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.

Stonefield Castle Hotel

￥306,968

per person

Feb 20 - Feb 26

found 4 hours ago

Roundtrip flight included

Tokyo (TYO) to Glasgow (GLA)

9/10 Wonderful! (840 reviews)

I arrived late and the check in was welcoming and friendly. Didn’t manage to try dinner however breakfast was lovely. Room was clean and tidy.

Reviewed on Nov 26, 2025

Lamlash Bay Hotel

￥327,916

per person

Feb 20 - Feb 26

found 4 hours ago

Roundtrip flight included

Tokyo (TYO) to Glasgow (GLA)

9.6/10 Exceptional! (33 reviews)

lovely hotel, we really enjoyed our stay at the Lamlash Bay hotel, we were in one of the top floor rooms so the slanted roof was a bit of an issue for me but I managed to navigate without too many bumps. We really enjoyed the food on offer in the restaurant and it was nice just to chill out in the bar or take in the views outside, Top quality food, location and the staff were very friendly and helpful.

Reviewed on Aug 15, 2025

Anchor Hotel

￥319,826

per person

Feb 20 - Feb 26

found 4 hours ago

Roundtrip flight included

Tokyo (TYO) to Glasgow (GLA)

8.4/10 Very Good! (141 reviews)

We had an early ferry to Islay the next morning, and the staff were so thoughtful to prepare our breakfast ahead of time and leave it at the front desk. Great service and nice, comfortable room. The hotel is also very close to the ferry terminal — only about a 10-minute drive, which was very convenient.

Reviewed on Oct 28, 2025

Browse tours and tickets to explore Botanic Gardens

Tours & day trips

See all 166 activities

Glasgow: Isle of Skye, The Highlands and Loch Ness - 3 Day Tour

Free cancellation available

Private & custom tours

See all 84 activities

Outlander Day Tour from Glasgow

Free cancellation available

Adventure & outdoor

See all 12 activities

From Glasgow: The Devil's Pulpit Day Trip

Free cancellation available

Shows & concerts

See all 3 activities

Glasgow: Rangers Football Club Museum

Free cancellation available

Attractions

See all 3 activities

Magicians Heist Private Escape Room in Glasgow

Free cancellation available

Reviews of Botanic Gardens

4.4

Top Destination

5 - Excellent

47

4 - Good

39

3 - Okay

6

2 - Disappointing

0

1 - Terrible

0

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveler

It was great garden,I liked it very much.

3/5 - Okay

Verified traveler

Not a very big place. Can be viewed completely in about 15 minutes.

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveler

Lovely place to go for a walk

5/5 - Excellent

Neech

It’s free!

Popular places to visit

A beautiful river side pub in Glasgow with view over to the bridge outside/inside pub as I call it :-)

Great Western Road

You can search for that perfect souvenir at Great Western Road during your trip to Glasgow. Experience the acclaimed theater scene and fascinating museums in this walkable area.

Hunterian Museum

Ancient Egyptian mummies, shark fossils and paintings by famous European masters attract history, nature and art lovers to Scotland’s oldest public museum.

University of Glasgow

Explore the campus of one of the U.K.'s oldest universities and feed your fervor for learning in its museums, lecture halls and historic buildings.

Kelvingrove Park

After visiting Kelvingrove Park, make a plan to see the other sights and activities in Glasgow. Discover the area's lively bars and its acclaimed theater scene.

Glasgow which includes modern architecture and night scenes

Riverside Museum

Travel through the history of transport in a modern museum that features interactive exhibits, a wide variety of vehicles and replicas of old Glaswegian streets.