Location
Getting to Glasgow
By air
There are 3 airports in the wider Glasgow area:
1. Glasgow Airport
This is the closest airport to the city.
Travel to/from the airport is best done by bus or taxi, as there are unfortunately no rail services available.
If you take the bus, the route follows the motorway into the city centre then makes a series of stops before terminating at Buchanan Bus Station. See the route map here. The buses have screens showing the next stop along with audio annoucements.
If you are staying near the university campus, you can get off at the “Bothwell Street at Hope Street” stop which is very close to Glasgow Central Station and catch a train from there to Partick. Alternatively you can get off at Queen Street Station and take a train from there to the same destination, or use the nearby Buchanan Street underground station instead.
2. Edinburgh Airport
This is around 40 miles from Glasgow, but is a busier airport and may have more flight options.
From the airport, you can reach Glasgow by bus or by train.
If travelling by train, you can catch a tram from just outside the airport terminal. Alight at the “Edinburgh Park Station” stop, co-located with the rail station of the same name. From here you can get a direct train to Glasgow.
Train timetable information is available on the ScotRail website or mobile app.
3. Prestwick Airport.
Prestwick is around 30 miles from Glasgow and has a limited range of flights. There is however a train station adjacent to the airport (Prestwick International Airport Station) with direct trains to Glasgow.
A bus service is also available.
By train
If you are travelling up from England/Wales, long distance trains on the West Coast Main Line typically terminate at Glasgow Central Station in the city centre. If coming from further north in Scotland, look for services terminating at the nearby Glasgow Queen Street instead.
Either station will have trains running to Partick, the closest station to the university campus.
By bus
The main bus terminus in the city is the Buchanan Bus Station. Most intercity services to Glasgow will terminate here.
From the bus station there are several routes which pass through or near the university campus. The Traveline Scotland journey planner may be useful to find the next available service.
By car
The major roads leading into Glasgow are the M77, M74, and M8 motorways, approaching from the south, south-east, and east respectively.
If you are driving up from the south of the UK along the M6, you’ll find yourself on the M74 once north of Gretna Green and can follow it all the way to Glasgow.
If you fly into Edinburgh and rent a car, the M8 will take you almost due west into Glasgow.
Getting to the University
The main Gilmorehill campus of the University of Glasgow is located in the West End of the city, a couple of miles from the city centre.
The building where the events will be taking place is the Sir Alwyn Williams Building, located at 18 Lilybank Gardens, G12 8RZ (Google Maps).
Below is a photograph of the building:
The map below highlights the building and a few nearby stations and other points of interest (zoom out to see them all).
In addition to the information on this page, if you need help planning your journey try the Traveline Scotland journey planner.
By train
The closest train station to the university is Partick. Trains from both major stations in the city centre (Glasgow Central and Glasgow Queen Street) pass through here. The station is around a 20 minute walk from the university, but it has an attached underground station (see below) which can be used to reduce walking time to 2-3 minutes.
Tickets are best bought in advance. You can use the ScotRail app, or buy from a ticket machine or ticket office (note that not all stations have ticket offices, and ticket machines may be out of service at times).
It is possible to buy tickets from the conductor on the train, but it’s not recommended to rely on being able to do that. ScotRail also frequently check tickets of passengers debarking at busy stations, and major stations like Glasgow Central and Glasgow Queen Street have automated ticket gates. Buying a ticket before you board helps to avoid any delays.
At both Glasgow Central and Queen Street, trains running west towards Partick always leave from the “low-level” (underground) platforms. These are numbers 16 and 17 at Glasgow Central and 8 and 9 at Queen Street. Westbound trains will always leave from platform 17 at Central and platform 8 at Queen Street.
By underground
Glasgow has a small underground network called the Subway, consisting of a ring of stations served by trains running clockwise (“Outer Circle”) and anti-clockwise (“Inner Circle”). See here for a diagrammatic view.
The closest station to the university is Hillhead, although both Kelvinhall and Kelvinbridge are relatively close too.
Note that because the system is ring-shaped every train eventually passes through every station. Normally you will want to pick the “circle” that minimizes your travel time! For example, if you are boarding at Partick and want to go to Hillhead, this is only 2 stops along the Outer Circle but much longer on the Inner Circle.
All stations have automated ticket gates. Tickets can be purchased from ticket machines or from ticket offices. Note that you must retain your ticket until the end of your journey, because you need to tap it on the ticket gates to exit a station!
Ticket types are single, return, or all-day, and pricing can be viewed here.
By bus
There are a variety of bus routes around the city that pass through or near the university campus. The Traveline Scotland journey planner is probably the simplest way to find routes from the location you’re staying in.
There are bus stops on University Avenue and Byres Road, on or very near the campus.
By bike
The university has many bike parking locations on campus, and there is a city-wide e-bike hire scheme run by Voi.
Please be aware that many of the roads around the university are very busy, especially during the morning and evening rush hours.
Some tips on cycling to/from the university:
- there are segregated cycle lanes on the southern half of Byres Road
- Kelvin Way is car-free, and the surrounding Kelvingrove Park also offers a variety of paths you can cycle along
- on the other side of the campus, the Botanic Gardens is a similarly quiet place to cycle
- the River Kelvin has a walking/cycling route along much of its length as it passes through the city. Note that this is often quite narrow and you must be aware of pedestrians!