A Day In Glasgow

Written by Graeme Johncock
With the excitement to get out and explore Scotland’s lochs, mountains, highlands and islands, it’s easy to forget about the country’s vibrant cities. Glasgow might not be the capital, but it is the largest city and so it’s no surprise there’s plenty to keep you busy!
Personally, I hate driving around the maze of one-way streets, so if you’re planning on spending a day in Glasgow, then this is how to do it on foot.
Buchanan Street
Whether you arrive in Glasgow via bus or train, you’ll likely begin your day around Buchanan Street! This is the bustling heart of a modern city and you can expect to hear buskers and street performers as you wander around. If you’re looking to go on a shopping spree then...
George Square & City Chambers
Not far away, George Square is a Victorian masterpiece in city planning, surrounded by historic statues and lavish buildings. One of those is particularly impressive and worth a look on the inside! Glasgow City Chambers shows off the wealth that Glasgow once brought in, filled with expensive marble and mosaics.
Built...
Murals of St Mungo & St Enoch
As you head towards the oldest part of Glasgow, you’ll spot modern street art telling a historic story. On either gable end of a row of tenement buildings, huge murals portray the founder of Glasgow, St Mungo, and his mother St Enoch. Both created by artist Smug, they have quickly...
Glasgow Cathedral
You’ve now reached the very oldest part of Glasgow, where St Mungo founded the church that would blossom into Scotland’s largest city. Nothing survives of that original 6th century building with the cathedral dating back to the 1100s. It’s free to enter and marvel at the enormity of the building.
Don’t...
Glasgow Necropolis
Head through some ornate gates, then cross over the Bridge of Sighs and enter the incredible Glasgow Necropolis. This vast graveyard, sprawling across a low hill, is often called a city of the dead! Established in 1832, around 50,000 souls were laid to rest here although less than 10% actually...
Lunch At Drygate Brewery
Kill two birds with one stone by sampling some locally made beers and grabbing lunch at Drygate Brewery. They’ve got a surprisingly large menu with pub classics and an especially good vegan selection.
Buchanan Street Subway Station
Retrace your steps and hop on the famous Glasgow subway at Buchanan Street, riding just a few stops to Kelvinhall Station. Known locally as the Clockwork Orange, this is the third oldest underground railway in the world and considered an attraction in itself!
Kelvingrove Gallery & Museum
In the Kelvingrove, Glasgow has one of the best museums in Scotland with 8000 objects in 22 different galleries. The building itself is beautiful and fascinating in equal measure, constructed in the late 1800s and carefully refurbished around 20 years ago.
The collection of arms and armour is incredible as is...
University of Glasgow
Finish your day with a wander around the grounds of the University of Glasgow. It’s the second oldest university in Scotland and the fourth in the English-speaking world, so there’s a lot of history to soak up as you explore. The architecture is absolutely astounding, especially in the cloisters and...
Restaurants on the route

Döner Haus

The Glasvegan

Viva Brazil

The Rum Shack

The Botany Bar & Restaurant

One Devonshire Gardens a Hotel Du Vin

The Grill Room at the Square

Bibimbap

Tabac Bar

Panang

The Anchor Line

The Horseshoe Bar

NY American Grill @ Princes Square

Lychee Oriental

Mamasan Bar & Brasserie

Abandon Ship

Döner Haus

Stereo Café

The Spanish Butcher

Mezcal

Ad Lib

Roberta's

Halloumi

Yiamas Greek Taverna

La Lanterna

Platform

The Glasvegan

Maki & Ramen

Ichiban Noodle Bar

CATCH Fish & Chips - West End

Viva Brazil

The Howlin' Wolf: Bar, Kitchen, Juke Joint

Madras Café

Gamba

Bloc

La Bonne Auberge

Dakhin

Picnic Café

Brian Maule at Chardon d'Or

iasg restaurant

The Dhabba

Steak Cattle and Droll

Buck's Bar Trongate

Ardnamurchan Scottish Restaurant & Bar

The 13th Note

Cafe Gandolfi

Saint Judes

Bunker Bar

Swadish

Puti Vegan Café

Babbity Bowster

Mono Café

Cafe Antipasti Restaurant

Tuk Tuk Indian Street Food

Two Fat Ladies at The Buttery

Celentano's

Smokey Trotters Kitchen

Saint Luke's & The Winged Ox

Five March

Julie's Kopitiam

Finsbay Flatiron

The Hug & Pint

La Fiorentina Ristorante

Rafa's

The Hidden Lane Tea Room

The Finnieston Bar & Restaurant

Crabshakk

Rioja

Bilson Eleven

Ox and Finch

Six by Nico

The Gannet

Kelvingrove Cafe

Mora Bar and Kitchen

The 78

Stravaigin

Left Bank

Andina Colombian Coffee

Paesano Pizza West End

Gloriosa

Mother India Cafe

Ranjit's Kitchen

Six by Nico Southside

The Rum Shack

The Botany Bar & Restaurant

Cail Bruich

Innis & Gunn Taproom

Elois Café

Ubiquitous Chip

Ka Pao Glasgow

Oran Mór

Comet Pieces

The Parlour

Old Salty's

Hanoi Bike Shop

Embargo

German Doner Kebab

Kimchi Cult

Sacred Tum Tacos

The Banana Leaf

Lismore

Partick Duck Club

Zique's

Cottiers

Bramble

Epicures by Cail Bruich

Hooked

Roastit Bubbly Jocks

Honeytrap Bakery

FRKN Delicious

One Devonshire Gardens a Hotel Du Vin

Gaga kitchen and bar

Suissi Vegan Kitchen

Oro in Shawlands

Bibi’s Cantina

111 by Modou

Po'Boyz Restaurant Glasgow
Cafes on the route

Riverhill Coffee Bar

Wild Olive Tree Cafe

Gordon Street Coffee

Honey & Salt

Loop & Scoop

Picnic Café

Spitfire Espresso

Sprigg

Wilson Street Pantry

Puti Vegan Café

Singl-end Garnethill

Us V Them - Engineering Coffee

Ocho
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The Steamie

The Hidden Lane Tea Room

Kelvingrove Cafe

East Coffee Company

Andina Colombian Coffee

Good Coffee Cartel

Cottonrake Bakery

Black Pine Coffee Co

Tantrum Doughnuts

Naked Soup

1841

Elois Café

Nic's NYC Deli

Kember and Jones Cafe and Bakery

Short Long Black

University Cafe

Kaf Coffee

Bramble

Cafe Monza

The Glad Café

Cafe Salmagundi

Cafe Strange Brew

It All Started Here

Grain and Grind Battlefield

Willow Grove

Space Speciality Coffee House

Meadow Road Cafe

Deanston Bakery

Roots, Fruits and Flowers

Chaakoo Bombay Cafe

Broken Clock Cafe & Patisserie

Inn Deep

Riverhill Coffee Bar

Chaakoo Bombay Cafe

Wild Olive Tree Cafe

Gordon Street Coffee

Honey & Salt

Loop & Scoop

Picnic Café

Spitfire Espresso

Sprigg

Wilson Street Pantry

Puti Vegan Café

Bare Bones Chocolate Factory

Singl-end Garnethill

Us V Them - Engineering Coffee

Ocho
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The Steamie

Finnieston

The Hidden Lane Tea Room

Kelvingrove Cafe

East Coffee Company

Broken Clock Cafe & Patisserie

Tchai-Ovna House of Tea

Andina Colombian Coffee

Good Coffee Cartel

Inn Deep

Roots, Fruits and Flowers

Cottonrake Bakery

Black Pine Coffee Co

Tantrum Doughnuts

Papercup Coffee Company

Naked Soup

Cottonrake Cafe

1841

Elois Café

Nic's NYC Deli

Byres Road

Kember and Jones Cafe and Bakery

Short Long Black

University Cafe

Kaf Coffee

Bramble

Cafe Monza

The Glad Café

Cafe Salmagundi

Cafe Strange Brew

It All Started Here

Grain and Grind Battlefield

Willow Grove

Space Speciality Coffee House

Meadow Road Cafe

Deanston Bakery

Greenhouse Cafe
Shops on the route

Essence of Harris Glasgow

Maia Gifts

Slanj Kilts

House of Cashmere

Walker Slater Glasgow

Sneaker Laundry

Mr Ben Retro Clothing

Good Press

Aye-Aye Books

Spin Pottery Glasgow

Voltaire & Rousseau Bookshop

Timorous Beasties

Hatch

George Mewes Cheese

Bill's Tool Store

Thistle Books

I.J. Mellis Cheesemonger

BAM Glasgow

Hoos

The Alchemy Experimen

Clan Skates

Stephen O’Neil Art

Hyndland Bookshop

Sunshine No.1

SPOT

Neighbourhood Glasgow

Young’s Interesting Books

28 Langside

Glasgow Architectural Salvage
Accommodation nearby
Attraction nearby

Tchai-Ovna House of Tea

Merchant City

The Barras

Finnieston

Ashton Lane

Byres Road

Bellahouston Park

The Lighthouse

The Duke of Wellington

Gallery of Modern Art

George Square

City Sightseeing Glasgow: Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour

Citizen Firefighter Statue
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Glasgow City Chambers

Glasgow City Centre Guided Walking Tour

Outlander Adventure 1-Day Tour from Glasgow

Glasgow Mural Trail

Rennie Mackintosh Tour

Britannia Panopticon

Merchant City

Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre

Glasgow City Centre Whisky Tour

ScotlandArt Gallery

The National Piping Centre

St Mungo's Museum of Religious Life and Art

O2 Academy

The Mitchell Library

The Tenement House

The Barras

Tennent's Story Heritage Centre

The People's Palace

The Stone Of Destiny?...The Arlington Bar?

West Brewery

Scotland Street School Museum

Glasgow Green

Finnieston

The Clyde Arc

The Hidden Lane

Kelvingrove Park

Tchai-Ovna House of Tea

Pollokshields

Tramway

The Hidden Gardens

Glasgow Science Centre and Planetarium

Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery

Clydeside Distillery Tour and Whisky Tasting

Ashton Lane

Hillhead

St Aloysius Church

Cresswell Lane

Byres Road

Moray Place

Glasgow Botanic Gardens

Riverside Museum

Partick

Ibrox Stadium

The Govan Stones

Blairhall Avenue

Cuningar Loop

Hampden Park Stadium

Clyde Walkway

House of an Art Lover

Bellahouston Park

The Burrell Collection

Tollcross Park

Fossil Grove

Pollok Country Park

South West Community Cycles
Buchanan Street











Whether you arrive in Glasgow via bus or train, you’ll likely begin your day around Buchanan Street! This is the bustling heart of a modern city and you can expect to hear buskers and street performers as you wander around. If you’re looking to go on a shopping spree then you could spend your whole morning here!











George Square & City Chambers










Not far away, George Square is a Victorian masterpiece in city planning, surrounded by historic statues and lavish buildings. One of those is particularly impressive and worth a look on the inside! Glasgow City Chambers shows off the wealth that Glasgow once brought in, filled with expensive marble and mosaics.
Built in 1888, it still serves as the headquarters of Glasgow City Council although it has been known to feature regularly in film and TV. If you time it right, then you can even enjoy a free 45 minute tour at 10.30am or 2.30pm on weekdays.










Murals of St Mungo & St Enoch









As you head towards the oldest part of Glasgow, you’ll spot modern street art telling a historic story. On either gable end of a row of tenement buildings, huge murals portray the founder of Glasgow, St Mungo, and his mother St Enoch. Both created by artist Smug, they have quickly become icons of the city.
Enoch had been cast out of her home on Traprain Law by her father after becoming pregnant with Mungo. The robins that feature in both images come from one of Mungo’s childhood miracles, praying life back into the bird after it had been killed by his classmates!









Glasgow Cathedral













You’ve now reached the very oldest part of Glasgow, where St Mungo founded the church that would blossom into Scotland’s largest city. Nothing survives of that original 6th century building with the cathedral dating back to the 1100s. It’s free to enter and marvel at the enormity of the building.
Don’t miss stepping down into the crypt that has barely changed in 900 years. That’s where you’ll find the shrine to St Mungo, one of the only surviving examples of its kind after the riots of the Scottish reformation.













Glasgow Necropolis











Head through some ornate gates, then cross over the Bridge of Sighs and enter the incredible Glasgow Necropolis. This vast graveyard, sprawling across a low hill, is often called a city of the dead! Established in 1832, around 50,000 souls were laid to rest here although less than 10% actually have monuments.
Some of those monuments are truly magnificent, dedicated to the great and good of Glasgow, and you could spend a long time meandering along the paths through the Necropolis. Even if old graves don’t interest you much, the views across the city are fantastic.


















Buchanan Street Subway Station









Retrace your steps and hop on the famous Glasgow subway at Buchanan Street, riding just a few stops to Kelvinhall Station. Known locally as the Clockwork Orange, this is the third oldest underground railway in the world and considered an attraction in itself!









Kelvingrove Gallery & Museum

















In the Kelvingrove, Glasgow has one of the best museums in Scotland with 8000 objects in 22 different galleries. The building itself is beautiful and fascinating in equal measure, constructed in the late 1800s and carefully refurbished around 20 years ago.
The collection of arms and armour is incredible as is the natural history section although it’s the art collection that arguably steals the show here!

















University of Glasgow



Finish your day with a wander around the grounds of the University of Glasgow. It’s the second oldest university in Scotland and the fourth in the English-speaking world, so there’s a lot of history to soak up as you explore. The architecture is absolutely astounding, especially in the cloisters and it makes the perfect place to finish a day exploring Glasgow!



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