Spots in Scotland (Part 4): Go, Grow, Glasgow!!

- July 7, 2026, Tuesday.

- The moment I knew I was going to Scotland, there were two cities I really wanted to see: Edinburgh and Glasgow. I was happy to know that Glasgow can easily be done as a day trip from Edinburgh, so it did not take too much time from my already long and hectic schedule! 

- To get to Glasgow, I just had to buy a ticket from Edinburgh-Waverley Station to either Glasgow Queen or Glasgow Central Stations. I decided to get off at Glasgow Queen because it seemed closer to most of the places I wanted to see. I also got same-day return tickets, so I can just ride any Edinburgh-bound train within the day when I was ready to go back. Convenient! The trip between the two cities takes around 40 minutes. The no-fuss nature of the train ride made it feel like I was just riding a regular metro train, even though this was already a long-distance train.

- Upon reaching Glasgow, I immediately headed towards Glasgow Cathedral. It was built in the 12th century, and is one of the oldest (if not the oldest?) building in Glasgow. Its patron saint, Saint Mungo, is also buried in the church.

Glasgow Cathedral.

Main hall.

Stain glass windows.

Supposedly the altar area.

Crypt.

Tomb and chapel of St. Mungo.

- I later headed south to see the Glasgow Cross, one of the historic junctions of the city. Some of the most important landmarks there include the Mercat Cross, the Tolbooth Steeple, and the Tron Theatre. I walked around Glasgow, reaching Buchanan Street, which is the main shopping street, before reaching the Gallery of Modern Art.

Streets of Glasgow. It feels more like a modern city compared to Edinburgh.

Tolbooth Steeple.

Mercat Cross, a replica of the one in Scotland.

Tron Gate Theatre.

Buchanan Street.

I super love this metal peacock ornament!! 

Glasgow City Chambers. (George Square in front of it was undergoing renovations.)

- The Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) was established in 1996, although its building has been around since the 18th century. For most people, the most interesting bit about the museum isn't what's inside of it, but what's standing outside! The First Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley has a statue erected in the 1800s to celebrate the end of the Napoleonic Wars. However, in the past few decades, the public prank of putting a traffic cone on the statue has been done. Despite numerous efforts by the government to encourage the public to stop this prank, the prank has become some kind of local tradition. Hence, the government gave up. This prank has actually extended to Edinburgh, which surprised me on my first day because some statues along the Royal Mile had traffic cones on them too - but Glasgow did it first!

Even the horse has a cone!!

 

I should've worn a cone too hahahaha.

Even this dog has a cone!!

Museum cupola.

Museum interior.

- I took an Uber to Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. It opened in 1901 and has a mix of art, archaeology, and science. The museum is also a bit smaller than other museums of the same kind across the UK, so it was less overwhelming.

One thing I noticed was that half of Glasgow was being renovated the day I went - including the Kelvingrove Museum.

One of the most photographed halls.

The floating heads freak me out.

There is an organ in the middle of the museum and I'm glad I was able to catch the organ show.

"Christ of St. John of the Cross" by Salvador Dali (1951).

Another day another museum.

Royal armor.

Stained glass window.

This is John Fulton's orrery from the 1830s. I love this so much!!

Sir Roger and Kelvin; they're both Asian elephants. And yes, these are their actual names.

Squeeze in a few dinosaurs here and there.

At least this side of the museum looks nice.

- I rode the train back to Edinburgh after my visit to Kelvingrove. Glasgow was pretty compact and most of the must-sees can be seen in a day or two. That evening, I had dinner with my student Amalie and her friends, whom I bumped into in Edinburgh days prior. At least we had a proper time and place to catch up!

Thank you for the treat Amalie! It was nice to meet your friends!

- I'm so happy I was able to place Glasgow in my Scotland itinerary. I still prefer Edinburgh over Glasgow because I think there's just much more to see, but I also appreciate how Glasgow is able to mix in heritage with modernity. I know Edinburgh has its modern areas too, but Edinburgh can still feel "too historical" at times. I appreciate both cities though! But now that I'm back in Edinburgh, I still have a few more things to do before I wrap up my Scotland trip!