Glasgow Travel Guide: Getting to Glasgow

By Plane	By Train	By Bus	By Car

Getting to Glasgow by Plane

Glasgow is served by 2 airports: Glasgow International Airport and Glasgow Prestwick Airport

Glasgow International Airport is the largest airport in Scotland, and is just a 15 minute drive from Glasgow City Centre.

Glasgow Airport is linked to Buchanan Street Bus Station in the centre of Glasgow by a service which runs every ten minutes from 8.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Saturday and less frequently during off-peak times (£4.49 single and £6.29 return).

Gilmour Street rail station in Paisley is just two miles away and is linked by a frequent bus service.

Taxis are normally available at the airport. Taxis between Glasgow Airport and Glasgow city centre normally cost £18. At busy times of day/year it may be wise to book a taxi to the airport in advance. To book a taxi cab with Glasgow Taxis either call 0141 429 7070 or visit the Glasgow Taxis website.

To get more information about the airport, including live flight information, visit the Glasgow Airport website.

Glasgow Prestwick Airport is located in the town of Prestwick, in Ayrshire, about an hours drive from Glasgow city centre. The main scheduled carrier to and from Preswick Airport is Ryanair, which has more than 20 destinations from Prestwick.

Prestwick Airport is served by it’s own train station, which is situated just 80 metres from the airport entrance and is connected to the airport by an enclosed skywalk. The journey takes 50 minutes, and trains run from Glasgow central roughly every 2 hours between 7am and 11pm except on Sundays when there are only 2 trains (at 11am and 4pm). The service operates:

From Glasgow City Centre to Prestwick Airport

• 0600 – 0015 Monday – Friday
• 0600 – 2330 Saturday
• 0900 – 2300 Sunday

From Prestwick Airport to Glasgow City Centre

• The service operates
• 0548 – 2308 Monday – Saturday (every 30 minutes)
• 0850 – 2307 Sunday

Strathclyde passenger transport offer a 50% discount to all air passengers travelling via Prestwick Airport. For all national rail enquiries including ticket prices and train times, call 08457 48 49 50 or visit the National Rail website.

For more information about Glasgow Prestwick Airport, including car parking rates, visit the Prestwick Airport official website.

By Plane	By Train	By Bus	By Car

Getting to Glasgow by train

Glasgow has 2 main train stations. These are Glasgow Central station and Glasgow Queen Street station, both of which are situated in the centre of the city. From both of Glasgow’s main stations, other trains, subway and bus links to anywhere else in the city are widely available. Taxi ranks are also situated outside both train stations.

Glasgow Central Station is Glasgow’s largest and busiest station, with more than 34 million people using the station every year, and trains coming and going from all over Glasgow, Scotland and the UK.

Tickets for Scottish destinations are available at the ticket office on the main concourse, while tickets to other destinations can be purchased from the travel centre at the Gordon Street entrance. For train details contact National Rail Enquiries on 08457 48 49 50.

Buses to Glasgow Queen Street Station and Buchanan Street Bus Station are available from Gordon Street at the front entrance to the station. Central Station has it’s own taxi rank which is also situated on Gordon Street. Car parking is available in the Central Station car park, but can be quite expensive. Tariffs are as follows:

Facilities in Glasgow Central Station include a bureau de change, bicycle racks, left luggage and wi-fi access.

Glasgow Queen Street Station is situated in the heart of the city, looking onto George Square. This station mainly links with other destinations in Glasgow and Scotland. Trains run frequently between Glasgow and Edinburgh (up to every 30 minutes) from Glasgow Queen Street station to Edinburgh’s Waterloo Station.

There is a taxi rank directly outside Queen Street Station, and bus and train links to the rest of the city. Buchanan Street Bus Station is just a 5-10 minute walk from Queen Street Station.

View the location of these major train stations, and others within Glasgow.

By Plane	By Train	By Bus	By Car

Getting to Glasgow by Bus

Buchanan Street Bus Station is Glasgow’s only bus terminus and is located in the centre of the city, north of Sauchiehall Street, between the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and Glasgow Caledonian University. Buchanan Street Bus Station is one of the biggest in the UK, serving up to 40,000 people per day, and with up to 1,700 departures every day.

Buchanan Street Bus Station has been used as a transport hub for major events including the Champions League Final, the UEFA Cup Final in 2007, T in the Park and Glasgow’s Hogmanay celebrations. It has featured in film and television programmes such as Trainspotting and Taggart, and also hosted a visit from the Queen in 1999.

The bus station is open 24 hours a day and the concourse is open between 06:00 and 23:00.

Buchanan Street Bus Station provides local services around the city and its suburbs,as well as inter-city services across Scotland and to the rest of the UK, including Edinburgh and London.

Timetables, a variety of tickets and further information is available in the Travel Centre located in the main concourse of the station. Departure information is also available at each stance and on the electronic departure boards on the main concourse. For enquiries regarding tickets, call 0141 333 3708.

There are bus links from Buchanan Street Station to both Queen Street and Glasgow Central train stations. Queen Street train station is a 5 minute walk from here, and both Cowcaddens and Buchanan Street subway stations are situated less than a 10 minute walk away. There is also a taxi rank just outside the bus station, and Concert Square car park is located just next to the bus station.

Facilities within the bus station include cycle racks, left luggage and wi-fi access.

View the location of Buchanan Bus station.

By Plane	By Train	By Bus	By Car

Getting to Glasgow by Car

Driving to Glasgow is very simple. The two main motorways that run through the city are the M8 and the M74.

The M8 runs directly to the centre of the city, and connects Glasgow to Edinburgh in the east, and to Greenock and Dumbarton in the west.

The M74 will soon lead to the centre of the city. This motorway connects Glasgow to South Lanarkshire, and eventually turns into the M6 motorway at Carlisle which leads all the way down the west of England to Birmingham. The M74 also connects to the M8 motorway in Glasgow.

The M77 motorway connects Glasgow to Kilmarnock, Ayr and the rest of Ayrshire.

Going north, the M8 connects to the A82 which leads to Inverness. The M80 connects to the A9 which also leads to Inverness, and to the A90 leading to Aberdeen.

Approximate driving times to Glasgow are as follows: