Parks and the outdoors in Glasgow

Parks and the outdoors in Glasgow

1. See

   Bellahouston Park

   The park has a sports centre and an artificial ski slope. The park is often used for open-air concerts and similar events. Its biggest audience to date, of 250,000, was for the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1982. (Benedict XVI drew about a third of that in 2010.) The park used to extend all the way to Pollok Country Park, which you can reach (for the Burrell Collection) by walking along Drumbreck Road to pass under M77.

2. See

   Botanic Gardens

   Extensive gardens established in 1842 besides the River Kelvin, with tropical and temperate plants. Its distinctive landmark is the Kibble Palace, a 19th-century wrought-iron temperate glasshouse, rebuilt 2004-06.

   Gardens 7AM to dusk, glasshouses noon to 4PM·Free

3. Eat

   Eusebi Deli

   Italian deli and restaurant. Deli has prepared panini, salads, patisserie. Convenient for picnics in the park on a sunny day.

   Wed-Mon 8AM-10PM

4. See

   Fossil Grove

   The remains of an ancient forest of Lepidodendron, extinct giant quillworts. About 330 million years ago this area flooded with mud, which killed the trees but made casts of their trunks. They were discovered during quarrying in 1887, and enclosed by a building for protection. This is open at weekends, while the rest of Victoria Park is always open.

   Sat Sun noon-4PM·Free

5. Do

   Glasgow City FC

   Glasgow City FC are a women's team playing in the Scottish Women's Premier League, of which they are reigning champions. They're not affiliated with any men's club and play at Petershill Park (capacity: 1,000, 500 seated) in Springburn, two miles north of the city centre. That makes them the leading women's team within Glasgow, as Celtic and Rangers women play out of town. Book tickets here.

6. See

   Glasgow Green

   is the extensive green space north bank of the Clyde. It was created in 1450 as separate plots of soggy grazing land, which were combined and drained. It became an area for bleaching and drying, mass protests and inflammatory speeches, and recreation and events. It's always open, with multiple access points, but from city centre a good approach is from the foot of High St through the Maclennan Arch. Follow the main path southeast to reach Nelson's Memorial, an obelisk commemorating his victory at Trafalgar. Central is the People's Palace, see below. North side of that is the elaborate terracotta Doulton Fountain, with Queen Victoria teetering atop it. At the park's east boundary, the Templeton Carpet Factory is now a business centre. St Andrew's suspension bridge gives access to the south river bank. See Clyde section below for the Tidal Weir.

7. See

   Glasgow University

   main Gilmorehill campus is a district of half a square mile, bounded to the east by the River Kelvin, to the north by Great Western Road, south by Dumbarton Road, and west by Byres Rd - by Subway use Hillhead. It was founded in 1451, the fourth oldest in the UK, and has some 21,000 undergraduates, 11,500 postgrads, 4700 academic staff, and earns high ratings for teaching and research. You can stroll the neo-Gothic area anytime, but the main visitor attractions are the several branches of the Hunterian, founded around the vast collections of William Hunter (1718-83). Three are on campus, and there's a satellite museum in Dumfries.

8. See

   Greenbank Garden

   Garden surrounding an 18th-century mansion, which in 1976 passed to the National Trust for Scotland. It has a large walled garden and parterre, and a brilliant display of daffodils and bluebells in spring. The mansion is an events venue and you can't tour it.

   Apr-Jun Sep-Oct: Thu-Mon; Jul Aug: daily·Adult £8.50 adult, conc £6, NTS / NT free

9. Do

   Hampden Park

   Scotland's national stadium has a capacity of 51,866 for football matches and 44,000 for athletics. It hosts other sporting events as well as concerts, and houses the Scottish Football Museum. The Scottish men's and women's soccer teams play their home games here. It may be difficult to get tickets for a men's World Cup or Euros qualifier but any other game should be fine. Stadium tours are available on non-match days. If you get the train, expect to queue for the station post-match due to the outflow of fans. Hampden used to be the home ground of Queen's Park, but they are in the throes of moving next door.

10. See

    Kelvingrove Park

    stretches west, with the River Kelvin running through it. It was laid out in the 1850s when the city's earlier green space, Glasgow Green, became hemmed in by slums. The bandstand was refurbished in 2014, and worthy statues include physicist Lord Kelvin, writer Thomas Carlyle, Field Marshal Lord Roberts and chemist Lord Lister. It's always open and popular with students of the nearby university; see below for the museum and gallery in its west corner. The easiest access from city centre is by bus towards Argyle St; by Subway use Kelvinbridge north or Kelvinhall west.

11. See

    Park Circus

    built around 1860, is the centrepiece of the well-heeled Park District. If they were aiming to recreate Bath, what they got was Edinburgh Scotland Street, with legal brassplates set around a leafy oval - the Montessori School seems inevitable. Approaching from Kelvingrove Park, come up the imposing Granite Stairs from the south. The steps were once a pilgrimage site for fans of the rock band Deacon Blue, as the view from the top was the cover picture of their 1987 album Raintown. But tree growth and other development since means you can no longer recreate that cloud-wracked vista, nor the rear-cover view of the M8.

12. Eat

    Partick Duck Club

    Excellent bistro, the duck gets rave reviews. You need to book if you hope for a table inside, walk-ups and dogs welcome outside.

    Wed-Mon 9AM-9PM

13. See

    People's Palace

    This is a great folk museum, telling the history of Glasgow and its people from 1750 to 2000. One of Billy Connolly's banana boots is on display. The Winter Gardens are a large adjacent glasshouse. As of May 2026, the museum and glasshouse are closed for refurbishment, with the timeline for re-opening unclear.

    Mon-Thu Sat 10AM-5PM, Fri Sun 11AM-5PM·Free

14. Do

    Queen's Park F.C.

    The Spiders

    Queen's Park play in the Championship, the second tier. Despite an incredible run without a major trophy since 1893, they are still amongst Scotland's most successful clubs with ten Scottish Cups to their name. Historically they played at Hampden Park and owned it, but their limited fortunes and attendance made that a nonsense; only in 2019 did they turn professional. Hampden Park was sold to the Scottish Football Association in 2020 and from 2025-26, Queen's Park will play at The City Stadium (aka Lesser Hampden), a small stadium to the west of Hampden Park. Don't confuse them with Queen's Park Rangers, the team from London's Shepherd's Bush.

    £24 adults, £17 concessions, £12 U18s, £8 U12s

15. See

    St Andrew's Suspension Bridge

    This elegant footbridge between Hutchisontown on the south river bank and Glasgow Green on the north opened in 1855.

16. Drink

    The Ark

    Artfully refurbished in 2022, this is a friendly sports bar with a big beer garden, popular with the two nearby universities.

    Daily 11AM-midnight

17. Eat Not mapped

    Brel

    Belgian fare, especially moules in a variety of styles. The place ranges over 3 levels serving Belgian and Scottish beers. Beer garden, and sometimes has live entertainment.

    Sun-Thu noon-11PM, Fri Sat noon-midnight

18. Drink Not mapped

    Clutha & Victoria Bar

    Clutha is the ancient name for the Clyde. The name has also been given to its 19th-century river ferries, a Scottish band, a dance, and this pub by the Gorbals Street bridge. In 2013 a police helicopter crashed into it, killing all three on board and seven people in the pub; 31 others were injured. The helicopter had run out of fuel as it returned to base, and dropped straight down. There was enough spare fuel aboard, but the spare feed system was switched off, and there were other errors and irregularities in the chain of causation. The tragedy is commemorated by a mural on the street corner. The Clutha is now a friendly ordinary place with live trad folk and blues music most nights.

    Mon Tue noon-11PM, Wed-Sun noon-midnight

19. Eat Not mapped

    Sonny & Vito's

    is a deli cafe at 52 Park Rd, a block east of Kelvinbridge subway station

    Mon-Sat 9AM-6PM, Sun 10AM-6PM

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Glasgow (CC BY-SA 4.0).