Date ideas in Glasgow
Kelvingrove’s daily organ recital, a walk through the university cloisters, dinner in Finnieston and a late one on Ashton Lane: Glasgow dates are easy to plan and hard to get wrong.
17 picks that fit, best first. The order follows the live forecast and the time of day.
Ashton Lane and the West End
Hillhead
A cobbled lane of fairy lights, pubs, restaurants and a cinema behind Byres Road.
Mostly under cover. Good in the evening.
- £10 to £25
- In and out
- Under 2 hours
- Fine in rain
Barrowland Ballroom
Gallowgate
The sprung-floored ballroom under the neon sign that bands call the best venue in the world.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Good in the evening.
- £10 to £25
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
University of Glasgow cloisters
Gilmorehill
Gothic Revival towers on a hill above the park, with the cloisters that stood in for Hogwarts.
Mostly under cover. Good in the evening. Free.
- Free
- In and out
- Under 2 hours
- Fine in rain
Glasgow Cathedral and the Necropolis
Townhead
The medieval cathedral and, on the hill behind it, a Victorian city of the dead with the best view in town.
Good in the evening. Free.
- Free
- In and out
- Under 2 hours
Glasgow Film Theatre
Rose Street
An Art Deco independent cinema with three screens and a bar, home of the Glasgow Film Festival.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Good in the evening.
- Under £10
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
King Tut's Wah Wah Hut
St Vincent Street
The 300-capacity venue where Oasis were signed, with a gig almost every night.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Good in the evening.
- Under £10
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Theatre Royal
Cowcaddens
Home of Scottish Opera and Scottish Ballet, with a striking modern foyer on an old auditorium.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Good in the evening.
- Over £25
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
West End
Dali, a Spitfire, dinosaurs and a daily organ recital in a red sandstone palace, free.
Usually closed by now; try tomorrow.
- Free
- Indoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Finnieston
Finnieston
The strip of Argyle Street that became the city’s restaurant quarter, with the crane at the end.
Good in the evening.
- £10 to £25
- In and out
- Under 2 hours
The Burrell Collection
Pollok Country Park
A shipping magnate’s nine thousand treasures in a glass building in the woods, free.
Usually closed by now; try tomorrow.
- Free
- Indoors
- Half a day
Glasgow Botanic Gardens and Kibble Palace
West End
A Victorian glasshouse of tree ferns and statues in a free riverside garden at the top of Byres Road.
Usually closed by now; try tomorrow.
- Free
- In and out
- Under 2 hours
- Fine in rain
- Good with kids
Kelvingrove Park
West End
The West End’s Victorian park along the Kelvin, between the museum and the university.
Wet right now, so save this for a dry spell.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
Gallery of Modern Art
Royal Exchange Square
Contemporary art in a neoclassical bank, with the traffic-cone statue outside, free.
Usually closed by now; try tomorrow.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
The Hunterian and the Mackintosh House
University of Glasgow
Scotland’s oldest public museum, with Roman finds, Whistler and Mackintosh’s reassembled home.
Usually closed by now; try tomorrow.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Free; Mackintosh House cheap
Mackintosh at the Willow
Sauchiehall Street
Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s tea rooms restored to 1903, with afternoon tea in the Salon de Luxe.
Usually closed by now; try tomorrow.
- £10 to £25
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Exhibition cheap; tea by booking
The Tenement House
Garnethill
A flat kept exactly as its owner left it in 1965, a time capsule of Glasgow tenement life.
Usually closed by now; try tomorrow.
- Under £10
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Loch Lomond from Balloch
Day trip
Fifty minutes by train to the bonnie banks: boat trips, lochside walks and the start of the Highlands.
Wet right now, so save this for a dry spell.
- Under £10
- Outdoors
- A full day
- Good with kids
Free; train fare, cruises ticketed
Good to know
What is a good date idea in Glasgow?
Kelvingrove’s daily organ recital, a walk through the university cloisters, dinner in Finnieston and a late one on Ashton Lane: Glasgow dates are easy to plan and hard to get wrong. There are 17 ideas here, ranked for the conditions right now, with viewpoints pushed up around sunset and indoor picks pushed up when it rains.
Are there cheap date ideas in Glasgow?
Plenty. Look for the "Free" and "Cheap" labels: galleries, viewpoints and walks make good first dates and cost little or nothing.