One Day In Glasgow Itinerary – Best Things To Do In 1 Day In Glasgow

Last Updated on 6th December 2022

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Scotland is a place that I’ve been wanting to spend more time in for quite a while now, so after we’d spent two days in Edinburgh last week, we headed straight to Glasgow from there for a couple of hours as we had it listed as the letter ‘G’ for our AtoZ UK road trip.

I’d heard mixed things about Glasgow before we went so I didn’t really know what to expect from the city. However, after spending just a few short hours there, I concluded that I wasn’t really the biggest fan of it, especially after loving Edinburgh so much on so many occasions.

It’s not necessarily somewhere I’d be in a rush to visit again anytime soon, but I am still glad that we experienced it for ourselves as I’m such an advocate for forging your own opinions of places, which is why I’d never tell you guys not to visit a certain place, but to make your own evaluations based on my recommendations as to whether you’d like to go or not.

Therefore, that’s why I’ve put together this guide on how to spend one day in Glasgow. If you’re looking for the best things to do in 1 day in Glasgow, check out my itinerary below!

How to get to Glasgow

Glasgow resides in the Southwest of Scotland and is just a one hour’s drive from Edinburgh, 50 minutes from Loch Lomond and two hours from the Lake District.

If you choose to drive to Glasgow, you’ll be disappointed to know that parking is incredibly expensive. Just a head ups: we parked in Cadogan Square Car Park which cost us £12 for 4 hours; this car park actually also gets more expensive per hour the longer you’re there so I’d try and find somewhere else to park if I were you guys!

Alternatively, you can always park at Glasgow Airport and leave your car there and take a bus or taxi into the city centre.

You can also easily get to Glasgow via train from Newcastle (3 hours), Edinburgh (1 hour and 30 minutes) or Aberdeen (3 hours), amongst many other places. The train station is also located pretty much in the city centre of Glasgow so it’s easy to get to all the top spots in the city.

Glasgow also has its own airport which is a half an hour’s train journey into the centre or a 15-minute drive. You can get flights into Glasgow from most major cities across Europe and beyond.

Read more: 26+ Best European City Breaks To Take All Year Round

Where to stay in Glasgow for 1 day

We didn’t actually spend the night in Glasgow as we were only there for a couple of hours but I always like to recommend places to stay in cities to you guys so I did a bit of research and found some of the best accommodation options in the city.

• Safestay Glasgow – budget option
• Native Glasgow – mid-range
• Dakota Glasgow – higher end

You can also search for somewhere to stay in Glasgow via the search box below!

Booking.com

Read more: Safestay Edinburgh Hostel – Affordable Luxury Hostel In Edinburgh

1. Admire all the beautiful street art – one day in Glasgow

While this isn’t exactly a thing to ‘do’ as such, rather a thing to see as you’re walking around the city, I still wanted to include Glasgow’s street art as one of the best things in the city as it’s all so beautiful.

People Make Glasgow has a full Street Art Mural Trail on their website which is a great page to reference if you want to see as much street art as possible while you’re in the city.

I’ve been obsessed with finding new and quirky street art ever since we were in George Town last year which is absolutely covered in beautiful paintings and murals across the city and I’m delighted to say that Glasgow’s offering is well worth seeing.

You don’t even necessarily have to seek individual murals out; we literally stumbled across each and every one of these pieces of art as we were walking through the city. It was such a lovely surprise whenever we turned a corner and were greeted by these beautiful works of art.

There are dozens of street art creations to enjoy across the city so chances are wherever you are in the city, you’ll likely come across a couple!

2. Visit Glasgow Cathedral

Despite not being a religious person at all, whenever I travel somewhere new it’s pretty inevitable that I’ll try and seek out the city’s cathedral or any beautiful, historic religious buildings.

When we were in Glasgow, one of the best things we saw was the Cathedral which is actually the oldest building in the whole of Scotland!

We didn’t go inside the Cathedral as there were Covid measures in place and we were running out of time to get back to the car before our parking ran out, but we did have a good mooch around the outside.

The Cathedral dates all the way back to 1197 which is absolutely unfathomable to me; but so cool to see such an awesome part of Scotland’s religious history!

3. Wander around the Glasgow Necropolis

Situated on a small hill pretty much adjacent to Glasgow Cathedral, the Necropolis provides an eerie and ominous presence.

The Necropolis is a Victorian cemetery that’s home to more than 50,000 individuals who’ve been buried here over the years. While it might seem strange to visit a cemetery as part of a city itinerary, the Necropolis is truly unique and it also offers great views of the Cathedral and surroundings below.

4. Take a stroll through George Square

George Square is another place that you should have listed as part of your 1 day Glasgow itinerary. It’s home to numerous statues and monuments dedicated to some of the most famous and important figures in Scottish history, including Robert Burns, James Watt and Sir Walter Scott.

In the Square, you’ll also find the City Chambers, the Merchants House and the Glasgow Scott Monument.

5. Laugh at the Duke of Wellington’s traffic cone hat

Now known as one of Glasgow’s most iconic landmarks thanks to the drunks who started a ‘trend’ of placing a bright orange traffic cone on the Duke of Wellington’s head, this statue is a funny little thing to see in the city centre.

While it’s not exactly anything to shout home about, the drunken tales of the placement of the cones have now resulted in the city’s council simply giving up trying to remove the cones and they’re now just part of the statue.

You’ll find the Duke of Wellington statue just outside the Gallery of Modern Art.

6. Indulge your creative side at the Gallery of Modern Art

Speaking of the Gallery of Modern Art, this is another one of the best things to do in Glasgow, especially on a rainy day.

Inside the world-class art museum, you’ll find four galleries and many exhibitions, as well as a library, a cafe and a gift shop. It’s also free to enter so if you’re looking to visit Glasgow on a budget, then this is the perfect place to spend an hour or two while in the city.

Bonus ways to spend one day in Glasgow

• Go on a hop-on hop-off bus tour
• Saunter through Kelvingrove Park
• Enjoy a whisky-tasting tour
• Visit the People’s Palace
• Embark on a walking tour with beer tasting

Hopefully, this post has given you a bit of inspiration on how to spend 1 day in Glasgow! It’s certainly not one of my most comprehensive city guide posts as we were only there for a few hours, but hopefully, you’ve still found a few things to see and do in the city.

Please let me know in the comments if you have any more recommendations for the best things to do in Glasgow in 1 day!

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Have you ever spent one day in Glasgow? What are your thoughts on the city and do you have any more recommendations for things to do there? Let me know in the comments or on Instagram at @imjustagirl_16.