Glasgow or Edinburgh: Which is better to visit?
Ask someone in Edinburgh, and you’ll probably get one answer. Ask someone in Glasgow, and you’ll almost certainly get another.
The truth is that comparing the two cities is slightly pointless. They’re only about 42 miles apart, but they look, feel and behave very differently, which is precisely why it’s worth visiting both.
Edinburgh gets the scenery. There’s no getting around that. The Castle sits above the city, the Old Town tumbles down the ridge towards Holyrood, and across Princes Street you have the ordered Georgian streets and squares of the New Town. It’s compact, remarkably walkable and occasionally looks as though somebody designed the whole place with photographers in mind.
Glasgow is different.
It’s bigger, less immediately picturesque, and perhaps takes a little longer to get to know. But it has an energy Edinburgh sometimes lacks. Glasgow has a formidable music scene, excellent museums and galleries, serious shopping, football on an altogether different scale and some magnificent architecture, much of which you discover simply by wandering around.
And Glaswegians tend to be rather good company.
Glasgow is an easy day trip from Edinburgh
One advantage of visiting Edinburgh is that Glasgow is so close.
The two city centres are roughly 42 miles (67 km) apart, and frequent trains run from Edinburgh Waverley and Haymarket to Glasgow Queen Street.
The quickest trains generally take around 45–50 minutes, making Glasgow a practical day trip.
Buses take longer but can be cheaper, while driving can take around an hour when the traffic behaves itself, which isn’t always the case.
If you only have a day, you can still see a surprising amount. Have a wander around the city centre, head west to Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, explore the West End, find somewhere good for lunch and perhaps stay for an early evening meal before catching the train back to Edinburgh.
You won’t have done Glasgow; nobody does a city properly in a few hours, but you’ll have had a decent introduction.
So, Glasgow or Edinburgh?
Edinburgh, obviously – But I would say that, wouldn’t I?
Seriously, Glasgow is one of the things I like about living near Edinburgh. In less than an hour, I can be in a city that feels completely different.
Edinburgh has the Castle, the closes, the Georgian streets and that extraordinary setting. Glasgow has scale, swagger, culture and an ability to surprise you.
If you’re visiting Scotland and have enough time, don’t choose between them.
Visit both.
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