“There’s more fun at a Glasgow funeral than at an Edinburgh wedding.” – The shopkeeper I met at a radical left-wing bookstore.

From what I learned in my short conversation with that peculiar bookstore character, Glasgow is a much more working-class and down-to-earth city than Edinburgh. But that’s not to discourage you from visiting either of the two cities, as they’re both amazing in their own way. Unfortunately I only had time to stay in Glasgow for one day – twelve hours to be exact – but it was still a great day and a city that I’d love to spend more time in.

In this post I will detail just about everything I did during my short stint in Glasgow, so hopefully if you decide to make the trip then you can pick and choose what you’d like to do and what you’d like to skip.

Things to See

George Square

Glasgow’s George Square is a nice way to get acquainted with the city. The square is surrounded by architecture that’s similar to Edinburgh’s, yet less polished and with seemingly more character. It’s only after a few steps into the square that you’ll notice the differences between Edinburgh and Glasgow, and for me it was that Glasgow isn’t as touristy as Edinburgh. Glasgow almost seemed more honest.

Beware of the birds! Hundreds of pigeons constantly swarm the plaza, so be careful! But to me it seemed as though the statues lining the square were the pigeons’ main targets.

Glasgow Green

As I wandered aimlessly early on in the day, I happened upon a massive, beautifully maintained grassy area dotted with notable buildings and monuments. At the time it was a truly breathtaking thing to happen upon these decadent buildings with no prior knowledge that they existed, but now that I have my handy-dandy Photos app with the map markers where the photos were taken, I can clear up exactly what it was that I was looking at.

The Nelson Monument, the People’s Palace and the Doulton Fountain were the main attractions that I found here. The Nelson Monument is a large spire that sticks out in the middle of the vast lawn, but the People’s Palace and the Doulton Fountain are what really had my attention. The People’s Palace is a beautiful building with over half of it being an astonishing glass shell of sorts, enclosing gardens on the inside. I didn’t enter the building, but I took quite some time to admire how awesome the outside of it looks.

But what truly caught my attention was the Doulton Fountain at the front of the People’s Palace. The fountain is an insanely detailed terracotta sculpture that just so happens to be the largest terracotta fountain in the world. I swear I sat on a bench and took in the beauty of the fountain for a solid 30 minutes. By this time the sun had come out and the day was beautiful, with nothing but the birds chirping and the sounds of the fountain’s water flowing. Amazing.

Glasgow Necropolis & Cathedral

This is an absolutely incredible spot that I could not recommend more. The Glasgow Necropolis is a Victorian cemetery on a hillside on the east side of the city, and if you climb to the top of the hill, you’ll have one of the best possible views of Glasgow as well as a great view of the Glasgow Cathedral. It’s a short walk from the city center, and well worth it.

Unfortunately, the Glasgow Cathedral was under construction when I visited, but it’s still one of the coolest cathedrals I’ve ever seen.

Murals & Street Art

I only happened upon the one pictured below, but with a quick Google search you’ll see that there are many different incredible murals around Glasgow. This is a nice thing to catch going up High Street on your way to the Necropolis.

Places to Eat

Unfortunately, one can only eat a finite amount of food in one day… so here are the places I ate at.

Full transparency – I also ate at a brunch spot that’s not listed on here A) because I forgot what the name of it was and B) because I wasn’t a fan of the food there anyways.

Outlier

This is easily one of the best coffee/lunch spots I’ve ever been to. I got the yogurt parfait and an iced flat white, and both of them blew my mind. It’s also a really nice place to sit, chill, read a book, people watch, or just take a breath from the sightseeing.

Merchant Chippie

I got a nice traditional plate of fish & chips here, and I couldn’t complain one bit. Simple, centrally located, and delicious.

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Whether you spend only a day in Glasgow or weeks or months, I hope this post can be of some use to you. I had a great time in this city, and I’m sure you will too. Enjoy!