Travelling to Glasgow

By Plane

Glasgow is the United Kingdom's third-largest city and is served by two major airports; Glasgow International and Glasgow-Prestwick, with the latter serving predominantly low-cost airline routes, both domestically and around Europe. Glasgow International is just 8 miles from Glasgow city centre in nearby Paisley, whereas Glasgow-Prestwick Airport is 30 miles to the south.

Airlines flying to/from Glasgow International

• Air Southwest (www.airsouthwest.com) - to/from Newquay and Plymouth.
• BMI (www.flybmi.com) - to/from London Heathrow.
• BMI Baby (www.bmibaby.com) - to/from Birmingham, Cardiff and East Midlands.
• British Airways (www.ba.com) - to/from Derry, Isle of Man, Kirkwall, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, London City, Stornoway.

Easyjet (www.easyjet.com) - to/from Belfast International, Bristol, London Gatwick, London Luton and London Stansted.

• Flybe (www.flybe.com) - to/from Belfast City, Birmingham, Cardiff, Exeter, Guernsey, Jersey, Manchester and Southampton.

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Getting to Central Glasgow from International Airport

To get to Glasgow city centre from International Airport there are four options: Bus, train, taxi or car hire.

The Glasgow Flyer (www.glasgowflyer.com) bus service (number 500) runs 24 hours a day, with departures taking place from the airport every 20 minutes. The journey along the M8 and into the city centre takes around 25 minutes (traffic depending).

Alternatively you can use the AirLink Direct Express bus 757 (www.firstgroup.com). The bus serves the SECC, Central Station and Queen Street and runs every 20 minutes from outside the terminal building. A single fare on this bus costs £2.90; or if you intend on using First Group's buses for the rest of the day, an unlimited day ticket for access to the whole of Glasgow costs just £3.20.

Another option is to travel from Paisley Gilmour Street station a mile from the airport by train (www.firstgroup.com), with eight departures travelling to and from the city centre every hour. A single to Glasgow Central Station costs £2.65 and the journey takes between 11-15 minutes.

Taxis are also ranked-up outside the terminal building, with a one-way fare likely to cost around £20 to Glasgow city centre.

To drive from Glasgow International Airport into the city centre, the M8 motorway will guide you into the city centre for the 8 mile duration.  

Airlines flying to/from Glasgow Prestwick

Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) - to/from Belfast City, Bournemouth, Derry and London Stansted.

Getting to Central Glasgow from Glasgow Prestwick Airport

Glasgow Prestwick Airport is served by a single bus company (www.stagecoach.com) who operate bus X77 to central Glasgow. Bus departures correspond with flight arrival times and take around 50 minutes to reach the city. Singles for this service into Glasgow cost £8 per single.

Alternatively you can get to Glasgow by train (www.firstscotrail.co.uk), thanks to the small station situated just outside the terminal building. The train is a local stopping service and serves all of the small towns south of Glasgow before arriving at Central Station and takes 45 minutes. Trains run regularly from the station from 6.00am until 00.15 and cost £6.15 for an adult single.

Driving to Glasgow

Glasgow is well served with a number of major roads into the city. The main approach from England into Glasgow is the M74, which you will join just under 100 miles after crossing the border. From Edinburgh, the M8 will take you straight to Glasgow, and from the north-east of Scotland, use the M80.

Getting to Glasgow By Coach

There are two main operators who provide journeys via coach to Glasgow from a variety of UK towns and cities. The first is National Express (www.nationalexpress.com) who offer direct routes from many UK destinations. The second is the budget-priced Megabus (www.megabus.com), who offer one-way journeys from as little as £1 (plus booking fee).

Getting to Glasgow By Train

Glasgow has two major rail hubs serving the entire UK. Glasgow Queen Street is part of the east-coast mainline, with direct trains terminating here from London Kings Cross Station and a number of other major English east-coast towns and cities and other Scottish destinations (www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com). If you are travelling from the north-west of England, you will arrive at Glasgow Central Station. Trains on the west-coast mainline run from London Euston Station and also serve Manchester along the way, operated by Virgin Trains (www.virgintrains.com).

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