Glasgow Private Self-Guided Tour
Description
Forget about crowds, schedules or lines! With Pandemic Tours' self-guided experiences your smartphone is your new private guide. In this incredible experience, Alex will guide you through the centuries of history around Glasgow. You'll have the chance to stroll around the city at your own pace, the opportunity to take astonishing pictures and enter any attraction you fancy. Glasgow has its humble beginnings with the arrival of St. Mungo, the founder of this vibrant city, who will be our constant companion throughout the tour. Discover astonishing places such as Glasgow Cathedral, the Medieval city centre surrounding it, the Old Tolbooth Steeple (a really instagramable spot), our Merchant City and our innumerable painted murals. If you are into Outlander, you're in luck! we will see some filming spots. Please note: when booking, you will get an email with instructions on how to download our app and unlock the tour.
Tour Options
Itinerary
This version of Glasgow Cathedral is from 1197 after the original Cathedral fell victim to a fire just after being built in 1136. Since then, however, the Cathedral has never been unroofed and the worship of God has been carried out within its walls for more than 800 years. Discover one of the emblems of Glasgow and all its surroundings alongside Alex in this amazing experience.
The Necropolis is Glasgow’s most famous graveyard. It was established in 1831, copying the Parisian graveyard Père Lachaise. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, rich inhabitants of Glasgow wanted to present themselves adequately even after their death, therefore the entire graveyard is built to impress. The Necropolis stretches over 37 acres which equals about 15 football (that is soccer) fields, or just about 150.000m2.
This lovely stone building has been called the Provand’s Lordship since the late nineteenth century. Before it was known as the Hospital of St Nicholas.
Glasgow is famous for its murals. There are countless murals all over the city, displaying the history and culture of Glasgow. They were created to revitalise neglected walls and gable ends as well as an attempt to change perceptions about street art. Discover this amazing trail in our tour!
Strathclyde University is one of the three major universities in Glasgow. A must-see location with a variety of murals and interesting architecture to discover as well.
This mural shows a mother lovingly cradling a baby and it is a futuristic representation of St. Mungo. Discover all the incredible details and history of this mural and the Saint who inspired it.
Immerse yourself as early as the fifteenth century! The first official record of this building is from 1626 and since then it was the Town Clerk’s office, the Justice Court, the Town Council and right at the top (for security reasons) the jail. Understand how years have affected this particular building and how it has changed over time.
You are looking at the tower of Tron church which today is Tron Theatre and the street that it is located on is called Trongate. Originally it was known as Saint Thenew’s Gait because it was situated along the way to the supposed site of Thenew’s burial. As a reminder, Thenew, or how she is more commonly known today as Saint Enoch, is Saint Mungo’s mother. Why could this building be so memorable to us?
Glasgow had the first police force in the entirety of Great Britain and its history from 1800 to 1975 is exhibited in this museum. Here, you can gain insight into the people, events and other factors which contributed to the founding, development and progress of the City of Glasgow police force.
This mural is called ‘Fellow Residents of Glasgow’ and was painted by Smug. This mural of a hiker foraging for mushrooms in the woodlands appears to be straight out of a fairy-tale. All animals you see in this mural can be found in Glasgow’s parks and green spaces. The animals appear through what looks like holes in the wall.
The church was originally built in 1824 replacing an older version. It was designed by English architect Thomas Rickman in the gothic revival style. On the graveyard, you will find the graves of tobacco merchants Andrew Buchanan and John Glassford. The older Ramshorn cemetery, now partly covered by Ingram Street, was the ‘fashionable’ – and expensive – place to be buried in Glasgow in the eighteenth century before the Necropolis become the new place to be buried on.
In this spot, you can see a statue of Mercury, the Roman God of financial gain, commerce, eloquence, poetry, travellers, boundaries, luck, trickery and thieves. Mercury stands on a marble plinth and is one of two sculptures of Mercury made by Alexander Sandy Stoddart. The statues represent the Italian quarter of Merchant City.
The City Chambers were completed in 1888 and inaugurated by Queen Victoria who is honoured with a statue at the opposite end of George Square. They are also a site used as the registry office in the City of Westminster of London in a famous series. Can you guess which one?
George Square is named after King George III and initially was laid out as early as 1781 as part of a scheme to create a grid-style city centre in typical Georgian style but the square was not developed for another 20 years!
We'll be passing by one of the emblems of Glasgow, which you might find a bit bizarre. You will learn all about it and also all about its inhabitants' sense of humour.
A must visit in the city of Glasgow. We'll let you know everything you need to know about this incredible Gallery.
This establishment is from 1983. The interior is inspired by the works of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the tea room itself is modelled on Kate Cranston’s Ingram Street tea rooms from the early 1900s. Alex will tell you the origin story of these Tea Rooms.
You have arrived in the twenty-first century. From the Middle Ages at the Cathedral to the tobacco merchants of the eighteenth and nineteenth century, past the shenanigans of the 1990s, you are now in the lively centre of today's Glasgow.
The Lighthouse is a visitor centre, exhibition space and event venue situated in the heart of Glasgow.
This is the final Smug mural you'll be seeing on this tour. It is called ‘Honey, I shrunk the Kids’ and is referred to as photo-realistic street art.
Fittingly, we are finishing this tour close to St Enoch subway station which sums up the full circle of the tour.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(22)
I loved being able to walk when I wanted, at my own pace and able to see the spelling on places and things. It allowed us to spend more time at places that really interested us.
This is self-guided at its best — setting your own pace and lingering at the places that grab you, with the spellings right there so nothing gets lost. So glad you got to spend extra time where it mattered most to you. Thank you for the lovely review, and happy wandering on your next one!
It was an amazing trip with John as a tour leader and driver! Stunning views, unique locations and a great history told by John throughout the bus journey. Worth every penny. Thanks!
Hi Valery, Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed your time exploring and had such a memorable experience. Glasgow is a city full of character, history, and incredible stories — we’re so happy our app could help make your trip even better. Wishing you many more adventures like this ahead! Warm regards,
A wonderful full day in the Highlands. Guide Terry was amazing! Cheerful & helpful to the end of the day, she provided massive amounts of Scottish history, folklore, music & some personal anecdotes, corny jokes too! Gorgeous views on the cruise of Loch Ness. All added up to a superb day.
Thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to share your experience! We’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed exploring and had such a positive day overall. Our goal is always to help travellers discover and enjoy each city at their own pace while learning about its culture, stories, and landmarks. We hope your future adventures continue to be just as memorable — and if you ever want to explore another destination with us, we’d be delighted to have you join again! Warm regards,
It was fantastic we saw so much of Glasgow we wouldn’t have seen without it . Had we not have used the app we would have just seen the shops and gone home
Hi Dawn! You just made our day! 😊 Thank you for the lovely review — it’s exactly why we created these tours: to help travellers discover so much more than shops and train stations. Glasgow’s packed with hidden gems, quirky stories, and amazing culture, and we’re thrilled we could be your guide through all of it. Thanks again for choosing us — and hope to explore another city with you soon! All the best,
The speach was boring and not easy to understand. The application we had to use was bad. We had to look at the map for the whole time. The text didn‘t start automatically. We didn‘t finish the tour.
Dear Katharina, Thank you for your feedback, and I’m truly sorry to hear that the experience didn’t meet your expectations. We strive to create engaging and seamless experiences, so I apologize for the technical issues and will review the tour to ensure improvements are made. We appreciate your feedback as it helps us refine our app and tours. I hope you give us another chance in the future! Best regards,
Grant was a wonderful host on our trip up into the Highlands. His knowledge of history was remarkable and his driving made me feel very safe. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip.
Hi Renee, thanks for your glowing review! We’re thrilled to hear you had such a wonderful experience with Grant in the Highlands. We're glad you felt safe and informed!
Didn’t get a chance to make the tour had other plans that day I went to the castle and downtown had to catch the train to Glasgow so we went downtown .
Thank you for your kind review! It's great to hear that you were able to reach out to us in time to make necessary adjustments for your plans. We always appreciate when our customers communicate with us promptly, as it allows us to provide the best support possible. We're sorry you couldn’t make the tour this time, but whenever you’re ready to explore Glasgow with our self-guided tour, we’ll be here to enhance your experience. Remember, if you encounter any issues or need assistance with the app, don't hesitate to get in touch. Thanks again for your understanding and cooperation!
I did the tour in my mobility scooter on the basis that the tour was accessible, as it was described. Unfortunately it wasn't accessible. At the first stop, the cathedral, we were asked to go inside, and walk down the steps inside!. Not a good start. The next stop was the necropolis, which was reached down a long cobbled street. My bones were well shaken by the end of the street. The tour then climbed to the top, with the commentary making clear that it was a difficult climb for able bodied people. We did not attempt it, but retraced our steps up the cobbled street. We moved on from the cathedral area, only to find on our route several examples of kerbs which were not “dropped”, and which I could not cross in my scooter. I was forced to cross these roads on foot - which was difficult, leaving my wife to manually pull my scooter across. You are clearly not responsible for the lack of dropped kerbs , but you are responsible for describing the tour as accessible, which it clearly wasnt. Finally, for the last 5 to 10 stops, we could not get any commentary.
Hello Mike, Thank you for sharing your experience, and I'm genuinely sorry to hear about the challenges you faced during our Glasgow tour. Accessibility is a crucial concern for us, and it seems we missed the mark in ensuring our tour was suitable for everyone, particularly those using mobility aids. Your detailed feedback is invaluable and will directly influence how we review and describe our tours. We are committed to reassessing the accessibility descriptions to ensure they accurately reflect the real conditions and potential challenges of the tour route. I understand how frustrating this must have been and would like to discuss how we can make this right for you. Please feel free to reach out to us directly so we can further assist and perhaps offer a compensation for your troubled experience. Again, I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused and thank you for bringing this to our attention. We are here to support and ensure a better experience for all our users in the future. Warm regards,
The self guide tour was useful in seeing places on our own, specially if one is trying to it at own pace. The content was good as well. The functionality of app was a bit cumbersome as the user has to exit it, get on the map guide and then get back on the app again which would sometimes lose its place and have to start all over on the app. It would have been better if the person narrating can narrate you to the next location so never have to leave the guide app
Hello Reza, Thank you for taking the time to review your experience with our Glasgow Private Self-Guided Tour. We’re glad you found the content useful and enjoyed the flexibility of exploring at your own pace. We appreciate your feedback on the app functionality. Integrating a more seamless navigation experience is something we are actively working to improve. Your suggestion about continuous narration to guide you to each location is excellent, and we'll consider how we might implement this feature in future updates. Thank you again for your feedback, and we hope to provide you with a smoother experience next time. Best regards,
They lie over the phone that we meeting a person there but was nobody. We called them back and they said we paid for instructions only. ( I cam do that free ) . I called and requested refund!
Hi Elvira, We're genuinely sorry for any confusion experienced regarding your Glasgow Self-Guided Tour. Our tours are designed as self-guided experiences, allowing you the freedom to explore at your own pace, without the need for a physical guide. This is detailed across Viator, TripAdvisor and our platform before and after purchase, including the tour title and description to ensure expectations align with the services provided. After our conversation, we understood you were ready to enjoy the tour as intended. You seemed happy to do the tour as it was late at night and clearly no physical tours were available anywhere. It's disheartening to hear of your disappointment afterwards. Even though we helped you numerous times. While we aim to provide clear information about our tour's nature, it seems there was a misunderstanding. We strive for transparency and customer satisfaction, but if you bought a product you did not understand properly and had different expectations about it, there isn't much we can do. But it is heartbreaking to hear you say our company is "lying", that is out of line and disrespectful.
