How to spend a weekend in Glasgow: Discover the best things to see, do, eat and drink in Glasgow in a two-day itinerary for Scotland’s city of culture, featuring museums and galleries, street art and whisky.
* This site contains affiliate links, where I get a small commission from purchases at no extra cost to you.

Where its famous neighbour Edinburgh is known for its historic charms, Scotland’s second city Glasgow has a grittier, more creative edge. This former industrial powerhouse has transformed itself into a city of culture. Whether its European City of Culture, UNESCO City of Music or European Capital of Sport, this city keeps winning awards.
Glasgow mixes historic sandstone buildings and modern architecture, award-winning museums and live music venues, quirky shops and innovative restaurants. After studying at the University of Glasgow, I’ve put together my two-day itinerary to help you plan the perfect weekend in Glasgow, with what to see, where to eat, drink and stay.
How to spend a weekend in Glasgow

Friday evening
Check into your accommodation, then start your weekend in Glasgow on Byres Road (nearest Subway station: Hillhead). This busy street at the heart of Glasgow’s West End is lined with independent and vintage shops. Turn off Byres Road onto Ashton Lane, a pretty cobbled street draped in fairy lights where you’ll find lots of bars and restaurants.
Have dinner at the Ubiquitous Chip, which kicked off the gentrification of Ashton Lane when it moved here in 1976. It showcases Scottish ingredients in creative dishes like Shetland cod Bourguignon or Perthshire pigeon with mushroom ravioli. You can try their tasting menu in the main restaurant, or eat in the more casual Upstairs Brasserie.
If you fancy a pre- or post-dinner drink, the Ubiquitous Chip’s Upstairs Bar serves fab cocktails, with a roof terrace for summer evenings. And the Wee Pub next door is a cosy spot for a whisky nightcap. Or head to Jinty McGuinty’s Irish Bar for live music.

Saturday morning
Start the day with a walk in the park to the grand red Victorian sandstone Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum (nearest Subway: Kelvinhall). Part art gallery, part history museum, its 22 galleries house an eclectic mix of collections, with an elephant next to a World War II Spitfire, as well as dinosaur eggs, Egyptian artefacts and world-class art.
Among the highlights are Salvador Dalí’s Christ of St John of the Cross, paintings by Van Gogh and Monet, and works by Art Nouveau designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh, who was born in Glasgow in 1868. It’s free to visit and has more than 8000 exhibits, so you can pick and choose a few areas to focus on. And there’s a café if you need a break.

Next, head across the park to the University of Glasgow. It was founded in 1451, which makes it the fourth-oldest university in the country (after Oxford, Cambridge and St Andrews). The university’s main Gothic-style buildings were designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, best known for for St Pancras and the Albert Memorial in London.
With its turrets, vaulted cloisters and bell towers it looks like something straight out of Harry Potter. You can wander the cloisters with the students. Or visit Scotland’s oldest museum – the Hunterian, which is part of the University of Glasgow campus.

The museum was set up when 18th-century anatomist and physician William Hunter donated his collection of scientific specimens to the university, along with coins, minerals, prints, books and Roman artefacts he’d collected on his travels.
Today the Hunterian collection is split into several different museums. There’s the Hunterian Museum, Art Gallery and Zoology Museum, which are all free to visit. And next to the art gallery is The Mackintosh House (entry £10), which recreates the design and interiors of the house Rennie Mackintosh and his artist wife Margaret lived in.
Once you’ve finished at the museum, take a short walk to Eusebi Deli for lunch. This Italian deli serves tasty homemade pasta, sourdough pizzas and freshly baked bread and cakes – you can eat in or take away for a picnic in the park if the sun’s shining.

Saturday afternoon
Head down to the River Clyde and the striking Riverside Museum, designed by Iraqui-British architect Zaha Hadid (nearest Subway: Govan, over the new Govan-Partick footbridge). Opened in 2011, the free ‘Glasgow Guggenheim’ has 3000 transport and travel exhibits, from steam trains to skateboards, including an eye-catching wall of cars.
If you’re a car or train fan you’ll be in heaven. But even if not there’s lots more to see – I loved the recreated streets which take you back to Glasgow in the 1890s to 1930s. And the display on record shops in the 1980s and 1990s brought back memories.

Just outside the museum you can take a tour of the Glenlee, a restored tall ship from 1896 that’s one of only five sailing ships built on the Clyde still afloat. The Clyde was the centre of a hugely powerful shipbuilding industry in the 19th century, with a reputation as the best in the world. But after the World War II the industry and the area declined.
Since then it’s been redeveloped, with modern buildings like the SEC Armadillo, OVO Hydro and Glasgow Science Centre. But there’s are still glimpses of the river’s old life, like the 175-foot-tall Finnieston Crane, which once loaded heavy locomotives onto ships.

Stop off at the Clydeside Distillery* at the Queen’s Dock for a one-hour tour (£18.50 per person). This glass-fronted distillery in a converted pump house building opened in 2017 and was the city’s first dedicated single malt distillery in over 100 years.
The tour starts with a self-guided section about the history of the city and the whisky industry. Then a guide shows you how single malt whisky is made, before you get to try three of their different whiskies. You can also upgrade to a whisky and chocolate pairing tour, or blend your own unique bottle on their Whisky Creator tour.
Then finish the day with dinner at The Finnieston. If you’re walking along the Clyde at sunset, the silhouetted Finnieston Crane and curving Clyde Arc (aka the Squinty Bridge) make a great photo opportunity. The Finneston specialises in seasonal Scottish seafood, from lobster to oysters – and has a fantastic selection of over 60 different gins.

Sunday morning
Start your Sunday with brunch at The Wilson Street Pantry, a laid-back spot in Merchant City. On the menu are classic dishes like French toast and huevos rancheros, as well as some unusual flavour combos like Nduja mushrooms or a crab Benedict.
Merchant City is one of the city’s oldest neighbourhoods, with beautiful buildings like the Lighthouse. This was one of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s first commissions, used as the Glasgow Herald newspaper offices. It became a centre for design and architecture with great rooftop views, but closed in 2020 (though there are plans to reopen).

Next it’s just a short walk to the 12th-century Glasgow Cathedral. It’s one of Scotland’s most impressive medieval buildings, and the only cathedral on the mainland to make it through the Reformation in tact. It’s also known as St Mungo’s after its founder and Glasgow’s patron saint, and is built on the site where he was buried in 612 AD.
Behind the cathedral is the Necropolis, a hilltop Victorian cemetery modelled on Père-Lachaise in Paris, with fantastic views over Glasgow. Over 50,000 people are buried there, with intricately carved graves and decorative tombs surrounded by parkland.
The Friends of Glasgow Necropolis run two-hour walking tours a couple of times a month which tell the stories of some of the people who are buried in the cemetery. They just ask for donations, but book well in advance as they’re really popular.

Sunday afternoon
From the Necropolis, head south along the High Street then right onto George Street, following a stretch of the Glasgow Mural Trail. This self-guided trail takes you through the city centre’s side streets and alleyways to discover different artworks.
Some are large, some are small, some are obvious and some are tucked away, but they’ve all been created by local artists to brighten up corners of the city. Along the High Street you can see a painting of a modern St Mungo with a robin perched on his finger. And on George Street there’s another of St Mungo’s mother St Enoch with him as a child.

If you’re a street art fan you can follow more of the trail – there are 28 artworks in total and most of them are concentrated in Merchant City and the city centre.
Then head east to Sauchiehall Street (which is pronounced ‘suck-ee-hawl’ and taken from the old Scots words for willow meadow). It was once the city’s main shopping street and is currently undergoing redevelopment to turn it into a culture and heritage district.

Finish your weekend in Glasgow at another venue with links to Charles Rennie Mackintosh – the Willow Tea Rooms. They were designed by Mackintosh in 1903, who had a hand in everything from the furniture to the waitresses’ uniforms. Originally one of seven, the Sauchiehall tea room is the last left, and has been restored to its Art Nouveau glory.
You can choose from a traditional afternoon tea with sandwiches, scones, cakes and tarts – including vegetarian and vegan versions (with or without a glass of Champagne or whisky). Or go for something more classically Scottish like haggis, neeps and tatties.

Map of things to do in Glasgow

The details
How to get to Glasgow
Glasgow has two main train stations – Central (mainly for services to England and southwest Scotland) and Queen Street (for services to the rest of Scotland).
It takes around five hours to travel from London to Glasgow by train*. You can also take the Caledonian Sleeper overnight train from London to Scotland, which departs London Euston at 11.45pm (11.30pm on Sundays) and arrives into Glasgow at 7.30am.

If you’re travelling by car, Glasgow is around 400 miles (7.5 hours’ drive) from London or 215 miles from Manchester. Or if you’re visiting other destinations in Scotland, it’s 47 miles to Edinburgh, 110 miles to Fort William and 170 miles to Inverness. There’s overnight car parking in Glasgow at the multi-storey Cambridge Street Car Park (G2 4PR).
Glasgow also has an international airport, located around 10 miles west of the city centre. The two are connected by the First Bus Glasgow Airport Express 500 service, which runs 24 hours a day to Buchanan Bus Station and takes around 15 minutes.

Getting around Glasgow
Glasgow city centre is fairly compact so you can reach most places on foot. The city does also have its own mini Subway system (aka ‘the clockwork orange’), which runs in a loop around the city centre and West End – the outer circle goes clockwise and the inner circle anti-clockwise. It only takes 24 minutes to do a full circuit of its 15 stations.
Some of the most useful stops for visitors are Buchanan Street in the city centre, Kelvinhall (for the Kelvingrove Art Gallery), Hillhead (university and Ashton Lane) and Govan (Riverside Museum). You can get a one-day pass for £4.45, or save money by registering for a Smartcard online – a day pass is then £3.20 or you can add credit and pay as you go.

Where to stay in Glasgow
The stylish Kimpton Blythswood Square* hotel is a Georgian terrace that was once home to the Royal Scottish Automobile Club. Today it’s a picture of understated luxury, from the lobby chandeliers and grand piano to the subterranean spa and private cinema. The 113 rooms include a rooftop penthouse, and there’s a lounge, bar and restaurant.
The north Glasgow property of Dutch hotel company Citizen M* comes with a cool, contemporary design and great-value prices. Rooms and clean and minimalist, with online check in and self-service ‘grab and go’ canteens which add to the modern feel.
If you prefer an apartment, Glasgow City Flats have over 50 properties around the city centre, ranging from one to three bedrooms. I stayed in their serviced apartment on Cowcaddens Road, a few minutes’ walk from Queen Street station. Set across two floors, it had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a light, open plan living space and balcony.

Save for later


Clare Grattan
Monday 8th of March 2021
Great post! There is so much more to Glasgow than meets the eye - Edinburgh gets way too much of the limelight. Glasgow has castles too - just a bit harder to find!
Lucy Dodsworth
Monday 8th of March 2021
Thanks, I love exploring Glasgow, so much still to see!
Joseph
Wednesday 17th of February 2021
Fantastic article Lucy. I'm a Glasweigan that now lives in Sydney. My wife is really looking forward to visiting my home city and when she reads things like this it sets the scene perfectly. Thank you
Lucy Dodsworth
Monday 8th of March 2021
You're very welcome – miss Glasgow and can't wait to get back there!