Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland. Located on the river Clyde, it is forming the third populous city in the United Kingdom.
The climate of this city is classified as oceanic due to its location close to the Atlantic Ocean. Because of this, Glasgow is very wet and rainy throughout the whole year. The seasons are generally very mild and there are no extremes in different seasons. During the summer months weather can change quickly from sunny to rainy, but generally speaking, the best time to visit Glasgow is May as that is the sunniest period which makes it suitable for exploring the area comfortably. However, the warmest month is July, but summer months tend to be quite humid.
Getting to Glasgow by Plane
Glasgow has two main airports – Glasgow International, and Glasgow Prestwick. Prestwick is the only airport in the country with its own dedicated railway station, making it particularly accessible, and both are easily reached by bus.
Getting to and from Glasgow International Airport
Glasgow’s main airport is Glasgow International Airport, with plenty of international flights from all over the world, making it very simple to plan a trip here. It is located less than nine miles from the city itself, close to the town of Paisley. It is the eighth busiest airport in the United Kingdom and all major budget airlines are represented here. Because of this, the airport offers excellent facilities (eateries, shops, etc.) to travellers, making travelling as comfortable as possible and there is an excellent infrastructure built out which makes getting to the airport convenient and affordable.
The airport can be accessed in many ways because of the connection with the M8 motorway. The most popular ways to access it are by bus or by taxi.
Bus
The biggest bus company, First Bus operates a dedicated airport line Glasgow Airport Express 500. In peak times service runs to and from the airport every 10 minutes, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week except Christmas Day. It leaves from Stance 1 from the airport, and Stance 46 at Buchanan Street Bus Station to the airport. Travel time is approximately 15 minutes. There are USB chargers on every bus, Free 4G WiFi, as well as plenty of room for luggage.
On the way from the airport to the city, the 500 service stops at:
Bothwell Street
Bothwell Street at Hope Street (near Central Station)
George Square at Queen Street Station
North Hanover Street
Buchanan Bus Station
On the way to the airport, the stops are:
North Hanover Street,
George Square
St Vincent Place
St Vincent Street
Waterloo Street
Glasgow Airport
Glasgow Airport Express 500 Ticket Prices:
| Adult | Child | Family (2 adults + up to 2 children) | |
| SIngle | £8 | £4 | £16 |
| Open Return(within 28 days) | £12 | £6 | £24 |
Here is where to buy Glasgow Airport Express 500 tickets:
On bus – pay using cash or a credit or debit card
Online – buy your ticket in advance here
mTickets app – download the app, buy tickets and show it to the driver.
To download Glasgow Airport Express service 500 timetables click here.
Stagecoach X24 (Glasgow Airport – Dundee or St Andrews)
It departs from Glasgow(Stance 9) airport and stops at Buchanan Bus Station (Stance 4). Journey time approximately 30-40 min.
Ticket Price: £8.5, return £15.30 which is valid for 28 days.
First 77 Hospital Connect (Glasgow Airport – City Centre)
Ticket Price: FirstDay – £4.5; mTickets app £4.3.
Click here to download route map.
Train
There are no trains operating directly from the airport, as there is no railway line built. The nearest railway station is Paisley Gilmour Street, which is about a mile away from the terminals. To get there you can take McGill’s 757 bus or a taxi. Direct train route takes around 15 minutes to Glasgow Central Station, and costs £3.6 for an adult fair.
Tickets to can be purchased at any train station in Scotland or online.
Car
Glasgow Airport is reached most easily from the M8. Coming from the east of the city, take Junction 28, or 29 if you’re coming from the west.
There are options for long-stay, short-stay and fast-track parking. All car parks are monitored by CCTV and regular patrols for the safety of your vehicle. Parking is free up to 30 minutes, and £55 for five days, £10 for every day after that. Parking spots can even be booked online in advance, making leaving your car at the airport incredibly convenient.
Rental cars can be picked up and dropped off from the airport’s rental car centre, just past Terminal 2. There are all major car rental companies in Glasgow Airport: Avis, Europcar, Enterprise, National, Alamo, Hertz, Sixt, Budget and Dollar.
Taxi and Uber
A taxi is around £17 to or from the airport to Glasgow City Centre. Taxis can be booked in advance online or by calling 0141 889 1813. Glasgow Taxis now all have chip and pin terminals installed, so you can pay easily and conveniently by card.
UberX from the city centre to the airport will cost you between £13 and £18.
Private Transfers
For those who wish to travel in a more convenient way, black cabs, private hires are also available.
Getting to and from Glasgow Prestwick Airport
The smaller of Glasgow’s two airports serves mostly European destinations by Ryanair, but it has excellent transport links and all the facilities you would expect from an international airport. It’s located 32 miles from Glasgow, and one mile from Prestwick.
Bus
Stagecoach X77 bus runs from Buchanan Street Bus Station(Stance 6) to Glasgow Prestwick and back. Tickets are £6.70 one way, return £11.90. Journey time is around 50 minutes, and buses run every 30 minutes Monday-Thursday between 07:15 and 00:00. They run later on Fridays and Saturdays until 04:00. They’re 08:55 to 22:05 on Sundays. Buses stop running from the airport back to town at 22:40 Mondays to Thursday, and 02:40 Fridays and Saturdays. Sundays, 20:55 is the last bus back to Buchanan Street.
Train
Glasgow Prestwick Airport has its own train station. Trains run 6:00-00:15 Monday to Friday, 6:00-23:30 and 09:00-23:00 Sundays. The journey takes around 45 minutes, and trains run three times an hour every day except Sunday when they’re twice an hour. Tickets are £8.30 and can be booked online.
Car
From Glasgow (and Edinburgh) Prestwick can be reached via the M8 and the A77/78/79.
Parking is available in four car parks, from premium to budget. Journeys to the airport from parking areas vary from 1-5 minutes on shuttles. Prices range from £30 for five days, to £55 for five days. Car hire is available in the terminal building, courtesy of Avis.
Taxi and Uber
UberX will cost you between £37 and £51 on average. A taxi, if it’s a normal four-seat vehicle, will cost about £55. This is an average for most of Glasgow’s private hire companies.
Where to Stay in Glasgow
Glasgow has a range of accommodation to suit everyone, from budget to boutique, family friendly to party ready. Hotels are all over the city, but most concentrated in the West End and City Centre. There are, of course, Airbnb options to suit every taste and every wallet.
Most visitors choose to stay along one of the West End’s main drags, or in the City. If you prefer to stay in the City Centre, read our detailed post The 10 Best Cheap Hotels in Glasgow City Centre. There are other options though; for hip young things there’s Finnieston, adjacent to the river, and packed with bars and restaurants, or Denniston, cheap and up and coming in the East. Families might prefer Queen’s Park, quiet and green and home to farmers’ markets and community cafes. If you choose to stay outside City Centre, here is a post about Best Areas to Stay in Glasgow.
Whatever kind of getaway you’re looking for, there’s a corner of Glasgow for you!
Getting Around Glasgow
Once you’re in the city, you have plenty of options for navigating Glasgow. Taxis are plentiful and relatively cheap, and Uber is also available. Buses cost between £1.20 and £3.00, depending on how far you’re going. They are convenient for getting into the city centre and from the north to the south of Glasgow. Glasgow has a subway system, but it only runs in a loop covering the West End, City Centre, and Govan. A single ticket is £1.50, with a day pass a reasonable £2.95. Although it doesn’t cover a huge amount of Glasgow, the subway is a ‘Weegie experience all of its own, with its tiny orange carriages.
For longer distances, reaching farther-flung parts of the city or embarking on day trips, trains are a visitor to Glasgow’s best option. There are stations dotted all around the city, with main departures out of town from Queen Street and Central stations. Most journeys on buses, the subway and overground trains can be worked out using First Glasgow’s journey planner.
Renting a car is easy at the airport or in town. Enterprise, Avis and Europcar have outlets in both locations, and a compact car starts at about £200 for a week’s rental. There is also now the option of Turo, a convenient Airbnb-esque service for car rental, where cars start at just £15 a day.
What and Where to Eat and Drink in Glasgow
Without a doubt, Glasgow is the food capital of Scotland. With new restaurants and cafes popping up on a monthly basis, it’s hard to narrow down the best options into a blog post. Our advice would be, if it looks exciting, go for it! But below are a few of the absolute best Glasgow eateries to get you started.
If you’re after Indian food, which is something the UK does very well due to its colonial past and large Indian population, look no further than Mother India, or its sister restaurant Mother India Cafe. Both located in Finnieston, these Glasgow favourites have been serving up the best curry in the city for decades.
A little hidden, but just around the corner on Old Dumbarton Road is the modest-looking Banana Leaf. This South Indian restaurant’s food is incredibly authentic and delicious. Take out is recommended, as there’s not much space in the dining area.
If it’s traditional Scottish fare you’re after, you’ve got plenty of options. The Ubiquitous Chip on Ashton Lane is a firm favourite for many Glaswegians, and The Sisters at Kelvingrove serves up bespoke and seasonal Scottish cuisine year-round.
There are also plenty of reliable favourites in Glasgow, for when you know exactly what you want or have a specific craving! There’s a TGI Fridays, a Las Iguanas and the excellent Hard Rock Cafe located conveniently along Glasgow’s ‘style mile’ for a great value dinner at the end of a hard day’s shopping and sightseeing!
There is a large vegan/vegetarian restaurant scene in Glasgow – so much so that it’s sometimes not even mentioned in a restaurant’s advertising. The fantastic restaurant at the Centre for Contemporary Arts on Sauchiehall Street is one such eatery, with only a tiny note on their menus declaring that their food is free of all animal products.
As a general rule, trendy, cheap and cheerful eateries like the vegan-asian Hug and Pint, Mono and Stereo, can be found in the west end and dotted around the edges of the city centre. For upmarket eats, head to merchant city, or the top end of Byres’ Road in the west end. Finnieston has become the place for experimental food, pop up bars and restaurants, and edgy date-night spots in the last few years.
Despite its new cool, Finnieston is also home to some of Glasgow’s most beloved pubs, like the Ben Nevis and the Park Bar. Glasgow is, as would be expected, a drinking city, and can provide for any tastes. There are cheap studenty clubs along Bath Street, music venues galore throughout the city, breweries in the east end, and cocktail spots for sipping and hobnobbing in Merchant City.
Moving away from the basics of bars and restaurants, Glasgow has farmers markets Partick and Queen’s Park, and several food festivals throughout the year. These include a Scottish Street Food festival and a Vegan festival among many more. Time your Glasgow visit right and it could be your foodie mecca!