6 best day trips from Glasgow

Day trips compared

The day trips

32 km · About 45 minutes by train

1.Loch Lomond

The southern shore of Loch Lomond at Balloch has lake cruises, a visitor centre, Balloch Castle Country Park and walks along the water. With a car or bus you can continue to Luss village or up into Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.

Getting there

Train from Glasgow Queen Street (low level) to Balloch

Best for

Families, Couples, Quiet stays

75 km · About 50 minutes by train

2.Edinburgh

Scotland's capital has Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile, the National Museum of Scotland and Arthur's Seat. Trains run frequently enough to make a full day trip easy.

Getting there

Frequent trains from Glasgow Queen Street to Edinburgh Waverley

Best for

First-timers, Culture

42 km · About 30–45 minutes by train

3.Stirling

Stirling Castle, home to Stuart kings including Mary, Queen of Scots, sits on a volcanic crag above the old town. The National Wallace Monument and the Battle of Bannockburn visitor centre are a short bus ride away.

Getting there

Train from Glasgow Queen Street to Stirling

Best for

Culture, Families, First-timers

40 km · About 1 hour by train and bus or taxi

4.New Lanark

Robert Owen's 18th-century cotton-mill village beside the River Clyde is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with restored mills and workers' housing. A riverside path continues to the Falls of Clyde.

Getting there

Train from Glasgow Central to Lanark, then local bus or taxi

Best for

Culture, Families, Quiet stays

40 km · About 45 minutes by car

5.The Kelpies and the Falkirk Wheel

The Kelpies are two 30-metre steel horse heads beside the Forth and Clyde Canal, and the nearby Falkirk Wheel is a rotating boat lift that raises canal boats between two waterways. Boat trips on the Wheel run in season.

Getting there

Car, or train to Falkirk then local bus or taxi

Best for

Families, First-timers

70 km · About 2 hours by train and ferry

6.Isle of Arran

Often called Scotland in miniature, Arran has the granite peak of Goatfell, Brodick Castle, a whisky distillery and coastal villages. Ferry timetables and departure ports can change, so check CalMac before you travel; an overnight stay makes the trip more relaxed.

Getting there

Train to the Ayrshire coast, then CalMac ferry to Brodick

Best for

Couples, Quiet stays, Families

Day-trip tips

• Leave early: most trips are more relaxed with a morning departure and a return before dinner.
• Contactless payment is accepted on most city buses.
• Suburban trains from Glasgow Central and Queen Street serve Pollokshaws West for the Burrell Collection, Mount Florida for Hampden, and Partick and Exhibition Centre for the West End and SEC.
• For trips over about 150 km, an overnight stay or an organised tour saves a lot of travelling.

Questions travellers ask