5 things to do in Glasgow this autumn

Last updated: Friday, 4 August 2023

Autumn is well and truly underway and we’re enjoying all the things the season brings with it.

Glasgow city centre

Wearing woolly jumpers, sipping pumpkin spice lattes and scrunching through the leaves in our lovely parks. What's not to love?!

If you live in Edinburgh, why not switch your city for a day out, or night away in Glasgow? It takes less than 50 minutes to get there on our eXpress service.

Here’s our top five things to do in Glasgow in the autumn:

Eat and drink

Glasgow has lots of fantastic places to eat and drink, both in the city centre and in the surrounding areas. A couple of favourites are Bread Meats Bread for a really hearty burger, and Laboratorio Espresso for your caffeine fix in the city centre. You’d be hard pushed to find a better cup of coffee to warm up with on an autumn day in Glasgow! For other great coffee stops, check out this article from People Make Glasgow.

Hit the shops

Glasgow is renowned for its fantastic shopping, and with Christmas on the horizon, a day out in the city could be the perfect opportunity to start the festive spending. The shopping in Glasgow is compact with a lot of fantastic stores along the Style Mile and Argyle Street including John Lewis and House of Fraser. Princes Square Mall is home to more great shops, and if it’s something sparkly that’s on your wish list, the Argyle Arcade is filled to the brim with jewellery shops. It’s worth wandering through to window shop and always looks lovely on the approach to Christmas.

Learn about the people

From the city centre, take a wander along the River Clyde to Glasgow Green and visit the People’s Palace . In autumn, the walk itself is lovely, keep your eyes peeled for hardy rowers on the river. Once you arrive at the park gates, enjoy the wander through Glasgow’s oldest public space until you reach the People’s Palace. Here you can discover the stories of Glasgow’s people from the 1700s to the late 20th century.

Head to the West End

Jump on the subway to the city's west end, where you'll find Glasgow’s Botanic Gardens - a must-visit in autumn. Wrap up warm, take a picnic and enjoy the tranquillity as well as all the beautiful colours. There’s a great children’s playpark in the Gardens too. When the time comes to warm up, head inside to the impressive Kibble Palace – a Victorian era glasshouse, home to hundreds of various plant species including the UK’s national collection of tree ferns. While in this neck of the woods, you could also take a walk through Kelvingrove Park. In autumn the colours are beautiful and it’s the perfect place to go scrunching through the leaves. If you find you need to warm up, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is free to visit and is full of fascinating exhibits. Every day at 13:00 Monday to Friday, and 15:00 on a Sunday you can enjoy an organ recital too.

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