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Byres Road at sunrise, empty of traffic, red sandstone tenements on both sides under an orange sky.
Glasgow

Byres Road

The high street of Glasgow's West End, from Partick Cross to the Botanic Gardens, named after the old village of the Byres of Partick.

Welcome

Byres Road runs broad and straight from Partick Cross on Dumbarton Road up to the gate of the Botanic Gardens on Great Western Road, and it is the high street of Glasgow's West End: shops and cafés at street level, tenement flats above, and the university up the hill to the east.

The name is older than the street. The Byres of Partick was a small village of thatched cottages on a lane here, sometimes called the Bishop's Byres, a byre being a cowshed. Until 1839 the road was a narrow, crooked lane, and that year it was straightened into its present line as a branch of the new Great Western Road. From 1869 it ran through the burgh of Hillhead, which called it Victoria Street and met in its Burgh Chambers on it, until the city took Hillhead in on 1 November 1891 and the old name came back.

It is a street for walking slowly, with bakeries, delis and old pubs along its length and the cobbled lanes behind its east side.

Round the cornerKember & JonesA cafe with its own bakery of breads and cakes, on Byres Road.1 min by roadSee itThe busy café under high ceilings, counter and shelves behind the tables.
Before you go

Hillhead subway station is on Byres Road, so the Subway brings you straight into the middle of it.

Walk up from Partick Cross to the Botanic Gardens and you have seen the whole street.

Where
From Partick Cross on Dumbarton Road up to Great Western Road.
Getting there
Hillhead subway station, on the street itself.
At the top
The gate of the Botanic Gardens, across Great Western Road.
Where it is

The West End of Glasgow, running north from Partick Cross to Great Western Road and the Botanic Gardens.

Close byOn the street, or a minute off it.
  1. Cresswell Lane in the West End, whitewashed buildings and hanging baskets along the setts, the De Courcy's Arcade sign on the right.Cresswell LaneThe next lane along, of small shops, vintage clothes and pubs.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. The Gothic towers of the University of Glasgow's main building under a grey sky.HillheadThe Victorian suburb that was a burgh of its own until 1891.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. Ashton LaneAshton LaneA cobbled lane of 1890s stables and workshops, lit overhead, with a cinema of 1921.Under a mile 1 min by road
  4. An ice cream cone with a flake held up in front of the University Café.The University CaféA family cafe on Byres Road for over a hundred years.Under a mile 1 min by road
  5. Ubiquitous ChipUbiquitous ChipThe West End's long-standing restaurant of Scottish produce, in Ashton Lane.Under a mile 2 min by road
  6. Glasgow Botanic GardensGlasgow Botanic GardensGardens of 1817 and their glasshouses, at the top of the road.Under a mile 3 min by road
Directions
The busy café under high ceilings, counter and shelves behind the tables.CafeKember & JonesA step away
The Alchemy Experiment's tall glass front, its name in red.ShoppingThe Alchemy ExperimentA step away
A pulled beef burger topped with onion rings, and a bowl of chips.RestaurantsOld Salty's0.2 miles
Kimchi Cult menu board above an open kitchen counter with metal shelvingRestaurantsKimchi Cult0.3 miles
Cottiers Theatre, Bar and Restaurant sign against a sandstone church wallRestaurantsCottiers0.3 miles
The counter at 1841, pale wood and a coffee machine under hanging lamps, shelves of coffee bags behind.Cafe18410.3 miles
Gothic sandstone buildings with turrets and spires enclose a quadrangle lawn, a bare tree standing at its centre.AttractionsUniversity of Glasgow0.3 miles
Brel's garden at dusk under a tree lit pink, tables full.RestaurantsBrel0.4 miles
Museum gallery with cast-iron balconies, glass display cases and a central skeleton exhibitAttractionsHunterian Museum and Art Gallery0.4 miles
The Daily for 19 October, from Scotland with love. bare tree stumps standing in an autumn loch, forested hills reflected in the still water

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the street, and when each is next free.

A grey sofa with cushions sits before a black and white kitchen, a framed print on the wall to the left.Moment Blythswood Street
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Glasgow
  • A mile from Byres Road
Check datesCrossbasket Castle, GlasgowCrossbasket Castle
  • To stay
  • In Glasgow
  • 9 miles from Byres Road
Check datesA grey corner sofa with cushions and a sheepskin throw sits before a shelf of books and a round mirror, a wood burning stove and log store to the right.Talli House
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Dunlop
  • 12 miles from Byres Road
Free 31 Oct – 2 NovPlaces to stayEvery stay in GlasgowAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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Find out more

For further reading, before you go.