The GSA Guide to Glasgow, 2024

The GSA Guide to Glasgow

Glasgow is a vibrant, hospitable and creative city. No matter where you are, it’s always easy to get to good bars, cafés, galleries, shops, restaurants and creative spaces. With its great public transport, you can get around Glasgow and access different spaces and events in the city. In this guide, we’ll introduce you to the city’s key districts, suggest some different venues and places to explore, and give you some tips on transport and exploring beyond the city.

If you are not familiar with Glasgow, you can check out the GSA’s Live Map of the city, which features loads of creative projects and spaces in the city with a connection to the GSA, as well as a guide for students featuring some of the most popular places to eat, shop and visit compiled by our Students’ Association. These Google Maps can help give you an insight into the city, especially some of the areas outside the city centre and the west end that you may not be so familiar with.

You can also check out The Glasgow Art Map, a GSA graduaterun online map and journal of contemporary art exhibitions happening in Glasgow.

to Glasgow Welcome

Glasgow has many neighbourhoods, but the city is broadly segmented into five districts –

The City Centre; The South Side; The East End and The West End and North Glasgow

City Centre

The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) sits within the heart of one of the most vibrant cities in the UK. Accessible from every district, the centre of Glasgow is a cultural hub, with loads of creative spaces as well as great bars, restaurants, cafés and shops. The GSA sits in the heart of the city, in Garnethill, an area brimming with creative organisations and projects as well as community spaces, among them the Glasgow Film Theatre, Garnethill Multicultural Centre, the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) and Garnethill Community Garden. Garnethill is also an important hub for Glasgow’s Chinese community and is home to some great Chinese restaurants and shops.

Glasgow is a really well-connected city, and the Garnethill Campus is conveniently located for the city’s bus station and key train stations, as well as Cowcaddens subway station. There are also a decent number of cycle lanes in and around the city meaning that if you’re a confident cyclist you may be able to commute to the School from different parts of the city.

Below Image / Shone Beattie — Material ReCollections, Architecture Stage 4 2022

The West End

Glasgow’s West End is traditionally a hotspot for students in the city. Set amongst leafy parks are some of the city’s most popular spots to eat and drink. It is home to several of the city’s most celebrated (free) museums and galleries as well as bustling streets such as Byres Road. Running through its heart is Great Western Road, a street recently listed by Time Out as the third coolest street in the world right now, and which runs from Garnethill out through the west of the city past Loch Lomond to Inverness.

Glasgow’s West End is home to a number of art spaces used frequently by students at the GSA among them New Glasgow Society, a community space which can be hired for exhibitions in the heart of Finnieston, and The Alchemy Experiment, an inclusive arts venue and collective on Byres Road.

To the North lie the areas of Kelvinside and Maryhill, home to The Whisky Bond and Glasgow Sculpture Studios as well as Civic House and Glue Factory. The Glasgow Canal has great cycle routes leading out of the city, whilst skate fans can take advantage of The Loading Bay, Glasgow’s state of the art indoor skating spot.

& North Glasgow

Where to Eat

→ Little Italy

→ Paesano

→ Dumpling Monkey

→ Mother India’s Café

→ Mrs Falafel

→ University Café

→ Kimchi Cult

→ Serenity Now

→ Gloriosa

→ GaGa

→ Rafa’s

→ Café D’Jaconelli

→ Suissi Vegan Kitchen

Where to Shop

→ Oxfam Music

→ West Vintage

→ Garden Fresh Exotics

→ West End Garden Centre

→ Draw Art Store

→ Caledonia Books

→ Matthew’s Foods

→ Otage Lane

Where to Drink

→ Papercup

→ Kelvin Pocket

→ Naked Soup

→ Tennents

→ The Sparkle Horse

→ Meadow Road Coffee

→ Roots & Fruits → Inn Deep

→ The Arlington

→ Naked Soup

→ The Rock

→ The Doublet

The West End & North Glasgow

The West End has always been popular with students. Areas like Finnieston, Woodlands, Kelvinbridge and Partick are all lively parts of the city and are well connected to other areas by train, subway and bus services.

The West End also encompasses nearby areas such as Whiteinch, Scotstoun and Yoker. These areas all offer good access to parts of the West End like Thornwood, Partick and Finnieston by foot, bike, bus and train. A train from Scotstounhill train station takes under 10 minutes to get to Partick and around 20 minutes to get to Glasgow Central Station. These areas are well located for local parks such as Victoria Park and Knightswood Park and have good access to local amenities such as shops, supermarkets and gyms.

Closer to Hillhead and Kelvinbridge, areas such as Anniesland are handy for getting both to the West End and also to the GSA campus in Garnethill. Located just beyond Hyndland and Kelvindale, Anniesland has plenty of cafés and shops as well as a train station with regular trains running to the West End, City Centre and East End. It is well connected for bus routes, some of which run direct into Garnethill, and nearby Cowcaddens. The journey from Anniesland to the GSA’s Stow Building is under 30 minutes.

Slightly further afield, but still with great access into the West End and City Centre are Dalmuir and Clydebank. Clydebank is a town to the west of Glasgow and is very well resourced with shops and public transport. The train between Clydebank and Glasgow Central takes around 25 minutes. From Clydebank as well as Partick, Scotstoun and Yoker, you can also easily take the train to the west to explore coastal and lochside towns like Helensburgh and Balloch.

The South Side

The South Side of Glasgow is a very popular area of the city with students, and it is home to a fair number of creative projects, making it a good place to live and socialise for many students at the GSA.

With artist-run spaces like Queen’s Park Railway Station and Gallery Celine, as well as galleries and community spaces such as Studio Pavilion, Tramway, Glasgow Zine Library and Kinning Park Complex and Govanhill Baths, the South Side is a fun and creative area of the city for students to be around. It’s also home to a number of large parks and green spaces, among them Queen’s Park, Bellahouston Park, Pollok Country Park and Linn Park, meaning that you can get away from the hustle and bustle of the city for nature really easily. Living in and around the South Side also means you have great access to some of the city’s best boutique shops, bars and restaurants, making it a fun and vibrant place to spend a lot of time in.

The South Side is a great area to explore, with areas like Shawlands and Govanhill being popular areas with students to hang out and socialise. These areas are home to many creative spaces as well as some of the restaurants and bars listed below.

The South Side is a relatively expansive part of the city, however it is an easy area to get around and explore. Areas such as Mount Florida, King’s Park, Battlefield and Cathcart all offer quick and easy access into popular parts of The South Side as well as the City Centre by foot, bike and public transport.

To the west, there are areas like Ibrox, Govan, Cessnock and Kinning Park which have become increasingly popular with students. They are all well connected by the Glasgow subway meaning you have great access to the City Centre and West End as well as being within cycling distance of Shawlands

To the South of Glasgow there is the small city of Paisley. A nominee for UK City of Culture in 2021, Paisley is a short 15 minute train ride into Glasgow. Paisley is a bustling place in its own right and has a rich cultural and creative history.

Where to Eat

→ Bar Vini

→ Ranjit’s Kitchen

→ Little Hoi An

→ Kebabish

→ Errol’s Hot Pizza

→ Hooked

→ Panda House

→ Glad Café

→ Lobo

→ Beirut Star

→ NOLA Soul

Where to Drink

→ Milk

→ Café Strange Brew

→ Short Long Black

→ Transylvania Coffee Shop

→ The Allison Arms

→ The Laurieston

→ Marchtown

→ The Old Toll Bar

→ The Rose Reilly

Where to Shop

→ Category Is Books

→ Burning House Books

→ Some Great Reward

→ Glad Rags Thrift

→ Deanston Bakery

→ Babylon Supermarket

→ Magpie’s Eye

The East End

The East End of Glasgow is home to some really significant creative and community spaces in Glasgow. The Glasgow Women’s Library and David Dale Gallery and Studios can both be found in Bridgeton. In the Gallowgate, home to gig venue and Glasgow institution The Barrowland Ballroom, you can find Pipe Factory, Market Gallery and Many Studios among others, whilst further east you’ll find Platform in Easterhouse. Dennistoun, which sits at the heart of the East End, is full of great bars and restaurants, whilst if you like green spaces there’s Alexandra Park, Glasgow Green, the famous Glasgow Necropolis and Hogganfield Loch - all of which offer great walks in the heart of the city.

Dennistoun is a popular area with students and is home to many of the bars and restaurants listed above. It is a lively and creative part of the city, and is very easily accessible from the areas that surround it such as Bridgeton, Dalmarnock and Tollcross, all of which have good amenities and transport to Dennistoun and the City Centre.

Where to Eat

Celinos

Tibo Bistro

Scran

Dennistoun Bar-B-Que

Nakodar Grill

Falafel To Go

Damasquino

Where to Shop

The Barras Market

Bill’s Tools

Good Press

Ripe

Common Wheel

Calton Books

Where to Drink

Outlier

Coia’s Café

Mesa

Andina

Drygate

Brewery

The West of Scotland is home to some of the most stunning countryside in the world, and some of it very easy to reach from Glasgow and the surrounding areas. From the city centre and West End you can take the train west and explore the scenic towns of Helensburgh on the coast and Balloch on the shores of Loch Lomond. Scotland is home to two world famous National Parks - The Trossachs and the Cairngorms - both of which are accessible by train and bus services from Glasgow.

Travelling north, you can explore the Highlands of Scotland. Inverness is the ‘gateway to the Highlands’ and borders the famous Loch Ness. From Inverness you can easily reach the town of Forres which is the closest town to the GSA’s Highlands and Islands campus in Altyre.

Beyond

Glasgow

To the south of the city, you can reach the Ayrshire coast and the Firth of Clyde and towns like West Kilbride, Troon and Largs - all of which offer stunning scenery and can be easily accessed by public transport. If you want to explore some Scottish Islands, why not take the train to Ardrossan Harbour where you can catch a ferry to the Isle of Arran, or the train to Wemyss Bay for the ferry to the Isle of Bute?

To travel to Scotland’s capital city, Edinburgh, is very easy from Glasgow with regular buses and trains between the city running throughout the day. By public transport, you can also travel from Glasgow easily to parts of the Highlands with regular buses and trains to Inverness and beyond.

Images / Bottom: Loch Lomond

Right: Findhorn Beach, Moray, near GSA Highlands & Islands campus, Photo: Andy Buchanan

Around Getting Cycling

Glasgow is a small city with good transport links, making it a relatively easy city to get around. Rail travel is very easy in Glasgow with many train lines connecting all parts of the city through the main train stations Queen Street and Glasgow Central. Bus services are very frequent across the city.

Bus

First Glasgow is considered to be the principal bus operator and offers regular bus services across all areas of the city. However, there are also other major bus operators who also run bus services in the city, including Stagecoach Glasgow and McGill’s Bus Services. Depending on where you live, these companies may work better for your commute, but it’s important to remember that all of these companies operate independently and their tickets are not interchangeable. This means you cannot use a Stagecoach ticket on a First Glasgow or McGill’s bus service for example.

You can buy a bus ticket directly when boarding services in the city and most services now accept card payments. First Glasgow has an app which allows you to purchase bus tickets in advance or in bundles at a reduced cost.

Free Bus Travel

Young people aged 5-21, who live in Scotland for at least six months a year, can apply for a free bus pass that allows you to travel on most bus services in Scotland for free. Check out freebus.scot for more information on the scheme.

There are a lot of bike projects based in Glasgow such as Common Wheel and Bike for Good which allow you to buy second hand bikes on a modest budget. They also offer repair and servicing for your bike. So long as you are a reasonably confident cyclist on roads, travelling by bike to many parts of the city is possible. If travelling by bicycle you should ensure you take precautions around safety, wearing proper protective and visible clothing. It’s also important to consider your routes and avoid busy roads and junctions. ‘Aye Cycle Glasgow’ has a handy guide for bicycle safety and security in Glasgow. They also have useful links to organisations and groups which help people get into cycling in the city, as well as a guide to buying a bike in Glasgow.

Bike for Good offer cycling classes for people wanting to cycle their commute and improve their road cycling. If you own your own bike, the GSA Students’ Association and GSA Sustainability run regular Dr Bike sessions throughout the year too.

Image / Graduate Drive-Thru, 2021 ©McAteer Photograph 2021

Train

Glasgow Queen Street station links Glasgow by rail to Edinburgh and the north of Scotland, while Glasgow Central Station operates routes to the South. Glasgow is well resourced for local train travel within the city, with services operating regularly across Glasgow and surrounding towns. There are a number of ways to get reduced fares and flexi travel passes for routes you do regularly. You can find out more about these from the Scotrail website.

There are a range of taxi companies that operate across Glasgow. Rates for taxi’s in the city vary according to time and availability of cars, and you can also flag down black cabs on the street. Some companies such as West End Radio cars have their own apps which allow you to order a taxi on your phone. Many companies also have options for card payment, but some still only take cash so it’s best to check this when you order. Uber also operates in Glasgow.

Discounted Travel

Discounted Rail Travel

You can travel by train to many parts of the city too, and all full-time students regardless of their age can apply for a 16-25 railcard which gives them access to discounted rail fairs. Visit www.16-25railcard.co.uk for more information on how to apply for a railcard.

Travel ZoneCard

Purchasing a ZoneCard can be a good option if you plan on using public transport regularly. This allows you to get reduced travel across the Glasgow subway, rail and bus network. You can apply for a ZoneCard at all staffed train stations in the city.

Walking and Hiking

Glasgow has plenty of beautiful and unique city and country parks and green spaces located in and around the city for you to explore. These spaces all offer great opportunities for you to get out walking and exercising often in stunning surroundings, and to get away from the busyness of city life. There are a range of guides online to walking in and around Glasgow, many of which offer indications of difficulty, as well as route maps and recommendations.

Accessible walks and trails in and around the city that you can try, depending on your level of confidence include:

→ The Magnificent 11 (10.5 Miles)

→ Pollock Park (3.25 Miles)

→ Balloch Country Park and Castle (2.25 miles)

→ Conic Hill, Balmaha (2.5 miles)

→ Seven Lochs Trail (6.5 miles)

→ Kelvin Walkway – Glasgow – Milngavie (10.5 miles)

Gyms

Glasgow has a range of gyms, as well as more specialist sports facilities depending on what you want to do. A number of gyms and sport centres in the city offer student discounts. The Glasgow School of Art Students’ Association also supports students at the GSA to run student led sports societies.

Jogging and Running

Glasgow is a good place for those who like running and jogging. There are plenty of parks with well maintained paths, and routes along the River Clyde as well as the Forth and Clyde Canal. There are a number of organised running events in the city each year, including park runs, which are free to enter and place an emphasis on being welcoming and inclusive.

Glasgow Being active in

Renfrew Street, Glasgow Scotland, G3 6RQ www.gsa.ac.uk

Cover Images / Monorail Music � Photograph by Colin Mearns 2017, Molly Hankinson � I Rise We Rise, Painting and Printmaking 2018 Marcus Brownlow � Glasgow Chroma, MLitt Fine Art Practice 2022

The Glasgow School of Art 167