Things to Do in Glasgow during the Commonwealth Games

Glasgow Commonwealth Games

On 23rd July 2014 the opening ceremony in the Commonwealth Games will take place in Glasgow, Scotland. The Commonwealth Games is the Olympic-style competition between all the countries of the British Commonwealth who gather to compete in athletic and Olympic-style games and challenges. This year, the host city is Glasgow and they are expecting hundreds of thousands of extra people in the city especially for the games.

So, what else is there to do?

Glasgow is one of the UK’s most historic cities and next to Edinburgh it is the most populated city in Scotland. Because of this, there are many other things to do while you wait for your next Commonwealth Games event. Clearly you won’t be sitting in the stadiums all day every day, so what can you do in those in-between moments? Well, of course there’s plenty of shopping to be had at the West End and Ashton Lane, but also, here’s a little list of the best things we have come up with to entertain and educate you while you wander around our gorgeous city.

Landmarks of Glasgow

Courtesy of Google

Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum

The 1888 International Exhibition was largely responsible for the building of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum because it was built from the proceeds. The design takes full advantage of the Spanish Baroque style of architecture and follows in the footsteps of the Glasgow tradition for building with red sandstone from Locharbriggs. If you want to get a real taste of Glaswegian culture and Scottish history, make this one of your primary stops.

The Glasgow Museum of Transport

If you love old buses, trams, coaches, trains and anything transport related, this is the place for you. You could probably get lost in there for a day or two and still not see everything. The UK’s love of historic transport is brought to life in the Glasgow museum of Transport and documents the changing face of transport through the years. Definitely worth a visit.

Places to stay in Glasgow

You obviously need a roof over your head and with the Commonwealth Games literally just around the corner you might want to start thinking about booking because places are filling up fast. Some of the hotels we think would offer good service at a good price are the Grasshoppers Hotel—the classy Penthouse Hotel within Glasgow Central Station. Other classy places are the Mar Hall—the Scottish Edwardian Mansion Hotel in beautiful settings, One Devonshire Gardens—otherwise known as the Hotel Du Vin, The Blythswood, and The Grand Central—grand by name, grand by nature.

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