Getting here
Getting here
Glasgow is in west central Scotland. It’s Scotland’s largest city and is easily accessible from the rest of the UK and overseas by train, sea, road and air.
Train
Glasgow is well connected by train from across the UK by the following main stations:
- Glasgow Central Station links Glasgow to the south
- Glasgow Queen Street Station operates routes mainly to Edinburgh and the north
- There are regular trains between Manchester Airport and Glasgow Central. The average journey time of 3 hours and 45 minutes
To book tickets, visit scotrail.co.uk, tpexpress.co.uk and avantiwestcoast.co.uk. To view all available routes from across the UK, visit thetrainline.com.
If you’re planning a trip from London to Glasgow, check out the Caledonian Sleeper’s website and arrive refreshed after a comfortable overnight journey.
Sea
You can travel to Scotland by ferry from the major ports of Belfast and Larne in Northern Ireland. Ferries dock at Cairnryan in the southwest of Scotland, with a bus service taking passengers to the city centre in 2 hours 10 minutes.
You can also travel from mainland Europe. You can arrive in either:
- Hull in the northeast of England where it's around a 4 hours drive to the Scottish border.
- Newcastle, which is around a 2 hours 40 minutes drive from Glasgow.
Road
Scotland has an extensive motorway road network. Glasgow is linked to the following places:
- Edinburgh with the M8
- England on either the A1, M6 or M74
- Stirling with the M80
- West coast of Scotland with the M77
For more information on Scotland’s road network, visit the Transport Scotland website.
Air
Glasgow has 3 international airports nearby, with connections across the UK and the world:
- Glasgow Airport is the closest airport to the city centre. Catch the express bus service from outside the terminal and arrive in Glasgow in around 15 minutes. Visit glasgowairport.com for more information.
- Glasgow Prestwick Airport is 32 miles (51km) from Glasgow. It is very accessible with train and bus services to the city centre. Find out more at glasgowprestwick.com.
- Edinburgh Airport is 39 miles (63km) from Glasgow. There is a direct bus service from the airport to Glasgow’s Buchanan Bus Station which takes around 1 hour. Head to edinburghairport.com for more information
Many London airports fly directly to Glasgow Airport including London City, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, London Luton and London Stanstead. If you cannot get a direct flight to Glasgow or Edinburgh, London Heathrow is the most common airport for international travellers.
Article last updated: April 2024
