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Living in Glasgow, Scotland:
Tips for Moving and Visiting

30 local experts
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If you've been wondering what it's like to live in or visit Glasgow, the Crowdsourced Explorer community can help. We asked 30 people living in Glasgow what someone who is considering moving to or visiting there should know. Here are their pros and cons, tips, and advice:

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30 comments on “Glasgow”

Glasgow is a friendly, modern city with reasonably good transport infrastructure. There’s plenty to see with many free museums and galleries. There are parks everywhere and all free to enter. Rental apartments are harder to find and becoming more expensive. The weather isn’t the reason to visit Glasgow, although the summer days are long due to its northerly location. Ignore the talk about crime, it’s a thing of the past and it’s a very safe city.

Glasgow is a beautiful city, perhaps most known for its wet climate, but there is so much more to it as well. For example, it has one of the UK’s top universities, the University of Glasgow, as well as a great music scene. The city is also known for being one of the greenest cities in the UK, with plenty of parks as well as beautiful countryside surroundings.

Compared to other big cities in Scotland, Glasgow is by far the friendliest. You can’t stand by yourself for long without a local striking up a conversation with you. Conversing with strangers is part of life here. Glasgow is probably the rainiest place in Britain. Investing in a solid pair of boots is a must.

Steven, says: 2020

Glasgow is one of the largest cities in the UK. Although Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, Glasgow is still its most populated city. There are a variety of historical universities located here including the university I currently attend, The University of Strathclyde. The city is in the centre of Scotland and has a river running through it.

Natalie, says: 2020

Glasgow is frequently overlooked by travellers with regards to the vibrant arts and culture throughout the city. Walk down the back alleys off Princess Street and come face to face with some of the best street graffiti on the planet; duck into one of the myriad bars and pubs and find world-class jazz while you discover the joys of a good whiskey. There is something here for everyone to love, from a lively Goth subculture to the high arts at Kelvingrove Museum. Glasgow is lively, rowdy, rambunctious, and occasionally dangerous, but it’s never boring.

Someone moving here, Glasgow, should know the weather is not good here. We have frequent rainfall and grey, overcast skies most days. However, you can easily visit many beautiful parts of the Scottish Highlands by train and many small islands are accessible by boat. Someone moving here will have a great time if they bring a raincoat and warm clothes!

They would need to know the public transport system is good, the city centre is excellent for shopping and sightseeing. The people are very friendly and welcoming. There is a broad range of cuisine on offer in the many restaurants and cafes, including Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Italian, American and British of course.

Glaswegian culture is renowned for its friendliness and warmth. As long as you make yourself approachable it’s possible to strike up a conversation with near enough anyone in the city and come away feeling uplifted. The size of the city makes it very easy and cheap to get around, with a simple one line subway system, known as the clockwork orange, you can get from the center to the beautiful west end in less than 10 minutes and for half the price of your morning coffee. The famous tenement flats flank beautiful leafy streets and make up the bulk of accommodation options within the city limits at super low costs when compared to other UK cities. If you like a culture immersed in rich history, with some of the most beautiful countryside in the world on your doorstep, come to Glasgow!

Charlotte, says: 2020

Glasgow is a very wet city and receives high rainfall levels throughout the year. It can be unpleasant during wet weather but the landscape is lush and verdant. Locals tend to make the most of dry, warm weather by flocking to the city’s many parks and open spaces. May is the driest month and July the warmest.

Natalie, says: 2020

There are several must-see areas in Glasgow, from the sprawling, verdant Kelvingrove park to the nostalgic, winding Ashton lane. Despite its industrial past, Glasgow has somewhat reinvented itself as a fashionable and desirable city, with booming restaurant and music scenes. Perhaps the most important thing to note about Glasgow is about the people – they are warm, kind and charismatic, but don’t suffer fools gladly!

Billie, says: 2020

Glasgow is the most large city in Scotland but it is not the Capital city, Edinburgh is. Glasgow has a bigger population and landmass and the architecture reflects that of a smaller, large city than Edinburgh, which feels more like a larger village than a true European Capital. The mentality of Glasgow being the rightful Capital city, echoes through the architecture and the mentality of those living there.

Glasgow is a diverse, multicultural city. It is renowned for its friendly locals and premium hospitality, and contains many award-winning restaurants, interesting visitor attractions and stellar nightlife. It is a city packed full of history, and that history can be experienced on every street. Bring an umbrella however; the weather is seldom favourable!

Lynsey, says: 2020

Glasgow is a vibrant and energetic city which caters for all. From glorious inner city parks, numerous music venues, museums, and the latest trends in restaurants, there’s something for everyone. Not forgetting the famous landmarks like the Barras, where you can pick up a bargain. Glasgow banter included for free, of course.

Glasgow is a very busy city with roughly one million inhabitants within the city boundaries. There are very affluent areas of Glasgow such as Newton Mearns and Milngavie. Whereas there are areas of great deprivation such as Govan and Easterhouse. They city centre is buzzing with energy especially on a Friday and Saturday night.

Glasgow is a cultured and welcoming city filled with beautiful historic landmarks and overall friendly inhabitants. The City Centre is a frequently visited spot with many shops to explore and sites to see, including the well-known statue of the Duke of Wellington with the additional feature of his hat, an orange traffic cone. Glasgow’s nightlife is large part of the cities culture as many bars and clubs flourish to life throughout the night and into the next day.

Glasgow, a central town in Scotland, is bursting at the seams with culture and often forgotten history. Currently, the Glasgow art scene is expanding at an exponential rate, gaining recognition across the globe for its contribution to contemporary abstract imagery. If you ever decide to move to Glasgow be sure not to miss it!

It is on the banks of the River Clyde. Following a massive economic downturn in the 1980’s; largely due to the closure of many of its shipyards; its fortunes subsequently recovered. Its residents are known as ‘weegies’ in their local dialect. Its best known local delicacy is perhaps the deep-fried mars bar.

People moving to Glasgow should know abrupt changes in weather. Heavy downpour is common in this part of the world, even in summer. Despite this, Glasgow is a lovely city in which. Glaswegians are often described as the friendliest people in Scotland and very open to newcomers.

Adanna, says: 2020

Glasgow is renowned the world over as a friendly, inclusive and welcoming city. She may not be as pretty as her neighbours, Stirling and Edinburgh, but has a vibrant heartbeat and a diverse population. Steeped in history and culture, there is something for everyone. Scotland’s largest city is, arguably, its best!

Michelle, says: 2020

If moving to Glasgow you ought to be aware of the ever-changing weather and be mindful to go nowhere without an umbrella, as it’s very likely that you will experience rain (and plenty of it!). Glasgow is a vibrant, multicultural city, whose reputation for violence used to precede it, but thankfully the city is shedding this image and is rapidly becoming recognised as one of the United Kingdom’s most thriving and bustling cities. Local residents, known affectionately as “Weegies” are a loud, proud and diverse bunch.

Benjamin, says: 2020

Anyone moving here should knowhow draining the weather in Glasgow can be. Considering the frosty and mostly wet weather, I would advise anyone visiting Glasgow to take their snug jackets with them and most importantly an umbrella. What tourists should also know is that the public transport in Glasgow, let’s just say, isn’t as magnificent as many might think.

Someone moving to Glasgow should know the people are friendly, there’s lots of nightlife and it can be quite rainy. It’s very close to some amazing scenery, Loch Lomond is only an hour away, which is easily accessible by the many trains and buses one can catch from the city centre. It is on the West coast of Scotland on the river Clyde and has 800,000 or so inhabitants.

Glasgow is a fun vibrant city with a wide array of activities for different people. We have a very diverse culture, the people are some of the friendliest in the world. The scenery is second to none, within an hour or so you can be in a totally different world dependant on your wants. Sea, hills or forests – we have it all!

Glasgow is thought to be quite unique, it depends on the person if it’s your cup of tea. Glasgow is known for being both overly friendly and overly violent. It’s hard to be a mixture of these two things but Glasgow, somehow, manages it; in the same week it was voted the friendliest city in Europe whilst it was also voted the “stab capital” of the continent. People will never leave you to sit alone at the bar, and will always try and make friends with you – but, at the same time, you wouldn’t go walking down a dark alley on a Friday night on your own.

Victoria, says: 2020

Glasgow is a city renowned for the warmth and friendliness of its population. The city also has some of the most exquisite Victorian architecture in Europe. A city, steeped in history, attracts visitors from around the world to luxuriate in its beauty and atmosphere. The city is compact making many of its key attractions easy to take in on foot.

Lynsey, says: 2020

While relatively small compared to other major cities, Glasgow is vibrant and lively. This is primarily a result of the locals, who have a reputation for being remarkably friendly. It has a nice blend of old and new architecture which gives it a timelessness. The subway system makes it incredibly simple to go from place to place, meaning once you’re used to making your way around you can do so very efficiently.

Rachel, says: 2020

Anyone moving to Glasgow should know the people of the city welcome diversity. The city has a mixture of cultures and there is an overwhelming sense of inclusivity. There is plenty to do; there are art galleries, museums and parks to explore.

Douglas, says: 2020

Glasgow is the largest city in the West of Scotland. The population of Glasgow is approximately 600,000. Glasgow has excellent transport links. Regular trains, buses, numerous taxi services and an easy-to-access international airport. The weather in Scotland leaves a lot to be desired. It can be very grey and rainy for extended periods of time.

Lesley, says: 2020

Know Glasgow is a place of great history and diverse culture. The weather is mostly cold and constantly changing as the day goes on, so it would be best to have a wardrobe suited to the particular climate of the city. There are many sights to see ranging from art galleries, to historical buildings and to local gems that only someone living there would discover.

Glasgow is often described as being Scotland’s most friendly city, however it is also rated as the most violent. It is commonly said that while you may risk being a victim of a crime, you will at least be pointed towards a nearby police station.

Maaree, says: 2020

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Names of respondents may have been changed.

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