10 Things to Do and See in Glasgow

Today's Glasgow can be considered a kind of miracle. Only 20 years ago, the Scottish city was seen as a hopeless mix of poverty, unemployment, and urban violence. In just a few years, Europe has watched, often in disbelief, the transformation from a notorious city to a capital of design and culture.

How did this miraculous transformation happen? Simple: Glasgow focused on what it had to offer, promoted, and showcased it: museums, for example, which are well-organized, with interesting collections (Burrell Collection, Gallery of Modern Art, and Kelvingrove Museum) and all free of charge. The architecture of Ronnie Mackintosh (Lighthouse, School of Art) son of Glasgow, has been reevaluated and turned into a tourist attraction.

Glasgow has targeted design and architecture enthusiasts, who will fly just to see a building, but also families, with the Science Centre and has revised its cuisine, which had nearly irreparably damaged its reputation with poor quality food.

In short, it's a city worth visiting. It may not be the first choice for many people, but it is certainly a place to discover. We recommend the 10 most important things to do and see in Glasgow.

1

The grand square dedicated to King George III of England, was fully constructed starting in 1782. In its early years, it wasn't much and mainly resembled a stretch of mud and dirty water where horses were slaughtered.

It was from 1820 that George Square gradually took on its present form: Georgian-style houses, hotels, the Glasgow-Edinburgh railway station, and, finally, the most important building: the Glasgow City Chambers.

The statues in the square tell the stories of the most important Scottish figures, but ironically, King George III is missing, as he could never ascend to the place now occupied by Sir Walter Scott, considered the national writer of Scotland.

Among others are Robert Burns, the poet, James Watt, the inventor whose name you should remember every time you turn on a light bulb, and other more or less significant characters from Scotland.

2

The destructive fury of the religious wars that ravaged the United Kingdom for centuries, fortunately spared the Glasgow Cathedral.

In the 7th century, St. Mungo, now the patron saint of Glasgow, founded a small chapel here, which over the centuries has taken on its current majestic Gothic appearance.

Inside, in the Lower Church, there is the altar under which the saint is believed to be buried.

Don't miss a visit to the nearby St. Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art and the nearby Provand's Lordship, a residence from 1471 where one of the cathedral canons lived, considered the oldest house in Glasgow. Don't forget a "walk" to the necropolis behind the cathedral, a small Scottish Père-Lachaise with about 50,000 graves and 3,500 memorials.

Opening Hours and Ticket Price for the Cathedral

Opening Hours: From April 1 to September 30, Monday to Saturday 10 -17, Sunday 13 -17. Last entry 16:30. From October 1 to March 31: Monday to Saturday, 10 -16, Sunday 13 -17. Last entry 16:30. Ticket Price: free. How to Get There: Glasgow Cathedral is located just a short walk from the city center and is next to the Royal Infirmary.

3

The Burrell Collection is the largest collection in the world assembled by a single individual. Sir Burrell, a maritime entrepreneur, collected about 8,000 objects throughout his life that he later donated to the city of Glasgow.

After various relocations, the collection found its home in Pollok Park, just outside the city center. The collection is quite eclectic and ranges from a large vase taken from the Villa of Hadrian in Tivoli to Chinese ceramics, carpets, papyri, Etruscan terracottas, and Greek sculptures.

Many visits are actually drawn to a few works by French, Flemish, Dutch, and German artists: there is Judith by Lucas Cranach the Elder, "The Thinker" by Rodin, "The Portrait of Edmond Duranty" by Degas, and works by Rubens, Rembrandt, Cezanne, Pissarro, Degas, Renoir.

The Burrell Collection has undergone significant renovation and reexhibition. New and exciting galleries bring the objects to life, including over 90 digital displays that offer interactive and engaging experiences for visitors of all ages.

The new exhibitions also tell the stories of the man behind the Collection, Sir William Burrell, and his family. It is really worth visiting the Gallery, especially since Pollok Park allows you to take a few minutes to relax in nature before diving back into art.

Opening Hours and Ticket Price for the Burrell Collection

Opening Hours: Monday to Wednesday and Saturday 10-17. Friday and Sunday 11-17. Closed on Thursday. Ticket Price: free. How to Get There: the gallery is located on Pollokshaws Road, Pollok Country Park. It can be reached by train at the Pollockshaws (West) stop or Shawslands.

4

The rounded, futuristic, and bright silhouette of the Science Centre has become a part of the Glasgow skyline. It's an extraordinary place, not just architecturally, but mainly for the fun and discovery it offers for both children and adults.

Over 300 attractions, almost all interactive, where you never truly get bored.

From the secret life of cockroaches to tactile laboratories, from how a light bulb works to space travel, there is really a lot to learn from a visit to the Science Centre.

The Centre also includes a Planetarium and an IMax screen for 2D and 3D projections with a 12,000 Watt system!

Opening Hours and Ticket Price for the Science Centre

Opening Hours: From June 27 to September 30 daily 10-17 From October 31 to April 2, Wednesday to Friday 10-15, Saturday and Sunday 10-17. Closed Monday and Tuesday. Ticket Price: adults £12.50, ages 3-15, seniors and students £10.50. Supplement for the planetarium or an IMAX documentary: £3.50. How to Get There: the centre is just outside the historic center and can be reached by bus 90, by train, by subway, or a 10-minute walk.

5

The Glasgow School of Art is the school that has been teaching design and other creative disciplines since 1845. It deserves a visit for its art school atmosphere, but especially for the architecture of the building that houses it.

The building, from the late 1800s, was designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and is considered the most beautiful building in the UK.

We don't know if it gives you that impression as well, but the GSOA is certainly the synthesis of all the architectural thought of this illustrious son of Glasgow, a proponent of the so-called Glasgow movement and a leading figure of Modernism in the UK.

Opening Hours and Ticket Price for the Glasgow School of Art

Opening Hours: Following a major fire in the Mackintosh Building on June 15, 2018, the visitor center of the Glasgow School of Art, the shops, and the exhibition spaces in the nearby Reid Building are currently closed to visitors. For information, contact the GSA Archives and Collections Center at Whisky Bond: archives@gsa.ac.uk, tel. 0141 566 1418.

6

The lighthouse in Glasgow is now a well-regarded center for architecture and design that hosts permanent exhibitions (Charles Rennie Mackintosh) and temporary exhibitions of designers and architects from around the world.

When Mackintosh designed it, it actually served a purely fire-fighting function: it contained about 8,000 liters of water ready to extinguish any fire in the Glasgow Herald printer, a local newspaper.

When the newspaper moved its headquarters in the 1980s, the building became The Lighthouse.

Spanning six floors, approached by a beautiful spiral staircase, you will find exhibitions, displays, cafes, restaurants, and viewing points. It's worth going all the way to the top for a great view of the rooftops of Glasgow.

Opening Hours and Ticket Price for the Lighthouse

Opening Hours: The lighthouse is currently closed to the public, and tours of the buildings are not available at this time. For updates: https://www.thelighthouse.co.uk/visit/tours How to Get There: the lighthouse is located in the historic center and can be reached by foot.

7

GoMA is Scotland's most important contemporary art museum. Housed in the Royal Exchange building where shares and goods were traded for centuries, since 1996 it has collected permanent and temporary collections of 20th-century artists from all over the world.

Particularly interesting are the sections dedicated to American Pop art (Warhol), English, photography (Salgado, Cartier-Bresson).

Outside the beautiful building that houses it, there is the statue of the Duke of Wellington, forced by locals to 'wear' a traffic cone on his head.

Repeated attempts by authorities to prevent this practice have been unsuccessful, transforming the duke into one of the most photographed subjects in Glasgow and the favorite victim of the rebellious spirit of Glasgow residents.

Opening Hours and Ticket Price for the Gallery of Modern Art

Opening Hours: Monday to Thursday and Saturday 10-17. Friday and Sunday 11-17. Ticket Price: free. How to Get There: the gallery is located in Royal Exchange Square, in the historic center of Glasgow.

8

The spectacular Christ of Saint John of the Cross by Salvador Dalì is, all by itself, a good reason to visit the Kelvingrove Museum.

The hanging heads in the East Wing and the Spitfire aircraft suspended in the West Wing are the main attractions for kids, along with armors and reproductions of prehistoric animals.

However, the Kelvingrove Museum, housed in a beautiful red sandstone building from the early 1900s, contains an important collection of European paintings from 1400 to 1600.

There is a considerable presence of Italian artists (Botticelli, Filippino Lippi, Giorgione, Titian), Flemish and Dutch (Rubens and Rembrandt), and a nice collection of modern and contemporary art with Picasso, Cezanne, Matisse, Van Gogh, Seurat, Gauguin.

Opening Hours and Ticket Price for Kelvingrove

Opening Hours: Monday to Thursday and Saturday 10-17. Friday and Sunday 11-17. Ticket Price: free. How to Get There: the gallery is located on Argyle Street. It can be reached by train, subway, and bus: First Bus 2, 3, and 77 and McGill line 17.

9

Glasgow is second only to London in terms of quality and variety of British cuisine. Local products (salmon, trout, oysters, lobsters, seafood, mushrooms, Aberdeen Angus) are the stars of almost all dishes.

As a design capital, Glasgow has also managed to reinvent itself as a gastronomic city where traditional dishes have been reinterpreted by creative and innovative chefs.

Of course, if you're looking for pure and hard tradition, you can't miss Haggis, the national dish of Scotland:

a sausage made from minced sheep innards with onion, kidney fat, oatmeal, salt, and spices, mixed with broth and served with "neeps and tatties" (turnips and potatoes).

In the morning, you won't miss porridge (oatmeal with cream), at lunch and dinner the pudding (blood pudding), and the pies (beef and biscuit pastries).

Even though there may be some hesitation regarding it, we inform you that a dish that has emerged in recent years as typical of Glasgow is the Mars bar battered and deep-fried. No comment! Lunches are accompanied by craft or industrial beers (Tennent's and Gordon are known in Italy) and sometimes with whisky.

10

Reached by Ryanair flights departing from many European airports, including Rome Ciampino, Glasgow is a rapidly growing destination.

It attracts a tourism of architecture and design enthusiasts, both travelers who choose it for its low-cost flight rates. The tourist capacity is decent but not exceptional, with average prices starting at £60 a night for a double room. There are no particularly busy periods, although the best time to visit Glasgow is spring, summer, and early autumn.