When I had spotted all the tourist attractions that interested me in Glasgow, I quickly understood that it would be impossible to do on foot in 1 day. Indeed, Glasgow has great places to visit or discover and many beautiful museums and monuments. However, all these sites are not concentrated in the hyper center as in Edinburgh but on the contrary well distributed throughout the city and therefore far from each other. And since we only had 1 day to visit Glasgow, we chose the solution of Glasgow Hop on – Hop o tourist busf. Indeed, his route and its stops met exactly what I was looking for a optimized Glasgow tour in 1 day (our last step in our road trip in Scotland).
How to visit Glasgow in 1 day?
This way of discovering Glasgow by tourist bus allowed us to see in 1 day all the essentials without necessarily stopping or visiting them all. In addition, we were able to visit at our own pace and eat where we wanted, at the time we wanted. No constraints since we could take the next bus as soon as we were done. And of course we took advantage, thanks to the audio guide, of commentaries in French on all the places we passed.
So, here is the unfolding of our Glasgow sightseeing day.
Glasgow in 1 day - Tourist bus
To buy the tickets and take the City Sightseeing Glasgow Hop on - Hop of tourist bus, We went to George Square West side. But you can also book them in advance on the Internet: City Glasgow Hop on – Hop off sightseeing bus
Glasgow in 1 day - Tourist bus route map
Glasgow in 1 day - Stages of the tourist bus route
- George square
- Glasgow Cathedral
- Merchant city
- The Bars
- Glasgow green
- St. Enoch Center
- St.Vincent Place
- Radisson-Hotel
- Argyle Street
- Hilton Garden Inn
- SECC
- Clydeside Distillery
- Riverside museum
- Kelvin Way
- byres road
- Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum
- Kelvin Park
- University of Glasgow (botanical garden)
- Charing cross
- Sauchiehall Street / The Glasgow School of Art
- Theater Royal
- Buchanan bus Station
Glasgow in 1 day - Georges Square
This is our starting point. In the heart of Glasgow, this square is a must-see. There is the beautiful statue of George III, the Glasgow City Chambers (town hall) and the tourist office.
Glasgow in 1 day - Glasgow Cathedral
Quite far from the city center, this magnificent cathedral was built at 12nd century on a hill north of Glasgow. Its visit is free. I particularly appreciated the beauty of the stained glass windows.
Glasgow in 1 day - Merchant City
Here is one of the liveliest neighborhoods and nice people from Glasgow. Shops, restaurants, bars… This is where we stop for our lunch.
We discover a charming covered square with a friendly and warm atmosphere that makes you want to take a break ... As we didn't want to waste too much time, we preferred to eat in a fast food restaurant. O'neill's was a good choice: it was nice, fast, good and cheap!
Glasgow in 1 day - Glasgow Science Center
The bus also takes us to Glasgow Science Center. It is a science museum that could have been very interesting. Unfortunately we preferred to visit the Kelvingrove Museum and did not get off the bus.
Glasgow in 1 day - Kelvingrove Park
Magnificent and huge green spaces to walk around and enjoy the sun a little because yes, miraculously! we saw Glasgow under the sun !!! This park leads to the Botanical Garden and Kelvingrove Art Museum.
Glasgow in 1 day - Kelvingrove Museum
As we did not have time to visit the very many Glasgow museums, I selected this one which deserves a good 2 hours! The monument itself is already a work of art.
Le Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum offers galleries of various and varied paintings, sculptures and works of art from all eras. The different collections include more than a million pieces! I restricted myself to visiting only the 1er floor (Van Gogh, Matisse, Renoir…). But what particularly attracted me was a major painting by my darling artist DALI: Christ of Saint John of the Cross.
Glasgow in 1 day - Botanical Garden
Very close to the university, here is a very beautiful and elegant garden well landscaped so that city dwellers can stroll there when the weather is nice. You can visit the greenhouses in the form of magnificent and old glass roofs.
Glasgow in 1 day - The People's Palace
Within the park of Glasgow green, we stop to discover le People's Palace and Winter Gardens.
We did not visit the museum which tells Glasgow history and its people (culture and way of life of the inhabitants through the history of the city). However, we were able to admire the splendid monument in front of which sits a superb fountain (the Doulton Foutain) representing all the colonies of the United Kingdom.
Around the museum are winter gardens with tropical greenhouses which also deserve a little tour ...
Glasgow in 1 day - Buchanan Street
It is the main shopping street in Glasgow. Very lively and perfect for shopping, this is the perfect place to end the day of sightseeing.
Glasgow in 1 day - Pub Night
For our last night in Scotland, we chose a very nice pub where we were able to have our dinner and have a great evening.
Cheap hotel in Glasgow
As stated in my previous article, at Glasgow, I had booked 2 nights in a comfortable and well located hotel in the center of the city: the Motel One Glasgow
Its location turned out to be perfect because we were able to find everything we wanted nearby (pubs, restaurants, shops, etc.). We were able to do everything on foot and leave the car in a parking lot next to the hotel with a negotiated price (ask at the hotel reception).
With a beautiful decor, large rooms and delicious breakfasts in the form of buffets, the value for money was unbeatable for Glasgow: 90 Euros per night !
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