Destination: GLASGOW, SCOTLAND

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland, and the third largest in the United Kingdom with a population of about 620,000 in the city itself, or over 1.8 million if the surrounding towns of the Clydeside conurbation are taken into account. Located at the west end of Scotland's Central Belt on the banks of the River Clyde, Glasgow's historical importance as Scotland's main industrial centre has been challenged in recent decades by decline and change.

In recent years, however, Glasgow has been awarded the European titles of City of Culture (1990), City of Architecture and Design (1999) and Capital of Sport (2003), and the city has transformed itself from being the once mighty powerhouse of industrial Britain to a centre for commerce, tourism, and culture.

Visitors will find a revitalised city centre, the best shopping outside London, excellent parks and museums (most of which are free), and easy access to the highlands and islands. However, for all its regeneration projects, Glasgow still contains some of the most deprived neighbourhoods in the UK.

UNDERSTAND GLASGOW

Glasgow is almost completely unlike Edinburgh, 70 km to the east. You should visit both. Be patient with the local accent - it can be difficult to understand, even if you have had experience with English in other countries, indeed, a particularly thick accent often causes trouble to even native english speakers. The speed of the conversation tends to be quite quick in Glasgow. If necessary, ask people to repeat (even slowly!) what they are saying, Glaswegians are generally very friendly and able to communicate in much more formal English.

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THINGS TO SEE IN GLASGOW

Architecture

As befits a city that was at its richest through the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th, Glasgow has a fine legacy of Victorian buildings. Most of Glasgow is built in the salmon colored sandstone that is the trademark of the city and which positively glows on a bright day; none of Aberdeen's dour granite here.

Glasgow was also the home of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, one of the "Glasgow Four" a group of leading proponents of art nouveau architecture. Indeed, during his lifetime, Mackintosh was probably better regarded abroad than he was in his native Glasgow, even apparently inspiring Frank Lloyd Wright. However, recently resurrected as one of the cities most beloved sons. You will notice, along with quite a few of his buildings to see in the city, including his magnum opus, the Glasgow School of Art, many other knock-offs and impersonations exist.

The following list is a selection of significant buildings in Glasgow.

The Clyde Auditorium, affectionately known by Glaswegians as the Armadillo, is a stunning building which forms part of the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (train: Exhibition Centre).
Glasgow Cathedral is a fine example of Gothic architecture dating from medieval times and built on a site first consecrated in 397 AD.
Glasgow School of Art, Renfrew Street (subway: Cowcaddens) is seen as one of Charles Rennie Mackintosh's finest buildings and is one of Britain's pre-eminent schools of art, design and architecture. Guided tours of the building are available (you must book in advance), or if you want to create your own art in the building, you can enrol for evening classes or the summer school.
Glasgow University, University Avenue (subway: Hillhead) contains the Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, including a reconstruction of Mackintosh's house. The exterior is fine in its own right; the current main University building is of the neo-gothic and dates from 1870, although the University as an institution is much older, being founded in 1451. The front of the building commands views over Kelvingrove Park and the western fringes of the city.
The House for an Art Lover, Bellahouston Park (train: Dumbreck or subway: Ibrox), was built in the 1990s to Mackintosh's original 1901 entry for a design competition. Opening times vary. Ł3.50.
Scotland Street School, 225 Scotland Street (subway: Shields Road). Charles Rennie Mackintosh's last major building - thoughtfully designed, with an excellent museum covering both Mackintosh and the changing faces of schools. Open daily. Free.

Museums and art galleries

The Victorians also left Glasgow with a wonderful legacy of museums and art galleries, which the city has dutifully built upon. The following list is only a selection. The city council alone runs 13 museums and galleries; for a full list of these see their Glasgow Museums website.

Burrell Collection, Pollok Country Park (train: Pollokshaws West, then walk through Pollok Park). This is a collection of over 9000 artworks gifted to the city of Glasgow by Sir William Burrell and housed in a purpose-built museum in the Pollok Estate in the south of the city. Open M-Th,Sa 10am-5pm; F,Su 11am-5pm. Free.
Gallery of Modern Art On Queen Street in the City Centre, this gallery houses a terrific collection of recent paintings and sculptures, with space for new exhibitions. In the basement is in of Glasgow's many public libraries, with free internet access and cafe.
Glasgow Science Centre, Pacific Quay (train: Exhibition Centre or subway: Cessnock) has hundreds of interactive science exhibits for children, an IMAX cinema, and the 125-meter Glasgow Tower (re-opened summer 2004), the only tower in the world which can rotate through 360 degrees from its base.
TRANSMISSION GALLERY, a gallery set up in '83 by ex-students of the Glasgow School of Art as a hub for the local art community and to provide exhibition space street level photoworks, an alternative art gallery/installation space
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Argyle Street (subway: Kelvinhall). One of the finest civic collections in Europe is housed within this Glasgow Victorian landmark museum. The collections include everything from fine and decorative arts to archaeology and the natural world.
McLellan Galleries, Sauchiehall Street. Normally used as a temporary space for visiting exhibitions, this grade II listed building in the center of Glasgow will, until Kelvingrove reopens, host the 'Art Treasures of Kelvingrove', an exhibition of the city's best-loved art works.
Museum of Transport, Kelvin Hall, Bunhouse Road (subway: Kelvinhall) . The museum uses its collections of vehicles and models to tell the story of transport by land and sea, with a unique Glasgow flavour. Besides the usual rail locomotives, buses, trams, cars and planes, the museum also includes a recreated subway station, and a street scene of old Glasgow.
Provand's Lordship, Castle Street (opposite Glasgow Cathedral). Glasgow's oldest remaining house, built in 1471, has been renovated to give visitors and idea what the inside of a Glasgow house was like circa 1700.
Sharmanka, 14 King Street. Sharmanka is a Kinetic Gallery / Theatre. It consists of a number of strange machines created by the Russian artists Eduard Bersudsky. The machines perform stories and the light and sound during the performance adds to a really unique and amazing experience.
People's Palace and Winter Gardens on Glasgow Green. The People's Palace is a great folk museum, telling the history of Glasgow and its people, from various perspectives. Free. The Winter Garden, adjacent, has a reasonable cafe.
Tenement House, 145 Buccleuch Street, Garnethill. A National Trust for Scotland site, a middle class Glasgow tenement house preserved in pretty much the way it was in the early 20th Century.
St. Mungo's Museum, 2 Castle Street. Next to Glasgow Cathedral, the museum features exhibits relating not only to Glasgow's patron saint and the growth of Christianity in the city, but numerous exhibits pertaining to many faiths practised locally and worldwide. Free entry.

THINGS TO DO IN GLASGOW

There are many club nights, concerts and festivals in Glasgow. seeglasgow.com, the official Glasgow tourist site has a constantly updated list of events in the city

Music

Glasgow's been famous for its music scene(s) for at least 20 years. There's plenty of venues where you're likely to see a good band (and lots of bad bands too); on any day of the week there should be at least several shows to choose from throughout the city, with the number increasing to a even greater variety on Thursday, Friday & Saturday.

Football

Glasgow also has the 3 biggest football stadia in Scotland. The major events in the football season are the clashes between the two Premier league clubs, Rangers and Celtic. Known as the "Old firm" matches, these 90 minute competitions produce a profound effect on the city, occasionally resulting in violent clashes during or after the game. Cup ties between these two giants are quite frequent, raising the tensions further. Be aware that getting tickets for "Old Firm " games can be difficult and cup ties near impossible. If you must go to one of these matches be sure not to wear team colours after the match.

Parks

For a large city Glasgow has a surprising number of parks and green spaces. The most famous of these is Glasgow Green. Founded by Royal grant in 1450, Glasgow Green has slowly been enclosed by the city and evolved from grazing land into a modern public park. The highlights are

Nelsons memorial (an obelisk or needle)
The Peoples Palace Museum displaying details of Glasgow life (including one of Billy Connolly's banana boots)
The Templeton carpet factory (now a business center) with its ornate brick work.
The Doulton fountain (recently renovated, it's the largest terracotta fountain in the world).

Glasgow Green is also the home of the Glasgow Humane Society. The Society was founded in 1790 and is the world's oldest practical life-saving body. Until June 2005 the society volunteers were responsible for rescuing those unfortunate to fall into the River Clyde. Unfortunately modern heath and safety regulations require two life boat men on duty and a lack of volunteers has forced the sole lifeboat man, George Parsonage, to stand down the service after 215 years. The rescue service is now performed by the Strathclyde Fire Brigade.

"The Green" as its know to the locals is also one of the major venues for concerts and open air events in Glasgow. The best way to get there is on foot from either Bridgeton or Argle st railway stations or from the bus routes along London road. There is limited official parking in or around the green and the area is notorious for car crime. Be aware the council will tow away illegally parked vehicles and charge you up to 250 pounds to get them back !

Kelvingrove Park in the city's West End is also a very popular park, particularly with the students from the nearby University. The most prominent landmark here is the Art Gallery and Museum on the banks of the River Kelvin which runs through the park. It also contains a recently constructed Skate Park.

For more information on Glasgow, visit the source at Wikitravel

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Glasgow, Scotland