City Focus Glasgow
BY ROBIN MCKELVIE
Citylens GLASGOW
GONE are the days when
Glasgow was just a
struggling, post-industrial city – today
Scotland’s largest metropolis is culturally
rich and architecturally innovative! The city
has successfully rebranded itself “Scotland
with Style”, a powerhouse of cuttingedge
fashion, design and culture. Take the
dramatic £20.3 million Finnieston Bridge
across the River Clyde (pictured). Completed
in late 2006, the 169m-long road crossing is
an instantly recognisable gateway into the
newly flourishing Glasgow. Throw in fierce
football rivalry, raucously energetic nightlife,
the upcoming 2014 Commonwealth Games
and enough sights to fill a month, and it’s
no wonder that Glasgow is one of Europe’s
fastest-growing city break destinations.
Citydays GLASGOW
Hedonists will love Glasgow’s mix of culture, shopping and football
GLASWEGIANS don’t like to waste time, so hit the ground running
on GEORGE SQUARE, a lavish public space awash
with grand Georgian architecture harking back
to the “Second City of the Empire” days. Take a
pew if you can get one as a flurry of events buzz
through the plaza all year.
The best way to get an idea of the city’s layout is on a BUS TOUR from George Square. Brave the open top ones if you dare. This will show you how the main districts – the grid-like city centre, the raffish West End, the revamped Merchant City and the rapidly changing Riverside – all fit together. You can also hop on and off.
Time now for the city’s number one museum,
the recently reborn KELVINGROVE ART GALLERY
AND MUSEUM. It’s a cultural powerhouse that
easily swallows up a day whether you are aged
five or 50. Refuel at KG CAFÉ, housed within the
museum’s glass atrium. Other key cultural sites
include the world-famous BURRELL COLLECTION,
a palatial retreat with sculptures, paintings and
other treasures; the GALLERY OF MODERN ART
and SCOTLAND STREET SCHOOL MUSEUM, a glowing
testament to the city’s greatest architectural son,
Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
Glasgow is also serious about shopping. The style-conscious Glaswegians like nothing better than a bit of Armani or Gucci, and prices are much cheaper than in London or Paris. The heart of the action is on Buchanan Street, a pedestrianised shopping oasis with the BUCHANAN GALLERIES mall and boutique outlets on PRINCES SQUARE. For lunch at the latter, try smooth newcomer STRIPED BASS, with its bounty of seafood treats.
Next make a beeline for the River Clyde, now home to designer flats, hotels and restaurants, instead of rusting shipyards. Look out for the Riverside Walkway, the brand new “SQUINTY BRIDGE” and the SCIENCE CENTRE, an unmissable high-tech attraction that also sports Scotland’s tallest freestanding structure. For lunch or a drink by the river, recline on the terrace at the suitably modern CITY INN.
For a touch of history and nostalgia, cruise down the River Clyde to the open sea on the world’s last ocean-going paddle steamer, the WAVERLEY. Enjoy a “poke of chips”, and the strains of the accordion as you head “doon the water”.
For a taste of fine whisky take a road trip 20
minutes from the city centre to AUCHENTOSHAN
DISTILLERY, home to Scotland’s only triple distilled
single malt and see how the subtle drink is made.
As crucial to Glasgow’s soul as whisky is football, so try to snare a ticket for a CELTIC or RANGERS game. Or take a tour of the national stadium, HAMPDEN, which also houses the Scottish Museum of Football.
