How to Spend a Weekend in Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and has a population of over 600,000, so the transport system to and from Glasgow is second to none. It is easy to get to Glasgow from anywhere in the U.K., by train, plane or car. There are 2 international airports and the flight to London only takes around 45 minutes. Trains from London will still only set you back around 4 to 5 hours.

Partake of the City of Culture. You are not very far from museums, art galleries and universities when you visit Glasgow. You can spend a few hours in the Gallery of Modern Art on Queen Street or check out the Glasgow Science Centre complete with IMAX cinema and the 125 metre high tower which rotates 360 degrees. The kids will love you if you take them there.

Eat at award winning restaurants. Glasgow is awash with some of Britain's finest restaurants serving food from around the world. Glasgow folk love their Indian food and the city has been awarded the Curry Capital of Britain for 2 years running. Basically if you can eat it anywhere in the world, you will find a restaurant serving it in Glasgow. Italian, Chinese, French, Fusion and the much loved traditional fish and chips are all served up at inexpensive (well, sometimes expensive) prices.

Go shopping in Glasgow. The shopping in Glasgow is worth the trip alone for some people. The saying goes, if you can't buy it in Glasgow, you can't buy it anywhere. From the designer boutiques in The Italian Centre and the beautiful Princess Square shopping mall, to the traditional Barras Market in the East End, everything you could ever want to buy can be found here. If you can, try and spend a weekend in Glasgow at Christmas or the New Year, when the atmosphere is vibrant, bustling and full of good cheer.

Talking of good cheer--Glasgow has some of the best pubs and nightclubs in the U.K. and Glasgow folk pride themselves on being at the cutting edge of the music scene. There are many venues around the city where you can stop in, have a drink and spend the rest of the night listening to some great live music. Glasgow has a large student population, so nearly every night of the week you can find a heaving pub or nightclub.

When you spend a week in Glasgow you can dine at the finest restaurants, stay at the plushest hotels and make acquaintances with some of the friendliest people in the world. On the other hand you can eat tasty, inexpensive food, have reasonable priced drinks and stay at an inexpensive and comfortable youth hostel accommodation. The City of Glasgow is what you make of it.