With kids · Glasgow · United Kingdom
Glasgow with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: JJCMarshall, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Glasgow suits families well because so many of its big museums are free and hands-on, from the Riverside Museum's trams and the Tall Ship to Kelvingrove's natural history galleries. Parks such as Pollok Country Park and the Botanic Gardens give space to run around, and the Science Centre fills a wet afternoon. Top picks: Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Riverside Museum and Glasgow Science Centre. Families usually base themselves in West End.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 6
- Best area for families
- West End
- Rainy-day options
- 5
Best things to do with kids
Museum · West End
1.Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
Glasgow's best-loved museum fills a red sandstone palace with around 8,000 objects, from Salvador Dalí's Christ of Saint John of the Cross and Scottish Colourist paintings to natural history, armour and a Spitfire hanging above the west court. Galleries on the Glasgow Boys and Mackintosh's designs give a good introduction to the city.
Time your visit for one of the organ recitals in the centre hall, which are usually held in the early afternoon.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Art
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
Museum · Partick
2.Riverside Museum
Zaha Hadid's zigzag-roofed building on the Clyde houses Glasgow's transport museum: trams, locomotives, a wall of vintage cars and a recreated cobbled street of old shops. The Tall Ship Glenlee, a restored 1896 sailing ship, is moored alongside and can be boarded.
Combine it with a walk along the Clyde Walkway from Finnieston, or take the seasonal ferry across to the Govan side.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Architecture
- History
Museum · Pacific Quay
3.Glasgow Science Centre
The titanium-clad science centre on the south bank of the Clyde has three floors of hands-on exhibits, a planetarium and science shows. It faces the SEC across the river and is one of the city's main paid attractions for families.
Walk across the Bell's Bridge footbridge from the SEC side; it takes about five minutes.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
Park · Southside
4.Pollok Country Park
Glasgow's largest park has woodland trails, a fold of Highland cattle, gardens and Pollok House, an 18th-century mansion run by the National Trust for Scotland with Spanish paintings including works by El Greco and Goya. The Burrell Collection stands inside the park.
The Highland cattle field near the stables is the easiest place for children to see the shaggy cows up close.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
Garden · West End
5.Glasgow Botanic Gardens
At the top of Byres Road, the Botanic Gardens are free to enter and centre on the Kibble Palace, a curved Victorian iron-and-glass house filled with tree ferns and marble statues. Paths lead down to the River Kelvin walkway, which you can follow back towards Kelvingrove.
On a wet day, the Kibble Palace and the main glasshouse range make a warm, free hour indoors.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Nature
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Rainy day
Museum · Southside
6.Scottish Football Museum at Hampden Park
Inside Hampden Park, Scotland's national stadium, the museum covers the country's role in the early history of the game, with the oldest national cup trophy and memorabilia from Celtic, Rangers and the national team. Stadium tours are usually available on non-event days.
Football is a passion in Glasgow; if you want to see a match, look at fixtures at Celtic Park, Ibrox or Hampden well ahead.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
Rainy-day ideas
- Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum — Time your visit for one of the organ recitals in the centre hall, which are usually held in the early afternoon.
- Riverside Museum — Combine it with a walk along the Clyde Walkway from Finnieston, or take the seasonal ferry across to the Govan side.
- Glasgow Botanic Gardens — On a wet day, the Kibble Palace and the main glasshouse range make a warm, free hour indoors.
- Glasgow Science Centre — Walk across the Bell's Bridge footbridge from the SEC side; it takes about five minutes.
- Scottish Football Museum at Hampden Park — Football is a passion in Glasgow; if you want to see a match, look at fixtures at Celtic Park, Ibrox or Hampden well ahead.
Where families should stay
$$$ · Best for couples, culture, food lovers, families and quiet stays
West End
Around the University of Glasgow and Kelvingrove Park, the West End has sandstone terraces, the Botanic Gardens, independent shops on Byres Road and Great Western Road, and Ashton Lane's bars and cinema. Kelvingrove and the Hunterian are within walking distance, and Hillhead and Kelvinbridge Subway stations reach the centre in under ten minutes.
- Good
- Leafy and attractive; Good independent cafés and restaurants; Museums and parks within walking distance
- Watch out
- More guesthouses than large hotels; A Subway ride from the cathedral and East End
- Nearby
- Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow Botanic Gardens, University of Glasgow, Ashton Lane
Family travel tips
- Bring waterproofs for children; showers are likely in every season.
- Children under five travel free on the Subway and most trains, and older children pay reduced fares.
- The Riverside Museum and Kelvingrove both have cafés and baby-changing facilities, making easy half-day bases.
- The West End puts Kelvingrove, the Botanic Gardens and playgrounds in Kelvingrove Park within walking distance.
- Loch Lomond Shores at Balloch has an aquarium and lochside play areas for a day out.
Day trips for families
- Loch Lomond (About 45 minutes by train) — The southern shore of Loch Lomond at Balloch has lake cruises, a visitor centre, Balloch Castle Country Park and walks along the water.
- Stirling (About 30–45 minutes by train) — Stirling Castle, home to Stuart kings including Mary, Queen of Scots, sits on a volcanic crag above the old town.
- New Lanark (About 1 hour by train and bus or taxi) — Robert Owen's 18th-century cotton-mill village beside the River Clyde is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with restored mills and workers' housing.
- The Kelpies and the Falkirk Wheel (About 45 minutes by car) — 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.
- Isle of Arran (About 2 hours by train and ferry) — Often called Scotland in miniature, Arran has the granite peak of Goatfell, Brodick Castle, a whisky distillery and coastal villages.
When to go with children
The best months overall are May–September. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Glasgow good for kids?
Glasgow suits families well because so many of its big museums are free and hands-on, from the Riverside Museum's trams and the Tall Ship to Kelvingrove's natural history galleries. Parks such as Pollok Country Park and the Botanic Gardens give space to run around, and the Science Centre fills a wet afternoon.
+What can kids do in Glasgow?
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Riverside Museum, Glasgow Science Centre, Pollok Country Park and Glasgow Botanic Gardens.
+Where should families stay in Glasgow?
West End: University spires, Byres Road cafés and the cobbled bars of Ashton Lane.