How to spend one day in Glasgow Scotland

Glasgow is a fun city in Scotland that’s full of history, culture and fun things to do.

I recently spent a month living in Glasgow and I’ve visited the city several times so I’ve come to know the city pretty well. Every time I find I visit I find something new and take the time to revisit old favourites.

With so much to see and do in Glasgow, it can be difficult to know where to start, but don’t worry – I’ve got you covered with this one day in Glasgow itinerary.

Throughout my trips to Glasgow, I’ve come across some hidden gems and visited the classic things to do in Glasgow and Glasgow attractions.

Below, I’m sharing my top picks for the best things to do in Glasgow in one day, based on my personal experiences and recommendations. If you’re on a budget and looking for free things to do in Glasgow, I’ve got you covered there too!

Your ultimate 1 day in Glasgow itinerary

• George Square
• Buchanan Street
• Merchant City & Trongate
• Glasgow Cathedral & the Necropolis
• Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum
• Kelvingrove Park
• The Hunterian Museum
• Byres Road & Ashton Lane

How to get to Glasgow

Glasgow is well connected to other cities across the UK, as well as big cities in other countries. If you’re travelling to Glasgow, here’s some information on how to get there.

Flights to Glasgow

Glasgow is served by Glasgow International Airport, which is located about 8 miles (13 km) west of the city centre.

There are direct flights to Glasgow from many European cities and beyond. Once you arrive, you can take a bus, taxi, or train to reach your destination in the city. Or you can rent a car from the airport.

Skyscanner is what I use to find cheap flights.

I use comparison sites like DiscoverCars and RentalCars to book my car rentals as it’s easy to check prices and compare the best deals!

Trains to Glasgow

Glasgow is well-connected by train to other cities in Scotland and the rest of the UK.

There are several train stations in Glasgow, including Glasgow Central and Glasgow Queen Street.

You can book trains online in advance by using TheTrainline.com which makes it super easy to plan your journey ahead of time!

Buses to Glasgow

There are a few different bus companies that operate buses to Glasgow from other cities in Scotland and the rest of the UK.

The main bus station in Glasgow is Buchanan Bus Station, which is located in the city centre.

Omio is a great platform for booking European and UK travel on. You can check train and bus prices and schedules and book super easily!

Driving to Glasgow

If you’d prefer to drive to Glasgow you’ll likely enter the city on either the M8 or A82.

Do bear in mind that driving in central Glasgow can be a bit of a pain due to traffic and parking restrictions.

I’d recommend driving to your accommodation and then when you’re exploring the city making the most of Glasgow’s public transport as it’s much easier and pretty cheap.

I use comparison sites like DiscoverCars and RentalCars to book my car rentals as it’s easy to check prices and compare the best deals!

How to get around Glasgow

Glasgow is a pretty small city at its core and you can easily walk between the top Glasgow attractions and things to do in Glasgow.

For places that. area bit further away, I recommend using the Glasgow subway, sometimes called the Clockwork Orange since the trains are orange and the line goes in a circular route both clockwise and anti-clockwise.

The Glasgow subway is the 3rd oldest subway system in the world and it’s a great, easy way to get around the city.

There are just 2 lines and 15 stations so it’s hard to get lost and even if you get on one going the wrong way, you’ll still get to your intended destination, it just might take a little bit longer.

Hop on hop off bus in Glasgow

Alternatively, you can get yourself a ticket on Glasgow’s hop on hop off bus. The route takes you close to the majority of the things to do in Glasgow in one day I’ve mentioned on this list and you’ll also get a bit of an audio guide as you go around the city.

With the hop on hop off bus you don’t need to worry about getting the right bus number, or having change for the bus since it’s just one ticket.

Buy your hop on hop off bus tickets here

What to do in one day in Glasgow

Though I personally recommend spending more than one day in Glasgow (ideally 2-3 days if not more), it’s possible to get a taste for the city in just one day.

With one day in Glasgow you’ve enough time to check out a couple of museums, walk through the prks, and see some of the city’s most well known buildings.

Below I’ve broken down the top things to do in Glasgow in one day and added a few extra things at the end that you can try if you find yourself with spare time or you’re not keen on one of the things in the main list.

Map of what to do in Glasgow in one day

I’ve put together a map of the best things to do in Glasgow in one day.

Just click the image below and you can load it up on your Google Maps so that you can see where all the activities in Glasgow I mention below can be found throughout the city.

George Square

Starting from Glasgow’s Queen Street Station which is well connected to other cities and towns across the UK as well as trains around Glasgow, we’ll head to George Square.

George Square is the main public square in Glasgow and is one of 6 in the city. This one is named after King George III and is surrounded by some of the city’s most important buildings.

Those buildings include City Chambers and the Merchants’ House. You’ll also find statues of Robert Burns, the famous Scottish Poet who even has Burns Day in aid of him, and Sir Walter Scott.

Unusually for city squares, George Square has some green space too and there are a bunch of great restaurants and bars nearby where you can find a coffee to get the day started.

Buchanan Street

Begin walking in the direction of Buchanan Street which is essentially the centre of the main shopping area in Glasgow where you’ll find all the typical shops and bars that are found in city’s across the UK.

The pedestrian-only street is lined with high-end retailers and department stores. You’ll usually find some street performers along the streets and you can look up and admire the Victorian and Edwardian architecture if the shopping isn’t doing it for you.

Sure, it’s not exactly uniquely Glasgow, but it’s jut the way we’re headed to the next thing to see in Glasgow: Merchant City and Trongate.

Merchant City & Trongate

Merchant City marks Glasgow New Town where wealthy residents from the west in the crowded High Street earlier moved out to the wider streets, stately homes and newer Merchant City neighbourhood.

These days, Merchant City is full of shops, bars and restaurants and at the centre is Merchant Square. In the summer, you’ll find that many festivals take place here.

Carry on walking through Glasgow on Trongate Street until you get to the Merchant City Clock Tower and the Trongate Steeple which are some of the top things to see in Glasgow. You’ll also see the Old Toolbooth which was originally the centre of old, Medieval Glasgow.

From here, head north on the High Street up towards the Glasgow Cathedral. Keep your eyes open along the way to see the mural of St Mungo (see more below for a mural tour of Glasgow).

Glasgow Cathedral

On the border of the East End is Glasgow Cathedral also known as St. Mungo’s Cathedral or The High Kirk of Glasgow. When you first get close to the Glasgow Cathedral it doesn’t seem that big but as you walk around the back of it you’ll realise it’s actually quite large!

You can go inside the Glasgow Cathedral for free and walk around the grounds. It’s an incredible example of Scottish Gothic architecture. It’s also one of the few Scottish medieval churches to have survived the Scottish Reformation not unroofed.

The crypt in the cathedral is believed to be the resting place for St. Mungo (the patron saint of Glasgow) and constructed between the 13th and 15th Centuries, Glasgow Cathedral is not only the oldest building in Glasgow, but the oldest church in Scotland!  

From here, we’re going to head up to the Necropolis for a great view of the Cathedral and the city as a whole.

Glasgow Necropolis

Head uphill to the beautiful Glasgow Necropolis a large Victorian cemetery set upon a hill overlooking the cathedral and the city of Glasgow.

It might seem strange to some to include a cemetery on this itinerary for 1 day in Glasgow, but it really is worth visiting.

At the necropolis in Glasgow you’ll find about 3,500 monuments some of which are incredibly impressive. This is believed to be the final resting place of about 50,000 Glaswegians.

If you want to learn more about the Necropolis, you can take a free guided tour led by Friends of the Glasgow Necropolis volunteer guides. They’re available several times a month and any donations go towards the restoration of the cemetery.

Optional: grab lunch or a drink at a brewery

Near to the Necropolis you’ll find the Tennent Caledonian Breweries and Drygate Brewery.

At the Tennent Caledonian Brewery you can take a tour around one of Scotland’s most popular beers and oldest businesses. While, at the Drygate Brewery you can rest your feet for a while and sample a few beers from a long list of varied choices.

From either the Necropolis or the breweries, head to the High Street train station and get a train to Partick.

Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum

From Partick Station in Glasgow’s West End, walk right on Dunbarton Road and head towards Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum.

Visiting this Glasgow museum is easily one of the best things to do in Glasgow in one day.

The museum is in a beautiful redbricked building and is full of art and arefacts about natural history, science and technology that make it perfect for people of all ages.

You’ll also find a real life haggis which is worth checking out if you’ve never seen one before 😉

From Kelvingrove, it’s time to walk through the park, one of the nicest parks in Glasgow.

Kelvingrove Park

Right on the doorstep of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is Kelvingrove Park.

This 85-acre park in the West End of Glasgow was designed in the mid-1800s as the city grew and was designed to provide some space to make it more attractive.

The River Kelvin runs through the park and there are numerous grassy spaces, playgrounds, a few cafes, walking trails and viewpoints and the Stewart Memorial Fountain.

Head up towards the university of Glasgow which is a beautiful building and gives great views down over to the art gallery you just visited.

The Hunterian Museum & University of Glasgow

The University of Glasgow, one of the world’s oldest universities has some absolutely beautiful courtyards and off of one of them you’ll find the entrance to The Hunterian Museum.

The Hunterian Museum is relatively small, especially compared to the Kelvingrove Museum, but it was one of my favourites when we were living in Glasgow. It has Roman artefacts, medical curiosities and so much more.

You can spend a couple of hours wandering through here and see pretty much all of it, or just browse past to see what catches your eye.

After you’re done at the Hunterain Museum, head towards Byres Road and Ashton Lane.

Byres Road & Ashton Lane

Byres Road is the main street in Glasgow’s West End and you’ll find a tonne of shops, restaurants and cafes here.

It’s also where you’ll find Ashton Lane, just next to the Hillhead Subway station.

Ahston Lane is a super cute cobblestoned lane with some of the best restaurants and pubs in Glasgow. There’s even a small cinema here!

If you need a drink or are ready for dinner, this is the perfect place to get some food.

There’s the Hanoi Bike Shop for delicious Vietnamese food, Ubiquitous Chip which has the most beautiful courtyard-type dining room and the Innis & Gunn brewery and tap room for a pint. Or there’s The Bothy or Ashoka Ashton Lane with the latter doing Indian food.

Post-dinner, why not check out a comedy night at The Stand Comedy Club or one of the pubs back at Ashton Lane?

More fun things to do in Glasgow in one day

Have more time or one of the things above don’t take your fancy? I’ve some more ideas of what to do in Glasgow.

A Play, a Pie and a Pint at Òran Mór

A Play, a Pie and a Pint is one of the best things to do in Glasgow. It’s a unique (and in my opinion, great) mixture of theatre, food, and drink.

A Play, a Pie and a Pint is both affordable and accessible with a range of different plays put on over lunchtime where you can get food, a drink and a dose of culture in your lunch hour, or at the weekends.

This has helped launch the careers of many artists and is loved by West End residents in Glasgow.

If you’re visiting Glasgow I highly recommend making time for this. We went with our friends who live in Glasgow and I thought it was such a fun thing to do.

Wander through the Glasgow Botanical Gardens

The Glasgow Botanic Gardens is one of the best things to do for free in Glasgow and one of my favourite places to walk through in the city. While you have to pay for the botanic gardens in Edinburgh, the ones in Glasgow are free and super impressive!

The gardens have a diverse collection of plants, including a national collection of tree ferns and a herb garden.

The Kibble Palace, a beautiful Victorian glasshouse, is one of the best things to see in the park and has undergone a stunning £7 million restoration.

Inside you’ll discover a tropical wonderland of plants and water features, including a giant pool of tropical fish. A newer glasshouse also showcases rare and beautiful flowers and exotic trees.

The GoMA and the Duke of Wellington Statue

The Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) is a free museum in Glasgow that’s housed in a beautiful neoclassical townhouse from 1778.

It’s home to lots of local and international art exhibits and features paintings, sculptures, prints, videos and installations.

You’ll find artists such as David Hockney, Andy Warhol and Margaret Tait as well as artwork from new and upcoming artists.

It’s well worth checking out.

I also just think the townhouse building it’s housed in is super cool with a mezzanine area where you can look up and down to the different levels of the building.

If you’re looking to really understand Glasgow and its quirks, then be sure to track down the Duke of Wellington Statue and take the classic Glasgow photo of him with a cone on his head.

The statue stands outside of the Glasgow Museum of Modern Art and permanently has a traffic cone on his head.

Believed to have been placed there time and time again by students, the cone has become so beloved by the people of Glasgow that when the council threatened to take it down, thousands of Glaswegians came together to show their unwavering loyalty to the cone by petitioning and organising marches.

You’ll likely see other statues around the city with cones on their heads too – though I noticed that these sometimes get removed.

Riverside Museum of Transport and Travel

Don’t pass up on a chance to visit the Riverside Museum of Transport and Travel. This was actually one of my favourite museums, perhaps because I love to travel. I just found it super interesting. Plus, I loved stepping back in time by taking a walk through an old street in Glasgow.

The iconic building itself, designed by the legendary architect Zaha Hadid, looks like a futuristic sailboat on the water’s edge.

Inside, the museum is home to a huge collection of vehicles. This includes old trams, a subway carriage, vintage buses, bicycles, cars and more.

Glenlee Tall Ship

Right by the Transport Museum, the Glenlee Tall Ship gives you the chance to take a journey through the rich maritime history of Glasgow.

Not only is it a former cargo ship, but it’s also a former sailing training ship for the Spanish Navy.

Now serving as a museum, it’s free to explore and offers a unique glimpse into what it was like to sail on a merchant ship during the Victorian era.

Make sure you visit the engine room, and the captain’s cabin and ring the ship’s bell!

The candlelit live music nights on the Tall Ship are a must-see and are sure to leave you with a memorable experience and is a super unique thing to do in Glasgow.

Barras Market

For a taste of true Glaswegian culture, the Barras Market is a must-visit.

This historic market in the East End of Glasgow has been running since the 1920s and offers a unique shopping experience.

With a mix of indoor and outdoor market stalls, pubs, cafes, and courtyard shops, you can find pretty much anything from vintage fashion to second-hand goods, books, and board games. And for those looking for a more artistic experience, the new arts centre on-site offers studio spaces and small boutiques.

Open every Saturday, the Barras Market is a lively and bustling place that you should definitely check out during your Glasgow trip and it’s a great non touristy thing to do in Glasgow that most visitors to the city miss.

People’s Palace and the Winter Gardens

The People’s Palace and Winter Gardens on Glasgow Green are some of the best things to do in Glasgow.

Inside you’ll find exhibits and displays that trace the social history of the people of Glasgow from the past to the present. It’s super interesting to learn more about what the now popular tenements used to look like when they housed multiple families, and how industry has changed the city.

The Winter Gardens glasshouse is a bit different and is like a little oasis.

Wander around the lush gardens which are a bit like the botanic garden’s Kibble Palace, and feel like you’re somewhere tropical on a rainy day in Glasgow.

Glasgow Green

Glasgow Green is the perfect place for a relaxing day out with family or friends.

This public park is the oldest in Glasgow and was granted to the city by King James II in 1450.

Spread over 55 acres, it’s home to many historical buildings and monuments, including the People’s Palace, the Doulton Fountain, and Nelson’s Monument.

More recently, Glasgow Green has become a popular venue for events such as the TRNSMT music festival and the World Pipe Band Championships.

The park also features children’s play areas, an orienteering course, a football centre, and views of the River Clyde. It’s also where you’ll find the People’s Palace and Winter Gardens.

Glasgow Mural Trail

A fun thing to do in Glasgow in one day is to discover the City Centre Mural Trail.

Glasgow’s street art scene has transformed hidden corners of the city into artwork and you can take a self-guided walking route to see parts of the city you may have otherwise walked by while enjoying some impressive art.

The city centre mural trail crisscrosses Glasgow and features a variety of large-scale murals commissioned by the city council and painted by local artists, including renowned street artists such as Rogue One and Smug.

The murals have revitalised many of Glasgow’s vacant buildings and brought colour to forgotten areas.

Keep in mind that as buildings are upgraded or demolished, some of the murals may be lost permanently, so it’s a good idea to re-walk the route during future trips to Glasgow to see what’s changed.

Walk along the River Clyde

The River Clyde is one of the main rivers running through the city. There are some waking paths that go alongside it, near the Finneston Crane for example, and it’s a nice way to enjoy a more peaceful part of the city.

On a bright and sunny day, a rare occurrence in Glasgow, the riverbanks come alive with walkers, joggers, and cyclists.

Day Trip Edinburgh to Glasgow

If you’re staying in Edinburgh and want to visit Glasgow for a day, it’s super easy to get between the two.

The easiest way is to get a train from Edinburgh to Glasgow.

You can book trains online in advance by using TheTrainline.com which makes it super easy to plan your journey ahead of time!

Final thoughts on what to do with one day in Glasgow

Glasgow is a fantastic city and there are so many fun way to spend a day in Glasgow. If you have only one day to explore the city, I’ve suggested a 1 day in Glasgow itinerary that gives you a taste of what the city has to offer.

Start your day with a visit to the iconic Glasgow Cathedral and Necropolis before visiting the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in the afternoon in Glasgow’s West End.

On this Glasgow itinerary you’ll get to explore history, culture, parks and food and drink – what more could you need?

FAQs about the best things to do in Glasgow in one day