10 Best Free Things to Do in Glasgow Scotland

All the best things to do in Glasgow are free. Can you believe that? It’s not often a city doesn’t charge visitors for its most popular attractions. You may think that because it’s free it’s not worth doing, but that is not the case with Glasgow’s free activities.

Here are the 10 best free things to do in Glasgow that you definitely can’t miss.

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About Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland. It’s even more populated than Edinburgh, but it doesn’t get as many tourists.

However, because of Glasgow’s plethora of museums, it’s known as the cultural capital of Scotland. Glasgow is slowly growing as a tourist destination, and once you visit, you’ll see why!

We loved our visit to Glasgow and were truly impressed by everything we saw and did.

10 Best Places to Visit in Glasgow for Free

1. Glasgow Necropolis

The Glasgow Necropolis is a Victorian cemetery on a hill. This area was originally a park, but it was turned into a cemetery in 1831 by a wealthy group of Glasgow businessmen who wanted to show off their wealth with fancy tombstones.

It was common in the time to purchase burial lots and tombstones while still alive as a social status symbol. It might seem weird to visit a cemetery, but it seems that these people wanted their tombstones to be seen — both before and after death.

Why visit the Glasgow Necropolis? It’s free to walk around, and there are pathways running up and down the hill, around the grassy tombs. The hill is easy to climb and you’ll be rewarded with incredible views of Glasgow and the nearby Glasgow Cathedral.

I’d especially recommend coming at sunset!

tombstones atop the Glasgow Necropolis at sunset — Glasgow Necropolis

author, a young woman, standing on a sidewalk on the Glasgow Necropolis — Glasgow Necropolis

author's mom standing on a pathway in the Necropolis in Glasgow — Glasgow Necropolis

2. Glasgow Cathedral

Glasgow Cathedral is one of the oldest cathedrals in Scotland, and it has been a cornerstone of Glasgow society for centuries.

Visitors are welcome to come by and tour the cathedral for free during opening hours.

Note that staff can close the cathedral for lunch or can close it early, which did happen to us. It was disappointing, but we were still able to admire the cathedral from the outside.

view of the Glasgow Cathedral from the Necropolis hill — Glasgow Cathedral

author, a young woman, standing in front of the Glasgow Cathedral — Glasgow Cathedral

3. River Clyde

Walk along the River Clyde, one of the most important rivers in Scotland, for free. There’s a pathway along the river and several footbridges.

It’s a beautiful area that birds love as well. It was nice to watch the flocks flying around.

We also saw several cyclists, runners, and walkers taking advantage of the pathway along Clyde Street.

Enjoy the sights and take a few photos of the River Clyde. It’s definitely worth visiting!

author, a young woman, standing by the Clyde River in Glasgow — River Clyde

4. Mural Trail

Glasgow’s Mural Trail is incredible. The murals are beautiful and impressive, and they’re all over the city.

Where to start on the mural trail? You can start anywhere. We started walking from our hotel and followed the trail from there.

Where are the murals? Here is a map of all murals in Glasgow.

Wherever you start, you can’t miss the following murals — they were stunners.

Fellow Glasgow Residents (my absolute favorite)
St. Mungo
Dr Connolly I Presume
Bubbles
Wind Power
The World’s Most Economical Taxi

author, a young woman, standing by the St Mungo mural, which is a man looking at a bird sitting on his finger — St. Mungo Mural

part of the Fellow Glasgow Residents mural, featuring a kilted man picking up a mushroom on the forest floor — Fellow Glasgow Residents Mural

5. Glasgow Botanic Gardens

Hours: 7 a.m. to dusk, year-round
Glasshouse hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in summer or 4 p.m. in winter
Cost: Free

The Glasgow Botanic Gardens opened on their present site in 1842, but they were in another location since 1817. They’ve been linked and/or supported by the University of Glasgow since their inception.

The highlight of these gardens, especially in winter, are the glasshouses. Their biggest is called Kibble Palace, and it is enormous.

Back in the Victorian era, people would dress up and promenade around the glasshouses. It was a social event, a way to be seen.

I highly recommend visiting the Glasgow Botanic Gardens anytime of the year to see these glasshouses. It’s warm inside, a nice respite from the cold weather, but there are also so many beautiful and interesting plants and flowers growing here.

We spent about 2 hours exploring, but you can easily spend longer.

outside of a glasshouse in Glasgow Botanic Gardens — Glasgow Botanic Gardens

author, a young woman, standing inside the Kibble Palace glasshouse in Glasgow Botanic Gardens — Glasgow Botanic Gardens

6. Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon-Thurs and Sat. Opens at 11 a.m. on Fri and Sun.
Cost: Free

I cannot recommend the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum enough. It’s beautiful, it’s massive, and it has an incredible collection.

The Kelvingrove first opened in 1901, and it’s been consistently ranked as the favorite building in Glasgow among locals.

There are 22 galleries to see, but the ones I think you should prioritize include:

The Glasgow Boys
Scottish Identity in Art
Dutch Art
Scotland’s First People
Scottish Colourists
Floating Heads exhibit

Expect to spend a few hours here. I ended up spending half a day wandering around. And we still didn’t see everything! I had to force myself to leave (to get to other things we wanted to do that day) because I got so caught up.

We arrived an hour before they opened and ended up walking around the nearby Kelvingrove Park to kill time. The park is also beautiful (and free), and I’d recommend visiting it as well.

the author, a young woman, standing in the middle of the Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow — Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

author, a young woman, standing in the middle of a checkered floor in a hallway of the Kelvingrove Museum — Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

7. University of Glasgow

Any Harry Potter fans out there? Walking through the East and West Quadrangles and the Cloisters at the University of Glasgow will make you feel like you’ve just dropped into Hogwarts.

Although not officially featured in the Harry Potter films, the Cloisters bear a strong resemblance to something you’d see at Hogwarts.

The Cloisters stand in between the East and West Quadrangles, and they’ve been featured in films and shows such as Outlander and Cloud Atlas.

This area is the most beautiful part of the campus and the most popular. You’ll find other tourists looking around as well, as it is open to the public.

If you have more time, you can also look through the nearby Hunterian Museum (in the East Quadrangle), Scotland’s oldest public museum, which is also free!

sign that says "East Quadrangle" in the University of Glasgow — East Quadrangle, University of Glasgow

the author, a young woman, standing in the middle of the Cloisters in the University of Glasgow — The Cloisters, University of Glasgow

sunbeams coming through the entrance of the West Quadrangle in the University of Glasgow — West Quadrangle, University of Glasgow

Bonus: Ashton Lane

Near the University of Glasgow is a quaint cobblestone street called Ashton Lane lined with restaurants, pubs, and cafes.

We had lunch at The Gardener on Ashton Lane and loved it. I imagine this area is popular with university students when school is in session.

Don’t miss strolling down this cute street!

restaurant called the Gardener on Ashton Lane in Glasgow — Ashton Lane

cobblestone street called Ashton Lane in Glasgow — Ashton Lane

8. Pollok Country Park

Pollok Country Park is the largest park in Glasgow at 361 acres with more than 6 miles (11 km) of woodland trails.

The main attraction at Pollok Country Park are the hairy coos. You don’t have to travel all the way to the Highlands to see them as they’re right here in Glasgow.

There are about 50 Highland cows at Pollok Park, and they each have their own Gaelic name. Visitors come to see these cute cows, which have won awards in local agricultural shows.

Read my complete guide to Pollok Country Park with everything you need to know and where to find these cute coos.

hairy coo in a field at Pollok Country Park — Highland cows in Pollok Country Park

a field framed by trees and bushes at Pollok Country Park — Pollok Country Park

9. The Burrell Collection

Hours: Monday-Thursday and Saturday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Friday and Sunday: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Cost: Free

The Burrell has an incredibly impressive collection of art and artifacts — and it was all amassed and donated by one person: a Glaswegian, Sir William Burrell.

He donated his collection to Glasgow in 1944 and had two conditions for the city:

That it would be displayed amidst nature
That it would be seen by the public

The Burrell Collection (opened in 1983) does both perfectly. Large windows frame the outside trees, letting in light that shines on the art. The art is displayed so well, in various rooms, across three floors.

There are more than 9,000 pieces in this collection, including famous paintings, Gothic tapestries, and Medieval stained-glass windows.

The Burrell is located in Pollok Country Park. Read more in my complete guide to Pollok Country Park.

sculpture on display in museum the Burrell with large windows framing trees outside in the background — The Burrell Collection

wall of famous paintings on display in the Burrell — The Burrell Collection

10. Pollok House and Gardens

Pollok House was built in 1752 in all its Georgian grandeur.

Inside, it contains an extensive library, artwork and artifacts, opulent rooms, and a vast servants quarter. Pollok House once had a staff of 48 to serve 3 residents.

The house and Edwardian Kitchen cafe are currently closed for renovations, but they will reopen again sometime after November 2025. (Learn more about the refurbishment plans.)

While you can’t see inside the house right now, you can still explore around the house and its gardens.

There are extensive gardens at Pollok House that are free to visit despite the house being closed for refurbishment.

Do take the time to visit the Pollok House Gardens as they are simply gorgeous.

We visited in winter and still thought it was a stunning place. I can’t imagine how it looks in spring or summer when the flowers are blooming.

Highlights of Pollok House Gardens:

Gazebo
Polloktoun Bridge
Hedge maze
Fairy village

Pollok House and Gardens are located in Pollok Country Park. Read more in my complete guide to Pollok Country Park.

a young woman standing in front of Pollok House at Pollok Country Park — Pollok House

the Polloktoun Bridge at Pollok Country Park — Polloktoun Bridge

young woman walking inside a hedge maze by Pollok House — Pollok House Gardens

Getting Around Glasgow

If you don’t have a car while in Glasgow, don’t worry. We didn’t either, and we got around just fine.

Is Glasgow a walkable city?

Sort of. It’s a huge city, so there are sections that are walkable, but you’ll often need to take the subway, bus, or train to get to another section of the city.

I’d recommend using Apple Maps or Google Maps to map out the best directions from place to place.

Take the Glasgow tube

Did you know Glasgow has an underground tube? There is only one underground line, and it goes in a circle, but it can get you to the major parts of Glasgow. It’s often referred to as the “clockwork orange,” because the carriages are orange and it’s like a clock, going in a circle.

We used it to get to the Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow Botanical Gardens, and the University of Glasgow from the Buchanan Street Station. See the Glasgow subway map to find out if it will go somewhere you’d like to visit.

How to purchase subway tickets: Purchase a paper ticket from the machines at the station before you board the subway. There are options for single, return, or all day. A single ticket costs just £1.80. See more info about Glasgow subway tickets and prices.

We purchased a one-way ticket there and then another one-way ticket back as we were returning from a different station.

Since there is only one line, each station has just two platforms, one going each way. It’s simple enough to figure out where to go.

Where to Stay in Glasgow Scotland

The top things to do in Glasgow, like visiting Pollok Country Park, are pretty far apart, so there’s not one central place to stay to see it all.

My best recommendation is to stay near a train station or a subway station so you can easily get to all the different areas of Glasgow.

Where I stayed: I stayed at the Holiday Inn Glasgow City Center Theatreland, an IHG Hotel, which is near the Glasgow Bus Station. We needed to take the bus, with all our luggage, to the airport, so it was the most convenient hotel for us. It’s also an easy walk to the Glasgow Queen Street Train Station and the Buchanan Street Subway Station.

Other recommended hotels in Glasgow:

AC Hotel Glasgow (near the Queen Street Train Station)
The Z Hotel Glasgow (near the Queen Street Train Station)
voco Grand Central Glasgow, an IHG hotel (near the Glasgow Central Train Station)
Leonardo Hotel Glasgow (near the Glasgow Central Train Station)
Clayton Hotel Glasgow (near the Glasgow Central Train Station)
Hotel Indigo Glasgow, an IHG hotel (near the Glasgow Central Train Station)
The Address Glasgow (near the Glasgow Central Train Station)

What to Pack for a Trip to Glasgow

Warm, waterproof wear

If you’re visiting Glasgow during its cold and rainy season (almost every month of the year besides a few weeks in summer), you should definitely bring a warm waterproof jacket and waterproof walking boots.

This waterproof jacket and these waterproof boots I took with me to Scotland helped us explore no matter the weather. We walked around Glasgow during foggy mornings and chilly evenings, and enjoyed it all. Be prepared for cold, rainy weather, and dress for it, so you don’t miss out.
Also consider bringing fleece-lined leggings — I loved this pair I packed!

Favorite travel essentials

I really recommend these compression packing cubes. They’re very thick and durable and allow you to pack more than you expect.
I also love this travel backpack that opens like a suitcase, fits almost as much as a carry-on, and has tons of pockets as well as a strap to attach to your luggage handle. It makes traveling so much easier and more organized. It also fits nicely under the airplane seats.
I bring this AirFly receiver for AirPods with me on long-haul flights, so I can connect to the plane’s video screen with my own AirPods.
I no longer hop on a flight without wearing my Sockwell compression socks because they really do help relieve/prevent leg cramps from sitting so long in one place. I have the lotus pattern, but there are other patterns to choose from, such as this cat pattern or this flower pattern. See all sock patterns in the Sockwell storefront.
For Americans, I recommend getting the Capital One Venture X credit card to relax and eat free food in select airport lounges. I’ve had my Capital One Venture X credit card for a few years now, and accessing airport lounges is my absolute favorite perk of the card. Every lounge is different, but most have a buffet available where you can eat and drink to your heart’s content. The annual fee of this card is high, but it evens out with the $300 annual travel credit and 10,000 anniversary miles you get (on top of lounge access and free TSA PreCheck or Global Entry)!