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Other Car Hire locations in Glasgow
Car Hire Glasgow Airport
Car Hire Glasgow Downtown
Car Hire Glasgow Prestwick Airport
Car Hire Hydepark Street Glasgow Glasgow InformationGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland, with a population of about 620,000 in the city itself, or over 1.8 million if the surrounding towns of the Clydeside conurbation are taken into account. Located at the west end of Scotland's Central Belt on the banks of the river Clyde, Glasgow's historical importance as Scotland's main industrial centre has been challenged in recent decades by decline and change. In recent years, however, Glasgow has been awarded the European titles of City of Culture (1990), City of Architecture and Design (1999) and Capital of Sport (2003). Also, Glasgow is now a desirable short break location. Visitors will find a revitalised city centre, the best shopping in Scotland, excellent parks and museums (most of which are free), and easy access to the highlands and islands. However, for all its regeneration projects, Glasgow still contains some of the most deprived neighbourhoods in the UK.
It is the distinctive atmosphere that makes Glasgow, best experienced by strolling around this Clydeside city. There are several notable attractions; Glasgow Cathedral is a shining example of pre-Reformation Gothic architecture, George square is home to statues of famous people who have been associated with the city, the museum of piping is uniquely Scottish, while the Celtic football visitors centre charts the success of this remarkable football club. St Andrews square is a well-equipped, recently restored entertainment precinct. The idiosyncratic Burrell Collection is one of the finest privately amassed collections in Europe.
How to Travel to Glasgow:
By Plane:
Glasgow is served by two main airports close to the city:
Glasgow International Airport (GLA) is the main airport for domestic and European flights and a few transatlantic routes. There's a frequent shuttle bus from outside the terminal building to the city centre, dropping off near both main railway stations (3.30 single, 5.00 return; the journey takes about 20 minutes).
Glasgow Prestwick International Airport (PIK), about 50 km away on the Ayrshire coast. The airport has its own railway station with two trains per hour to Glasgow Central.
By Train:
Trains from England and south west Scotland arrive at Central Station, while trains from Edinburgh and anywhere north of Glasgow arrive at Queen Street Station. There are four trains per hour between Edinburgh and Glasgow during the day; the journey takes 50 minutes. Both Central and Queen Street stations have left luggage lockers. The stations are an easy ten minute walk apart, or there's a frequent shuttle bus between them. Most trains within Scotland, and sleeper services from London, are run by First ScotRail. Other trains from England are run by Virgin Trains and GNER.
By Car:
The main approaches to Glasgow are:
from England on the M74 motorway; Glasgow is about 150 km north of the border
from Edinburgh (east) or Glasgow Airport (west) on the M8 motorway
from Stirling and all points north and east on the M80 motorway
from the West Highlands on the A82 dual carriageway.
All routes converge on the M8 which carves through the city centre. Glasgow has no credible park-and-ride system, but some of the subway and suburban railway stations do have small car parks. There are several expensive multi-story car parks near the motorway in the city centre.
By Bus:
Long-distance bus services (http://www.travelinescotland.com/) arrive at Buchanan Bus Station (in the city centre, close to Buchanan Street Underground /Queen Street train stations). The main operator is Scottish Citylink (http://www.citylink.co.uk/).
By Boat:
For travellers arriving from outside Scotland, the nearest ferry ports are Troon (near Prestwick Airport), for ferries from Belfast (http://www.steam-packet.com/SeaCat/homepage) in Northern Ireland, or Rosyth (near Edinburgh), for ferries from Zeebrugge (http://www.superfast.com/) in Belgium. Each is about an hour's drive from Glasgow.
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Glasgow Images
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