Glasgow Essentials

Glasgow Essentials & Tourist Information

Tourist Attractions

Glasgow has a rich artistic heritage and the elegant GoMA building houses the very finest contemporary artworks from leading Scottish and international artists. There are educational studios, children’s workshops and lectures, along with ever-changing displays of modern visual art. Best of all, entrance is free and it makes for an inspiring day for all ages. With departures every 15 minutes, the hop-on-hop-off Glasgow city tour bus is the most convenient way to view the attractions. A 2-day ticket calls at all the major city highlights, and knowledgeable and humorous audio commentary is available throughout the journey.

Opening Hours

Operating hours for retail businesses in Glasgow are similar to the rest of the UK, although there is a much higher proportion of shops that do not open on Sundays and bank holidays. This is more likely to be limited to large shopping centres and chain stores. Expect to see most stores open from 9 or 10am until 5.30pm Monday to Saturdays, with some small independent and speciality shops still having a traditional midday lunch break.

Tipping & Etiquette

For meals in restaurants, pubs and full service cafes, a gratuity of 10% of the total bill is considered sufficient, although a majority of mid range establishments will already include this. Bar staff are often rewarded with small change for a polite and engaging service, and Glasgow taxi drivers often expect a small tip. Other tipping to consider is for tour guiding, hotel room service and spa or salon staff.

Food & Drink

Glasgow is a magnet for all the finest Scottish produce, and its city restaurants boast the very best cuts of quality beef, venison, smoked salmon and much more. Many upmarket restaurants also feature wildfowl dishes such as partridge, wild duck, pheasant and the highly prized grouse, usually roasted with cranberries and wild mushrooms. Old traditional Glaswegian meals are simple filling affairs, such as soups and broths made with mutton, beef and pearl barley, leeks, potatoes and smoked haddock. After dinner, cakes and biscuits are popular, as well as tempting cream cakes, marzipans, truffles, bannocks or some authentic sugar encrusted Caledonian shortbread.

Useful Numbers

• Police – 999
 • Ambulance – 999 
• Fire – 999

Disabled Access

Some of the more interesting, less-visited historic areas have uneven cobbled pavements and steps which may cause inconvenience to wheelchair users, although most of the main points of interest have good amenities for the disabled such as ramps, wide entry points and toilet facilities. The city tour bus is fully accessible to wheelchair users, and stocks large print city guides and has audio commentary. Some bars and restaurants are housed in elegant Georgian buildings, which are less equipped to serve disabled customers; however shopping should prevent few problems to those with special needs.

Weather

As the city is close to the warm Atlantic Ocean and also in the path of a prevailing westerly wind, Glasgow has a moderate climate that is similar to that of Northern England. Spring and autumn see mild cool days, with the chance of showers. Summers are warm and generally sunny, with highs of up to 20C, however the weather can be very unpredictable, even in peak season. Winters are long and wet, with cold winds and the chance for snow.