36 Hours
36 Hours in Glasgow
![A view in the daytime of a blue bridge that crosses a river. Each end of the bridge is enveloped in trees whose leaves are turning from green to orange.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/static01.nyt.com/images/2023/10/19/multimedia/19HOURS-GLASGOW-qbkh/19HOURS-GLASGOW-qbkh-mobileMasterAt3x-v3.jpg)
Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city, crackles with character. It’s a hub of grass-roots energy where art shows, plant sales and film screenings pop up in tenement flats, railway waiting rooms and disused buildings. Once known as the second city of the British Empire, Glasgow struggled to reinvent itself after the closure of its shipyards. Now, cultural hotspots have sprung up in outlying neighborhoods — like pockets of the Southside, for example, or Dennistoun in the East End — and plans are underway to revive the city center. Glasgow has a full global banquet (yes, so much more than deep-fried Mars bars, the battered-chocolate invention of Scottish fish-and-chip shops) and a love of live music (check the roster at classic venues such as Barrowland Ballroom). Another thing you’ll get to know in Glasgow is its infinite variations of rain. Be waterproof top to bottom, and you’re off to a good start.
Recommendations
- Pollok Country Park, on the Southside, is Glasgow’s largest green space, home to the impressive Burrell Collection, as well as a lovely walled garden and much-photographed Highland cows.
- Glasgow Botanic Gardens, an oasis at the heart of the West End, the central area north of the River Clyde, features a spectacular glasshouse.
- Hunterian Museum is a wonderfully eclectic collection of antiquities inside the splendor of the University of Glasgow campus, with the Mackintosh House, a replica of the Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s home interiors, across the street.
- Queen’s Park, on the Southside, offers views of Glasgow and, on a clear day, the mountains beyond. It is also a good starting point for exploring the mini-neighborhoods in the surrounding area — Strathbungo, Pollokshields, Govanhill and Battlefield.
- Moray Place, in the Southside quarter of Strathbungo, is a good place to admire the design style of Alexander Thomson, one of Glasgow’s most famous architects.
- Glasgow Cathedral and Necropolis, which neighbor each other, form a nexus of Gothic splendor with citywide views.
- The Tenement House is a former private tenement flat that is now open to the public as an atmospheric time capsule of a museum.
- The Kelvin Walkway is worthy of Glasgow’s nickname, the Dear Green Place, an unmanicured path that takes you to the riverside for a quieter way to cross the city.
- La Gelatessa is a peach-pink gelato parlor that scoops gorgeous, seasonal flavors made every day.
- The Real Wan is an unassuming neighborhood gem where the Chinese street food, not the décor, is the star.
- Papercup, in a city that often goes overboard on brunch, is a model of great coffee and has a simple but creative all-day breakfast menu.
- Brett celebrates grilled Scottish produce and natural wines.
- Celentano’s offers standout cocktails and classy Italian fare in a relaxed and cozy setting, with a good-size garden dining area.
- The Pot Still is all about a wee dram, offering hundreds of whiskies in a modest pub with a good sense of humor.
- Two Eight Seven is a well-loved, modern bakery that also showcases the work of local ceramicists and artists.
- Crabshakk is a celebration of Scotland’s freshest catches, with gleaming lobster crackers and champagne glasses along the zinc bar.
- Burrell Collection shop stocks an abundance of Scottish-themed art trinkets and prints.
- Hoos is a small emporium of Scandi-influenced home goods, with a branch called Green Hoos that is dedicated to plants and gardening accessories.
- The Glasgow Vintage Co. is where to go for your next oversize woolly sweater or 1970s fashion finds.
- Kelvin Apothecary sells handmade Scottish soaps and gifts.
- Voltaire and Rousseau is a delightful and chaotic haven for old books.
- Kimpton Blythswood Square offers five-star luxury, with amenities that include a spa, in an excellent but secluded central location, occupying one flank of an elegant residential square. Rooms from about 186 pounds, or about $226.
- Cathedral House is a comfortable and cozy option with the brilliant Celentano’s restaurant downstairs and views from some rooms across to the cathedral spires. Rooms from around £125.
- Motel One stacks simple, clean and well-appointed rooms in a budget tower slap-bang in the city center, next to Glasgow Central railway station. Rooms from £69.
- For short-term rentals, look beyond the center to the easily accessible Southside, Dennistoun, Partick, Finnieston and Hyndland neighborhoods, where the options are plentiful. For a historic cottage, consider Holmwood Coach House, the former stables of the gorgeous Holmwood House (now a museum), on the city’s southern edges.
- In spite of its small size, Glasgow doesn’t have the most intuitive — or the cheapest — public transportation system. The Glasgow Subway system is mostly a circular loop that serves the area to the north of the river, and bus routes south to north and west are somewhat cumbersome. Uber is available, although Glasgow Taxis and GlasGO Cabs are better bets for pre-bookings, in particular. The bike-share service Ovo is a cheaper alternative; it requires users to sign in to an app.
Itinerary
Friday
![People look at artworks on display in a museum with walls that are painted a dark teal. Framed paintings are at eye level, and larger geometric works hang in a row farther above.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/static01.nyt.com/images/2023/10/19/multimedia/19Hours-Glasgow-lhqp/19Hours-Glasgow-lhqp-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg)
![People look at artworks on display in a museum with walls that are painted a dark teal. Framed paintings are at eye level, and larger geometric works hang in a row farther above.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/static01.nyt.com/images/2023/10/19/multimedia/19Hours-Glasgow-lhqp/19Hours-Glasgow-lhqp-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg)
![A close-up view of a small green plate of ribs covered in a dark, sticky-looking sauce and a garnish of sesame seeds. The plate sits on a light blue surface.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/static01.nyt.com/images/2023/10/19/multimedia/19Hours-Glasgow-ctfl/19Hours-Glasgow-ctfl-mobileMasterAt3x-v2.jpg)
![A close-up view of a small green plate of ribs covered in a dark, sticky-looking sauce and a garnish of sesame seeds. The plate sits on a light blue surface.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/static01.nyt.com/images/2023/10/19/multimedia/19Hours-Glasgow-ctfl/19Hours-Glasgow-ctfl-mobileMasterAt3x-v2.jpg)
![A glasshouse complex that features glass domes on a manicured green lawn during the daytime. A tree grows in the foreground, in front of the glasshouse.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/static01.nyt.com/images/2023/10/19/multimedia/19Hours-Glasgow-tfzb/19Hours-Glasgow-tfzb-mobileMasterAt3x-v4.jpg)
Saturday
![Diners inside a cafe sit at small wooden tables. On the wall is a large mural of a blue rose painted in the style of traditional tattoo art. A banner across the rose reads:](https://cdn.statically.io/img/static01.nyt.com/images/2023/10/19/multimedia/19Hunt-Glasgow-hvlg/19Hunt-Glasgow-hvlg-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg)
![Diners inside a cafe sit at small wooden tables. On the wall is a large mural of a blue rose painted in the style of traditional tattoo art. A banner across the rose reads:](https://cdn.statically.io/img/static01.nyt.com/images/2023/10/19/multimedia/19Hunt-Glasgow-hvlg/19Hunt-Glasgow-hvlg-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg)
![The inside of a home goods store. Blankets, cushions, candles and more are on wooden shelf displays.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/static01.nyt.com/images/2023/10/19/multimedia/19Hours-Glasgow-lcjp/19Hours-Glasgow-lcjp-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg)
![The inside of a home goods store. Blankets, cushions, candles and more are on wooden shelf displays.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/static01.nyt.com/images/2023/10/19/multimedia/19Hours-Glasgow-lcjp/19Hours-Glasgow-lcjp-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg)
![A person grates cheese over a bowl of green-tinged pasta that is garnished with herbs.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/static01.nyt.com/images/2023/10/19/multimedia/19Hours-Glasgow-hkbz/19Hours-Glasgow-hkbz-mobileMasterAt3x-v4.jpg)
![A person grates cheese over a bowl of green-tinged pasta that is garnished with herbs.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/static01.nyt.com/images/2023/10/19/multimedia/19Hours-Glasgow-hkbz/19Hours-Glasgow-hkbz-mobileMasterAt3x-v4.jpg)
![The inside of a busy bar that has ornate ceiling moldings, wooden paneling and columns. A sign reads:](https://cdn.statically.io/img/static01.nyt.com/images/2023/10/19/multimedia/19Hours-Glasgow-fjvz/19Hours-Glasgow-fjvz-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg)
![The inside of a busy bar that has ornate ceiling moldings, wooden paneling and columns. A sign reads:](https://cdn.statically.io/img/static01.nyt.com/images/2023/10/19/multimedia/19Hours-Glasgow-fjvz/19Hours-Glasgow-fjvz-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg)
![A view within grand Gothic-style cloisters. The people stand within the arches and columns, where sunlight from the outside floods in.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/static01.nyt.com/images/2023/10/19/multimedia/19Hours-Glasgow-jlzb/19Hours-Glasgow-jlzb-mobileMasterAt3x-v4.jpg)
Sunday
![A view over a city during the daytime. Visible is a green park, where leaves are turning orange; a building with a tall spire; and rows of residential apartment buildings.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/static01.nyt.com/images/2023/10/19/multimedia/19Hours-Glasgow-hqbm/19Hours-Glasgow-hqbm-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg)
![A view over a city during the daytime. Visible is a green park, where leaves are turning orange; a building with a tall spire; and rows of residential apartment buildings.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/static01.nyt.com/images/2023/10/19/multimedia/19Hours-Glasgow-hqbm/19Hours-Glasgow-hqbm-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg)
![A table laden with a lace cloth, a slender vase with flowers and a delicate tea set. The windows have lace curtains, and the walls are covered with patterned wallpaper and display a framed picture.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/static01.nyt.com/images/2023/10/19/multimedia/19Hours-Glasgow-vchp/19Hours-Glasgow-vchp-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg)
![A table laden with a lace cloth, a slender vase with flowers and a delicate tea set. The windows have lace curtains, and the walls are covered with patterned wallpaper and display a framed picture.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/static01.nyt.com/images/2023/10/19/multimedia/19Hours-Glasgow-vchp/19Hours-Glasgow-vchp-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg)