Guide To Glasgow

A spectacularly beautiful city with culture, heritage, natural wonders and an outstanding music scene - Glasgow has grandeur and authenticity wrapped into one. The city centre retains much of its Victorian charms - which is is just one reason the city is a common backdrop for Hollywood films, both big and small. A former shipping polestar, the city has since transformed, in more recent years being hailed the European City of Culture, followed by City of Architecture and Design, and Unesco City of Music – the first city in Britain to receive this honour. Now it’s a cultural heavy hitter, known around the world for its music, creative arts, theatre, design and innovative cuisine. On any given week there could be more than 100 music events taking place across the city. And of course, if one thing is a given in this diverse, dynamic and ever-sociable city, visitors will always have a good time.

The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

One of Scotland's most popular free attractions, this eclectic venue houses more than 8,000 objects within its 22 themed gallery spaces. Spanning a range of periods, disciplines and movements, such as natural history, visual art, arms and armour, and more, the collection is varied and international in its appeal. Standout works include the Salvador Dali painting ‘Christ of St John of the Cross’, and in the west court hangs a once-in-use Spitfire plane.

Scottish Ballet

2019 is an important year for the Scottish Ballet, marking the company’s 50th anniversary. Based in Glasgow and considered one of the leading ballet companies in the UK, they regular perform across the country. Vibrant and bold, the Scottish Ballet typically tours with an orchestra, so they can dance alongside a pulsating live score. Equally, fostering and nurturing new talent in dance and promoting Scotland’s pioneering spirit around the world, are but two things Scottish Ballet is known for.

Gallery Of Modern Art

The most-visited modern art gallery in Scotland, the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art is the must-see for anyone interested in the contemporary art scene. Comprised of four galleries, the over100 year ago neoclassical building was once a centre for business, owned by a wealthy tobacco merchant. Today, GoMA holds onto these founding principles, as the venues continues to be a place where people gather, exchange ideas and learn, inspired by the art collection and visiting shows. In addition to the constant rotation of national and international collections, it also proves one of the main venues to display works during the Glasgow International Festival.

The centrally located Principal Grand Central is only a six-minute walk away. Fantastic for people watching, this city icon of a hotel is always abuzz. The renovated fifth-floor rooms offer the best views and comfiest stays. The Champagne Bar with its urbane New York sensibility also warrants a stop.

Mackintosh House at Hunterian Art Gallery

Glaswegian architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh launched the Arts and Crafts movement in the late 19th century. His work and furniture is displayed with pride of place across the city, including at the Glasgow School of Art where he studied. But in order to be fully immersed into his unique point of view and eclectic and whimsical style of art, visit the Hunterian Art Gallery on the University of Glasgow’s campus. Here his immaculate home has been re-created alongside a large collection of his custom furniture.

Both the Mackintosh House and the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum are located fairly far west, and we suggest hitting both on the same morning or afternoon before taxiing back to the sumptuous Fraser Suites - 75 high-end serviced apartments in an impressive 19th-century building near the Old Town.

Drygate Brewery Co.

A hip Eat End brewery with more than 20 beers on tap, this is just the place you would hope to find at the end of a long day. When it comes to food, there are two options, an ultra-casual beer hall that also serves a few salty snacks and pizzas. And the sit-down spot - still casual - which has on the menu, among other delights, a succulent venison served with a redcurrant jus; pappardelle with smoked chestnuts; and haddock with batter freshly made using Drygate’s own Bearface lager.

Cathedral House Hotel is under five minutes by foot, which is probably the most suitable mode of transportation after a visit to Drygate Brewery Co. With only eight rooms, designed with candy floss-pink velvet soft furnishings and bronze-brush accents, the interiors are both elegant and refined. Outside, this 19th-century Scottish baronial-style hotel, complete with turrets, is equally impressive.

The Ben Nevis

The Ben Nevis peak from which this bar takes its name attracts more that 125,000 walkers a year. The Glasgow bar attracts a melting pot of tourists and locals each night of the week. On Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, expect traditional folk musicians to perform live, as the whiskey - for which this bar is known - continues to flow.

The Gannet

The Gannet makes it onto practically every best-of list across the city and beyond. Working closely with more than a dozen producers, sourcing quality ingredients from across the country, chef-owners Peter McKenna and Ivan Stein take their work incredibly seriously. Keeping apace with client preferences and demands, the kitchen recently switched to a tasting menu format, offering a series of curated small plates instead of an a la carte menu. The concept pays tribute to Scotland’s larder, offering the best the country has to offer with a contemporary twist.

Set on a welcoming leafy square, Kimpton Blythswood Square is a five-minute taxi ride. A series of Georgian townhouses spliced together, inside there is a private cinema, a thrumming restaurant, an award-winning spa and a series of conferences spaces; in addition to the 113 well-appointed rooms and suites.

Tantrum Doughnuts

The tagline at Tantrum Doughnuts is: made by people, not machines. And in our high-tech, overly processed world, it is certainly a welcome change. Tantrum first opened in Glasgow in 2015, and they now have two outposts - one in the city centre and the other in the West End. Tantrum has a couple failsafe regulars, such as their crème brûlée (torched sugar on the outside, Madagascar vanilla-bean custard on the inside), but otherwise the flavours rotate monthly. Seasonal favourites include a pistachio and tahini custard, and an apple-strudel old-fashioned with caramel glaze and baked crumble.

Bluebellgray

Inspired by English and Scottish gardens, a talented alumnus of the Glasgow School of Art has launched this elegant design studio and boutique. A poem to the artist’s love of florals and bright colours, each design is hand-painted upstairs in the studio, then printed onto bedding, oversized cushions, armchairs, sofas, porcelain dishes and more. Beyond the pre-made items in the showroom, avid shoppers with an eye for design can also order custom-made curtains and other home decor items.

The Hotel du Vin, a Glasgow boutique hotel with whimsical floral-patterned finishings that rival the designs of Bluebellgray, is less than 10 minutes by foot. Cosy with only 49 rooms and set in an historic Grade II-listed townhouse on a treelined street, it’s welcoming both inside and out.