My wife and I will be visiting Glasgow and it’s surrounding countryside for several days in June. We’ve never been before.
We’re looking for any suggestions on:
Thanks very much in advance!
Bourdain did an episode in Glasgow, It included a lesson in knife defense.
Are you going to have a car? A nice day trip (by car or train) is Loch Lomond (you can take the high or low road there). It’s in a national park, which provides a better tour by car. A little longer day trip would be Loch Ness. Happy hunting if you head there. Both are beautiful lakes with accessible castles
That’s a great idea. Thanks Tom. And already registered.
Loch Lomond looks really nice and just the type of area we might enjoy. We spent some time in the southern Austria Lake District last summer and loved it. I’m going to check out other lake/loch options around Glasgow. Thank you David!
Real Fancy:
Cail Bruich
Medium Fancy:
Gannett
Casual:
Pot Still
Bar Brett
Shucks
Crabshakk
Black Friars
Ubiquitous Chip
Bars:
Absent Ear
Devil of Brooklyn
+1 on Loch Lomond area for nearby scenery
Thank you Bryan! One follow up question. Loch Lomond looks very nice, but someone mentioned to me that it’s especially touristy. Any thoughts?
We’ll be in Scotland (me and my daughter) June 9-15 (trip planned with plenty of help from @BryanG - we’re doing Ireland the 5 days prior) and while yes, many areas are touristy, if you go before the 2nd half of June it’s much better - if you go in July or August, forgetaboutit as that’s when Europe is on holiday and all the touristy places are packed (from what research I did) - early June is before the rush, and with good weather.
Loch Lomond can have a lot of tourists during peak season like Todd says, yes.
But that said… If you’re only in Glasgow for a few days but also want some scenery, your options of experiencing the classic Scottish postcard views are somewhat limited unless you want to do a lot of driving in a short period of time. It’s very easy to get to LL from Glasgow and it is very beautiful. If you haven’t seen Scotland like that before, I’d still recommend it.
Much farther than I think you’ll go, but we had a great lunch at this place:
Probably the best mussels I’ve ever had.
That’s right on our drive! I’m putting it in the itinerary, as I LOVE mussels!
Nice. It was a long time ago, 2001, so can’t say what it might be like now, but worth a look at their menu, and a good stopping point in the middle of nowhere lol.
Doesn’t look like they have it anymore
How about the seafood Trio? Just ask for all mussels 
Too long ago, I can’t say it will be the same prep, but the mussels were these beautiful tiny ones, great flavor.
A bit far for a day trip, but a wonderful island. Lots of sheep
Anyone have any thoughts about a good neighborhood to stay in while in Glasgow? Was considering City centre, Finnieston, or the West End. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
We stayed in Glasgow for 2 days last summer, and we really liked the city. It’s got lots of spirit and is less touristy (and less seedy) than you might imagine.
We stayed in Trongate, right across from Glasgow Green (a big park). It was a great place to stay for quiet and good coffee for the mornings that we could walk to, and I walked the park for exercise. Most of the things we saw and restaurants for both nights, though, were in Finnieston and even west of there, so go figure. I think either east or west of the centerare good choices. The center is louder and busier with traffic, but closer to West End and Finnieston if that’s what you want. We walked to center from where we stayed, but used uber to get to Finnieston.
I don’t have great restaurant recs for Glasgow, but we enjoyed both Ox and Finch (very similar to many farm to table places in LA) and Six by Nico (more unique - have a look). We took a great street art walking tour through Viator that I’d recommend, PM if you want details. We also really enjoyed Kelvingrove and the Riverside museums. We would have stayed longer if we were smarter - I also thought it might be seedy and not as worthwhile before going.
Scotland is great, you should have a fantastic time. We will go back for sure.
It really depends on what your lifestyle/travel preferences are.
If you like exploring a city by foot, enjoy nightlife, etc, then city center is 100% the way to go. Glasgow is a city with hidden gems and if you’re down to let your hair down, it will reward you. Parking is rough though, so keep that in mind if you have a car and make sure your hotel has options.
If you enjoy quiet a little more, then outside the center, like Finnieston is good. Glasgow isn’t huge, so even if you pay for rides to the center, it won’t cost too much or take too long.