Glasgow City Center (photo by brianholsclaw)

Glasgow is the most populous city of Scotland. It is situated on the banks of the large River Clyde and the M8 motorway passes right through its centre. Some of the city’s quarters still remind for its past of a major industrial centre of Great Britain, looking grey and a little bit depressing. Many housing districts on the outskirts are dilapidated and unattractive. But since the 80s of the past century, Glasgow has been going through a major reconstruction and renovation plan resulting into winning the right to be a host city of the 2014 Commonwealth Games. The total image of the city has dramatically changed and it has become an attractive tourist destination, a lively metropolis, rich in culture and very much deserving your visit.

Among most visited place in Glasgow are its galleries and large museums, some of the richest and most varied in the UK. More than 9000 art works are displayed in the Burrell Collection museum and the famous Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum shows one of the greatest civic art collections in Europe. Both of the above have a free entrance. The city’s architecture boasts some of the most impressive buildings in Scotland, including the 18th-century warehouse of the Merchant City and the amazing Victorian buildings of George Square. The most impressive are those designed by the talented local architect - Charles Rennie Mackintosh. His distinguished Art Nouveau architectural style can be seen throughout the city, culminating in the splendid School of Art. The ancient shipyards on the banks of the river were reconstructed into a spectacular and futuristic Glasgow Science Centre.But the city is most characterized by its modern young people, thriving entertainment venues with live music, concert halls and theatres.

A bagpiper in Glasgow (photo by ianrob63)

Glasgow is also an ideal base for interesting day trips to many destinations in the Clyde valley and coastal area, all conveniently connected by regular railway lines. You can easily visit the impressive workers' village and cotton mills of New Lanark, considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site, or the picturesque Argyl sea lochs and the historic centre of shipbuilding industries on the estuary of Clyde River.

The foundation of the first settlement on the site of contemporary Glasgow is believed to have happened in ancient times. The first settlers probably were the Celts as the name of the city most likely originates from the Gaelic words “Glas-Ghu”, translated as a “Green Glen”. Other historians believe that the city name comes from the word “Glas” with a meaning of a church and the locally mutated version of Kentigern - “Cunotegern”, being eventually shortened to “Cu”. Kentigern was founded here as a Christian missionary during the 6th century. Later it became a monastery complex devoted to St Mungo and a medieval settlement grew around it. King William the Lionheart conferred it with a charter in the 12th century and the town continued to grow and flourish, turning into an important trading centre. In the 15th century here was opened Scotland’s second university after this in St Andrews. The city became an archbishopric seat in 1492. The strategic situation of Glasgow on the mighty navigable River Clyde played a major role in its developing into one of the most important industrial ports of Greta Britain during the next centuries. The first ships loaded with tobacco from the New World arrived in the port of Glasgow. The Act of Union between England and Scotland signed in 1707 was the main premise for the boom of trade with the Britain's colonies. After the Industrial Revolution the city took advantage of the nearby coal seams in Lanarkshire and traded them to the fuel hungry steam machines in the Clyde basin.

The Travel Centre, St Enoch Square (photo by lorentey)

But it was the Victorian age which brought the major changes for Glasgow. During the 19th century its population rapidly grew from less than 100,000 to 800,000. Many people came here to work into the giant shipping industry of the city. The shipbuilding yards on Clyde were producing everything from tugboats to enormous transatlantic liners. The flourishing period of the city continued until the economic crisis of the 1930s when huge unemployment spiralled. Glasgow was already notorious for the inebriate violence of its jobless citizens and thousands of Irish emigrants. The Gorbals districts south of the River Clyde were considered among the worst slums in the UK. The reputation of Glasgow was even darkened by the brutal animosity between the city’s two main rival football clubs: the Protestant Glasgow Rangers and the Catholic Celtic.

The shipbuilding industry in Glasgow was almost death in 1970s and the city entered a period characterized by high depression, unemployment and directionless. The way out of this unenviable situation was found in the 1980s with the starting of the so called self-promotion campaign leading to a new revival of the city reflected in the Garden Festival held here in 1988 and celebrating its selection for European City of Culture in 1990. Glasgow even managed to win the title UK City of Architecture and Design for 1999 against the strong competition of its rivals in the face of Edinburgh and Liverpool. In 2007 the city was chosen to be the host of the 2014 Commonwealth Games. The above successes prove that Glasgow has finally broken the shackles of industry and turned into an attractive modern city.

The Tolbooth Steeple at Glasgow Cross (photo by RonAlmog)

The Abbotsinch International Airport of Glasgow is located about 8 miles or 13 kilometers south-west of the city. There is a very convenient public transport serving the airport. Each 10 minutes and 24 hour per day the Flyers bus runs from Buchanan St Station to the airport and in the opposite direction. Tickets cost approximately £ 4.00. If you prefer to take a taxi to Abbotsinch Airport you have to prepare about £ 20.00.

Glasgow has a second airport too - the Prestwick International Airport. It is situated 30 miles or 48 kilometers from Glasgow and close to the county town of Ayr. There is a regular railway line with a station right next to the airport terminal, providing easy transport to Glasgow city centre in about 45 minutes. It departs every half an hour on week days including Saturdays and every hour on Sundays.

If you travel by train you will most probably arrive at the Central Station on Argyle St, which is also one of the major commercial thoroughfares. All trains from the south arrive here. Trains from Edinburgh and the north arrive at the Queen Street Station, next to George Square. The distance between the two railway stations is about 10 minutes of walking. They are also convenient connected by bus no 398 from the public transport network. 398 bus line also serves the Buchanan St Bus Terminal where arrive coaches from around the UK and from foreign countries too.

The Science Centre IMAX (photo by fraserspeirs)

On of Glasgow's tourist offices is located at George Square and the other is in the terminal for international arrivals of Abbotsinch Airport.

The best way to explore Glasgow city centre is on foot, although you may meet difficulty climbing some of its steep streets. For the more distant areas, such as the West End, you can use the convenient public transport network. The easiest way to reach the latter from the centre is by underground. If you wish to explore the sights of the Southside and the outskirts you should use railway and bus transportation. The bus transport is served by a large number of private companies and is a little perplexing even for the local people. So, you should be careful and choose an individual time table from the Travel Centre, situated at St Enoch Square.

Probably the best and easiest way to explore most of the city sights is by taking an open-top bus tour. Such tours are organized every half an hour from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm at George Square, giving you the opportunity to see all tourist attraction of the city centre and the West End. The cost is around £ 10.00.