Best walking tours to
WALK off the January blues with a guided tour around some of t h e c i t y ’ s m o s t fascinating places. Glasgow is full of opportunities to explore behind the scenes of a whole host of interesting landmarks, from the grand City Chambers to the fascinating Necropolis.
Here are some of the best walking tours available in Glasgow in 2023.
GLASGOW NECROPOLIS WALKING TOUR
The charming volunteers at Friends of Glasgow Necropolis run these friendly and informal walks around this impressive Victorian cemetery on certain Saturdays and Sundays throughout the year.
The 2023 programme is already selling fast, with many dates already sold out, so if you want to learn more about some of the 50,000 people interred within this magnificent graveyard, book soon.
The cost of the tour is by donation. Contact glasgownecropolis. org for more information.
GLASGOW CENTRAL TOUR
This is a fantastic behind- thescenes look at the city’s famous station, which covers the subterranean passageways beneath Glasgow’s streets and the railway vaults which drove Glasgow’s industrial expansion to become the Second City of the Empire.
Informative and friendly, you will have the chance to hear stories of the famous and infamous people who have travelled the tracks and stood on the platforms.
Tours cost £ 15 per person. Visit glasgowcentraltours. co. uk for more information.
KING’S THEATRE BUILDING AND HERITAGE TOUR
Happening on selected Saturdays, these tours give a glimpse behind the curtain of Glasgow’s Grand Old Lady of Bath Street, which opened in 1904.
Knowledgeable guides reveal some of the stories hidden in the wings, historical facts about the building and the people who have played and worked there.
Tours start at £ 10. Visit atgtickets. com for details.
GLASGOW VINTAGE VEHICLE TRUST GUIDED TOURS
Bridgeton Bus Garage, home of the GVVT, has a collection of more than 100 buses, fire engines and commercial vehicles.
A transport heritage hub, it includes vehicles rescued from scrap yards and awaiting restoration to many which are fully restored, and which often take part in events around the city and beyond.
Tours cost £ 5 for adults, £ 3 for children. Visit gvvt. org for details.
GOTHIC GLASGOW TOUR
Discover Dracula’s Scottish connections, meet some of Glasgow’s most famous ghosts and enter the macabre world of bodysnatching on this spooky nighttime tour with The Man in the Hat, a mysterious guide who has a passion for the macabre.
Tours begin outside the King’s Theatre on Bath Street and cost £ 12. Visit gothicglasgow. com
GLASGOW UNIVERSITY HISTORIC TOUR
Founded in 1451, the University of Glasgow is the fourth oldest university in the English- speaking world. Originally located on High Street in the city centre near Glasgow Cathedral, in 1870 it moved to Gilmorehill in the West End. This walking tour includes some of its most significant spots – from philosopher Thomas Reid’s tombstone and the atmospheric cloisters to the staircase Lord Kelvin would take from his house to his laboratory – and it reveals its connections to James Watt, Adam Smith and Isabella Elder whose names are inscribed on the university’s Memorial Gates.
Tickets cost £ 10 for adults, £ 5 for under- 14s. Tickets can be booked through Eventbrite at eventbrite. co. uk
GLASGOW STREET ART TOUR
Glasgow’s murals have become as much of a tourist attraction as some of its famous buildings, and this walk gives you the chance to see them in all their glory. Meander down alleys and under bridges to uncover some of the city’s most beautiful artworks with a local, expert guide.
Well- known artists and new kids on the block are included, with plenty of insight into how the art scene in Glasgow has developed over the last decade and the role of Glasgow City Council in the works. Tours cost £ 12 – find out more at walkingtoursin. com
GLASGOW CITY CHAMBERS TOUR
This iconic, stunning building is one of Glasgow’s most famous landmarks, but few people have seen inside.
Victorian splendour awaits, with sumptuous marble and wood carvings and opulent murals. Free public tours are conducted twice per day, Monday to Friday, at 10.30am and 2.30pm with tickets available on a first come, first served basis – you cannot book in advance.