Glasgow: Getting there & around

Orientation

Glasgow's tourist sights are spread over a wide area. The city centre is built on a grid system on the north side of the River Clyde. The two train stations (Central and Queen St), the Buchanan Bus Station and the TIC are all within a couple of blocks of George Square, the main city square. Running along a ridge in the northern part of the city, Sauchiehall St (first syllable pronounced 'suck') has a pedestrian mall with numerous High Street shops at its eastern end, and pubs and restaurants at its western end. Argyle St, running parallel to the river, and pedestrianised Buchanan St, at right angles to Argyle St, are important shopping streets. Merchant City is the commercial district, east of George Square.

The university and the youth hostel are near Kelvingrove Park, northwest of the city centre in an area known as the West End. Pollok Country Park and the Burrell Collection are in the South Side, southwest of the centre.

Motorways bore through the suburbs and the M8 sweeps round the western and northern edges of the centre. The airport lies 16km (10mi) west of the centre.

Getting There

• bus

  All long-distance buses arrive and depart from Buchanan bus station (tel: 333 3708; Killermont St). Buses to/from London are very competitive. Cheaper services are very popular so book well in advance. There's also a daily direct overnight bus from Heathrow Airport, usually departing late evening. Services to/from Glasgow run from Birmingham, Cambridge, Carlisle, Newcastle and York. Scottish Citylink (tel: 0870 550 5050; www.citylink.co.uk) has buses to most major towns in Scotland with very frequent services to Edinburgh, Stirling, Inverness and Aberdeen. Regular long distance services to/from Glasgow include Oban, Fort William and Portree on Skye. Walkers should check out First Glasgow (tel: 423 6600), which runs buses every hour or two to Milngavie, the start of the West Highland Way.

• car

  The big car-rental companies have offices at Glasgow International Airport and Glasgow Prestwick Airport. Some have offices downtown.

• train

  As a general rule, Glasgow Central station serves southern Scotland, England and Wales, and Queen St serves the country's north and east. There are shuttle buses every 10 minutes between them. There are direct trains from London's King's Cross and Euston stations; they're much quicker (5hrs) and more comfortable than the bus. ScotRail (tel: 0845 748 4950; www.scotrail.co.uk) has the West Highland line heading north to Oban and Fort William, and other direct links to Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness. There are trains every 15 minutes to/from Edinburgh.

• air

  Glasgow International Airport (tel: 887 1111; www.baa.co.uk/glasgow), 16km (10mi) west of the city, handles domestic traffic and international flights. Glasgow Prestwick airport, 48km (30mi) southwest of Glasgow handles international flights and some of the cheap, no-frills airlines. Ryanair (tel: 0871 246 0000; www.ryanair.com) flies to Glasgow Prestwick airport from London Stansted airport for ridiculously low prices.

  There are buses every 10 or 15 minutes from Glasgow International Airport to Buchanan bus station. Buses continue on to Edinburgh. There are taxis available also.

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Getting Around

• bus

  City bus services are frequent. You can buy tickets when you board buses, but on most you must have the exact change. First Glasgow publishes the complicated but useful Glasgow Mapmate, which shows all local First bus routes. Pick up a copy of the First Glasgow Night Network brochure to find out about services running through until the wee hours.

• car

  The most difficult thing about driving in Glasgow, as with most Scottish urban centres, is the confusing one-way system. If you miss a turn-off, you can end up a long way from your destination. For short-term parking you've a decent chance of finding something on the street, especially away from the city centre. Otherwise multi-storey car parks are probably your best bet - the St Enoch Centre in the city has free parking. Note that generally, the West End and Great Western Rd in particular, are very busy during the day and bumper to bumper during peak hour.

• taxi

  There's no shortage of taxis, and if you want to know anything about Glasgow, striking up a conversation with a cabbie is a good place to start. If you order by phone from Glasgow Wide Taxis (tel: 429 7070) you can pay by credit card; most of their taxis are wheelchair accessible.

• rail

  There's an extensive suburban network of trains in and around Glasgow; tickets should be bought before travel if the station is staffed, or from the conductor if it isn't. There's also an underground line that serves 15 stations in the centre, west and south of the city. The rail network connects with the Underground at Buchanan St station. The Roundabout Glasgow ticket covers all underground and train transport in the city for a day.

• Disabled Travellers

  For many disabled travellers Glasgow is a strange mix of user-friendliness and unfriendliness. Most new buildings are accessible to wheelchair users, so large, new hotels and modern tourist attractions are usually fine. However, most B&Bs and guesthouses are in hard-to-adapt older buildings. This means that travellers with mobility problems may pay more for accommodation than their more able-bodied fellows.

  It's a similar story with public transport. Newer buses sometimes have steps that lower for easier access, as do trains, but it's always wise to check before setting out. Tourist attractions sometimes reserve parking spaces near the entrance for disabled drivers.

  A few tourist attractions, such as Glasgow Cathedral, have Braille guides or scented gardens for the visually impaired.

  The STB produces a guide, Accessible Scotland , for wheelchair-bound travellers, and Glasgow TIC (tel: 204 4400; www.seeglasgow.com; 11 George Sq) will have leaflets with accessibility details for the area.

  Check out the Glasgow Disability Access Guide (www.glasgowaccesspanel.org.uk) for more information.

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