Top Rated Attractions in Glasgow

Wander through this tranquil urban park and admire Kibble Palace, dating back to 1873 to provide Glasgow University's botany students with hot-house plants. The domed glasshouse and statues are attractive and hard to miss. If you're there before 4.30p, take the opportunity to look around the glasshouses and study their stunning collection of orchids and rare tropical plants. Children seem to enjoy the huge exotic cacti in particular. In summer, locals and tourists alike flock here for picnics and sunbathing on the lawns. You can also take a walk along the riverside and watch the squirrels. The Glasgow Botanic Gardens is a great place to spend a day outside when the weather is favorable.

Welcome to a wonderful slice of the countryside just outside the city center that you can wander peacefully. This is a large park in the south of Glasgow and home to a huge array of birds and small animals. Woodland walks and meadow trails make lovely afternoon pursuits and if you wander along the riverside you may catch a glimpse of an otter or mink. The stunning gardens were created by Sir John Stirling Maxwell and offer a more formal vision of natural beauty. Don't miss the herd of Highland cattle, shire-horses, the Burrell Collection and Pollok House. Park rangers run guided tours through the grounds at various times. There is also a mountain biking circuit.

Opened in 1898 by the Earl of Rosebery, this handsome edifice has been standing in Glasgow Green as a strong cultural symbol. The former cultural center for the East Enders, People's Palace showcases the story of Glasgow and Glaswegians from the 17th Century through the 20th Century. Pictorials, audio-visuals, artifacts and stories bring life to the chronicles of Glasgow's people and its storied history. Comedian Billy Connolly's Banana Boots are among the most famous displays at this repository. The museum's premises brim with their own charm, featuring elements like the impressive ceramic fountain, the Doulton Fountain, which is set in the front of this building. The adjacent Victorian glasshouse, also known as the Winter Gardens, attracts as much attention.

Glasgow Green became a public park in 1857, after centuries of tumultuous functionality. Home to the People's Palace and Winter Gardens, and adjacent to the beautiful Templeton's Carpet Factory, the green has a marvelous history. As one of Scotland's oldest parks, it has seen its share of political agitation, executions, gang fights and other excitement over the years, but now serves mainly as an ample space for leisure and quiet reflection. The park is also used as a venue for demonstrations and special events, such as the Gig on the Green. Many famous local and national dignitaries are commemorated here by sculptures and memorials, such as the McLellan Arch, the Doulton, Collins and James Martin Fountains and the Nelson Monument.

Set in the attractive Pollok Country Park, this 18th-century Palladian mansion houses the Stirling Maxwell collection of paintings. 16th and 17th-century art by El Greco, Murillo, William Blake and Goya hang in the museum, whilst 18th- and 19th-century artifacts and furniture can also be viewed. Afterward, you can wander around the beautifully tended gardens, enjoy a snack in the restaurant and browse in the gift shop.

This suburban park lies quite far to the south-west of the city center. Formal gardens, woodland walks and attractive greenery surround a charming Georgian house, which was built in 1764 for a local merchant and is now home to offices of the National Trust for Scotland. The walled garden covers two and a half acres and is a lovely place to stroll on a sunny day. They also have a special demonstration garden which features a variety of plants and landscaping designs to inspire would be horticulturalists.