Things to do in Glasgow – A Guided Tour of the City

Wondering what to do in Glasgow? This guided tour will show you how to find the best places to see, eat and drink. Learn how to navigate the city as we take you on a step by step journey through Scotland’s largest city.

[Music] Wondering what to do in Glasgow? 
You’re in the right place. We’re hitting the streets of the city centre to 
uncover the best places to see, eat, and drink. Get ready to find out how to navigate 
the city and find the top attractions effortlessly so you can make the most of your trip. So, let’s 
begin. We’re standing at the bottom of Buchanan Street. It’s the busiest and most well-known 
street in Glasgow. Home to many shops, bars, restaurants, and historic buildings. We’ll soon 
explore some of its many attractions. But first, let’s take a look around to see what’s nearby and 
familiarise ourselves with this part of the city. This is Argyle Street. If you walk along here, 
you will find many shops. And if you continue to the end of Argyle Street, you will reach Trongate. 
It’s an important historic part of the city that dates back to the 1500s. It was formerly the 
medieval centre of Glasgow. We’ll reach there later in the tour. If we turn around and look 
in the opposite direction along Argyle Street, we can see Glasgow Central Station up ahead. It’s 
the busiest train station in Scotland and was opened in 1879. It provides services to the west 
of Scotland and it’s also the main train station for journeys to England. You can also take a 
guided tour of the underground passageways beneath Central Station. You’ll explore underground 
vaults and go beneath Glasgow’s streets while hearing entertaining stories of the past. Turning 
around to the left, we come to St. Enoch Square. It’s the location of one of Glasgow’s many 
subway stations. The Glasgow subway is the third oldest metro system in the world, having 
opened in 1896. It has a simple circular route where both tracks reach every station. You can use 
the subway to reach the city centre, the west end, or south of the river Clyde. You can buy a single 
ticket, a return ticket, or an all-day ticket, which allows you to take unlimited journeys. 
Here in St. Enoch Square, we have the original subway ticket office that was built in 1896. 
It’s a beautiful ornate building designed in the Flemish Renaissance style. It’s no longer used 
for the subway, but is now occupied by Café Nero, one of the UK’s many coffee chains. This is Slanj 
Kilts. It’s a high-quality kilt shop that makes kilts from a variety of fine tartans. The average 
Scottish person will usually only wear kilts at special occasions like weddings. It’s common for 
people to hire kilts from places like Slanj Kilts rather than buying them since high-quality 
kilts can be expensive and they will only be worn for one-off events. There are a few bars 
here in St. Enoch Square. Here we have Howdy’s, an American country themed bar that opened in June 
2024. Country music has become very popular in Scotland and the rest of the UK in recent years. 
There’s also Massa Kitchen for Japanese food, including sushi, and Time Square, a pub serving 
a variety of food and drinks. Another place you may want to visit here is the St. Enoch Centre, a 
shopping mall which has a food court in the upper level, free to use toilets, and a games arcade. 
If you make your way to the bottom of the square, you have convenient access to the river Clyde if 
you wish to walk along its promenade. The River Clyde is a vital part of Glasgow’s success. It 
enabled Glasgow to prosper in the tobacco trade in the 1700s, dominate ship building in the 1800s 
during the industrial revolution, and was also a major ship building site during World War II. 
Now, let’s make our way back to Buchanan Street. The street was created by a wealthy tobacco 
merchant named Andrew Buchanan in 1780. The trading of tobacco and other goods was a major 
economic asset for Glasgow in the 1700s. Here on Buchanan Street, you can enjoy some shopping, 
admire some of the city’s historic buildings, and visit some bars, cafes, and restaurants. This 
is the Argyle Arcade. It was built in 1828 as a covered walkway that helped to bring people 
from busy Argyle Street to the newly opened Buchanan Street. Today, it continues to operate as 
a shopping centre for some of the finest diamonds, jewellery, and luxury watches in Scotland. 
Whether you’re looking for some luxury items or just need to escape the notorious Scottish wind 
and rain, the Argyle Arcade is a worthwhile stop on your trip through the city. Just a little 
further up, we come to Prince’s Square. It’s a luxury shopping and fine dining space with a 
stunning façade and interior. You can explore well-known clothing shops such as Levis’s, Kurt 
Geiger, and All Saints. Indulge in some chocolate treats at Hotel Chocolat. Enjoy a coffee break at 
Launch Coffee or Tinderbox, or have a restaurant meal at Cranachan, Pavone, or the Clubhouse. You 
can even catch a movie at the Everyman’s Cinema. If you walk a little bit further up the street, 
you will find Mitchell Lane. It leads to a few bars and restaurants and also the Lighthouse, a 
historic building that was designed by a famous Glasgow architect and artist named Charles Rennie 
Macintosh. Macintosh’s ground-breaking work was a part of the art nouveau movement and he designed 
many buildings in Glasgow around the year 1900. The lighthouse features a viewing platform for 
views of the city and exhibitions for design and architecture. Sadly, at the time of this video, 
the lighthouse is temporarily closed and it is not known when it will reopen. But we don’t have 
to go far to reach another Glasgow attraction, the Willow Tea Rooms. Tea rooms have been a part 
of Glasgow’s social culture since the early 1900s. They were first developed by Glasgow native 
Catherine Cranston, a visionary businesswoman who opened a chain of tea rooms that excelled in 
service, cleanliness, and décor. Many of her tea rooms were designed by local artists. The Willow 
Tea Rooms here was opened more recently in 1997, but its design is inspired by one of Katherine 
Cranston’s original tea rooms that existed on Ingram Street. Along with tea, they also serve 
food, including traditional Scottish breakfast and dinner options. Unlike other European cities, much 
of Glasgow city centre has a grid layout, which makes it relatively easy to get around. This is 
Gordon Street. It’s named after a wealthy merchant named Alexander Gordon. Along Gordon Streets, 
you’ll find coffee places, shops, restaurants, and if you continue to the end, you’ll reach the 
main entrance to Glasgow Central Train Station. We’ll return to this part of Buchanan Street soon 
to continue our main journey. But first, let’s see what we can find at the top of Buchanan Street. 
If you continue to the top of Buchanan Street, you will come to Buchanan Galleries, a shopping centre 
with a variety of shops and a food court. You’ll also find the Royal Concert Hall, which hosts 
various events, including popular music acts. This is where Buchanan Street meets another of 
Glasgow’s well-known streets, Sauchiehall Street. It has a long reputation as one of Glasgow’s 
nightlife spots where a number of bars and clubs can be found. It also features shops, cafes, and 
restaurants. Sadly, the street has been in decline for a number of years due to a variety of factors 
such as economic downturn, long-term road works, and fires. However, it is improving once again 
thanks to the improvement works that are taking place throughout Glasgow, such as the installation 
of trees, benches, and cycle lanes that have made it an attractive location for businesses once 
more. You’ll find another of Glasgow’s tea rooms here, too. The Macintosh at the Willow. Opened in 
1903, it was designed by Charles Rennie Macintosh, and its authentic design has been maintained 
to this day. If you’re looking for a Scottish restaurant near Sauchiehall Street, you may 
want to take a short walk to Ardnamurchan, which is located on Hope Street. Now, let’s go 
back to our main journey on Buchanan Street. If you’re a customer in a pub or restaurant 
or anywhere that serves alcohol in Scotland, you can ask for tap water for free. The tap water 
in Glasgow comes from Loch Katrine and also goes through various treatment processes before it 
reaches the city. From Buchanan Street, we can walk down this side street into Royal Exchange 
Square. It’s home to a number of establishments including a Scottish restaurant called Glascu, 
an Italian restaurant named Banca Di Roma, a restaurant and cocktail bar called The 
Social and Di Maggio’s Italian Restaurant. The building in the centre of the square is the 
Gallery of Modern Art Building. It’s a free-to-use museum which showcases artworks and has a library 
in the basement. The building itself was built in 1778 and was originally a mansion of another 
wealthy merchant named William Cunningham. Outside the gallery, you’ll find the Duke of 
Wellington statue, which famously has a traffic cone on its head. The cone is placed there 
by locals. It started as a mischievous prank, but the cone has been placed on the Duke’s head 
so many times and with such consistency that it has become a recognizable symbol of the city 
itself. We’re now heading towards George Square, which is the main square here in Glasgow. We’ll 
explore it soon, but first, let’s check out some nearby eateries. This is Greggs. It’s a popular 
chain bakery that has locations all over the UK. They serve affordable light food options that you 
may want to try. Their most well-known options are probably the pastries, which include the sausage 
roll, the steak bake, the chicken bake, as well as several other varieties. They also serve breakfast 
food in the morning, including hot filled rolls, which are a very popular local favourite. You 
get a bread roll with your choice of fillings, which can be bacon, sausage, or a combination of 
those options if you wish. If you go to one of the local breakfast food places here in Glasgow, you 
can have another filling with your morning roll that’s exclusive to Scotland, a potato scone, 
or as the locals call it, a tattie scone. This is St. Vincent’s Place. It’s home to a number of 
restaurants including Italian restaurant La Vita, Spanish restaurant Café Andaluz, Ralph 
and Fins, Chinese restaurant Jimmer, and Scottish restaurants the Citizen and Anchor 
Line. The bar and restaurant at the corner here is Wetherspoons. It’s a large chain pub business that 
operates all over the UK. It’s a popular venue that offers relatively cheap food and drinks. This 
one has a prime location here in George Square and offers outdoor seating. Unfortunately, George 
Square is currently undergoing major improvement works which are scheduled to be mostly completed 
by August 2026 and with some additional work to be completed by spring 2027. This is Glasgow Queen 
Street Train Station. It’s a smaller train station than Glasgow Central, but it provides journeys 
to many interesting places throughout Scotland. It has journeys to Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh, 
which you can reach in around 50 minutes on the express train or 80 minutes on the slower train. 
The 50-minute express train is definitely the more pleasant and scenic ride. So, try to catch 
that one if you can. Queen Street Station also provides journeys to many other destinations 
that you may want to visit such as Oban, Sterling, and Perth. And further connections can be made 
to reach Dundee, Dunfermline, and Aberdeen. Let’s zoom ahead to the other side of George Square 
to see what we can find. This is Glasgow City Chambers. It operates as the offices of Glasgow 
City Council. It’s an impressive building that was built in 1888 in the Bose arts style. This 
style was all about creating buildings that felt important and powerful. So, it borrows those 
strong classical ideas from ancient Rome and the Italian Renaissance, but then adds its own lavish, 
highly decorated touch. The opulent building is a symbol of Glasgow’s vast wealth in the 1800s 
during the industrial revolution when Glasgow was a major engineering and ship building centre. 
At the height of its ship building success, it built 25% of the world’s seagoing ships. There 
are guided tours of the city chambers available twice each day, Monday to Friday. Next to the 
city chambers, you’ll find the Piper Whiskey Bar. A Scottish bar which serves a range of 
Scottish whiskies. It also serves a variety of hot meals and provides live music. This leads 
us to our next major area of Glasgow city centre, the Merchant City. It’s a hot spot for dining and 
nightlife with many bars, restaurants, and cafes. There are also some LGBT friendly bars and clubs. 
You can stroll around the merchant city’s mostly quiet pedestrianized streets and see a number of 
historic buildings like this one, Hutcherson’s Hall, a beautiful building that was built in 
the 1800s as a hospital and school, but is now occupied by a restaurant named Saints of Ingram. 
Speaking of Ingram, this is Ingram Street. It was named after, you guessed it, a tobacco merchant 
named Archibald Ingram. In 1781, the merchant city was formerly the business centre for Glasgow’s 
tobacco merchants in the 1700s. Also known as tobacco lords, these merchants amassed vast 
fortunes by dominating the transatlantic tobacco trade, primarily importing from American slave 
labour plantations and re-exporting to Europe. To the people of Glasgow, they were the architects 
of the city’s rapid growth and prosperity, funding impressive civic infrastructure and cultural 
institutions. But sadly, this prosperity was the result of the exploitation of enslaved people. On 
a lighter note, a great way to explore the city is the mural trail. There are around 30 murals like 
this one dotted around the city. And there’s a map that you can find online which will guide you to 
each mural and provide you with information about each one. You’ll find a variety of images 
that represent Glasgow’s history, culture, its beloved musicians, and more. This particular 
area of the merchant city has a high concentration of bars and restaurants. So, it’s definitely 
somewhere to check out if you’re looking for those types of experiences. This street is Candleriggs, 
which was originally built in the early 1700s and was a place where candle makers would work by 
hand. It was a time before the use of factories and machinery. This is Merchant Square. It 
started life as a fruit market in the 1800s, but now it’s a large indoor drinking and dining 
space. It’s home to an eclectic range of bars and restaurants from coffee, brunch, and sandwiches 
to contemporary dining, cocktails, and nights out. There is a market in Merchant Square every 
Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. In this area, you’ll find several Irish bars. It’s an area 
frequently visited by Glasgow Celtic supporters. Celtic football club are one of Scotland’s two 
biggest football teams and they have a strong connection to Ireland. Their rival is Rangers 
Football Club who are typically more aligned with the United Kingdom. The two teams have an 
intense rivalry that goes back many decades. This is the Trongate area which we looked towards 
at the beginning of this tour. It has various historic buildings though the most notable is 
the toll booth steeple. It’s all that remains of the former toll booth building which from 1626 was 
used as a council building prison and was the site of public executions. This area was also the main 
place of business for the wealthy tobacco lords of Glasgow during the height of their success in 
the 1700s. But this area goes back even further to the very early years of Glasgow. The first toll 
booth building was built here in the 1300s when the Glasgow we know today was mostly fields and 
countryside. And if we go past the toll booth, we come to another historical site from the 
earliest years, High Street. It’s the very first road that was built in Glasgow. High 
street has seen many centuries of history. It was an important thoroughfare that led to the 
river Clyde. It was also the original site of the University of Glasgow, which is the second 
oldest university in Scotland, dating back to the 1400s. But High Street also leads to perhaps 
the most important historical site in the city, the site where the city of Glasgow was born. It’s 
the site of Glasgow Cathedral. It’s the oldest building in Glasgow. It was originally built in 
the 1100s and was dedicated to St. Mungo who led a Christian community of people at this site in the 
500s. You can visit Glasgow Cathedral for free. Nearby you can also visit the St. Mungo Museum of 
Religious Life and Art for free. Across the street you can visit the Proven Lordship which is the 
oldest house in Glasgow having been built in 1471. It’s another free attraction which will give you 
an insight into life 500 years ago. The final stop on our journey is the Necropolis. It’s a Victorian 
cemetery that had its first burial in the 1830s. Visitors can walk over the aptly named Bridge of 
Size and wander along the cemetery’s winding paths to reach the top of the hill. There you can enjoy 
views of the city of Glasgow. The Necropolis is a vast cemetery with 50,000 burials and 3,500 tombs, 
which gives it its nickname, the city of the dead. Thanks for watching this guided tour of Glasgow 
city centre. Please subscribe if you want to see more videos like this and look out 
for our Glasgow West End tourist guide