Glasgow and Surroundings

Glasgow is Scotland's biggest city and its beating creative heart. Once the workshop of the British Empire, today it's a vibrant metropolis of world-class museums, thriving music venues, and architecture that spans from Gothic cathedrals to Charles Rennie Mackintosh masterpieces. The city's famous friendliness is no myth—Glaswegians welcome visitors with warmth, wit, and an irrepressible energy that makes the city feel instantly alive.

The cultural riches are remarkable and largely free. The Kelvingrove Art Gallery houses everything from Dalí to a Spitfire suspended from the ceiling. The Riverside Museum reimagines transport history, while the Burrell Collection offers treasures from around the world in a stunning parkland setting. Beyond the museums, Glasgow's West End brims with independent shops, cafés, and bars, and the city's live music scene rivals anywhere in Britain.

Yet escape is never far away. Within an hour you can be standing on the shores of Loch Lomond, Britain's largest lake by surface area, with the mountains of the Trossachs rising beyond. This is the gateway to Scotland's first national park—a landscape of wooded islands, forest trails, and dramatic peaks that inspired writers from Walter Scott to Wordsworth. Glasgow gives you the best of both worlds: urban energy and highland wilderness, side by side.