Except during festival time Glasgow could easily rival Edinburgh as the best place to spend your Scotland vacations. The local residents are legendary for there friendliness and there love of there city. There is plenty in Glasgow to see during your Scotland vacations.

Barras

The Barras is a famous flea market which dates back to the 1920. This is an exciting place on the weekend filled with individual merchant stands and a once a month farmers market.

Botanic Gardens

The Botanic gardens are located on Great Western Road where you will find the Kibble Palace, herb garden, sequential border, and an arboretum.

Burrell Collection

Pollock Park is where the 8,000 item art collection is housed that once belonged to Sir William Burrell. This wonderful collection includes many priceless peaces by very famous artists.

City Chambers

If you enjoy the architecture and antiquities of the Victorian age you need to visit the City Chambers. It was built to show opulence and riches.

Clydebuilt

You can take a river waterbus to Braehead a Scotland maritime museum. 

Gallery of Modern Art

This is a contemporary collection of modern art places on four floors. You will not only get to see the artwork of great Scottish artists, but also works from other far off countries.

Greenbank Garden

Greenbank Garden is owned by the National Trust of Scotland and is mostly run as a demonstration garden. It is located south of town in Clarkson.

Glasgow Cathedral

Glasgow cathedral is one of the areas most historic and oldest sites. If you are in Merchant City then you could easily walk to the 13th century cathedral.

Glasgow Green

The oldest public park in Scotland and recently restored to its former glory. The park has a very rich and long history. This is also where you will find the Peoples Palace.

Glasgow Necropolis

The Glasgow Necropolis isn’t just any old seminary. This is a historic seminary filled with Victorian monuments by famous architects to Glasgow’s wealthy deceased. 

Glasgow School of Art

Designed by Mackintosh who trained at this collage is now considered his masterpiece. You can take a tour that includes an art exhibition also by Mackintosh.

Glasgow Science Centre

Lying on the south side of the River Clyde. The Glasgow Science Centre contains an 80 foot IMAX theater, a 400 foot high viewing tower that turns in the wind, and a science museum with over 500 interactive exhibits.

Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery

Opened in 1807 as Scotland’s first public Museum. You will enjoy exhibits of geology, archaeology, coins, and art.

Holmewood

Holmewood was the Mansion of architect Alexander Thompson. He had an interesting way of designing buildings and his mansion is no exception.

House for an Art Lover

Designed by Charles Rennie Macintosh and his wife Margaret Macdonald this building is a fantasy. The House for an Art Lover is located in Bellahouston Park. 

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

This is a red sandstone building that dates back to the early 20th century. Located in Kelinggrove Park, This museum holds art from many different eras as well as historical artifacts.

Lighthouse, Scotland’s Centre for Architecture, Design and the City

This building was designed by Charles Rennie Macintosh. Inside is an exhibition of the work of Macintosh, as well as a rooftop viewing platform.

Mackintosh Trail

The Macintosh trail is a self guided tour though the city of buildings designs by Macintosh. A good list of macintosh buildings include; Glasgow School Of Art, Willow Tearooms, House for an Art Lover, Scotland Street School, and St. Matthew’s Free Church.

Merchant City

Merchant City is located in the middle of Glasgow. It is Glasgow’s “New Town” but actually goes back to the 18th century.

Museum of Education

In the former Scotland Street School which was designed by Mackintosh is a museum that pays homage to Scottish Education.

Museum of Piping

This is Scotland’s centre of excellence for the learning and performance of bagpipe music. There is a small museum and an auditorium for performances here.

Museum of Transport

In the back of Kelvin Hall are all kinds of historic elegits of Scotland transport. 

Peoples Palace

Found in Glasgow’s Green the Peoples Palace is just as it sounds, a museum about the history of the people of Glasgow. There is a corner dedicated to the famous people of Glasgow.

Pollock House

Pollock house is a mid 17th century mansion set on 361 acres just 3 miles from city centre. 

Provand’s Lordship

This is the oldest house in Glasgow. Just east of the city centre you will find Provand’s Lordship across from St. Mungo Museum. You will find a wonderful collection of 15th and 16th century wooden furniture here.

Scottish Football Museum

Located in Hampden Park which is the home of the oldest football team, you can find the Scottish football Museum.

St. Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art

This museum exhibits religious art and artifacts from many different religions and countries. Different beliefs on life, death, after death, rights of passage, birth, and marriage.

Tall Ship at Glasgow Harbor

The CV Glenlee was built on the Clyde in 1896. You can take a tour of this ship and hear the ships tales.

Tenement House

This is a preserved Tenement House from 1911 where you can see for yourself how the slightly better off lived back then.

Glasgow has so many sights for your Scotland vacation that I could not list them all here. Once you get there you will find that there are more things to do and see than time to do and see them all.

 

Above photo of Argyle Street Glasgow, Scotland from the Oregon State University archives 

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Why would you want to spend your Scotland vacations in Glasgow? This is a city with high quality museums and galleries, an incredible nightlife, and friendly locals. Glasgow is also said to have buildings that rival Barcelona and Paris. Glasgow is definitely worthy of your Scotland vacations. If you have the time it would be fun to walk all over Glasgow to really see it, but if you don’t want to do that, then you can take a bus or subway to just about anywhere you want to go. There is a long list of attractions that you might want to visit on your Scotland vacation to Glasgow. Here are just two to get you started.

Gallery of Modern Art

I bet you knew about Scotland’s long history with tons of art to fill each decade, but did you know that there is a vibrant modern art movement too? This modern art gallery is controversial in its humorous interpretation of itself and of Scotland. This is a constantly changing exhibition, so even if you visited a few years of even six months ago you would still see something different today. You will also find a café and a public library to round out your experience.

The Mackintosh Trail

Charles Rennie Mackintosh was an architect that was popular in the early twentieth century. He was born in Glasgow in 1868. Mackintosh along with his wife and his wife’s sister and husband dominated Glasgow style for a while. If you enjoy his style of architecture than there are several building to see around Glasgow. For example; Glasgow School of Art, Willow Tearooms, Mackintosh House, Scotland Street School, and St. Matthew’s Free Church. Many of these buildings are close enough together to walk.

 

Above photo of University, Glasgow, Scotland from the Library of Congress

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Scotland is estimated at around 30,000 SQ miles. That is a lot of ground to cover while on your Scotland vacations. Few people have the time or money to see it all. You are probably finding that you will need to pick and area or two to visit instead of the whole thing. So where do you start to look for the right part of Scotland to visit. Read on to find out the character of each area and visit back for lists of things to do in each area for your Scotland vacations.

Scotland Vacations in Edinburgh 

Edinburgh is known for its Edinburgh castle that sits on top of and old volcano. Although that is a perfectly good reason to choose Edinburgh to visit there is so much more to the city and the greater area. The center of Edinburgh is split in half by Princess Street Gardens. The north sides was built in the age of reason and are Greaten style. The south site is Old Town where you will find medieval architecture and tight allays and closes. Edinburgh also has many museums so it is a cultural destination.

Scotland Vacations in Dumfries

Dumfries is a town of only about 30,000 residents and known for being the resting place for Robbie Burns. This is a quiet town that you might only want to visit for a day, but it is a perfect jumping off place to visit the region surrounding it such as the Solway coast. As Burns also spend his last five years there you will find a few places to see that are associated with him. In the nineteen sixties there was building that got rid of many original building, but what is left of the red sandstone buildings to be worth a look.

Scotland Vacations in Glasgow 

Glasgow is situated on the river Clyde, which makes it the perfect place to have been an industrial giant. Glasgow tents to have a gritty feel and bad part of town because of its failed industry in the 1960s and 1970s. Today Glasgow can seem to be a stark gray city, but is now known for being a city of culture. You will find very imaginative museums, which demonstrate Scotland’s past, present, and future. The architecture is definitely worth a visit to Glasgow it itself.

Scotland Vacations in Skye

Skye and the Western Isles have many intriguing things to see. This Area does not have many pubs; instead it is full of churches. You can take a scenic ferry to the island or the less scenic road. Skye is considered the centered of Gaelic culture. If you are a real outdoorsman than you should have no problem finding enough to keep you happy for a week of two in Skye. If your just in it for fantastic view than this is also the place for you.

Scotland Vacations in the Inverness

Inverness is located in the spectacular Highland of Scotland and known as the only city in the Highlands. This area is full of castles and other historic sites. Inverness is a busy hub that is the perfect place to stay or get transportation while exploring other parts of the Highland. Inverness sits on the river Ness and has a few foot paths worth taking.

 

Above photo of Scotland – Trotternish/Island of Skye by vtveen

Technorati Tags: dumfries, edinburgh, glasgow, inverness, Scotland Vacations, skye