2 hours free
Glasgow Science Centre, SECC and the River Clyde |
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- Explore the City Centre
The city centre is very compact and it is easy to cram in a lot of things in 2 hours. Glasgow’s magnificent City Chambers has more marble than any other building in the world except the Vatican. Tobacco barons built Glasgow’s fortune in the 18th century and one of their grand houses has now been converted to the Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art. Or why not shop at the stylish Princes Square shopping centre or explore the nearby Lighthouse, Scotland’s centre of architecture and design?
- Visit Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
Take the underground to Kelvinhall to visit the most popular museum outside London. You can see Salvador Dali’s world-famous Christ of St John of the Cross or works by Van Gogh, Whistler, Monet and Botticelli. And no visit is complete without sampling the works of Glasgow’s greatest artist and architect, the art nouveau trailblazer Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
- Take an Open Top Bus Tour
What better way to see the city than from the top of a bus? Tickets cost £9 for adults and the bus calls at various attractions including George Square, Glasgow Cathedral, Glasgow University, and Mackintosh’s Willow Tearooms. Delegates can get on board at the SECC. See the City Sightseeing Glasgow website for more details http://scotguide.com/index.htm
L-R: George Square, restored Spitfire hanging in the West Court of Kelvingrove, open top bus tour in the cathedral district. |
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- Visit the Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery and Kelvingrove Park
Situated within the Gothic splendour of Glasgow University’s main building, the gallery and museum is a 10 minute walk from Hillhead underground. Current exhibitions include sketchings by Rembrandt, work by the Scottish colourists, and the work of scientist Lord Kelvin. Across the road at the Mackintosh House Gallery is the world’s largest collection of designs and watercolours by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
- Visit Glasgow Science Centre and the Tall Ship
Just minutes’ walk from the SECC, the Glasgow Science Centre is now one of the great landmarks on the River Clyde. Hundreds of interactive exhibits make science fun, and there is also an IMAX cinema for the ultimate movie-going experience. It’s large windows offer some of the best views of the city and the river. For a reminder of Glasgow’s great shipbuilding history, visit the Tall Ship, a three mast former Victorian cargo carrier, that hosts interesting nautical exhibitions, and is moored next to the SECC?
L-R: Glasgow Science Centre at night, Makintosh House at Hunterian Art Gallery & Museum, Tall Ship at Glasgow Harbour. |
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- See Glasgow School of Art
Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s architectural masterpiece is a Glasgow icon. Built between 1896 and 1909, it combines the Scottish baronial style with Mackintosh’s ground-breaking art nouveau ideas. Sir Christopher Frayling, the rector of the Royal College of Art, said: “It is the only art school in the world where the building is worthy of the subject.” Take a low level train to Charing Cross or the subway to Cowcaddens and it is 10 minutes’ walk away. It is still a working art school, but tours are available by calling (44) 141 353 4500 or email shop@gsa.ac.uk
- Shop then unwind at the Willow Tea Rooms
Glasgow is retail heaven with Buchanan Street recently voted one of the world’s top ten shopping streets. Try the designer boutiques of the trendy Merchant City, the upmarket Princes Square shopping centre on Buchanan Street, Sauchiehall Street, or the St Enoch Centre. Finish your visit off with a light meal or tea and a cake at the Willow Tea Rooms, stunning art nouveau gems that were designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh situated in Sauchiehall Street and Buchanan Street.
L-R: Shopping on Buchanan Street, Glasgow School of Art library, Willow Tearooms |
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