Best Areas to Stay in Glasgow, Scotland

Glasgow City Centre is the city’s main administrative, business and shopping district.

This bustling district located north of the River Clyde is home to museums, shopping centres, nightlife areas and the two principal transport hubs in Glasgow.

George Square is the principal civic square in the city. It is flanked by the impressive Glasgow City Chambers, a Beaux arts-style building seat of the municipal government.

The Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA), located on Queen Street, offers exhibitions by local and international artists such as John Bellany, Ken Currie, David Hockney, Sebastião Salgado and Andy Warhol.

Argyle Street, one of Glasgow’s most iconic shopping thoroughfares, crosses the city centre east to west and contains several large British and international retailers (Marks and Spencer, Zara, Primark…), shopping malls like the St. Enoch Centre and the victorian-era Argyll Arcade, and several mid-range and high-end hotels.

Running north from Argyle Street is Buchanan Street. An upmarket shopping, dining and nightlife strip home to the Buchanan Galleries.

Glasgow’s two major transportation hubs; Central and Queen Street stations are both located in the city centre. Buchanan Bus Station is situated a 10-minute walk north of Queen Street.

The City Centre is also the best area to stay in Glasgow for business travellers. Glasgow’s financial district, known officially as the International Financial Services District (IFSD), situated on the central stretch of the River Clyde, is one of the largest and busiest financial quarters in the UK.

As is to be expected, the City Centre also offers the widest selection of accommodation options in Glasgow. While this district is primarily known for its luxury and business-oriented hotels, central Glasgow is also home to a few cheaper alternatives.

We have chosen the City Centre as the best area to stay in Glasgow thanks to its perfect mix of attractions, shopping and nightlife options, and transport connections.

Sauchiehall Street is one of the main shopping, entertainment, dining and nightlife streets in Glasgow.

While it is mostly associated with the city centre, Sauchiehall Street actually spans 2.4 kilometres, from Buchanan Street to Kelvingrove Park in the West End.

Thanks to its variety of entertainment venues and theatres, Sauchiehall Street has been one of the most famous streets in Glasgow since Victorian times and became home to a number of notable buildings by renowned architects.

At the eastern end of Sauchiehall Street is the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and Buchanan Galleries. Pedestrianised in the late 1970s, this section of Sauchiehall Street consists primarily of commercial development.

On nearby Renfrew Street is the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

In the past years, the central stretch of this lively street has been transformed and regenerated to incorporate a two-way cycle lane, trees, shrubs and free Wi-Fi throughout.

The section around Charing Cross holds a great variety of restaurants, bars and nightclubs and is considered the best area to stay in Glasgow for nightlife.

Other landmarks in this area include the Beresford Hotel, the Glasgow School of Art, the Glasgow Film Theatre, CCA Glasgow, the McLellan Galleries, the Royal Highland Fusiliers Museum and the Glasgow Dental Hospital and School.

To move to other Glasgow districts and beyond, this area is very well-connected through Charing Cross and Queen Street railway stations, Cowcaddens subway stop and Buchanan Bus Station.

Spreading west from Charing Cross, Glasgow’s West End is known for its historical buildings, shady squares, impressive parks and gardens, and being home to some of the top-rated Glasgow attractions.

This massive Glasgow district is made up of several smaller areas including Kelvingrove, Woodlands, Hillhead, Hyndland and Partick. The West End is also home to the University of Glasgow.

Founded in 1451, the University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in Great Britain. Its main campus, located in Gilmorehill and opened in 1870, is a stunning example of neo-gothic architecture and is thought to be the real-life inspiration for Harry Potter’s Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Along with impressive halls and cloisters, the university is also home to the Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery. This multidisciplinary institution includes the Hunterian Museum, the Hunterian Art Gallery, the Mackintosh House, the Zoology Museum and the Anatomy Museum, all hosted in different buildings spread across campus.

Not far, Kelvingrove Park offers lovely gardens, bike paths, fountains and monuments. Created in 1852, the park is also the site of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, home to one of the finest collections of arms and armour in the world, as well as a great natural history collection, Renaissance paintings, artefacts from ancient Egypt, and decorative arts.

Glasgow’s West End is one of the top shopping destinations in the city. Far from the high street retailers found in the city centre, the West End is home to a large collection of unique traders and local designer shops.

This district is a very well-connected area to stay in Glasgow. To move around, you can choose between several subway and railway stations and bus stops.

Located directly east of George Square and Glasgow City Chambers, the Merchant City is one of the best districts to stay in Glasgow.

The area’s oldest section can be found in Glasgow Cross, at the junction of High Street, Trongate and Saltmarket. The Tron Steeple is one of the few remaining pre-Victorian buildings still standing in Glasgow.

While some of its parts date from the medieval period, Merchant City proper was developed from the 1750s onwards, when Glasgow began to become one of the main hubs of transatlantic trade with North America and the West Indies in Britain.

As commerce developed, the wealthy “tobacco lords” (who made their money by importing tobacco, sugar and tea through indentured and slave workers) began building residences and warehouses in the area. By the 19th century, this first “New Town” had blossomed into a major industrial, commercial and residential centre.

Today, Merchant City is one of Glasgow’s most lively districts. In the last decades, many of the old warehouses have been turned into trendy hotels, boutiques, bars and restaurants.

Merchant City is also home to several attractions including the former Royal Exchange at Queen Street, the Gallery of Modern Art, City Halls, The Old Fruitmarket, Merchant Square, and the Scottish Youth Theatre.

In order to move around, Merchant City is so central that you can basically just walk anywhere. Furthermore, the area is home to (or within walking distance of) several stations including Argyle Street, Glasgow Central, Queen Street and High Street.

Glasgow’s East End, as its name implies, is situated east of the city centre.

Centred around High and Castle streets, this lovely district contains Glasgow’s ancient heart. This was the place where Christian missionary Saint Mungo established the church around which the city of Glasgow developed.

St Mungo’s Cathedral, founded in the 12th century, is the oldest cathedral in mainland Scotland and the oldest building in Glasgow. The gothic cathedral is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Glasgow and has been featured in several films, including Outlander and The Batman. Next to the cathedral is the St. Mungo Museum Of Religious Life & Art.

Overlooking the Cathedral is Glasgow Necropolis, a gorgeous Victorian garden cemetery. This serene burial place offers monuments and sculptures, as well as panoramic views over the city.

Nearby is the University of Strathclyde’s John Anderson Campus. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow’s second-oldest university and Scotland’s third-largest university by number of students.

High Street and Saltmarker connect Glasgow’s old town and the River Clyde. Not far lies Glasgow Green, one of the oldest public parks in Scotland. This impressive garden is home to the People’s Palace, where you can learn about the city’s industrial past and social history. Next to the palace are the Winter Gardens, a large Victorian glasshouse with a cafe, a water garden and assorted tropical plants.

A few hundred metres down London Road is the Barras, the city’s largest and most popular weekend market.

The most convenient railway station to move between the East End and the rest of Glasgow is High Street.

The Scottish Event Campus, previously known as the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, is Scotland’s largest event centre.

Located at the former Queen’s Dock, on the north bank of the River Clyde, the Event Campus is home to the SEC Centre, SEC Armadillo (formerly Clyde Auditorium), and SSE Hydro.

Since the opening of the original buildings in 1985, the complex has undergone major expansions to become one of the most recognisable landmarks of Glasgow.

While SEC is used year-round for several professional trade shows, congresses, conferences and sporting competitions, it is best known for hosting large-scale concerts and music festivals.

Directly across the river is the Glasgow Science Centre, a science and technology museum with interactive exhibits, complete with a planetarium and an IMAX theatre. Next to it, Glasgow Tower holds the Guinness World Record for the tallest fully rotating freestanding structure in the world.

Other attractions nearby include the Riverside Museum; with collections of historic vehicles, and The Tall Ship Glenlee; a restored Victorian sailing ship.

The Exhibition Centre and Partick railway stations provide easy access from this area to the city centre.

Thanks to the many events constantly taking place at SEC, the accommodation offer around this district is very wide. The Exhibition Centre area offers many business-oriented hotels of different categories.

South Glasgow includes all the city areas situated south of the River Clyde.

The Southside is known for its lovely shady parks, stately mansions turned into museums and leafy residential areas.

The House for an Art Lover is no doubt one of the area’s best tourist attractions. This country house and arts centre was built between 1989 and 1996 and based on a 1901 design by Charles Rennie Mackintosh with his wife, Margaret MacDonald. The House for an Art Lover is a prominent example of British Art Nouveau style and hosts art exhibitions and other events.

Tramway, located near Pollokshields East railway station, is a contemporary arts venue hosting visual and performance art, music, film and theatre.

Pollok Country Park is Glasgow’s largest green space and the site of Pollok House, an Edwardian country house with art masterpieces, period furniture and scenic grounds.