UPDATED MAY 2024! Glasgow is all too frequently neglected as tourists flock to the Scottish capital, Edinburgh. While I love Edinburgh and think it’s a fantastic destination, I felt like it was time to pay a visit to Glasgow. Glasgow is a larger city (both in terms of area and population), and definitely one to put on your Scottish bucket list! I loved exploring here, even though it was during an exceedingly difficult time for me personally. While I was just there for two days, I felt like I managed to see and do a lot! If you’re wondering what to do with a weekend in Glasgow, here you go: how to spend 48 hours in Glasgow!

What to Do in Glasgow

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

Glasgow’s leading museum is Kelvingrove Museum, and it’s even one of the most popular attractions in all of Scotland! You simply can’t miss it on a trip here. The building its housed in is stunning – it’s worth going just for the architecture alone! From European art to a piece by Salvador Dali, to taxidermy, ancient Egyptian artifacts, and floating heads – there is so much to see here. I’d recommend an absolute bare minimum of 1 hour here, but 2 hours would probably be better. There is free entry to Kelvingrove.

Kelvingrove Park is just across the street from the museum, and is a lovely park to wander around.

University of Glasgow

Hello, Hogwarts! If you’ve ever wanted a visit a magical-looking school in real life, the University of Glasgow can’t be missed. The architecture here is stunning – the cloisters in particular should be your main stop. Visiting the university was one of my favorite things that I did in Glasgow! Keep in mind this is a working university, so if you’re visiting do be respectful to students and staff who live and work here.

Botanical Gardens

Located in the West End (a bit north of Kelvingrove and the university), the Botanical Gardens are a peaceful oasis. There are so many beautiful gardens to wander through, the Kibble Palace has a huge collection of tropical plants, and the Glasshouses have displays of plants from desert to jungle. It’s free to visit the Botanical Gardens, so you have no reason not to go!

Ashton Lane

One of the cutest (and most Instagrammable) places in Glasgow is Ashton Lane, located in the West End between the Botanical Gardens and the university. A narrow street full of restaurants, cafes, and bars, you can easily spend a night wandering around between the different establishments! This is definitely one of the best photo spots in Glasgow, even if you’re not interested in eating or drinking.

George Square

The main civic center of Glasgow, you’ll probably pass through George Square at some point on your trip to Glasgow. The Glasgow City Chambers is one of the main buildings, and there are several statues and monuments dedicated to important Scottish people throughout history.

Gallery of Modern Art

One of the main art museums in the city, the Gallery of Modern Art (or GoMA) has both temporary and permanent exhibitions of contemporary art. Unfortunately, it was still closed due to the pandemic when I visited, so I didn’t get a chance to visit! Even if you don’t visit the museum, you can’t miss the Duke of Wellington statue out front of the gallery, with its iconic traffic cone on the head. After battling with locals and continually trying to remove the traffic cone, eventually the city gave up.

Argyll Arcade

There is grandeur to be found in a big city, even if you have to go off the beaten path! Argyll Arcade is a jewelry store and is located off Buchanan Street. This is one of the most beautiful places in Glasgow, and definitely one of my favorite Instagram locations in the city.

The Lighthouse

Unfortunately, the Lighthouse was closed when I visited. However, this is a 7-story center for design and architecture, and located right in the city center off Buchanan Street. The views from the top over Glasgow are meant to be beautiful!

Roman Church of St. Aloysius

Tucked away on a quiet street, St. Aloysius is a beautiful Catholic church. The interior of the dome and the altar looks stunning, so if you have time definitely try to pay this church a visit. Unfortunately, it was only open during services when I visited Glasgow, but I would love to go back! This is definitely one of Glasgow’s hidden gems.

Tenement House

Another museum which was unfortunately closed when I visited Glasgow, I’d love to go back to visit the Tenement House. The house displays four rooms decorated as they would have been in the early 20th century. It’s located in Gannethill and operated by the National Trust for Scotland.

Street Art

One of the things Glasgow is most well-known for is its unique street art. You can find out both the backstory for murals, and individual locations, on the Glasgow mural trail. Wherever you go in Glasgow, you will find some street art! My favorites were World’s Most Economical Taxi, Fellow Glasgow Residents Mural, and St. Mungo at High Street. You could easily spend half a day just following the mural trail. If you’re interested, check out this tour of the street art!

Glasgow Cathedral

Glasgow Cathedral is the oldest cathedral on the Scottish mainland, and one of the oldest buildings in Glasgow. Remarkably, it survived the Reformation and is currently maintained by Historic Scotland. The tomb of St. Mungo, the patron saint of Glasgow, is located in the crypt of Glasgow Cathedral. It’s free to visit the cathedral.

Glasgow Necropolis

While it might sound a bit creepy, visiting the Glasgow Necropolis is one thing you can’t miss in Glasgow. The tombs and graves in this cemetery range from simple to spectacular, and the views over the city (particularly over to Glasgow Cathedral from the John Knox monument) are stunning. The necropolis was established in 1832 and 50,000 people have been buried here.

Tennent Caledonian Brewery

Tennent’s is one of the most popular beers in Scotland, and its home is right in Glasgow! There is some fun street art murals on Duke Street, and there are usually tours of the brewery available (check out the Tennant website for more information). Whether you tour the brewery or just want to pop in for a pint at the source, this is one place to visit in Glasgow!

People’s Palace and Doulton Fountain

The People’s Palace museum is located near Glasgow Green, a huge park near the River Clyde. The museum focuses on Glasgow’s social history from 1750 to the present, and it’s free to visit. The Doulton Fountain is definitely one of Glasgow’s hidden gems – it was constructed in 1888, and moved to its present site outside the People’s Palace in 2004. With Queen Victoria crowning the fountain, it’s the largest terracotta fountain in the world and depicts four of Britain’s former colonies: Australia, Canada, India, and South Africa.

Daytrips From Glasgow

There are quite a few options for daytrips from Glasgow. Glasgow is very close to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, so if you’re looking to be outdoors this would be a great choice. While Edinburgh certainly deserves more than a daytrip, it’s less than 1 hour by train from Glasgow, so you could daytrip there as well. Stirling and Linlithgow are also great choices. You can always join one of the tours below for a Glasgow daytrip!

Where to Eat and Drink in Glasgow

There are so many excellent options for eating and drinking in Glasgow! I definitely could have done with a longer stay just since I couldn’t get around to all the restaurants/cafes/bars/pubs that I wanted to go to. Here are my top picks for food and drink in Glasgow.

Wilson Street Pantry

For the best brunch in Glasgow, look no further than Wilson Street Pantry. Fast and friendly service, combined with delicious food and a trendy location in Merchant City, makes Wilson Street Pantry a must-visit. While I’m sure everything is good, I loved my pancakes here!

Singl-end

There are two locations of Singl-end in Glasgow: Merchant City or Gannethill. For cakes and sweets, Singl-end delivers unique and tasty treats. My rainbow cookie sandwich was divine!

Cup Tea Lounge

Cup Tea Lounge is another fantastic brunch option, but they specialize in afternoon teas. The Art Deco building is gorgeous, so it’s worth coming here just for the venue alone. It’s also home to Gin 71, so gin fans make sure to come here for a tipple in the evenings.

Topolabamba

One of my favorite meals in Glasgow was at Topolabamba – it’s some of the best Mexican food I’ve had in the UK (and I don’t say that lightly!!). Some of the choices are made in street food portions, so you can choose a few and share. If you can go for lunch during the week, I definitely recommend their Express Lunch deal, which is a bargain for all the food you get at just £13.95 per person!

Shilling Brewing Company

If you’re looking for good beer, excellent pizza, and great deals during the week, look no further than Shilling Brewing Company. The building is pretty glamorous in its design, and the beer is brewed on site – so you know it’s fresh. They’ve also got a range of different pizzas to go with your beer!

Chinaskis

This small bar has speakeasy vibes with candlelit, cozy, interiors. Don’t be put off if it seems busy, they also have a large garden space out back! They do food, but it’s a great place to come for drinks. They also have Macedonian wine on offer – which you really don’t see many places in the UK! – so it gets a huge thumbs up from me!

Unfortunately, the cocktail bar Tabac was closed when I visited Glasgow, but it came recommended as one of the best places to drink in the city. I’ll get there on my next visit!

How to Get Around Glasgow

Glasgow is a big city, and there is a comprehensive bus system, plus an underground metro, to help you get around. There are several train stations in the city, but the main two are Queen Street and Central. I walked all around the city on my trip so didn’t need to take public transportation, but taking the metro out to Kelvingrove or the University (or a bus out to the cathedral) would have saved me some time.

Where I Stayed: Safestay Glasgow City

I stayed at Safestay Glasgow City in a private ensuite room for my two nights in Glasgow. I was so impressed by Safestay Glasgow – since this trip in 2020, I’ve returned and stayed there before setting off to hike the West Highland Way! My room was really big, the staff were really helpful in sorting out any issues, and the location meant I could walk everywhere around Glasgow. The value was insane – as this trip was between travel restrictions in the pandemic, I paid just £37.50 for two nights in my own room! You can book Safestay Glasgow here.

You can search for other accommodation in Glasgow using the map below!

Booking.com

Planning Your Trip

Glasgow is one of the main destinations in Scotland, and is easily connected to the rest of the UK by train, bus, and plane. There are direct trains that run from London to Glasgow. It was pretty easy to get to Glasgow from where I live in York. I always use Trainline to get the best deals on train tickets. Glasgow Airport is located about 8 miles outside of the city center, although Edinburgh Airport or Manchester Airport may have slightly better international flight connections outside of Europe. I use Skycanner to book flights.

Considering travel insurance for your trip? World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 adventure activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more.

Glasgow is a fun, vibrant city, with so much to offer visitors. I absolutely loved spending a few days and getting to explore the fantastic museums and sites, and seeing all the street art! While you could definitely spend more than 48 hours here, you should have enough time to see the main sights and get a feel for the city. I hope this blog post helps in planning how to spend 48 hours in Glasgow and what to see in a weekend in the city!

Have you ever been to Glasgow? What were your impressions of the city?

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All of my Scotland posts!

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