Glasgow walking tours

April 4, 2005 2:22 PM

I'm going to be visiting Glasgow, Scotland, and I wonder if anyone has a walking-tour guide or guide company that they like and would recommend. I'm interested in finding out about Scottish history, Glasgow architecture, etc. Google gives me tons of results and it's hard to choose one, so I'm hoping someone has recommendations they'd like to share. Thanks!
posted by beaverd to travel & transportation (6 comments total)

There was a whole set of walking itineraries that i got from the tourist office there about the architecture--amazing stuff there. It was self-guided--and Glaswegians were always willing to stop and talk about stuff i found. The Glasgow Herald building (by Mackintosh) has a special architectural tourism office called the Lighthouse, and exhibits too. If they do tours, i'd definitely go with them.

Oh, you must take the guided tour at the School of Art--amazing amazing building. And don't miss the People's Palace either.
posted by amberglow at 2:46 PM on April 4, 2005

9669 and 14478 might help.
posted by Dick Paris at 5:45 PM on April 4, 2005

Glasgow isn't a big city if you stick to the city centre, stay above the River Clyde and wander around (near the Lighthouse) with your head up - plenty of architecture right there.

Kelvingrove (a short underground ride) is an excellent museum, I'd avoid the Burrell Collection as it's a bit out of the way and not that impressive. The Museum of Modern Art, slap bang in the city centre, just next to George Square is worth a visit and you can take the river bus down the Clyde past some newer buildings to Braehead shopping centre for a shopping spree.

Head to the Merchant City for a night out (Cafe Mao for dinner) Arte is a bit pricey but worth a look, and there are plenty of more traditional pubs as well. Or how about the Corinthian for internal architecture, an old Georgian building converted into a pub, most of the interior is intact.

Also of note - Edinburgh is 45 mins on the train one way, and Loch Lomond is 45 mins the other (as I mention in post 14478)
posted by snowgoon at 3:28 AM on April 5, 2005

I'm the one that posted 14478, and I was grateful for the great advice I got in that thread. We spent a lot of time walking around both Glasgow and Edinburgh, and enjoyed the sights, but our favorite part of the trip was the drive to Inverness, stopping in Loch Lommond and Glencoe along the way. It was just gorgeous -- some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen.

If you're interested, you can see some of my vacation snapshots here (keep in mind that I'm not a very good photographer).

We stayed in the West End, and there was a pretty good walking tour in our Frommer's Guide to Edinburgh and Glasgow that included a few Mackintosh stops. And the Willow Tea Room on Sauchiehall in the city centre is definitely worth checking out.
posted by amarynth at 7:51 AM on April 5, 2005

Thank you all for the pointers, this is great info! I'll have lots of stuff to add to my itinerary now...
posted by beaverd at 12:02 PM on April 5, 2005

Thanks for the update and photos, amarynth. Scotland: atmospheric with breakfast.
posted by Dick Paris at 12:40 PM on April 5, 2005