🇬🇧United Kingdom · Places to discover
What to see in Glasgow?
24 places selected by the community - landmarks, nature, hidden restaurants and activities.
Landmarks & heritage
5 places
1Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Landmark
Glasgow Necropolis
A spectacular Victorian cemetery perched on a hillside behind the cathedral, with 50,000 burials and sweeping city views. An unexpectedly peaceful place for a contemplative walk.
2Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Landmark
Mackintosh at the Willow
The celebrated Willow Tea Rooms, fully restored to Charles Rennie Mackintosh's 1903 designs. Glasgow's Art Nouveau at its finest, with the luxurious Room de Luxe featuring silver-leaf doors.
3Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Landmark
Provand's Lordship
Glasgow's oldest building, erected in 1471 and situated opposite the cathedral. An authentic medieval interior and recreated hortus medicus garden offer a time-travelling experience often overlooked by visitors.
4Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Landmark
Glasgow School of Art – Mackintosh Building
Charles Rennie Mackintosh's masterpiece from 1909, regarded as one of the greatest buildings of the twentieth century. Guided tours offer intimate access to this architectural jewel as restoration continues.
5Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Landmark
Tenement House (National Trust for Scotland)
Early 20th-century tenement flat preserved in its original state, home to Agnes Toward who discarded nothing. A striking snapshot of working-class Glasgow life.
Museums
2 places
6Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Museum
The Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery
Scotland's oldest public museum, established 1807, housed within Glasgow University and containing a collection of Roman coins, anatomical specimens, and the world's largest permanent collection of Whistler works outside the USA.
7Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Museum
Riverside Museum
Transport and travel museum in a spectacular Zaha Hadid building on the Clyde riverside. The Tall Ship moored alongside is included in your visit – a unique, free double experience.
Religious sites
2 places
8Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0Religious site
Glasgow Cathedral
One of Scotland's rare medieval cathedrals to survive the Reformation intact. The crypt of Saint Mungo, the city's legendary founder, is utterly breathtaking.
9Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Religious site
Govan Old Parish Church & Pictish Stones
Church of Govan housing one of Scotland's finest collections of medieval sculpture, including the sarcophagus of Saint Constantín. Little known even among Glaswegians, it's an absolute treasure.
Castles & fortresses
1 place
10Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Castle
Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery
An art museum and gallery housed in a flamboyant Spanish Baroque building, free to visit and utterly captivating. A suspended Spitfire shares space with works by Dalí and Rembrandt – an eclectic collection quintessentially Glaswegian.
Nature
1 place
- 11
Nature
Nature
Bishop Loch Nature Reserve
Wild wetland habitat to the east of Glasgow, a haven for migrating birds and lovers of quiet nature. A striking contrast to the urban sprawl, just fifteen minutes from the city centre.
Parks & gardens
3 places
12Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0Park
Mugdock Country Park
Natural parkland on Glasgow's doorstep with medieval castle ruins, heather moorland and views across the Campsie Fells. The go-to nature escape for residents on the north side of the city.
13Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Park
Kelvingrove Park
The green heart of the West End, threaded by the River Kelvin and bordered by elegant Victorian tenements. Perfect for observing Glaswegians in their natural habitat at weekends, with fountains and well-tended gardens.
14Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Park
Pollok Country Park
Expansive 146-hectare park south of the city, complete with a free-roaming Highland Cattle herd and the magnificent Pollok House. The UK's only urban country park – genuine countryside just twenty minutes from the centre.
Viewpoints
3 places
15Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0Viewpoint
Finnieston Crane & Riverfront
The iconic 175-tonne crane, a relic of Clyde shipbuilding, dominates a waterfront now buzzing with fashionable bars and restaurants. It's the symbol of Glasgow's industrial renaissance.
16Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0Viewpoint
View from Queen's Park Hill
360-degree panorama over Glasgow from this South Side knoll, often overlooked by guidebooks. On clear days, Ben Lomond rises to the north whilst the cranes of the old shipyards punctuate the southern skyline.
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Viewpoint
Viewpoint
South Portland Street Suspension Bridge
Victorian pedestrian footbridge dating from 1853, spanning the Clyde with intimate views of both banks and converted industrial buildings. A favourite photo spot among locals.
Activities
3 places
18Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Activity
Partick & Byres Road Market
The West End's authentic shopping destination, lined with independent bookshops, local coffee shops and a Saturday market. The real beating heart of student and bohemian Glasgow life.
- 19
Activity
Activity
Barrowland Ballroom
Legendary concert hall from 1934 with its iconic neon sign, widely regarded by musicians as one of the world's finest music venues. The musical soul of Glasgow.
- 20
Activity
Activity
Barras Art and Design (BAaD)
A converted Victorian covered market transformed into a cultural venue hosting concerts, craft markets and food trucks. The beating heart of the creative East End, well off the usual tourist trail.
More to discover
4 places
21Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Place
Tramway Arts Centre
Former tramway depot converted into contemporary art space with a hidden Japanese garden designed as urban meditation sanctuary. Glasgow's alternative art scene thrives here.
22Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Place
Pollok House
Georgian manor of 1752 at the heart of Pollok Country Park, housing one of the UK's finest private collections of Spanish painting (El Greco, Goya, Murillo). The basement café serves the city's best scones.
- 23
Place
Place
Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre
Unique mechanical theatre created by Russian artist Eduard Bersudsky: hundreds of animated wooden and metal sculptures perform poetic and melancholic spectacles. An utterly unclassifiable venue.
- 24
Place
Place
The Pot Still
Whisky pub on Hope Street with over 700 single malt references, run by enthusiasts who guide without condescension. Glasgow's finest destination for serious initiation into Scottish whisky.
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