Glasgow is in west central Scotland. It’s Scotland’s largest city and is easily accessible from the rest of the UK and overseas by train, sea, road and air.

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Train

Glasgow is well connected by train from across the UK by 2 main stations:

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• Glasgow Central Station links Glasgow to the south

• Glasgow Queen Street Station operates routes mainly to Edinburgh and the north

 

To book tickets, visit scotrail.co.uk, tpexpress.co.uk and avantiwestcoast.co.uk. To view all available routes from across the UK, visit thetrainline.com.

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If you’re planning a trip from London to Glasgow, check out the Caledonian Sleeper’s website and arrive refreshed after a comfortable overnight journey.

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Sea

You can travel to Scotland by ferry from the major ports of Belfast and Larne in Northern Ireland. Ferries dock at Cairnryan in the southwest of Scotland, with a bus service taking passengers to the city centre in 2 hours 10 minutes. 

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You can also travel from mainland Europe. You can arrive in either:

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• Hull in the northeast of England where it's around a 4 hours drive to the Scottish border.

• Newcastle, which is around a 2 hours 40 minutes drive from Glasgow.

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Find out more information at stenaline.co.uk and dfds.com. 

 

Road

Scotland has an extensive motorway road network. Glasgow is linked to the following places:

• Edinburgh with the M8

• England on the M74

• Stirling with the M80 

• west coast of Scotland with the M77

For more information on Scotland’s road network, visit the Transport Scotland website. 

 

Air

Glasgow has three international airports nearby, with connections across the UK and the world:

• Glasgow Airport is the closest airport to the city centre. Catch the express bus service from outside the terminal and arrive in Glasgow in around 15 minutes. Visit glasgowairport.com for more information.

• Glasgow Prestwick Airport is 32 miles (51km) from Glasgow. It is very accessible with train and bus services to the city centre. Find out more at glasgowprestwick.com.

• Edinburgh Airport is 39 miles (63km) from Glasgow. There is a direct bus service from the airport to Glasgow’s Buchanan Bus Station which takes around 1 hour. Head to edinburghairport.com for more information.

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Getting Around 

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Walk

Glasgow is a very walkable city, especially the city centre, so you can easily explore it on foot whilst taking in the beautiful buildings and architecture around you – don’t forget to 'look up' when you're in the city. Get your bearings by visiting our neighbourhood guides. 

 

Bicycle

Glasgow is home to a fantastic cycle hire scheme, operated by OVO Bikes. Visit OVO Bikes website to find out how it works.

For ideas of the best routes in the city and surrounding areas to follow by bike, check out the Sustrans website.

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Subway

The subway is one of the easiest ways to get around the city centre, west end and southside of Glasgow. Running every 4 minutes at peak times, it takes just 24 minutes to complete a circuit of the 15 stations.

You can either buy a single ticket or, if you’re here for a few days, you might want to get a Subway Smartcard, which offers the best fares and you can top up as you go. Visit the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) website for more information.

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Train

Glasgow Central Station links Glasgow by rail to the south, with Glasgow Queen Street Station operating routes mainly to Edinburgh and the north. Visit the ScotRail website for information on all routes and timetables.

Need to travel between Central Station and Queen Street Station? Check out ScotRail's handy walking routes or bus link service at scotrail.co.uk.

A Roundabout ticket gives one-day unlimited travel on ScotRail and Subway services to over 110 stations in the Greater Glasgow area. More information on the Roundabout ticket can be found at spt.co.uk.

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Bus

First Bus Glasgow operates over 80 routes across the city and has a variety of tickets to choose from, including day tickets allowing unlimited travel in your selected area all day, or a weekly ticket if you’re staying here longer. For the cheapest prices, download the First Bus App where you can buy and store tickets on your phone, plan your journey in advance and track the arrival of your next bus.

First Bus also operate an express service between the city centre and Glasgow Airport with a journey time of around 15 minutes. Visit glasgowairport.com for more information. 

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Taxi

Glasgow's taxi drivers are some of the friendliest in the world. You can use Uber or Glasgow Taxis operate 5 and 6-seater cabs in and around the city. If their yellow light is on, they can be flagged down on the street, or alternatively, call +44 (0) 141 429 70 70 to book. Check out the Glasgow Taxis website for more information.