36 Hours in... Glasgow

How to experience the music, art, drama, architecture and cuisine of Scotland's most eclectic city in just 36 hours. By Gavin Bell, Telegraph Travel's Glasgow expert.

Why go now?

Glasgow remains one of the most eclectic architectural cities in Europe, and residents are continually finding new ‘pop-up’ bars, music venues and restaurants appearing in their streets, alongside established pubs and clubs where people play music for the fun of it. Don’t come for a rest.

Getting there

Glasgow is well served by both rail and flights. Scotrail’s Caledonian Sleeper is a comfortable way of travelling overnight. For full details on airlines and train connections visit the getting there section of this guide.

Where to stay

Special treat

Blythswood Square offers contemporary style in a glorious Georgian townhouse. The sizeable spa is also among the city’s best. From £120.

Mid range

Grand Central is a landmark Victorian railway hotel with a fusion of Queen Anne grandeur and contemporary style. From £79.

On a budget

Pipers’ Tryst is a wee Scottish gem in a 19th-century Italianate church - and a Mecca for bagpipers the world over, as well as tourists seeking a genuine Scots experience. From £65.

On arrival

Head for The Ubiquitous Chip (0141 334 5007; mains from £15.95) a classy restaurant in a hanging garden in the heart of the West End. Traditional Scots fare with creative twists, and lots of lively bars in cobbled lanes around it.

Day one

9am

Stroll through the leafy lanes and lawns of the Botanic Gardens (0141 276 1614; free). Victorian glasshouses are filled with exotic tree ferns, rare orchids and the national collection of begonias. If the weather’s fine there’s a kiosk selling coffee and ice cream, and if it’s not there’s a tearoom.

10am

Look for signs in the gardens to ‘riverside walk’. A footpath winds down to the River Kelvin and a traffic-free promenade along the banks of the river. Meander amid greenery and ancient stonework for little over a mile to Kelvingrove Park, an oasis of calm in the city.

11am

Walk over to the Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery (0141 276 9599; free), a Victorian masterpiece packed with an eclectic collection of 8,000 exhibits from dinosaurs and a World War II Spitfire to important works by Dutch Old Masters and French Impressionists.

12.30pm

The neo-Gothic splendour towering on a hill above you is Glasgow University. Wander through its historic quadrangles, turn left on University Avenue then right on Byres Road back towards the Botanical Gardens. Look out for Òran Mór (0141 357 6200; shows begin at 1pm; £8-£12.50; booking essential), a bar, restaurant and entertainment complex, that stages lunchtime theatre ‘A Play, a Pie and a Pint’.

1pm

If there is no performance at Òran Mór, head for The Bothy (0845 166 6032; mains from £10.95), a traditional Scottish restaurant in Ruthven Lane off Byres Road with kilted staff in relaxed, comfortable surroundings.

2.30pm

Explore a warren of second hand shops in cobbled lanes around The Bothy for vintage clothing and jewellery, antique furniture, ceramics, textiles, vinyl records, toys and odds and ends from attic clear-outs. On the other side of Byres Road, art and craft boutiques in Ashton and Creswell Lanes have fun and quirky items.

3.30pm

Remember tramcars, steam locomotives, boneshaker buses, and vintage cars? Find all of them in the striking Zaha Hadid-designed Museum of Transport, inside the Riverside Museum (0141 287 2720; free). Nautical types can step aboard the prize exhibit moored outside, the Glenlee, a three-masted barque launched in 1896. 

5pm

Back to the West End for coffee in Offshore, a homely café in Gibson Street with sofas, a chilled vibe and leafy views over the River Kelvin.

7.30pm

Head for your evening meal at Café Gandolfi (0141 552 6813; mains from £7.50), a cosy restaurant with classy Scottish-Mediterranean cuisine in the Merchant City quarter.

9.30pm

Head for a trio of lively pubs popular with highlanders and islanders in Argyle Street in the upcoming Finnieston district. The Park Bar has ceilidh bands at weekends, the Islay Inn has rockabilly music, and the Ben Nevis is a haven of whisky and traditional folk music.

Day two

9am

Take a breath of fresh air in Pollok Country Park, where highland cattle roam. Explore its woods and glades, take children to a good old fashioned swing park, then stroll along a scenic path by the River Cart to Pollok House, a grand mansion with formal gardens and the UK’s finest collection of Spanish art.

Noon

Visit House for an Art Lover (0141 353 4770; entry £4.50) in nearby Bellahouston Park, an elegant country mansion designed by Glasgow’s style icon, Charles Rennie Mackintosh. A masterpiece that blends Scottish baronial architecture with Art Nouveau flourishes, with a fine restaurant for lunch.

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