Location Guide

Glasgow is one of the most exciting and vibrant cities in Britain. Once the Second City of the British Empire, it suffered post-industrial decline in the 1980s. The city reinvented itself at the end of the twentieth century, and in the last decade, as one of Britain’s most stylish cities and second top city for shopping and Scotland’s second most visited tourist destination.

Partly through being chosen as European City of Culture, Glasgow was able to recreate itself, and is now considered one of the coolest cities in Europe. Indeed, Glasgow pioneered the trend for using culture as a means of regenerating cities, which has been a success from Liverpool to Manchester. 

The city has a thriving music scene, ranging from pop to folk, for which it has been named a UNESCO City of Music. The Barrowlands and the SECC are iconic Glasgow music venues. The music scene goes hand in hand with a flourishing contemporary arts scene. For those with more traditional tastes, the Kelvingrove Museum and Burrell Collections are very popular galleries with large collections of art and antiquities. And Glasgow was home of celebrated Art Nouveau architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh, builder of the iconic Glasgow School of Art, a cultural hothouse for generations of Scottish artists and musicians from Alasdair Gray to Franz Ferdinand.

Glasgow has no shortage of museums and art galleries, many of them free of charge for entry. Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and the Gallery of Modern Art are two of the most visited buildings in the UK. There are many small independent galleries showcasing the thriving local art scene. Glasgow is the UK’s second most popular shopping destination.

Glasgow Science Centre is a great place to take the kids, and you might learn something as well! 

Glasgow is famous for the rivalry between its two major football teams, Rangers and Celtic. Try getting a ticket for an Old Firm Match! You may find it easier to see Scotland play at the country’s national stadium, Hampden Park. Hampden will also be a venue for the first ever Great Britain football team to play in the 2012 Olympics, as well as a prominent venue when Glasgow hosts the Commonwealth Games in 2014.