Glasgow Area

Glasgow was historically a wealthy industrial city, based mainly on its shipbuilding, coal, steel and textile industries and as a seaport with a flourishing tobacco trade with America.  With the decline of these industries, Glasgow fell into disrepair but has been rejuvenated over the past few decades with its beautiful old buildings having been cleaned and restored, and trendy flats built in the centre of town (for example, Merchant City, overlooking the river).  

Glasgow won the City Of Architecture & Design award in 1999 which recognised both the design of modern developments (such as the 'Armadillo' Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre and the Glasgow Science Centre) and the many outstanding buildings by famous architects such as Robert Adam (the 1791 Trades Hall), Alexander 'Greek' Thomson (19th century, eg. the St. Vincent Street Church and Holmwood House) and the Art Nouveau style of Charles Rennie Mackintosh (eg. the 1896 Glasgow School of Art).  The 'working classes' were housed in tenements built in the 19th century and, although many were demolished in the 1960s to make way for concrete tower blocks, many of the remaining tenements have interesting detail in the stonework.

Glasgow gained the title of the City of Culture in 1990 and boasts a magnificent Concert Hall, many famous museums and art galleries, lots of places of historical interest and an abundance of theatres, restaurants, pubs and clubs.   The art galleries and museums to visit include the Burrell Collection, the recently refurbished Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, the Gallery of Modern Art, the McLellan Galleries, the Tenement House (depicting life in the early 1900s), the Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery, Museum of Transport, Scotland Street School Museum and four Mackintosh-designed buildings - Glasgow School of Art, the Willow Tearooms, the House for an Art Lover and the Lighthouse.  

There are several large parks in Glasgow including Pollok Country Park, Kelvin Walkway and the Botanic Gardens.  There is a walking tour around the centre of the city which ends at the Cathedral and lasts about 1.5 hours, in addition to those organised by Walkabout Glasgow Tours.  The 95-mile West Highland Way to Fort William starts in the northern suburb of Milngavie.

Information
There is a tourist office in George Square in the centre of the city which can provide details of the many hotels, restaurants, pubs and clubs in the city.  The best way to travel within the city, to the West End and the immediate south of the city, is by the circular underground, affectionately called 'The Clockwork Orange' due to its orange colour.  There are many bus companies and routes in Glasgow including some that run during the night to cater for nightclubbers - you may need to check with the Travel Centre in St. Enoch's Square for individual companies' timetables.  The main long-distance bus station is at Buchanan Street from where you can catch buses to Edinburgh and other cities/towns in Scotland and the UK.  There is also a network of trains running to and from the suburbs.  There are two train stations in the centre of Glasgow - Glasgow Central and Queen Street - so make sure you know which one you need (for example, trains to the northern suburbs and Edinburgh depart from Queen Street).   There are two airports servicing Glasgow - Glasgow International Airport which is 10 miles west of Glasgow for domestic and international flights (buses run from Buchanan Street bus station) and Glasgow Prestwick 30 miles south-west for the cheaper airlines (regular trains run to the centre of the city).