Our private guided tours of Scotland can take you to some of its most glamorous locations, from the royal mile of Edinburgh to the stunning Highlands, from the mysterious Loch Ness with its famous monster to the bonny banks of Loch Lomond.
By contrast, Glasgow sometimes has a less glamorous, even negative reputation. However, visitors will soon discover that Scotland’s largest city is so much more than its stereotypes, with a wealth of parks, great buildings, culture, food and art. With the right tour, you can discover that Glasgow is a fascinating city worth visiting anytime.
It is certainly true that the city has had its troubles, with an industrial past built on its shipbuilding and heavy industry that declined in the late 20th century. But the sometimes rough reputation disguises the reality of a city with a fine heritage and plenty going for it in the modern day.
The Second City Of Empire
Like many industrial cities in Britain, Glasgow grew rapidly in the 19th century, its importance as the main port on the River Clyde helping to become the self-styled ‘second city of empire’.
Its population peaked at over 1.2 million in the 1930s, around double its current number of inhabitants, although comparisons are sometimes distorted by various boundary changes. Nonetheless, it remains considerably larger than Edinburgh.
Glasgow may not have the capital status of Scotland’s other big city, but it still has a wide array of grand buildings. The West End is a prime example of this, with the dominant architecture made up of red and blonde sandstone mansions and tenement blocks. Architecture alone makes Glasgow well worth a visit.
Grand Buildings And Parks
Among the very finest buildings are the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum with its magnificent baroque features carved out of red sandstone, the Gothic St Mungo’s Cathedral in the city centre (one of four cathedrals in total, when all denominations are taken into account), the 18th-century Neoclassical Gallery of Modern Art and the People’s Palace and Winter Gardens.
If the grandeur of the buildings comes as a surprise, so too does the amount of greenery, with some very large and fine parks. From Kelvingrove Park in the West End to Glasgow Green in the east, the city is blessed with a lot of green space.
Some parks have some extra attractions to offer, such as Pollok Country Park, where the Burrell Collection of art and sculpture is housed, while the West End also includes the splendid Botanic Gardens, with its huge array of plants arranged around the grounds or inside the stylish glass houses.
The Heart Of Scottish Football
Inevitably, sport is never far from the conversation in Glasgow, with football in particular to the fore. Rangers and Celtic are by far the two largest clubs in Scotland and they have historically dominated the domestic scene, while both have won European trophies, the most notable triumph being Celtic’s European Cup victory in 1967.
The rivalry between the two has always been fierce, with the added edge of a sectarian history, Rangers being a Protestant and Unionist club and Celtic an Irish Catholic team. However, they are not the only teams you can watch if you fancy seeing a game in the city, as Partick Thistle and Queens Park also play in the Scottish League.
In the case of Queen’s Park, until recently an amateur team in a professional league, their home stadium of Hampden Park is arguably as impressive as Celtic Park or Rangers’ Ibrox stadium, because it is also home of the Scotland national football team and the venue for cup finals.
Anyone wanting a deeper insight can visit the Scottish Football Museum at Hampden, where the exhibits include the Scottish Cup, first contested in 1873-74, it is the same trophy now as it was then, making it the oldest football trophy in continuous usage. You can also get tours of the stadium.
Glasgow’s sporting claims to fame do not start and end with football, as the city hosted the 2014 Commonwealth Games and will step in to host the 2026 event too.
Not All Food Is Fried
Finally, there is the food. Once again, there is a gap between stereotypes and reality. True, you can get a fried Mars bar if you like, as well as traditional Scottish food like haggis or Cullen skink. But the city has a huge array of cuisines on offer, from Indian to Mediterranean, and now has two Michelin-starred restaurants.
On top of all this there are many other museums, art galleries, great places to shop (such as the St Enoch’s Centre), theatres and bars, giving the city a vibrant nightlife scene.
If you are coming to Glasgow, expect to be surprised time and time again.
