Tour the park and arboretum with century-old trees, have a picnic on the lawn, watch a concert, or admire the design of the impressive 19th-century glasshouses.

Discover tropical plants, stroll along the banks of the River Kelvin and picnic on the bright green lawns at the Glasgow Botanic Gardens. Glaswegian Thomas Hopkirk, a botanist, founded the gardens in 1817 with a core of 3,000 plants. The gardens moved to its current location in 1839 and opened in 1842 as a members-only garden. Today, this public park attracts almost half a million visitors per year.

Check the website of the park to see if you can join a free guided tour, or explore the park at your own pace. Start at the Kibble Palace, the glasshouse dominating the 42-acre (20-hectare) gardens. Inventor and engineer John Kibble designed the impressive structure in the 1860s for his private residence.

Enter the glasshouse to see the collection of Southern Hemisphere fern trees as well as sculptures and statues, including King Robert of Sicily by the famous Scottish sculptor George Henry Paulin. Find orchids, begonias and tropical plants in the Main Range houses, which are old Victorian buildings from the 1880s.

Pick up a map of the Heritage Trail inside the Kibble Palace and set aside two hours to complete it. Admire the 30 historical sites, including bridges and train stations. Check out the tall black oak and 200-year-old weeping ash tree in the arboretum. Enjoy a picnic on the lawns in front of the glasshouses or buy lunch in the garden’s café.

Come during the weekend to enjoy public events, such as crafts markets, theater, book fairs or concerts. Check the official Glasgow Botanic Gardens website for the calendar of events and live performances.

The Glasgow Botanic Gardens in West End is open daily, but closes at dusk. Entrance is free and there are public toilets. The glasshouses, the Visitor Centre and the Tearoom open mid morning and usually close earlier than the park grounds.

The site is a 40-minute walk from the city center. The Hillhead Underground Station is a five-minute walk away and you can also get there by bus or car from the city center. Free and metered street parking is available nearby.

Plan a trip to see Botanic Gardens

Price found within the past 48 hours. Click for updated prices.

Muthu Glasgow River Hotel

per person

Sep 10 - Sep 13

found 1 day ago

Roundtrip flight included

London (LHR) to Glasgow (GLA)

7/10 Good! (1,000 reviews)

Location is great. Door cant be locked, bath in a disgusting state, the tv looks ready to fall off the wall and having to listen to someone strimming grass for 2 hours (4:15 - 6:30) without safety gear on, quite obvious they didnt know how to use it and with music headphones on which is dangerous not to mention not legal in the work envioroment.

Reviewed on Mar 24, 2022

Hotel du Vin & Bistro Glasgow

Glasgow Westend

per person

Sep 10 - Sep 13

found 1 day ago

Roundtrip flight included

London (LHR) to Glasgow (GLA)

9.4/10 Exceptional! (855 reviews)

Very unique beautiful old hotel made up of several converted homes. We were in the Chateau Bauduc Suite which was very large with a very comfortable bed and a separate door that opened up to a beautiful courtyard. The service was excellent and the food was great. There is no air conditioning and our windows opened up to a public space so it was uncomfortably warm until the public space cleared out and we could open the door and all of the windows. The shower had trouble draining but not a huge issue. We had mixed feelings about this hotel but overall enjoyed our stay and would definitely recommend it in cooler weather.

Reviewed on Jul 3, 2025

Radisson Blu Hotel, Glasgow

City Centre Glasgow

per person

Sep 10 - Sep 13

found 1 day ago

Roundtrip flight included

London (LHR) to Glasgow (GLA)

9/10 Wonderful! (1,003 reviews)

Excellent hotel, will definitely use again when in Glasgow!

Reviewed on Jul 22, 2025

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