You and your plus one (or full squad) looking for fun things to do in Glasgow? Get ready for a wild ride through Scotland’s most vibrant city! As a former local of Glasgow, I’ve compiled the ultimate list for you to make the most of your time in the city and by the end be saying “Glasgow – where have you been all my life?”
From sipping smooth whiskies to exploring world-class art galleries, Glasgow is bursting with unforgettable experiences that will leave you wanting more. Let’s dive right into the heart of Scotland’s cultural capital and uncover the hidden gems that make Glasgow truly unforgettable!
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Actually Fun Things to Do in Glasgow
#1 – University of Glasgow
In this alum’s humble opinion, the University of Glasgow is the crème de la crème of Glasgow. Founded in 1451, it is the 4th oldest university in the English speaking world. The main campus is located on the West End of Glasgow, and is reachable either via subway from the city centre or about a 30 minute walk if the weather is nice. Strolling together through the grounds is one of the more pleasant things to do in Glasgow West End.
The main building is amazing to look at with its iconic bell tower that looms above the Glasgow skyline. It’s about the closest you’ll get to feeling like you’re actually in Hogwarts. The impressive cloisters are just as fun to wander around, especially in the winter when they’re decked out in lights.
The university has been used as a filming location a handful of times for different movies and TV shows. If you’ve watched Outlander, you’ll recognize it as a stand in for Harvard (and Kelvingrove Park the city of Boston). If you saw Outlaw King on Netflix, it doubles as Westminster. It wasn’t actually Hogwarts in any of the Harry Potter films, but it sure could have been!
#2 – Hunterian Museum
The University of Glasgow is also quietly home to the Hunterian Museum, which is the oldest museum in Scotland. It is both a museum and an art gallery. Admission is free and is open every day of the week except for Monday.
Whether it’s mummies, meteorites, fossils, historical instruments from the birth of modern OBGYN (pun intended), or creepy things floating in jars, the Hunterian has something for everyone and is one of the best free things to do in Glasgow. You and your cohort will have a blast seeing all of the interesting, and sometimes bizarre, things there is to see.
#3 – Kelvingrove Park
Glasgow has the precious nickname ‘dear green place’ because the Gaelic meaning of the word “Glasgow” is ‘“green glen” or “green hollow.” Anytime you visit Glasgow, even if you’re there in the middle of winter, the city is so unbelievably green. As a Midwesterner, my jaw just about dropped to the floor when I first walked through Kelvingrove Park and I saw such vibrant green nature in the dead of January.
Kelvingrove Park is a great place to see in Glasgow, as it’s totally free and allows you to get the tranquility of nature without leaving the city. Glasgow regularly tops the list of UK cities with the most greenspace, so taking in one of the city’s parks is a must.
Kelvingrove Park is located on the Kelvin River and is a very pleasant way to stretch your legs and view the city. The University of Glasgow is located adjacent to Kelvingrove Park, and the path between the Kelvingrove Museum and the University of Glasgow runs through Kelvingrove Park; you’ll even pass a statue of physicist Lord Kelvin on your way!
You might be thinking I think they’re overdoing it on the Kelvin thing a little bit, and you’d be right.
If you happen to be in Glasgow in the summertime and catch the sun out, it’s “taps aff,” which translates to “the sun is out and it’s time to take our shirts off,” something that rarely happens in Glasgow. Kelvingrove Park becomes swarmed with locals out for a picnic, all having brought their portable charcoal grills. The local Tesco will be out of supplies, but you should definitely spend a couple hours amongst the crowd enjoying the jubilant vibes.
If you happen to catch this immaculate vibe, cherish it.
#4 – Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is one of the best free things to do in Glasgow. This is not just a favorite of tourists; it’s a beloved spot by locals as well. The building itself is beautiful to behold as you stroll through the West End.
Don’t let the zero dollar price tag fool you, there is some excellent art housed at the Kelvingrove. The most famous painting on display is Salvador Dali’s Christ of St. John of the Cross which is by and large considered a masterpiece. I know next to nothing about art, but I’d agree it was impressive to look at.
There’s a Rembrandt, Man in Armour, as well as works of Monet just to name drop a few artists that the lay person might know. If you love art, give yourself hours to enjoy. If you don’t, it’s free, so might as well hop in and look around for 20-30 minutes and appreciate getting to be close to world renowned pieces of art. Those 20-30 minutes are especially a good use of your time if it’s raining outside. It’s open 7 days a week so it’s easy to include in your day.
Also, when you do get caught in the rain during your stay in Glasgow (because it will happen), make sure you’re prepared. Check out my Scotland packing list that has been honed over my multiple trips to Scotland from the US.
Glasgow is home to several other museums and galleries. It’s one of the reasons that Glasgow is in my Top 10 Places to See in Scotland list.
#5 – Glasgow Street Art Walking Tour
If you appreciate art, but galleries aren’t necessarily your thing, or you’re lucky and have been struck with great weather in the forecast, consider a street art tour. Glasgow is quickly becoming known for both the quantity and the quality of the city’s street art. There are over 30 gigantic murals located within a mile or so of each other (the Mural Mile). Each one more impressive than the next, not to mention all of the smaller, equally impressive murals that fill the city.
Any art enthusiast, casual or die-hard, that is looking to experience culture beyond the gallery setting, should definitely book a street art walking tour, available through Viator. The tour guides will walk you through alleys and beneath bridges that you might not think to go yourself to find the hidden artistic gems of Glasgow. For the artist loving group, this especially one of the best things to do in Glasgow.
#6 – Glasgow Botanical Gardens
Located in the West End, the Glasgow Botanical Gardens sprawl over acres of stunning flora. They feature several glasshouses, including the Kibble Palace: a 19th century wrought iron-framed glasshouse that covers over 2000 square meters of land. Walking through the glasshouses makes you feel like you’re in a fairy tale – likely a regular sensation on your trip to Scotland.
The garden has a wide variety of plants, including tropical plants, an herb garden, a chronologically bed with plants planned according to their introduction to Scotland. Not stopping there, it also has the UK’s national collection of tree ferns and a world rose garden.
The gardens are open from 7am to dusk, but the glasshouses are open 10am-6pm in the summer months (10-4pm in the winter months). The gardens also house a tea room, situated in a quaint Victorian house in the middle of two glasshouses. An afternoon tea is one of the more delightful things to do in Glasgow for couples.
#7 – National Piping Centre
Is there anything more quintessentially Scottish than the bagpipe? Glasgow is home to the National Piping Centre of Scotland, a national and international center of excellence for the bagpipe and its music. Within the Centre is the Museum of Piping, which has many treasures of the piping world.
When I lived in Glasgow I took lessons at the National Piping Centre (both on the history of the bagpipe and how to play it). The history of the instrument is so fascinating; it’s an instrument of war and has been a part of most major Scottish conflicts. Playing a bagpipe is next to impossible without months to years of training.
The Museum is open Monday-Saturday between business hours and has an entry fee of £5.00 per person. There’s also a restaurant at the piping centre that serves traditional Scottish food with a modern flare and is quite good.
#8 – Celtic Football Stadium
Glasgow is home to not one but two football clubs: the Celtic and the Ranchers. Both teams compete in the Scottish Premiership, which is the highest division of Scottish football. There is a fierce, long standing rivalry between the two teams. This rivalry has an undeniably cool name, the “Old Firm.”
When I lived in Glasgow, I was told to not wear Ranger apparel in certain parts of the city, and the same with Celtic gear in other parts. I never dared to test the truth of that advice.
The Celtic are one of only five clubs in the world to have won over 100 trophies and have won the Scottish league championship 54 times. This behind the scenes hour long tour will let you peek inside the dressing rooms (or what us Yanks would call locker rooms), walk through the player’s tunnel, sit in the dugout, and hear secrets and stories of one of Glasgow’s two most popular teams. Seeing the stadium, or attending a live game if your visit occurs during their season, is easily one of the best things to do in Glasgow for sports fans.
#9 – Riverside Museum of Transport and Travel
I’m going to start by admitting that I’m not always the biggest museum girlie. I’m definitely more of the ~20-30 minutes if it’s free~ type rather than the ~plan an itinerary around a museum visit~ type. I wish I was more of the latter, but here we are. To be frank, in most cities, I would never even consider going to a museum of “Transport and Travel.”
That goes out the window for the Riverside Museum. I love this museum.
And it’s not just me. My husband concurs; Riverside Museum is an actually one of the most fun things to do in Glasgow for couples.
Riverside Museum is located at the junction of the Rivers Kelvin and Clyde and houses the city’s transport and technology collections, which are nothing short of fabulous. And you might be thinking, “that doesn’t sound that fabulous.” But I’m strongly suggesting giving it 20-30 minutes since it’s one the best free things to do in Glasgow and it’s open 7 days a week.
In my opinion, the crown jewel of the Riverside Museum is the Glenlee, aka the Tall Ship, which is an actual 19th century ship that was built in Port Glasgow that floats in the river next to the museum. Glasgow was a powerhouse for producing ships like this for the British empire and this hearkens back to that time. It’s the only ship built from that era that is still floating in the UK. Even if maritime history isn’t your thing, it’s one of the cooler places to see in Glasgow.
#10 – Clydeside Distillery
Just a 10 minute walk from the Riverside Museum is Clydeside Distillery, Glasgow’s only distillery of world-famous Scottish whisky (AKA Scotch). Going to a distillery is almost a requirement for your Scotland trip itinerary, and this one is so conveniently located in Glasgow that it’s basically impossible to pass up.
The Clydeside Distillery is Glasgow’s first single-malt distillery to open in over a century. It opened just 5 months after I moved away from Glasgow in 2017, so I knew we had to go when we returned to Glasgow 2 years later. After all, you’re in Scotland so one of the best things to do in Glasgow has to be drinking.
They offer educational tours and tastings that you should book in advance. If you’re like me and just showed up, ready for a tour with no advanced booking, you might be out of luck. (We weren’t entirely out of luck as the Clydeside Cafe had open seating and we were able to try a flight of different malts and whisky flights.)
On their tours you’ll learn about the history of whisky (no e), see the distilling process, and taste whiskies from three different Scottish regions. Be better than me and book your tour in advance through Viator here. Plan transport accordingly because you might feel a little tipsy after a whisky flight of your own.
#11 – Glasgow Cathedral
The Glasgow Cathedral is the oldest cathedral in mainland Scotland and is actually the oldest building in Glasgow. It is free to visit and open to visits 7 days a week (Sundays not until 1pm, as the mornings are just for worshippers). There has been a church at this site since the 500s AD, but the actual present day Cathedral was built and consecrated in 1198.
It is the only medieval cathedral on the Scottish mainland to have survived the Protestant Reformation of 1560, which saw most other cathedrals destroyed or seriously damaged. As you’re wandering around, you feel like you’re walking through a thousand years of history.
#12 – Glasgow Necropolis
One of the odder things to do in Glasgow is next to the Glasgow Cathedral: the Glasgow Necropolis. It is garden cemetery full of some crazy impressive architecture and statues. You might usually be someone who skips a cemetery on your vacation plan (I’m going to assume that’s actually most people), but it is worth wandering around and taking in the view of the city from the hill if nothing else.
And to any of my fellow Twilight girlies who still support Robert Pattinson’s every artistic endeavor (no way it’s just me), they did film parts of the 2021 Batman in the Glasgow Necropolis.
#13 – Wellpark Brewery (Tennent’s) Tour
If you need to switch gears after wandering around in a cemetery, just a 10 minute walk away is Wellpark Brewery where Scotland’s most famous beer, Tennent’s, is made. Like I said above, drinking together is one of the best things to do in Glasgow for couples.
If you’re in Scotland for more than 24 hours, you’ll see scores of locals drinking Tennent’s Lager, Scotland’s best selling beer. The company has been producing the beer since 1885, and you’ll see the bright red T logo on pints in every pub you visit. If you are a beer drinker, touring Wellpark Brewery where the drink is produced is one of absolute the best places to see in Glasgow.
Book this behind the scenes brewery tour through Viator and learn about Scottish beer production, including the opportunity to view brewing artifacts that date back to the 1500s. You get to taste beer straight from the tank, and a pint of Tennent’s beer is included with the tour.
Planning to travel in Scotland beyond just Glasgow? Check out my 7-Day Scotland Itinerary or Best Month to Visit Scotland post if you’re looking to maximize your time and dollars in this wonderful country.
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