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Glasgow hotels

Overview                    Prepare                    Get Around                    Highlights

Hotels in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland, range from simple budget hotels to grand luxury hotels, and cater for all levels of comfort in between.  Glasgow hotels offer an abundant choice of locations and styles, and there is a hotel here to suit all tastes and preferences.

Glasgow hotels offer an abundant choice of locations and styles...

Charing Cross, an inner city district that crosses the edge of the city centre as well as the west end, offers a great location for hotels with easy access to both the shopping and entertainment segments of the city.  There are also many choices of hotel in the city centre itself, though these are mostly high end options or budget chains. 

Glasgow city street scene

The west end of the city, which is dominated by the University campus, has lots of bars and restaurants and provides hotels at a location that is still very convenient for the city centre amenities.  Those seeking the nightlife might want to consider the Merchant City area, which is also still within walking distance of the city centre proper.  And, although the south side of Glasgow is quieter, there are still plenty of buses and trains into the city centre, and the locale offers the best choice for those who wish to have a little tranquillity and are fond of leafy suburbs.

The best way to find cheap hotels in Glasgow is to use our price comparison to search for the best deals before booking in advance to reserve your rooms and rate.

Overview

Overview

Warm and welcoming, Glasgow is jam-packed with culture, shopping and non-stop nightlife. The hard days of No Mean City are a distant memory to the new generation who only have eyes for designer clothes and exotic cocktails.

See

Clean Art Nouveau lines mark out Glasgow School of Art on the Mackintosh Trail, and the futuristic titanium curves of Glasgow Science Centre anchor the ever-changing skyline of the River Clyde. The 'Dear Green Place' is dotted with parks and the West End’s Botanic Gardens boast woodland walks and indoor gardens.
Spend

Landmark department store House of Fraser and elegant Princes Square shopping centre are on Buchanan Street. There is designer glamour in the Merchant City and a whole host of quirky interiors in the city's West End.
Get Out

You don’t have to go far to find open space. Pollok Country Park hosts the Burrell Collection and Pollok House as well as its own herd of Highland cattle. Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s House for an Art Lover sits in Bellahouston Park, and Kelvingrove Park is the ideal retreat in the West End.
Culture

Hear the Royal Scottish National Orchestra at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, enjoy productions by Scottish Ballet and Scottish Opera at the Theatre Royal, and touring musicals and drama at the King’s Theatre and The Pavilion.
Eat & Drink

Traditional Scottish dishes such as haggis (sheep’s heart, liver and lungs mixed with oatmeal and spices) and neeps and tatties (mashed swede and potatoes) are given a modern twist at eateries in the Merchant City. Sample a drop of uisge beatha, the water of life, at authentic whisky bars in the West End, drink cocktails in the city centre and Merchant City and pop into any pub for a pint.
New Perspective

Climb the spiral staircase to the top of the Mackintosh Tower at The Lighthouse for uninterrupted panoramic views of the city skyline.

Prepare

Prepare

For the city of style bring fabulous outfits. Don’t worry if there isn’t anything amazing in your wardrobe - Glasgow’s boutiques will be happy to get you up to speed. The shopping is fantastic.

Glasgow Year

Hear traditional and contemporary music at Celtic Connections in January, play for laughs at the Magners Glasgow International Comedy Festival in March and join in the fun at Scotland’s Mardi Gras during the West End Festival in June. The World Pipe Band Championships march to a different tune in August and the annual Hogmanay celebrations take over George Square to see in the New Year.
Public Holidays

New Year (1, 2 Jan), Good Friday (Mar/Apr), Easter Monday (Mar/Apr), Early May Bank Holiday, Spring Bank Holiday (May), Glasgow Fair (July), September weekend, Christmas Day (25 Dec), Boxing Day (26 Dec).
Weather

Temperatures can peak at 24°C from June to August, and fall to freezing in January and February – this is the time to wrap up and maybe even try wearing that designer kilt. Carry an umbrella all year round.
Electricity

240V AC, 50 Hz, three-pin plugs are standard.
Dialling Code

+44 (national), (0) 141 + 7-figure number (Glasgow).
Money

Pound sterling (£) is the currency.
GMT

GMT precisely (+1 in British summertime)
Glasgow Tourist Info

See Glasgow website

Fit In

Anything goes so don’t worry about not fitting in. Whether you’re getting served in a bar or waiting for a bus, Glaswegians always have time for a blether (chat). Steer clear of football and religion.

Get Around

Get Around

It takes only five minutes to walk west from Central Station to the business district or east to the Merchant City for food and drink. For city attractions, hop on the underground for a 10-minute ride to the West End, or take a bus to the South Side.

Places to see are scattered across the city centre, West End and South Side, but reliable and easy-to-use public transport means everything is accessible. If you want to take a trip out of town, suburbs to the north lead to nature reserves and the foothills of the Highlands.

Shops, theatres and nightlife are in the city centre, which merges into the Merchant City, home to some of Glasgow’s grand buildings, such as the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) in Royal Exchange Square. The West End has an artistic vibe around Oran Mor, a live music and entertainment venue at the top of Byres Road, and the South Side has parks and museums aplenty.
Underground

Glasgow’s circular underground service, better known as the “Clockwork Orange” in a nod to the colour of the carriages, is one of the quickest and easiest ways to get around.
Taxi

Catch black cabs at stations and taxi ranks on the street or hail one on the street. Reliable mini-cab and private hire taxis operate in the city.
Bus

Handy to get to areas outside the city centre, such as the South Side for the Glasgow Science Centre and Burrell Collection, but often busy, especially in rush hours.
Foot

To get around the city centre, arm yourself with an easy-to-follow map and hit the streets. Main shopping streets, such as Buchanan and parts of Argyle and Sauchiehall, are pedestrianised. In the Merchant City and West End, walking is the best way to explore the cobbled lanes and alleyways.
Transport Tips

You can buy an All-day Ticket for First Bus services from drivers on the day of travel. A Roundabout Ticket, from train stations, gives unlimited use of the local train and underground network. A Discovery Ticket offers unlimited travel on the underground only. A Daytripper Ticket one-day family travel pass is valid on trains, underground, buses and some ferries in Strathclyde. Driving on the city centre’s one-way streets is tricky, but in the outskirts it’s easy and parking is not a problem.
Time Travel

See a 300 million-year-old forest at Fossil Grove in the West End, marvel at the medieval Provand's Lordship, relive the ostentatious days of the tobacco lords in the grand buildings of the Merchant City and witness the growth of modern Glasgow along the southern banks of the Clyde.
Glasgow Transport Link

Strathclyde Passenger Transport website

Highlights

Highlights

Glasgow’s brush with glory as a City of Culture in 1990 was the starting point for the growth of its world-class attractions. They continue to improve and reinvent themselves.

Get to know the city centre, home of the magnificent medieval Glasgow Cathedral, and hear the sound of Scotland at The National Piping Centre.

The West End is home to the Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery where collections of ancient fossils stand beside works by celebrated Scottish Colourists. It also contains the Mackintosh House, a reconstruction of the architect and designer’s home with his signature ladder-back chairs and beaten silver panels. On the South Side, the Burrell Collection is a treasure trove of Chinese porcelain, Degas sculptures and Renoir paintings. Live the dream at the Scottish Football Museum in Hampden, Scotland's national stadium. Glasgow’s maritime history is retold at Clydebuilt in Braehead and on board The Tall Ship at Glasgow Harbour, the restored s.v. Glenlee.
Sightseeing Tips

Glasgow’s public art collections are free, including the Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum in the West End, the contemporary city-centre Gallery of Modern Art and the Burrell Collection on the South Side.

Content provided by Frommer's Unlimited © 2009, Whatsonwhen Limited.



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