Glasgow questions
 

During our planned stay in the United Kingdom next month, we are considering abadoning our London base for a two or three night stay in Glasgow. Our research suggests two possible locations to consider for our stay -- central city and the West End. Our preferences include easy walking distance to at least some attractions, e.g. museums, historic churches, architecturally interesting buildings, availability of public transportation should our stamina fade, reasonably bustling street life. We tend to favor full-service hotels where a room service ham sandwich is a viable option to having to dress up and pretend to be sophisticated to get a meal. We'll be arriving and departing by train but have no hesitation about using a taxi to get to and from our hotel. Any guidance on general location or specific property will be appreciated. Our maximum per night budget is $250.

Happened to notice this last weekend in the NY Times...
travel.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/travel/02hours.html

Hi Virginia.

If you decided to spend all of your time in Glasgow then I'd suggest the West End as a good option. Its handy for many attractions: Kelvingrove Art Gallery; Museum of Transport; Glasgow University and its museums; Botanic Gardens as well as excellent food and entertainment options around Byres Road. Its also only 10 minutes from the city centre by underground or bus and its on the routes of the various hop on hop off tourist buses.

However if you're using the city as a base to travel further afield then I'd suggest staying in the city centre. The proximity of the two major rail terminals, Glasgow Central and Queen Street, and Buchanan Bus Station gives you a lot of options for seeing other parts of the country. Although with only a short visit there's more than enough in the city to keep you busy.

As a resident of the city I couldn't give a hotel recommendation based on personal experience but at your price point the Carlton George and the Radisson in the city centre and the Kelvingrove Hotel in the West End get decent reviews.

Why Glasgow over Edinburgh? If the choice is one or the other, I'd pick Edinburgh . . . oh wait, I did that once!

>Why Glasgow over Edinburgh? If the choice is one or the other, I'd pick Edinburgh . . . oh wait, I did that once!<

I'm sure the OP is aware of Edinburgh and its many charms. It wasn't the question she asked. You might as well ask why London and not Paris?

I might, I might not.

The OP may be aware of Edinburgh, she may not. Thus, the question.

The OP hangs mainly in "The Lounge", not in "Europe" so she may or may not be aware of Edinburgh and its charms ;)

LJ and Wellididntknowthat
Thanks for the useful information. LJ, I'd missed the Times piece -- in fact the whole Travel section -- this week but found it in the newspaper stack. I appreciate your calling it to my attention. Wellididntknowthat, your comments lead us to look to the West End since our plan is strictly for a city adventure. The Kelvingrove Hotel looks charming but, unfortunately, does not seem to serve meals other than breakfast. We'll certainly keep it in mind.
For anyone who cares, for the last couple of decades, we've been coming to the UK for a month at a time every years to 18 months. We base ourselves in a flat in London, spend a few days in Wales visiting friends, and try to visit at least one new city for a couple of days.
We've been tempted by Glasgow ever since we spent a fascinating evening discussing the poetry of William Butler Yeats with a couple of Glasgow fish salesmen we met in a bar in Brussels. So as much as we've enjoyed Edinburgh in the past, it's going to be Glasgow this trip.

Hi Virginia

I noticed before you were a frequent visitor from your previous trip reports. The Grovesnor Hilton on the corner of Byres Rd and Great Western Rd might fit the bill. It's directly opposite the Botanic Gardens and hugely handy for the city centre. If there's anything you're particularly interested in please feel free to ask.

The Hilton Grosvenor is doing a minibreaks deal which is pretty good value. It's lovely, well located hotel, too.

I looked at One Devonshire gardens, but the tarriff is scary

I'd have looked forward to the trip report if Devonshire Gardens was an option Sheila. :-)

Wellididn'tknowthat, the Hilton Grosvenor looks ideal for us, many thanks. One Devonshire Gardens looks absolutely gorgeous, but my wallet has a mind of its own and a certain sense of restraint. If I win the lottery between now and the trip, the wallet will be told to rethink.

I would def opt for the west end over the city centre and second the grosvenor as a base. Theres loads of both casual and slightly fancier places to eat and drink round the west end so please dont limit yourself to a sandwich in the hotel! You must must must nip round to Ashton Lane off byres road for a very 'dinky' night out! And the converted church Oran Mor restaurant/bars is great for a full meal or coffee/drinks. The west end is has a cracking atmosphere, beautiful parks & museums,lots of lovely bars for all ages and a variety of restaurants :-) if theres anything else u need to know please ask!

My boyfriend's parents stayed in the Hilton when they were visiting us from Australia last year and were very happy with it. The West End is a 10 minute underground ride from the City Centre with the Hillhead stop being 5 minutes walk from the Grosvenor Hilton. Glasgow is a relatively small city so you can actually walk from the City Centre to the WE in 30-40 minutes. The Grosvenor Hilton is opposite the Botanic Gardens, 10 minutes from the University and has more lovely bars and restaurants than you 'll ever manage to visit in your holiday!
Glasgow is a fantastic buzzing and friendly city, so hope you have a great time!

If memory serves (let's hope so) there's a great tea rooms near the Botanic Gardens called Tchai Ovna. It's a bit mung bean and hemp trousers but has, I think, about 100 types of tea and is definitely worth a half hour of anyone's time, particularly after a long walk through the Gardens.

Thanks for the wonderful suggestions. We leave today for London and hope to pay a visit to Glasgow in a couple of weeks.

We spent a fascinating weekend in Glasgow highlighted by faithful traveling companion's trip to Western Infirmary where he was diagnosed with Achille's tendonitis and given some super painkillers and a lovely cane. Cut down on our sightseeing considerably but did get to the Kelvingrove and the Hunterian and saw what we could from the hop on/hop off bus. The Grosvenor Hilton proved a fine choice and the staff was particularly helpful. Thanks for all your suggestions.

It is such a joy to occasionally encounter a knowledgeable traveler on Fodor's who leaps over the made-for-tourists kitsch and the generic postcard destinations for the real deal traveling, led by one's own very particular interests. Sorry to hear about the injury, VirginiaC, but glad Glasgow lived up to your justifiably high expectations of it as a traveler's destination.