(Includes Balloch, Blanefield, Helensburgh & Paisley.)
BARS & NIGHTCLUBS
●Bon Accord – 153 North Street (Anderston); 011-44-0141-248-4427; bonaccordpub.com; serves best “real ale” in town; also has wide scotch selection.
●Corinthian Club – 191 Ingram Street (Merchant City); 011-44-0141-552-1101; corinthian.co.uk; see & be seen club & restaurant; meticulously restored 19th Century bank; now houses several bars, nightclub & restaurant.
●King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut – 272a Vincent Street (Anderston); 011-44-0141-221-5279; kingtuts.co.uk; core of Glasgow’s indie music scene; Oasis discovered here.
●Nice ‘n’ Sleazy – 421 Sauchiehall Street (City Center); 011-44-0141-333-0900; nicensleazy.com; ultra-hip bar with great juke box.
●Òran Mór – Byres Road (West End); 011-44-0141-357-6200; oran-mor-co.uk; converted church now whiskey bar; across street from Botanic Garden; more than just bar, though; multiple watering holes, restaurants, beer garden, nightclub & performance space.
●Republic Bier Halle – 7-9 Gordon Street (Merchant City); 011-44-0141-204-0706; republicbierhalle.com; youth-fueled watering hole.
●Research Club – 44-46 Ashton Lane North (West End); 011-44-0845-166-6011; researchclubglasgow.co.uk.
HOTELS
●ABode Glasgow – 129 Bath Street (City Center); 011-44-0141-221-6789; abodeglasgow.co.uk; peaceful boutique hotel with 59 rooms; modern design in traditional architecture.
●Belhaven Hotel – 15 Belhaven Terrace (West End); 011-44-0141-339-3222; belhavenhotel.com; has original Victorian woodwork, ornate plasterwork & 4-poster beds.
●Hotel du Vin – 1 Devonshire Gardens (West End); 011-44-0141-378-0385; hotelduvin.com/locations/glasgow; 5 townshouses united into hotel; distant from main part of town; nice bar; room you want (must have!) is Freixenet.
●Kirklee Hotel – 11 Kensington Gate (West End); 011-44-0141-334-5555; kirkleehotel.co.uk; smaller hotel once home to Edwardian ship broker.
●Merchant City Inn – 52 Virginia Street (Merchant City); 011-44-141-552-2424; merchantcityinn.com; built in fortress-like, 200 year-old walls of former tobacco warehouse; retains solid stone circular staircase & cobblestone courtyard.
RESTAURANTS
●Brasserie – Byres Road (West End, at Òran Mór); 011-44-0141-357-6226; oran-mor.co.uk/dining/the-brasserie-restaurant; Òran Mór’s primary dining venue; heavenly desserts & sophisticated entrees.
●Café Gandolfi – 64 Albion Street (Merchant City); 011-44-0141-552-6813; cafegandolfi.com; try “Cullen skink” – fish chowder & black pudding (sounds gross but actually tasty); casual, good food.
●Café Zique – 66 Hyndland Street (West End); 011-44-0141-339-7180; delizique.com; for Scottish breakfasts.
●Corinthian Club – 191 Ingram Street (Merchant City); 011-44-0141-552-1101; corinthian.co.uk; see & be seen club & restaurant; meticulously restored 19th Century bank; now houses several bars, nightclub & restaurant.
●Guy’s Bar & Restaurant – 24 Candleriggs (Merchant City); 011-44-0141-552-1114; guysrestaurant.co.uk; fine European cuisine.
●Left Bank – 33-35 Gibson Street (West End); 011-44-0141-339-5969; theleftbank.co.uk; airy, bright restaurant that specializes in breakfast.
●Mono – 12 King’s Court (City Center); 011-44-0141-553-2400; monocafebar.com; low-key hangout with regular music events & extensive vegan menu.
●Piper’s Tryst – 30-34 McPhater Street (City Center); 011-44-0141-353-5551; thepipingcentre.co.uk; in tiny museum dedicated to bagpipe, National Piping Centre; hearty sandwiches & salads.
●Saracen’s Head – 209 Gallowgate (Dennistoun); 011-44-0141-552-1660; saracenhead.com; cavernous, old pub; known locally as “Sarry Heid”; Dr. Johnson & Boswell stayed here after touring Hebrides in 1773.
●Stravaigin – 28 Gibson Street (Kelvinbridge); 011-44-0141-334-2665; stravaigin.co.uk; for curries (believe it or not); great atmosphere with big bar & open fire.
●Two Fat Ladies – 88 Dumbarton Road (West End); 011-44-0141-339-1944; twofatladiesrestaurant.com; branches throughout city; don’t miss toffee pudding with cream.
●Ubiquitous Chip – 12 Ashton Lane (Hillhead/West End); 011-44-0141-334-5007; ubiquitouschib.co.uk; 1970s vibe but modern food; Glasgow’s Chez Panisse.
●Willow Tea Rooms – 217 Sauchiehall Street (City Center); 011-44-0141-332-0521; willowtearooms.co.uk; at Glasgow School of Art; Room de Luxe (where tea served) designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh; tea-rooms unchanged since 1904; good for afternoon tea.
SHOPPING
●Roger Billcliffe Gallery – 134 Blythswood Street (City Center); 011-44-0141-332-4027; billcliffegallery.com; country’s largest private gallery.
●Compass Gallery – 178 West Regent Street (Anderston); 011-44-0141-221-6370; compassgallery.co.uk; contemporary & traditional Scottish art.
●Hector Russell Kiltmaker – 110 Buchanan Street (City Center); 011-44-0141-221-0217; hector-russell.com; kilts.
●Mary Mary – 6 Dixon Street (Govanhill); 011-44-0141-226-2257; marymarygallery.co.uk; European & Glaswegian artists with conceptual slant.
●Iain J. Mellis Cheesemonger – 492 Great Western Road (West End); 011-44-0141-339-8998; mellischeese.net; make sure to try Grimbister (crumbly, slightly lemon-y Orkney farmhouse cheese) & Bishop Kennedy (slightly peaty, velvety, unpasteurized cow's milk cheese).
●Modern Institute – 14-20 Osborne Street (City Center); 011-44-0141-248-3711; themoderninstitute.com; influential gallery representing younger artists.
●Transmission Gallery – 18 King Street (City Center); 011-44-0141-552-2540; transmissiongallery.org; artists-run space.
SIGHTS & SITES
●Argyle, Buchanan & Sauchiehall Streets – City Center; glasgowguide.co.uk/shops-thelist.html; Victorian arcades hub, creating market district.
●Barras Market – Gallowgate (East End); 011-44-0141-552-4601; theglasgowbarras.com; gritty, marketplace for everything imaginable.
●Burrell Collection – 2060 Pollokshaws Road (Govanhill, in Pollok Country Park); 011-44-0141-287-2550; museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk/member/burrell-collection; set amid stunning parkland & trails.
●Centre for Contemporary Art – 350 Sauchiehall Street (City Center); 011-44-0141-352-4900; cca-glasgow.com; designed by Glasgow’s “other” great native-son architect, Alexander Thomson; neo-Hellenic warehouse designed in 1868; try Tempus Café for break.
●Duntreath Castle – Blanefield (near Strathblane, 12 miles from Glasgow); 011-44-0136-077-0215; duntreathcastle.co.uk; Duntreath Castle is Edmonstone family’s ancestral home, in unbroken succession, granted by King Robert III in 1435 as wedding gift for his grand-daughter; garden stands in 20 acres of lawns, with herbaceous borders, ornamental lakes, waterfall & bog gardens set against stunning backdrop of Campsie Hills; south-facing terrace looks down valley to Ben Lomond; frequently open to public (call to check).
●Gallery of Modern Art – Royal Exchange Square (Merchant City); 011-44-0141-287-3050; museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk/member/gallery-of-modern-art; art.
●George Square – George Street at Miller Street (City Center); 011-44-0141-287-8349; relevantsearchscotland.co.uk/george-square-glasgow.html; built-designed in late 19th Century at Glasgow’s prosperity’s height; splendid Victorian buildings, including City Chambers.
●Glasgow Botanic Gardens – 730 Great Western Road (West End); 011-44-0141-276-1614; glasgowbotanicgardens.com; 40-acre Victorian park; adjacent to Kelvin River walkway.
●Glasgow Cathedral – Castle Street (City Center); 011-44-0141-552-8198; glasgowcathedral.org.uk; city’s oldest building; also known as High Kirk of Glasgow, St. Kentigern’s, or St. Mungo’s Cathedral; where Saint Mungo (Glasgow’s patron saint) allegedly built his church.
●Glasgow Green – Greendyke Street (East End); 011-44-0141-287-5064; glasgow.gov.uk/glasgowgreen; Peoples’ Palace & Winter Garden; entertaining & peaceful; make sure to stroll down to Clyde River.
●Glasgow School of Art – 167 Renfrew Street (Garnet Hill); 011-44-0141-353-4500; gsa.ac.uk; striking fin de siècle building, designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh – Scotland’s Frank Lloyd Wright; make sure to take student-led tour; make sure to visit Willow Tea Rooms; make sure to note façade & glass aerie on top floor.
●Glasgow Science Centre – 50 Pacific Quay (Clyde Waterfront); 011-44-141-0420-5000; glasgowsciencecentre.org; looks like cross between Sydney Opera House & Getty Museum in Bilbao.
●Hill House – Upper Colquhoun Street (Helensburgh); 011-44-0143-667-3900; nts.org.uk/Property/The-Hill-House; designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh; comparable to Frank Lloyd Wright; amazing statuary (blue glass pillar) on grounds by Dannny Lane.
●House for Art Lover – 10 Dumbreck Road (Cessnock, at Bellahouston Park); 011-44-0141-353-4770; houseforanartlover.co.uk; although designed in 1901 as entry in competition run by German magazine, not built until 1990s; Charles Rennie Mackintosh worked closely with his wife on design & her influence is evident, especially in rose motif.
●Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum – Argyle Street (West End); 011-44-0141-276-9599; museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk/member/kelvingrove-art-gallery-and-museum; eclectic collection of art, historic innovations & taxidermy.
●Kelvingrove Park – Argyle Street (West End); 011-44-0141-334-6363; glasgow.gov.uk/?articleid=16589; originally created as West End Park in 1852 by noted English gardener Sir Joseph Paxton, Head Gardener at Chatsworth House, whose other works included Crystal Palace in London; site of 3 exhibitions: 1888 International Exhibition, 1901 International Exhibition & 1911 Scottish Exhibition; 85 acres, it straddles River Kelvin shortly before confluence with Clyde; urban wildlife haven; contains bandstand, skatepark, bowling & croquet greens; various monuments & statues.
●Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park – Carrochan Road (Balloch); 011-44-0138-972-2600; lochlomond-trossachs.org; less than hour north of Glasgow; Scotland’s 1st national park; 720 square mile protected area designated in 2002; hike up Ben Lomond for view of Loch Lomond, Great Britain’s largest fresh-water expanse.
●National Piping Centre – 30-34 McPhater Street (City Center); 011-44-0141-353-5551; thepipingcentre.co.uk; tiny museum dedicated to bagpipe with good restaurant, Piper’s Tryst.
●Paisley Museum & Art Galleries – 60 High Street (Town Centre, Paisley); 011-44-0141-899-3151; renfrewshireleisure.com/paisleymuseum; finest collection of shawls & state-of-art ceramics.
●Provand’s Lordship – 3 Castle Street (City Center); 011-44-0141-552-8819; museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk/member/provands-lordship; built in 1471; medieval-period, historic house furnished with 17th Century Scottish furniture donated by Sir William Burrell.
●Queen’s Cross Church – 870 Garscube Road (West End); 011-44-0141-946-6600; mackintoshchurch.com; design by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
●Riverside Museum (Glasgow Museum of Transport & Travel) – 100 Pointhouse Road (Finnieston); 011-44-0141-287-2720 museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk/member/riverside-museum; devoted to transportation & travel; designed by Zaha Hadid; massive urban makeover component, with pleasant riverside walkway, bicycle paths, ferry stops, etc.
●St. Mungo Museum of Religious Life & Art – 2 Castle Street (City Center); 011-44-0141-276-1625; museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk/member/st-mungo-museum-of-religious-life-and-art; honors city’s patron saint; make sure to visit cemetery behind for great city views.
●Scotland Street School – 225 Scotland Street (South Side); 011-44-0141-287-0500; museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk/member/scotland-street-school-museum; striking ocean-of-glass façade by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
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