Welcome to Glasgow!
There are many things to do near the University of Strathclyde, located in City Centre/Merchant city and nearby in the West End. Below are a few suggestions and ways to link trips together.
- Transportation, Live Scottish Pub Music, Restaurants
- Merchant City Festival, and Edinburgh Fringe Festival
- To Do In Glasgow
- Venturing beyond Glasgow: Edinburgh, Loch Lomond, and beyond
Transportation, Live Scottish Pub Music, Restaurants
Transportation
The subway is easy to use as it is just a loop consisting of an ‘inner’ or ‘outer’ train. It runs Monday to Saturday 6:30am to about 11:15pm and on Sunday 10am to 6pm. Tickets are £1.40 each ride or you can get a day pass or bulk passes reducing the cost. You need to use the ticket to enter, but not exit.
Busses can deliver you all over town. For journeys that are within Glasgow, or beyond, Traveline Scotland is a good site to help you plan your trip. It also gives train connections and times.
Several museums, some mentioned below, have more travel information here.
Pubs
There are several nice pubs in the city centre, wandering around will not leave you dry. Blackfriars usually has a good selection of beers on tap and good quality food. The Counting House is unique for its location in an old bank and profits from being part of the UK Wetherspoon pubs to have a large selection of on tap beers. Babbity Bowster has good food and live Scottish music on Saturday late afternoons. In the West End (Kelvin Bridge subway stop), The Dram hosts live folk music on Sunday evenings. The Ben Nevis hosts live folk music Wed/Thurs/Sun 9pm onward along with its large selection of whisky. It is located south of the Kelvingrove park, a bit of a walk from the subway, but on various bus lines.
Restaurants
There are several nice traditional Scottish places to eat around the University of Strathclyde. We recommend tasting haggis, black pudding (often a breakfast item, like a sausage), fish and chips, and many of the meats are high quality and don’t miss sticky toffee pudding for desert. Some places to try include City Merchant, Cafe Gandolfi or Arisaig.
There are two vegetarian only restaurants not too far from campus, 13th note and Mono.
Other interesting places include the Russian food at Cafe Cossachok, or the Mongolian BBQ with exotic meats you combine yourself with vegetables and spices, and they cook, at Khublai Khans.
Festivals
Merchant City Festival
Starting mid-week and continuing through the weekend is a festival that takes place every year in Glasgow with a variety of food stalls and street performances. The atmosphere is energetic and many of the shows quite enjoyable to watch. More details here.
Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Every August Edinburgh hosts a variety of acts including comedy, one man shows, and music. This year it starts August 2nd and runs through to the 26th. More details here.
To Do In Glasgow
East of Strathclyde
Follow the streets directly east of the University (away from George Square) and you will find an old cemetery called the Necropolis with a great view and lovely to walk around. Nearby is the cathedral which has really nice architecture, the St Mungos Museum of Religious Art and Life and the oldest building in Glasgow, the Provand’s Lordship house, dating from 1471. Entry to all these is free. We would suggest that 2-3 hours would easily cover these sites.
Next you can head down High Street (along which all these are located) and pass the Tolbooth Steeple on your way to Glasgow Green. This large park is located on the river, and is where many city events occur. It is also home to the People’s Palace which has a history of Glasgow and a small conservatory. This museum would probably take less than an hour to tour and is also free. Just east of the museum is an old carpet factory and home to a delicious Glasgow microbrewery, WEST, also serving a nice meal.
West of Strathclyde
A block or two west of Strathclyde is George Square. This is where the opening reception is held Monday night, in the City Chambers Building. One more block west leads you to a large walking shopping mall on Buchanan Street. If you go south from the west end of George Square then two blocks later you will see a large building, which is an old mansion now converted into the Glasgow Museum of Modern Art (GOMA). This small museum is free and has regularly changing exhibits. South west of the GOMA, on a small alley, is the Light House. The view from the top is great! And there are several floors of art you can wander around for free. One floor has an exhibit dedicated to the famous architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh (arts and crafts movement) whose work can be found throughout town.
West End
Glasgow's 'West End' is about a 2 miles from the city centre and is best visited via the subway. The Hill Head stop is located on Byres Road, near the University of Glasgow. Byres road has many shops and places to eat. While there are several museums at the University of Glasgow, we strongly recommend the Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery which houses several scientific exhibits highlighting Lord Kelvin, medicine advances, and collections from William Hunter (entry is free, except to access certain visiting collections). The magnificent building faces the Kelvingrove museum which also has an eclectic collection from art to artefacts. There are daily pipe organ performances, so check the web site to be sure not to miss one. South of the Kelvingrove, located on the river, is the Museum of Transport which house historial cars, bicycles, motorcycles, and a tall ship in the water. All of these museums are free to enter. North of the Hill Head subway station are the Glasgow Botanical Gardens with park trails that connect all the way to the Kelvingrove museum.
Outside Glasgow
Edinburgh
Leaving from Queen Street train station you can take the train every 15 minutes or so during the day, reaching the heart of Edinburgh (Waverley Station) after about 45 minutes. It is best to purchase a return ticket. The list of things to do in Edinburgh is very long, including the seeing the castle (you can enter the courtyard even if you do not take the tour), walking the royal mile, e.g., Parliament Square, the City Chambers, Holyrood Palace/Abbey, Queen’s Gallery, Scottish Parliament. Among the many interesting museums, the National Museum of Scotland is a great exhibit starting from early people in Scotland, through to modern Scotland. There is also a great view from the top of the building. More information can be found here.
Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond, the largest inland water mass of the United Kingdom is located about 15 miles north of Glasgow, accessible by train and bus. It is where the lowlands of central Scotland meet the Highlands. There are numerous land and water outdoor activities to take advantage of. For more information see here.
Multiday Trips
If you want to venture further, there are several companies that will take you around Scotland and the highlands for short trips. Alternatively, the train network is fairly good and you can take a train to several destinations (e.g. Oban, where you can visit the islands of Mull and Iona, or Fort William, or Inverness). Alternatively, busses sometimes offer a more direct route, such as to the north east city of Aberdeen. See here for a cheap option.