Smart Travel Edit

I’ll admit it – I wasn’t sure what Glasgow would offer us as a family of five for a summer break.  Edinburgh may steal the headlines, but after spending a week here, Glasgow quietly steals your heart.  

The period architecture, edgy street art, captivating museums, green spaces, amazing food and drink venues, not to mention easy access to mountains and lochs, was all I needed from a city break and more.

I will share exactly how I would spend three days in Glasgow, including all the places I loved, things I would do differently, and how to make the most of your limited time in the city.

Glasgow 3 Day Itinerary – My experience

We actually spent 7 days in Glasgow, so got to spend a lot of time on foot and on public transport around the city, which gave us lots of time to visit different areas of the city and get a feel for what we liked the most.

We had so much to see and do in and around the city; we did not struggle to fill our week here. Despite the weather being typically Scottish, there are so many walking trails, museums and foodie hangouts; we could have stayed a lot longer! In fact, we had the offer to stay longer, but had to return to work commitments.

For this 3-day itinerary, I focused on our absolute favourite experiences in Glasgow. I have included a mix of museums, walking trails, hikes and a couple of food spots that we loved.  

Essential Glasgow Travel Tips

1. You will not need your own car unless you want to leave the city

This might sound super obvious, but the city is so accessible by public transport you will not need a car. Parking in the city is also really restrictive and expensive, so you would do better not to have a car at all. We travelled from England by car, but chose to leave our car parked on a non-restrictive road for the 7-day duration of our stay. This was totally free, well lit and felt super safe to us.

Glasgow is actually fairly compact, so if, like us, you like walking, you will find most of your time above the streets looking up at the architecture.

For longer trips around the city, or tired legs, there is a very simple subway that runs in a circle around the city. This is free in the summer holidays for under-16s and only £1.30 for adults per trip. I have been well informed that buses are also easy to use and cheap.

Like most big cities, Glasgow has use of Voi rentable bikes. This is a great way to travel the city. Especially as most roads have designated bike lanes, and there are so many bike parks you could utilise. Sadly, on this trip, we couldn’t utilise them, as we had little legs with us and they are for over 16’s only.

2. Stay in the West End

If you search for “Glasgow” on booking.com or Airbnb.com, you will find accommodation scattered all across the city’s 68-mile radius. My recommendation is the West End.

This is where we stayed. It has loads of green space, supermarkets, a cute high street (Great Western Road) bursting with independent coffee shops, eateries and shops. It is a great place to explore the historic part of Glasgow on foot.

3. Pack a raincoat!

Even if the rest of the UK has been in an extended heatwave for 4 months, the grass is charred to brown, and you can’t remember the last time you wore a jumper. Do yourself a favour and pack a raincoat, a pair of jeans and a jumper!

Glasgow seems to have its own little micro-Scottish climate, and it’s not a particularly warm one!

We dropped 15 degrees on our drive North. Not only had we travelled into a different country and city, I feel like we travelled to a different season!

3 Days in Glasgow Itinerary

Day 1: West End, Kelvingrove & Ashton Lane

Coffee and brunch on the Great Western Road, West End

Start your day with a wander along the Great Western Road, following your nose to stop at independent coffee shops. There’s loads to choose from between the gift and book shops; you really are spoilt for choice.  Our favourite for coffee and pastries was Cottonrake, and we will be back to try more out for sure!   

Walk through Kelvingrove Park to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

Before visiting Glasgow, I had no idea there was so much green space. I was so pleasantly surprised to have spent so much time in the city’s parks. Kelvingrove Park offers masses of green space for the kids to play, a riverside walk along the Kelvin, play areas and a skate park, not to mention the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

We spent the best part of a day in Kelvingrove Park, with a picnic and blanket with the kids. Most of which was spent inside the museum and art gallery. The museum is split into two halves: ‘Life’ and ‘Expression’. ‘Life’ was what really captivated my kids’ attention for a couple of hours, learning facts about animals from around the world. It is worth noting that there wasn’t much in the way of interaction for the kids, so don’t go expecting science museum vibes. My children are aged 6, 10 and 12, but maybe younger children wouldn’t find it quite so interesting for such a long time as there is a lot of information to read. Saying that, I think toddlers would have a great time simply looking at the exhibitions on show. There was a Barbie Exhibition on while we were there, but on this occasion the visit was vetoed. If I came back though, I would visit this alone and send the kids to the skate park!

One thing I’d recommend is timing your visit for the 1 pm organ recital in the centre of the building. It gets busy in the atrium during this time, so if you’d like to watch from the atrium, I recommend getting there 15 minutes early to get a seat.

Top Tip: The art gallery empties out at 1 pm as most people go to see the recital. However, you can still hear the music from the art gallery. So if, like me, you like to get lost in thought looking at artwork, I suggest hanging back in the gallery at 1 pm to enjoy the music and space in peace with the freedom to lose yourself in thought.

End the day with dinner and live music on Ashton Lane

One thing I love about city breaks is the little hidden gems you find when wandering the back lanes. Luckily, Glasgow has plenty of these, and Ashton Lane is one of them.

One of our favourites was Ubiquitous Chip, known to locals as ‘the Chip’.  It is an iconic pub/ restaurant with a secret behind closed doors! One moment, you are propping up the bar in a century-old building drinking your favourite pint; the next, you are walking through a door at the back of the pub to a rainforest–esque restaurant. The labyrinth of rooms will eventually lead you to a canopy of greenery over a beautiful restaurant. The food is amazing, and you have a choice of menus depending on where you sit in the restaurant. It’s worth booking as this place can get busy!

Once you’re done eating, there are some cool bars to check out afterwards. Jinty McGinty’s is an Irish bar with soul and live music. Check out beforehand when live music is on so you’re not disappointed.

Day 2: Glasgow University & Botanic Gardens

Walking city tour through university and Botanic Gardens

One of my favourite spots around the city of Glasgow was definitely Glasgow University. Its Gilmore campus is compact, right in the centre of the West End, bordering Kelvingrove Park.

If you want an abundance of architecture, then this is the place to be. Its striking Gothic Revival architecture was never actually featured in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter, but you can certainly believe the rumours when you wander beneath the soaring spires.

After our initial visit, I made sure we walked through the campus at least a couple more times to take in the beauty.

Top Tip: Don’t forget to look up! Both in the cloisters and beneath the arches.

Catch a concert in the park (Botanic or Kelvingrove)

If you time your visit right, you will be able to choose from numerous concerts or comedy nights across the city. While we were there at the end of July, there was the ‘Summer Nights at the Bandstand’ Music Festival with big names like Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Marty Pellow. Tickets sell out in advance, so look up before you travel to plan your visit. And be prepared for all weathers as this is outdoors with no cover!

Bard in the Botanics was also on while we were in the city. It’s an annual Shakespeare Festival that runs Tuesday through Saturday every week during the summer season. Productions vary, and one was outside, whilst the other was in the main glasshouse. Luckily it was dry while we were there, but knowing what Scottish weather can be like, I think I’d opt for the indoor production unless I was desperate to see the alternative play!

Day 3:  Riverside Museum, Mural Trail & Ashton Lane Dinner

Walk to Riverside Museum

The Riverside Museum is another amazing museum space in Glasgow City that kept us entertained for hours. It’s an easy walk from the West End, but for tired legs, you could hop on the city’s open-top bus, which drops you at the door.

The Riverside Museum is very interactive, and looks at the history of Glasgow based around a mock Victorian Street. We loved getting dressed up and visiting the shops from years gone by. The transport section of the museum was by far my 6-year-old’s favourite part of the whole holiday! He spent ages sitting in various buses and trams, climbing beneath engines and following the museum trail.

This is a great day out for young children in the city!

One thing that worked really well for us was having a picnic at the dock outside. It is a great spot for a picnic overlooking the boats. You can come and go in the museum so you can break up your visit with a picnic outside if you need a break! If you bring scooters, there is a great space outside for playing, along with a basketball hoop for older children to let off steam!

Clyde River Walk to the Glasgow Mural Trail

Once you are down at the River, you are in a great spot to walk into the main city. I’ll be honest, it’s not a short stroll; it took us about an hour, which after being on our feet all day was quite a lot for little legs. My husband and I, however, welcomed this stretch of the legs after a couple of days meandering around museums, but we did have to entice the kids along the way!

If I were planning this day again, I’d hire Voi Bikes in the West End and cycle the route we took. I think it would add another dimension of fun to the day; save time, and reduce tired legs after a few days of walking! Sadly, the bikes are only suitable for over 16’s, so it wasn’t an option for us.

Once you arrive at the Kingston Underpass, you will start spotting the mural trail (not in numerical order from this direction!). Any tired legs were soon forgotten as we followed the Mural Trail map around the city centre. This was one of my highlights of Glasgow! What this area of the city was lacking in historic architecture, it made up in spades with creativity and beautiful buildings of a different sort. Why every city doesn’t adorn its buildings with artwork is a mystery to me!

Once we finished, we grabbed snacks in the city and headed back to the West End via the subway. What an easy subway system! Nothing like London or Paris, just one route, clockwise or anticlockwise.

End the day with pasta & the West End Cinema

After so much walking, you’ll need a good feed, and I honestly can’t think of a better place than pasta at Sugo. We went to the West End location, but if you can’t wait to get back from the city, you could visit Mitchell Street after the Mural Trail.

You know a restaurant is going to do a dish well when it’s the only thing on the menu! The fresh pasta was to die for, and it was the perfect casual place to relax after spending the day on our feet.

If you do make it back to the West End, you can finish your night at the Grosvenor Picture Theatre on Ashton Lane. An independent cinema with food and drink available. I don’t know about you, but after a busy 3 days exploring a new city, I could think of nothing better than slumping in a comfy seat in a carb coma watching a cult classic!

Honestly, you can’t go wrong with ending your visit on either of these evening activities, or both!

If I Did It Again…

• I’d stay in the West End again.
• I’d hire Voi bikes if travelling without young children.
• I’d spend another afternoon simply wandering the university area.
• I’d book Summer Nights at the Bandstand in advance.
• I’d allow an extra day just for the Highlands.

The vast majority of the activities within this itinerary are free of charge, making this a very affordable break away. You can spend as much or as little as you want on food and drink while you are here. We opted for mixing up picnics, with meals out. On the occasion we ate lunch out, we had dinner back at our Airbnb. Particularly as a family of five, this is a more affordable way of enjoying a city break.

As mentioned above, we actually spent 7 days in Glasgow, exploring the surrounding highlands also, but here I have cherry picked our best bits of the city for you in three days. If I had 3 days again, this is definitely where I would focus my time. Check out my blog post on ‘My Best 3 Day Trips From Glasgow’ if you have a little more time or want to switch one of your days in Glasgow for a slower pace in the Highlands.

Of course, you will leave Glasgow planning where you want to go on your next visit (at least that’s what happened to us), but three days is definitely enough to experience all Glasgow has to offer.

Glasgow surprised me.

I came expecting a city break.

I left wondering when I could come back.

It isn’t the prettiest city in Europe.

It isn’t the warmest.

It probably won’t be the one that appears first on your Scotland bucket list.

But it might just become your favourite.

Check out my other Glasgow Guides

If you are in the city for longer, or just want to escape the crowds, check out my best 3 Day Trips From Glasgow

If you are short on time for research and need a quick read, the 5 Best Glasgow sights + my secret swimming spot in the city is the blog for you!

If you’re travelling with children, you might also enjoy my guide to the best free things to do in Glasgow city with kids