Arriving in Glasgow
By Air
If you arrive at Glasgow airport you will have the choice of two bus services, both of which have bus
stops on the terminal forecourt. The 500 Glasgow Shuttle service operates from Stance 1 and the 77
bus service from Stance 6.
The Glasgow Shuttle Service (500)
This is the fastest and most frequent bus service operating approximately every ten minutes from
the airport. A trip to Glasgow will take around 15-20 minutes. Tickets cost £6.50 for a single fare
and £9.00 for an open return and can be bought on the bus. If you choose this option Queen Street
rail station stop is ideal for the subway.
Bus Service 77 (Glasgow Airport – city service)
This bus service is less frequent (every 30 minutes) and it takes approximately one hour to get into
the city. A single fare costs £4.95 (they only offer day return tickets at £5.00). Although a
considerably longer journey, this option offers two advantages: the first being that this bus passes
the venue and therefore if you are staying close-by you will not have to take further transport from
the city centre, and second, if you arrive after 9am and plan to have other bus journeys over the
course of the day you can upgrade to a network day ticket at £5.75. These tickets are purchased on
the bus please note you will need the exact fare.
If you arrive at Prestwick International Airport there are direct trains to Glasgow Central train
station. Trains are every 30 minutes, take about 45 minutes and cost £8.00. There is also a bus
service from outside the airport terminal, the Stagecoach Western X77 Express Service which takes
about 50 minutes
By Train
If you come by train you will arrive in Queen Street or Central Station. Getting to the venue from
either of the train stations is quite easy. From Queen Street station the easiest option is to take the
subway (the station has an adjoining subway station called Buchanan Street) or you can leave the
station, turn right, walk four blocks to Hope Street and take bus number 4 or 4A. From Central you
can exit onto Hope Street and take the 4, 4A to University Avenue or 2, 3, or 9 along Argyle Street, or
walk to St Enoch’s Subway station (5-10 minutes).
By car
Glasgow is well served by motorways (M74 to England, M8 to Edinburgh, M80 to Stirling and A82 to
the Highlands). From Carlisle, Newcastle and the south, exit M74 onto the M73, joining the M8 at
the Old Monkland junction. M8 exits for the University are J18 if travelling from the south,
Edinburgh and the north and J19 if coming from Glasgow Airport and the west. Other main routes
serving the University include Great Western Road (A82, north of campus), Clydeside Expressway
(A814, south) and Byres Road (B808, west). Please note that car parking on the University campus
and surrounding area is notoriously difficult.
Travel in and around Glasgow
Getting to the University of Glasgow is really easy, in fact, getting around Glasgow is easy, whether
you choose to travel by bus, subway, taxi, bicycle or walk.
Bus Travel
There are numerous small bus companies operating in Glasgow, however FirstBus is the largest and
most frequent service available. The Firstbus 4 and 4A pass along University Avenue and the closest
stop to the venue is at the Wolfson Medical Building/Boyd Orr Building stops. Numerous buses pass
the venue along Argyle Street including the 2, 3, 9, 19 and 77 – all of which pass through the city
centre. The best stop is the Western Infirmary. Bus fares are £1.20 for a ‘short hop’ of five stops or
less and £2.00 for anything longer. A return ticket will cost £3.20 or £3.60 depending where you are
travelling to/from. Glasgow city centre to the venue and back again would be £3.20. Day tickets
whereby you can have unlimited travel on any Firstbus for one day cost £4.30. For those staying
longer weekly tickets cost £17.00 although the presentation of a valid student card gets a weekly
student week long ticket for £13.00. All of these tickets can be purchased on the bus from the
driver, but please note that Firstbus operate an ‘exact fare’ system and no change is given.
The Glasgow Subway
There are two subway stations near the venue: Hillhead and Kelvinahll. The Glasgow Subway is very
easy to use, being one not very big circle.
A single fare is £1.60, a return £3.00 and an all day ticket £4.00. They also offer a smart card (like the
Oyster card in London) where you get discounted travel on the subway. Smartcards are free if you
register online, however anonymous Smartcards purchased in the station incur a £3 admin charge.
If you plan to order one please note they take ten days to arrive. The card saves 20p per journey
and offers an all day travel for £2.70 per day http://www.spt.co.uk/subway/tickets/
Cycling
NextBike Glasgow offers 24/7 bike hire where you collect and drop off bikes at specific station points
located all over the city. There is a bike station point at the Wolfson Medical Building, at the
junction of University Avenue and University Place. For more information see
http://www.nextbike.co.uk/en/glasgow/
Taxis
TOA taxi stands are located throughout the city and their taxis can also be flagged in the street.
Black taxi cabs can be picked up at most times in the University area and the city centre. You can
also phone for a black taxi cab on 0141 429 7070.
Approximate pricings are as follows:From Glasgow International Airport
: £20.00 – £30.00
From Buchanan Bus Station
: £5.00 – £7.00
From Glasgow Central Station
: £5.00 – £7.00
From Queen Street Station
: £5.00 – £7.00
Please note – all prices correct at time of publication.