Three Days in Scotland: Glasgow and Edinburgh's Top Sights For a Short Visit

View from across Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh, Scotland

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Scotland, and highly recommend visiting both Glasgow and Edinburgh.  Three days is definitely not enough time to enjoy the best experiences these cities have to offer, but because they are relatively small and close together, even a short visit is incredible.  Despite Edinburgh being Scotland's capital and containing one of the most spectacular castles in the world, we opted to stay in Glasgow because hotels were significantly cheaper, and our visit coincided with the annual Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which brings thousands of people to the already popular city.  So, after a VERY late arrival into Glasgow Airport thanks to EasyJet, we settled into the Premier Inn at Buchanan Street, and started our visit with a full day in the wonderful city of Glasgow. 

Glasgow Riverside Museum & Tall Ship

If you are flying in or out of Glasgow Airport, you should consider using the Airport Express Bus to get into the city center--a single, one-way ticket is only £8.50, and the bus makes multiple stops on its way to Buchanan Station. When you're ready to hit the town, either the Buchanan Galleries (a small shopping mall) or the Buchanan Bus/Underground stations make for a good place to start for a walk down pedestrian-only Buchanan Street, which is lined with shops and cafes.  Make a stop at George Square on your way, and enjoy statues of important figures from Scotland's history, mostly erected in the 1800s.  Princes Square Shopping Centre is worth a stop if you're in the mood for more shopping, the Willow Tea Rooms offer high tea in a Rennie Mackintosh-designed setting, and the main pedestrian walking path ends at St Enoch Square, with another shopping plaza and an Underground station.  The original St. Enoch station, dating back to the late 1800s, still stands and has a small coffee shop in it.

For visiting most other attractions in Glasgow, I suggest using their Underground system, and you may want to consider purchasing an unlimited day-pass if you plan to trek across the city.   Glasgow's subway system is actually the third oldest in the world (after those of London and Budapest), and runs two tracks in a clockwise and counter-clockwise circle--this makes it VERY easy to tell if you're going the right direction! 

For visiting the Riverside Museum, you can pick between the Govan and Patrick stations.  The Govan station is near the beautiful Old Parish Church, which contains carved stones from the Viking ages.  Using the free Govan Ferry boat (approx. every 15 minutes, but only seats about 8-10), you have a very scenic journey to or from the museum.  Focusing mainly on transportation, the museum is deceptively large and has dozens of classic cars, motorcycles, train and trolly cars, and more.  Admission is free (as with almost all UK museums), and the on-site cafe offers a varied and reasonably-priced menu.

Glasgow Botanic Gardens Greenhouses

The Kelvingrove Gallery and Museum is a 1 mile walk away from the Riverside Museum, and the Hillhead subway station is closest if traveling from elsewhere (or for a scenic walk past the University of Glasgow, use the Kelvinbridge station).  This museum covers everything from dinosaurs to local history, and again admission is free!  We were lucky to see an exhibit of Linda McCartney's photography, which did have an admission cost but was well worth it.  If you are traveling with children, these are both fine options, but you might also consider the Glasgow Science Centre, which does have admission and activity costs, but offers a wide variety of interactive exhibits plus a planetarium. 

If plants and green spaces are of interest, certainly check out the Glasgow Botanic Gardens (closest to the Hillhead subway station), which has lush, winding greenhouses to explore.  Finally, if Gothic cathedrals are your thing, you'll want to visit Glasgow Cathedral (about 1 mile walking from Buchanan station).  Compared to the ornate, gilded cathedrals of London, Glasgow's is stark and feels ancient, plus it has the eerie Necropolis (cemetery) on the adjacent hillside.  Lastly, I should also mention that we do not drink alcohol, so cannot comment much on places like the Clydeside Distillery or West on the Green (housed in a fantastic old warehouse).  But thankfully, Scottish brewery BrewDog does offer a non-alcohol beer in its brewpubs!  And if you're looking for some Glaswegian nightlife, certainly check out the Barrowland Ballroom schedule for some live music in a unique building.

Glasgow Cathedral

Glasgow Necropolis

"The Hub" overlooking Edinburgh

While Glasgow has mixture of Gothic and more modern architecture around the city, central Edinburgh is almost entirely amazing and dark Gothic buildings!  Traveling between the two cities is only about 45 minutes by train, and a one-day round-trip ticket costs just £25 per person--don't forget to use  your Rail Card for a discount, if you have one.  Waverley station is the main train hub for Edinburgh, and while there is a light-rail/tram system with a few station around the central part of the city, it's not very convenient or time-efficient to use, unless you're just traveling from one side of town to the other.  However, the city is so beautiful that unless you are venturing to its outskirts, you probably won't mind the extra walking.

Inside St. Giles Cathedral

Upon arriving, you'll likely want to either head a bit north to Princes Street, or a bit south to High Street/Canongate.  If you've got more than one day, I'd recommend exploring the east and west sides of Edinburgh separately.  The east side features Calton Hill (via Princes St.), which requires a good hike to reveal amazing views and historic monuments such as the National Monument of Scotland.  Back on the street level, there's Old Tolbooth Market, the massive Palace of Holyroodhouse (via Canongate), and the engaging kid-friendly Dynamic Earth museum--time permitting, you could also squeeze in the National Museum of Scotland, or hire a cab or bus up to the Royal Botanic Gardens.  Having only one day to spend in Edinburgh, we focused on the central and western areas of Edinburgh, starting with a wandering stroll toward St. Giles Cathedral via High Street--this cathedral is not to be missed.  We strolled down a couple of unexpected alleyways, some of which had a steep drop to the next street, and continued toward The Hub, which was originally a church but now serves as an event venue, and the architecture is still as impressive as ever.  After another detour to Grassmarket for some lunch at The Outsider, we stopped at The World of Illusions, which was a LOT of fun (although involves a good number of stairs), and offers demonstrations of a working camera obscura (interesting, but the illusions are much more exciting).  Finally we reached Edinburgh Castle--we pre-booked tickets for mid-afternoon, including the self-guided audio tour which had an enormous amount of information.  As at the Tower of London, you'll have to wait in line for a chance to glimpse the Crown Jewels, but there is also a ton of small exhibits to explore, with military antiques and historic relics.  Overall, this castle was far more interesting and unique than the Tower of London, not to mention much less expensive even with the audio tour. 

Leaving the castle wearing our souvenir kilts (just kidding!), we continued north through a light drizzle and made a quick stop at the West End Fair, which occurs annually on the grounds of St. John's Church, and browsed through some amazing locally made goods and art.  Our destination was Dean Village, a picturesque part of town along Water of Leith River that is mostly residential but makes for some great photos.  This area is a little hilly, and there's an unpaved path that goes along the river that is a bit dodgy, so be prepared for has exercise!  Dean bears similarity to parts of the Cotswolds in England, although certainly smaller and missing the quintessential thatch roofs.  However, it was a great little escape from the crowds flowing through Edinburgh.  The annual Fringe Festival occurs every August, and features hundreds of films, plays, art openings, and performances at venues and on streets across the city.  Edinburgh is already a popular tourist destination, and doubly so during Fringe, so be aware that the central parts of the city can be quite crowded in August.

Another reason many travelers visit Edinburgh in August is the Royal Military Tattoo performs nightly shows each year to sold out crowds, just inside the gates of Edinburgh Castle.  If you want to catch the show, definitely buy your tickets in advance--we waited to decide until late in the day, and all that was available were expensive seats with a limited view.  Then again, it rained that evening and the show is outdoors, so maybe we lucked out after all!

As our day in Edinburgh came to a close, we wandered back toward Waverley Station on Princes Street, and stopped to snap photos of Ross Fountain, the Sir Walter Scott Monument, and the Floral Clock (which appears annually as well).  Considering how much we enjoyed our visit to Edinburgh, and all that we didn't have time to do, we would certainly love to come back for another visit.  Glasgow was also an amazing city to spend a couple of days in, and a great home base for a trip for Scotland--the next time we come, we will definitely want to explore the Highlands as well!

Sir Walter Scott Monument

Ross Fountain and Edinburgh Castle