1. Galleries and Museums
There are more than enough galleries and museums to keep you amused when Glasgow’s weather turns bad, as it often does. Almost all of Glasgow’s museums and galleries are listed on www.glasgowmuseums.com but the ‘must sees’ include the GoMA (Gallery of Modern Art) the second most visited contemporary art gallery outside London and the Burrell Collection, an inspired and eclectic collection of over 9,000 works of art gifted to the city by Sir William Burrell and his wife Constance in the 1944
2. Live Music & Clubbing
Glasgow has a long history of churning out great rock and pop bands — Texas, Primal Scream and Franz Ferdinand all hail from here. What keeps Glasgow’s live music scene at the cutting edge is its impressive choice of music venues. This means there is literally something to suit everyone. For the hottest upcoming bands head to tre hip venue Nice’n’Sleazy www.nicensleazy.com and the award winning King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, made famous as the place where Glaswegian record mogul Alan McGee discovered Oasis. The Barrowland meanwhile is a legendary venue much loved by musicians themselves and has seen everyone from Radiohead to the Ramones play there. To see big name bands, there’s really only one place to go and that’s the SECC, (Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre) also known as the Armadillo. In addition to its fertile live music scene, Glasgow is commonly recognised as the UK’s most vibrant clubbing city outside London, with house and techno high on the menu at clubs to suit every taste. See Glasgow Clubs for more info
3. Glasgow School of Art
Not only is it one of the country’s most prestigious art schools but The Glasgow School of Art is also a prime example of the artistic vision of Scotland’s most celebrated architect — Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Built between 1897-1907 it is thoroughly modern building which combines art nouveau and medieval features with elements of nature. You don’t have to be a student to be inspired: regular guided tours are available to the general public and are heartily recommended. There are many more testaments to Mackintosh’s genius dotted around town including his flamboyant House For An Art Lover or the beautiful Willow Tea Rooms. For more information on Charles Rennie Mackintosh sites in Glasgow visit the CRM Society for more details
4. Shopping
There’s a reason why people from all over Scotland converge on Glasgow for a spot of retail therapy. Quite simply, it has the biggest and best range of shops outside London. The main shopping precinct is around Argyle, Buchanan and Sauchiehall streets. The jewell in this crown of commercialism is Princes Square, a stylish six-floor shopping centre with more upmarket fashion outlets than you could poke a stick-thin model at. For more designer gear head to the Italian Centre in Merchant city, just east of the main city centre which is home to A selection of the finest Italian designer stores and the UK’s first Versace store. For something a little trendier check out the chi chi shops and vintage clothing stores on or just off Byres Road in the West End.
5. Clydeside
The decline of Glasgow’s mighty shipbuilding industry left great swathes of industrial wasteland along the banks of the Clyde river. Thankfully recent development has transformed parts of this derelict tableau into something approaching a tourist attraction. A clutch of arresting buildings have gone up here including the SECC AKA The Armadillo, and the Glasgow Science Centre dedicated to putting fun back into science complete with interactive exhibits and Imax theatre. Also worth a look is the Tall Ship at Glasgow Harbour, the SS Glenlee, a three masted ship one of only five Clyde built ships remaining afloat in the world.
