Hotels in Glasgow

Choosing where to base yourself in Glasgow comes down to a straightforward question: are you here for the museums and the food, or for the shops, the stations and the arena? The city is compact enough that neither choice is a mistake, but the two answers point to different postcodes.

If your itinerary is weighted towards Kelvingrove, the Botanics, the university and the restaurants of Finnieston and Byres Road, the West End is the obvious home. Accommodation there runs to converted Victorian townhouses and small guest houses on quiet residential terraces, often with parking, and the Subway or a fifteen-minute walk gets you into the centre when you need it. Rates tend to be a little softer than the grid, and evenings are calmer.

If you are arriving by train, cramming a lot into two days, or heading out again on an early service, the city centre wins. The grid between Central and Queen Street stations holds most of the larger hotels, from five-star Georgian conversions on Blythswood Square to the modern rooms above the Sauchiehall Street and West Regent Street blocks. Everything on Buchanan Street is on your doorstep, and taxis are plentiful at all hours.

The Merchant City splits the difference with warehouse conversions and boutique rooms above busy bars. It is the liveliest option, which cuts both ways: ask for a room away from the street. Anyone attending a concert at the OVO Hydro should look at Finnieston or the Clyde waterfront, where you can walk back rather than joining the taxi queue.

Book early for June and July, for any weekend when Celtic or Rangers are at home, and for the nights either side of a major Hydro show, when the city can sell out entirely. January and February bring the cheapest rooms of the year. Most central hotels charge separately for parking, so if you are driving, factor that in or consider a West End property with its own spaces.