Address: 
153 Queen Street, Glasgow, G1 3BJ
Tel: 0141 204 0444
Fax: 0141 248 6582
Email: info@scotguide.com
Web: www.citysightseeingglasgow.co.uk
Admission: Rates shown below
Taking a sightseeing bus tour of Glasgow is absolutely the best, and probably the most fun way to see the city.
The tours have 21 stops around Glasgow, and stop at all the major tourist attractions within the city centre, the West End and a number of other areas (see a list of stops and what you can see and do at each of them below). There is guide on board each bus, and they also have a multilingual commentary system which will not only keep you entertained, but also well informed about the city.
The tours are not just aimed at tourists though. I took a tour last summer, and after living in Glasgow for 27 years still learned a few things about my beloved hometown. So no matter whether you’re looking for some history, brilliant shopping, or you’re just out to see what’s what in Glasgow, the Sightseeing Tours are definitely the best way.
One thing I would advise is to take clothing for every possible weather scenario. In Glasgow, as any Glaswegian will tell you, rain can appear at any minute. So if you’re on the top of the open top bus, you will get wet!
| Name | Things to see | |
| 1 | George Square | City Chambers, Gallery of Modern Art, Tourist Information Centre, Queen Street Station, Trades Hall |
| 2 | Glasgow Cathedral | St Mungo Museum, Provand’s Lordship |
| 3 | Merchant City | Merchants’ Square, Ramshorn Theatre, High Street Car Park |
| 4 | Glasgow Green | Peoples Palace, The ‘Barras’ Market (Sat-Sun) |
| 5 | St Andrews Square | St Andrews in the Square, Strathclyde Police Museum |
| 6 | St Enoch | St Enoch Shopping Centre |
| 7 | George Square | City Chambers, Gallery of Modern Art, Tourist Information Centre, Queen Street Station, Trades Hall |
| 8 | St Vincent Place | The Lighthouse, Princes Square (shopping), Buchanan Galleries (shopping) |
| 9 | SAS Radisson Hotel | SAS Radisson Hotel, Glasgow Central Station, Pride o’ the Clyde Cruises, Jury’s Inn |
| 10 | Hotels | Marriott, Menzies, Hilton & Corus hotels |
| 11 | City Inn | Rotunda, Campanile Hotel Glasgow |
| 12 | SECC | Crowne Plaza Hotel, Science Centre, IMAX Cinema |
| 13 | Tall Ship | Glasgow Harbour, Heliport |
| 14 | Glasgow University | Hunterian Art Gallery & Museum, Charles Rennie Mackintosh House |
| 15 | Byres Road | Botanic Gardens, Oran Mor |
| 16 | Museums | Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Transport Museum, Kelvin Hall Sports Arena |
| 17 | Kelvin Park | Kelvingrove Park, Youth Hostel |
| 18 | Charing Cross | Royal Highland Fusiliers Museum, The Mitchell Library, The Tenement House |
| 19 | Willow Tearooms | Glasgow School of Art, Centre for Contemporary Arts, McLellan Galleries |
| 20 | Theatres | Piping Centre, Theatre Royal, Pavilion Theatre, Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama |
| 21 | Royal Concert Hall | Buchanan Galleries Shopping Centre, Buchanan Bus Station, Cineworld |
Buses leave every 15 minutes from George Square between the hours of 9.30 am and 4.30 pm (5.30 pm in summer). The buses all follow the same route, and get to each stop regularly. See the website for a full timetable, and you can click here to see a downloadable map which shows the bus route and all the stops in the city. And you won’t miss these buses – there certainly aren’t any others that look like them in the city!
Ticket prices are shown below. Each ticket is valid for 2 days, and you can hop on and hop off as many times as you like on each of those days.
| Ticket | Normal price | Online price |
| Adult | £9.00 | £8.00 |
| Student | £7.00 | £6.00 |
| Senior Citizen (60+) | £7.00 | £6.00 |
| Child (5-14) | £3.00 | |
| Child (Under 5) | FREE | |
| Family (2 Adults + up to 4 Children) | £20.00 | £19.00 |
Book online at the official website.
I had been wanting to go the glasgow bus tour for ages so whilst I was off on holiday with my kids during the october school week this was one of the things my daughter also wanted to do. It was fantastic, the weather although cold was just right for it. The first tour (the short one) that takes you aroung the city centre and then out towards the East End and the Peoples Palace was great, it fantastic to learn more about Glasgow. We decided to stay on the bus when it returned to George Square and then continued on the next part which took us to Byres Road as well as the SECC. We had decided before going on that we would stay on the bus for the full tour and then decide what stop/stops to get off at. Unfortunately we only had time for one and my 7yr old son opted for the Tall Ship, that was really good too and the kids loved looking out for the ships cat, and they were delighted to get a white chocolate mouse at the end. You definitely need to do the full tour over 2 days and we will definitely be back next year and make sure we have 2 days free. I’ve recommended the tour to quiet a few of my friends and family, and its amazing the number who say they have always wanted to do it too!!
Hi, both my son and myself jumped on the Glasgow Bus Tour a couple of weeks ago. It was a cold but DRY !!day in Glasgow,the tour set off from George Square with a thoroughly entertaining tour guide who was full of fun and gave us many interesting facts(which my 10 year old repeats reqularly to show off his knowledge of Glasgow). The trip from the centre of Glasgow takes you out to the west end of town by the Clyde to Byres Road and back via Kelvin Art Galleries and onto the Peoples Palace with many stops inbetween. All in all a great trip out.
Sit on the top deck WEATHER PERMITTING!!
I’m a 25 year old female who was born in the centre of Glasgow and has been in and out of the city centre continuously since I was a toddler. As I got older, I started going shopping into town with friends, a bit older & I’m pubbing and clubbing in Glasgow, attending gigs, going to events and eventually working in the centre. However, not so long ago a couple of friends and I had a bit of time to spare & thought it might be a good laugh to take a trip on the Open Top Bus. Being constantly in and around Glasgow I thought I knew everything there was to know but I can honestly stand up and say I was wrong!(which doesn’t happen often). Yes I had been to all the sights that the bus visited but I knew nothing of the history behind it! We were lucky enough to get some good weather which meant we managed to get the full experience by sitting up stairs in the open area. I plugged in my headphones & almost forgot my friends were there, the voice was very soothing & told the story of the sites brilliantly. Having seen all the sights before, I didn’t get off the bus at any of the stops but what I did see was Glasgow in a whole new light. It was historic & made me feel slightly sheepish that this service has been long running & there was a very likely possibility that any tourist who had been on this bus, knew more about the Glasgow that I have been around for 25 years. I have since been offered the opportunity to work in Australia for a couple of years & thanks to the Open Top Bus Tour, I can talk about Glasgow not only for its great culture but also for it’s history and before I go, I will definately be be taking the tour again, to brush up on what I learned!
I am currently on maternity leave and thought it would be fun to spend a day on the glasgow sightseeing tour bus, as it is something I always wanted to do. Myself and my partner took our 2 year old son and our daughter who was only 3 or 4 months at the time. We sat upstairs on the open top bus. It was a fabulous day, lovely weather which showed Glasgow in all it’s glory. My son loved it.
He remembers a lot of the places names and whenever we are near there, for instance George Square, he will shout, “Welcome to George Square everyone”. We all found it very interesting. My partner and I are originally from Glasgow, and after the tour, we came away feeling so proud to be Glaswegian, it really is a city of culture, and is such a beautiful place. The other best part was my son was trying to tell other passengers and members of the public when stopped at traffic lights, all about his new baby sister. Instead of saying, “My Mummy has a new baby”, or, “I have a baby sister”, he was all excited and shouting, “My Mummy is having a baby!”. The whole bus was in an uproar and a few passengers in a state of panic, including me. The sun shone bright that day, it was beautiful. I would recommend it to everyone, Glaswegian or not, there is still lots to see and learn.