments have cooking, washing facilities, fridges, televisions, Playstation 2, and central heating.

You can use the form below to search for availability (Travellerspoint receives a commission for bookings made through the form)

Learn

• University of Glasgow
• University of Strathclyde, Glasgow
• Glasgow Caledonian University
• Glasgow School of Art

Keep Connected

Internet

Internet cafés can be found in many cities and towns. All UK public libraries provide access, often branded as "People's Network", usually at no or little charge, though there is usually a time limit. Some hotels/hostels also offer internet access, including wifi, but most times at a cost. Using the internet on your personal phone can become expensive very quickly, with carriers charging 100's of times the local rate for data. To avoid these expensive roaming charges, you can hunt for wifi at a local cafe or hotel, or rent a mobile hotspot via several providers including DATAPiXY, and XCOM Global.

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

The country calling code to the United Kingdom is: 44. To make an international call from the United Kingdom, the code is: 00

In case of emergency, call 999 or 112 from any phone. Such calls are free and will be answered by an emergency services operator who will ask you for your location, and the service(s) you need (police, fire, ambulance, coastguard or mountain rescue). You can call this number from any mobile telephone as well, even if you do not have roaming.

Although the number is declining, you can still find payphones in many public areas, especially stations, airports etc. You can usually pay with cash and sometimes by creditcard or, for international calls, special phonecards are still available.

Mobile phones are heavily used. The main networks are T-Mobile, Vodafone, Orange and O2. 3G data services are available, usually priced per megabyte and coverage is usually very good in the UK, however it may lack in rural areas. Roaming on your personal phone plan can be expensive. To manage costs, consider purchasing a local UK SIM card for your phone. Several companies offer local SIM cards including Telestial, and CellularAbroad.

Post

The Royal Mail provides postal services in the United Kingdom. The Royal Mail's store fronts are called Post Office and offer services ranging from sending letters and packages to foreign currency exchange. Use the branch locator to find the nearest Post Office branch. There will be at least one post office in any town/city and there are quite often post offices in larger villages. It's common for a post office to be incorporated into a grocery store, where there will be a small counter located at the back of the store for dealing with post related matters. All post offices are marked with signs that say 'post office' in red lettering. Post boxes can be found at any post office and standalone large red post boxes on the streets or red boxes in the sides of public buildings.
For sending packages overseas, it might be a good idea to check prices and services with international companies like TNT, UPS or DHL.

External Links

• Official Governmental Website