Long Weekend Break in Glasgow?
 

Looking at taking a long weekend break in Glasgow--I've visited the tourist website and read Frommers, but can't tell how many days I need to see and appreciate it. Any suggestions on how many days it takes to take it all in? Recommendations on what not to miss while there? TIA. :)

What are you interested in? Have you been to Scotland before?

I lived there for four years and I have to admit it wouldn't be my first choice for a city break, but there are some interesting museums around and just out of town. There's also a bunch of good restaurants that do some interesting interpretations on Scottish food, but (excluding the jet lag) if you were to arrive on a Friday morning, you may well be happy to leave on a Sunday afternoon.

If however you haven't been to Scotland before, you'd be better off IMO getting on a train or bus to Edinburgh and spending the bulk of your time there.

The highlights of my stay in the area Glasgow were The Burrell Collection and the Kelvingrove Museum... also a walk around the university area. I know the museum has been undergoing renovation, and I'm not sure if it's yet re-opened. A lot can be seen in Edinburgh in just a day so it's an easy train trip and probably worth the ride. If you can drive, a day of exploring the coast in Ayrshire is a lot nicer than staying in Glasgow. The scenery is fantastic!

Hi Kuroneko,

Here's some information I provided to someone posting in the Europe forum with some ideas. They had a week in Glasgow fit around a business trip:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=482825

To help you with what's near what - Kelvingrove Art Gallery is in the West End, and you could easily visit the Botanic Gardens, walk down Byres Road and then through the University (which has its own museums with a few interesting bits - check their websites) down to Kelvingrove Park to visit the Kelvingrove Art Museum. Depending on how long you spend at the museum, this could be done in a morning or afternoon (about 4 hours).

EDIT: Kelvingrove Museum is likely to be closed for another 2 months. Find information about Glasgow's Museums here....
http://www.glasgowmuseums.com/

If you're good with walking, you could continue this day either by walking along Sauchiehall Street through Charing Cross and down until you reach the pedestrian part of it to get to the Willow Tea Rooms, and then up the hill to the Glasgow School of Art (both designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh)

Or you could hop on the underground to Queen Street or Buchanan Street underground stops and walk over to the Cathedral. In that immediate area you'll find Strathclyde University, and further along, the Cathedral, the Museum of Religion, and Provand's Lordship. Walking downhill on the High Street will take you to the trongate steeple, and once you cross Argyle street, you are on your way to Glasgow Green, where you'll find People's Park.

The Burrell collection also makes a nice morning or afternoon visit. This you will likely need either the bus or the train to visit given its distance south of the city center.

If you want to get out of the city, Balloch is the rail stop for Loch Lomond. Troon takes you to a nice smaller town in Ayrshire with beach access and a beach promenade you can walk along down the famous royal golf course, or you could go to Stirling station, and walk uphill through the town to see the Castle. Also, it is only 1 hr train (or bus) to Edinburgh from Glasgow to see the sights there - you could see the castle, walk along the royal mile, and do a bit of exploring on Princes' street in a day.

To get back to your original question, I'd give yourself 3-4 days there, and then that gives you 2 or 3 in Glasgow, and a day our 2 outside the city.

Hope this helps!

weegiewife

OP here, thanks for all the tips! :)