Sights and landmarks in Glasgow

Sights and landmarks 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. See

   Burrell Collection

   Sir William Burrell (1861-1958) was a shipping magnate who amassed a huge art collection. He gifted it to the city with the condition that it should be displayed in a nearby yet rural setting, and this was difficult to satisfy until Pollok House was acquired in extensive parkland, and the purpose-built gallery was added. It was closed 2014-2022 for refurbishment and even now can only show a fraction of his 9000-strong collection. Other items appear in the various city museums such as Kelvingrove.

   Mon-Thu Sat 10AM-5PM, Fri Sun 11AM-5PM·Gallery free, parking £2.50

4. See

   City Chambers

   The City Council headquarters were built in 1888 in Italian Renaissance style. Tours take in the marble staircases, lobbies, debating chamber and banqueting hall. Public tours are conducted M-F at 10:30AM and 2:30PM. Tickets for the tour can be obtained from the reception desk 30 minutes prior to each tour commencing.

   Free

5. See

   Crookston Castle

   Ruin of a turret built in 1400 within a 12th-century earthwork, and repaired after a siege of 1544. It's perched on a hill over the Levern Water and has an unusual "X" design: a sturdy central keep within four corner towers; only the northeast of these survives.

   Apr-Sep: daily; Oct-Mar: Sat-Wed·Free

6. See

   Fairfield Heritage Centre

   Govan became the city's main shipbuilding quarter once the Clyde channel was blasted open, and Fairfield was one of its leading companies. Built to impress in 1891, these were the august headquarters of a series of shipbuilders until the last vacated in 2001. It's now a heritage space and museum of Clyde shipbuilding.

   Summer daily 11AM-4PM, winter Mon-Fri 1PM-4PM·Free

7. 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

8. See

   Gallery of Modern Art

   GoMA

   It houses rotating exhibitions of contemporary work; there isn't a permanent collection, but exhibitions generally reside for several months. In the basement is one of Glasgow's many public libraries. The building was erected in 1778 as the town house of a tobacco merchant and slave-trader, and the Corinthian pillar frontage was added around 1830. The equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington arrived in 1844 and almost ever since has had a traffic cone perched his head. Every so often the Council removes it, but next day it re-incarnates.

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

9. See

   George Square

   It marks the centre of this sprawling city. It was laid out in 1781 and named for King George III, since he wasn't mad at the time, though he made up for that later. In that era Glasgow expanded south from its medieval East End nucleus, banishing the cattle to build elegant Georgian terraces. The square is paved so it's more like a piazza.

10. See

    Glasgow Cathedral

    This was built in 1197 but much modified in the 13th century and is a fine example of medieval Gothic. It's dedicated to St Mungo, the city's patron saint, who is buried in the crypt. The Church of Scotland doesn't have bishops so it actually only a parish church.

    Mon-Sat 10AM-noon, 1-4PM; Sun 1-4PM·Free

11. See

    Glasgow Cross

    was the centre of the early modern city, as it expanded south from its medieval core towards the Clyde. Only the clocktower survives of the former city chambers, demolished in 1921.

12. 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.

13. See

    Glasgow Necropolis

    Dominated by the statue of John Knox, it's a pharaonic “City of the Dead”, with its grand monuments to merchants and baillies who would be as prestigious in the next world as they were in this. One fellow was so renowned that there was no need to inscribe his name: wonder who he was, and how we've coped without him?

14. See

    Glasgow Police Museum

    Early police forces had a variety of roles that were later separated as firefighting, event security, night-watch and sanitary regulation (which often meant extorting bribes from the sex trade). Glasgow had the world's first police force from 1779, but it lacked state backing and folded. The first regular force was from 1800, and since then has grappled with criminals' ingenuity, but fortunately more often their gob-smacking stupidity. This small but well-stocked museum takes you through the history.

    Apr-Oct: Mon-Sat 10:30AM-4:30PM, Sun noon-4:30PM; Nov-Mar: Tue Sun 10AM-4:30PM·Free

15. See

    Glasgow School of Art

    GSA is an independent art school offering university level programmes and research in architecture, fine art and design. It also has evening classes and a summer school. However the main draw for general visitors was its Mackintosh building, one of CRM's finest. This was severely damaged by fire in 2014, and restoration was coming along nicely when a worse fire struck in 2018. The only saving grace was that much of the art collection (with many Mackintosh pieces of furniture) was rescued from the first fire and hadn't returned, so along with the decanted teaching arrangements wasn't affected by the second fire. Another rebuilding is in progress, which has a £100M budget and is expected to complete in 2030. So for the next few years you can't visit the building, but see the GSA website for an online tour of the collection, and details of physical exhibitions in other buildings such as the graduating students' show.

16. See

    Glasgow Science Centre

    Science museum with hundreds of interactive exhibits for children. You pay extra for the IMAX cinema, planetarium and the 125-metre Glasgow Tower (summer only), the only tower in the world which can rotate 360 degrees from its base.

    seasonal, see website.·Adult £14.00, child £11.00, concessions £12.50

17. 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.

18. See

    Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust

    Bridgeton Bus Garage

    A volunteer-run charity caring for a large collection of historic buses, coaches and commercial vehicles in a working bus garage. Many of the vehicles still run, and on open days visitors can board them and take short rides. Check the website before travelling, as it is not open daily.

    Open to the public on event days only, usually the first Sun of the month spring to autumn, plus an Annual Open Weekend in October. Guided tours by advance booking·Entry costs varies by age

19. See

    Govan Stones

    Govan Old Church

    The present church is from 1888, but there's been a church here since the 6th century, and from about 900 AD it looks to have been the ecclesiastic centre and royal burial ground of the Kingdom of Strathcylde. There's an impressive collection of 9th-11th century tombs and grave slabs, many of Norse "hogback" design, suggesting that Vikings and ancient Britons coexisted here whenever they weren't hacking each other to bits. Many stones were lost when Govan shipyards were demolished and they were mistaken for masonry rubble, and the survivors have been moved within the church for safekeeping.

    Apr-Oct daily 11AM-4PM·Free

20. 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

21. See

    Holmwood House

    Wonderful stylish off-beat villa, built in 1858 by the influential Alexander 'Greek' Thomson. It was originally the home of a paper magnate, and a copy was built for another tycoon in Adelaide in 1885. Holmwood had several owners then the Sisters of Our Lady of The Missions, who piously obliterated all style and decor beneath the dullest paint they could find. They left in the 1990s and it was acquired by the National Trust for Scotland, who have been restoring it ever since.

    Mar-Oct: Thu-Sun·Adult £8.50, conc £6, NTS / NT free

22. See

    House for an Art Lover

    In 1901 a German design magazine ran a competition for a Haus eines Kunstfreundes, a house for an art lover. Charles Rennie Macintosh's entry was late and incomplete so it was disqualified, but awarded a special prize for its creative designs harmonising exterior and interior. From the 1980s there was a project to build to his original design, and this was completed in 1996. The building needed to pay its way, and wouldn't be viable just as a museum piece, so from the outset it was constructed as an event space not part of the original design for a residence. That means it's often closed, especially in wedding season. It is however a wonderful realisation of the Rennie Mackintosh style, which you will be so grateful you don't have to live in, with those bolt-upright chairs and where even the cutlery and bathroom fittings have to be exactly so.

    Varies, often·Adult £6.50, conc & child £5

23. See

    Hunterian Art Gallery

    It holds a huge collection of work by Whistler, Rennie Mackintosh, the Scottish Colourists and the Glasgow Boys. The Mackintosh House is a reconstruction of the interior of CRM's nearby home, which was lost to university expansion in the 1960s. So he didn't design that house, but embellished the interior in his distinctive style.

    Tue-Sun 10AM-5PM·Gallery free, Mackintosh House £8 adult, £6 conc, child free

24. See

    Hunterian Zoology Museum

    "Zoology" over the door proclaims the intent, and it's a classical natural history museum where stuffed animals regard you with reproachful glass eyes.

    Mon-Fri 9AM-5PM·Free

25. See

    Kelvin Hall

    is across the street from Kelvingrove and mirrors its style. This was the city's main event and exhibition venue until SECC opened in 1985, see "Do". It's since been a bit of everything and nowadays is a study and research outpost of the Hunterian, a storage facility for Glasgow Museums, and has a climbing wall and soft play areas. The Moving Image Archive of the National Library of Scotland lets you watch archive films and videos - fill a wet afternoon by watching a 100 year old film.

26. See

    Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

    Magnificent public gallery and museum, opened in 1901 as a legacy of the 1888 International Exhibition. It's in red sandstone, in sort-of Spanish Baroque via St Pancras, and was refurbished in 2006. Extensive collections and displays, well-geared to children and families. The 22 galleries cover natural history, civilisation from ancient Egypt to the present, big-name artists such as Dalí, Van Gogh, Monet and Rembrandt, and furnishings by Rennie Mackintosh. A Supermarine Spitfire hangs in the main hall. The organ in the main hall has recitals M-Sa at 1PM and Sundays at 3PM.

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

27. 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.

28. See

    Mitchell Library

    Grand Edwardian Baroque pile endowed by the Mitchell tobacco fortune and opened in 1911. It houses a huge municipal public reference library, with over a million volumes and many more primary source archives for tracing family and civic history. It was gutted by fire in 1962 but the facade survived, and in 1980 a less-than-elegant extension was added with an events venue.

    Mon-Thu 9AM-8PM, Fri Sat 9AM-5PM·Free

29. 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.

30. 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

31. See

    Queen's Cross Church

    Mackintosh Church

    The only church built to a design by Rennie Mackintosh, opened in 1899 for what was then the Free Church. They'd split with the Church of Scotland in 1843 but were reconciled in 1929, so the building continued as C of S until it closed in 1976. The exterior looks squat and Gothic, you wouldn't recognise it as the work of CRM, but the interior is distinctively his. (He also designed for Liverpool Cathedral, but that was built to a different design.) The church is now the headquarters of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society, with a small shop.

    Mon Wed Fri 11AM-4PM·Adult £5, child free

32. See

    Riverside Museum

    Offers an excellent collection of vehicles and models telling the story of transport by land and sea, with a unique Glasgow flavour. Besides the usual rail locomotives, buses, trams, cars and planes, the museum also includes a recreated Subway station and a street scene of old Glasgow. The museum was designed by Zaha Hadid and completed in 2011.

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

33. See

    Scotland Street School

    This school, opened in 1906, was Charles Rennie Mackintosh's last major building. It was a wonderful Art Nouveau design (so naturally it was way over budget) and closed in 1979 when the Gorbals slums were demolished and school enrolment fell. In 1990 it was converted into a museum of school education, with Victorian / Edwardian classrooms, and an exhibition on the work of Mackintosh. It's now again closed for rebuilding, which will partially return it to educational use for early years.

    Closed ufn

34. See

    Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre

    "Sharmanka" is Russian for "barrel-organ" and it's a kinetic gallery. It has dingbat machines created by Eduard Bersudsky, described somewhere between Heath Robinson and Jean Tinguely.

    45-min show adult £14, conc £12, child £8.62

35. 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.

36. See

    St Andrews in the Square

    Church completed in 1756 in classical style. This closed in 1993 and became a centre for traditional Scottish music, song and dance. It still promotes those but the church itself is seldom used as a venue.

    Mon-Fri 10AM-4PM

37. See

    St Enoch Subway Station

    A Victorian Saint Pancras Station-style anomaly in an otherwise grey square. It's the nearest Subway to Central, though you'd only use it for outlying parts. The interior is modern.

38. See

    Tenement House

    Miss Agnes Toward was a shorthand typist who lived here 1911-1965 and never changed or discarded a thing. So it's a wonderful gas-lit Edwardian time-warp, now in the keeping of the National Trust for Scotland.

    Jan Feb: Fri-Sun; Mar-Dec: Thu-Sun 10AM-5PM·Adult £8.50, conc £6, child £1, NTS / NT free

39. See

    The Museum of Piping

    The home of the bagpipes is in the former Cowcaddens Free Church. The museum shows 300 years of piping history, mainly showing Scottish bagpipes, but also showing Northumbrian pipes and some from Poland, Hungary, Italy and Spain. The piping centre also has a restaurant, an 8-room hotel and teaches piping.

    Mon-Fri 9AM-5PM, Sat 9AM-1PM·£4.50

40. See

    Titan Crane

    This stonking great cantilever crane stands 49 m tall. It was built in 1907 to instal massive items such as boilers, engines and gun turrets during ship construction, enabling John Brown & Co to build bigger ships than their competitors. it survived the 1941 blitz of Clydebank but the UK ship-building industry failed in the 1970s and the crane fell derelict. It was restored from 2005 and opened as a visitor attraction, but has been closed since 2018. You ascend by lift to the breezy platform, which has been used as a bungy-jump platform.

    Closed

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