Free things to do in Glasgow
Every council-run museum in Glasgow is free, and so are the Botanic Gardens, the parks, the cathedral and the mural trail.
14 picks that fit, best first. The order follows the live forecast and the time of day.
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
West End
Dali, a Spitfire, dinosaurs and a daily organ recital in a red sandstone palace, free.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Riverside Museum and the Tall Ship
Pointhouse Quay
Trams, locomotives, a recreated 1900s street and a three-masted ship moored outside, all free.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
The Burrell Collection
Pollok Country Park
A shipping magnate’s nine thousand treasures in a glass building in the woods, free.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- 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.
Mostly under cover. Free.
- Free
- In and out
- Under 2 hours
- Fine in rain
- Good with kids
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. Free.
- Free
- In and out
- Under 2 hours
- Fine in rain
Gallery of Modern Art
Royal Exchange Square
Contemporary art in a neoclassical bank, with the traffic-cone statue outside, free.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
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.
Free.
- Free
- In and out
- 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.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Free; Mackintosh House cheap
St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art
Cathedral precinct
A small museum of the world’s religions beside the cathedral, with a Zen garden, free.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
City Centre Mural Trail
City centre
Two dozen giant murals on gable ends around the centre, from St Mungo to a taxi full of tigers.
Wet right now, so save this for a dry spell.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Under 2 hours
- 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
Pollok Country Park
Pollokshaws
Woodland, a river, a stately home and a fold of Highland cattle, ten minutes by train from the centre.
Wet right now, so save this for a dry spell.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Glasgow Green
Calton
The oldest park in the city, along the Clyde, with the Doulton Fountain and the Templeton carpet factory.
Wet right now, so save this for a dry spell.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
The Barras
Calton
The city’s weekend flea market, part indoor, part street, with the Barrowland Ballroom above it.
Runs on Saturdays and Sundays.
- Free
- In and out
- Under 2 hours
- Fine in rain
Good to know
What are the best free things to do in Glasgow?
Every council-run museum in Glasgow is free, and so are the Botanic Gardens, the parks, the cathedral and the mural trail. There are 14 free picks here, and the order changes with the weather: on a wet day the free museums and galleries come first, on a fine day the parks and viewpoints do.
Do free attractions in Glasgow need booking?
Some do, at busy times. Where a place is free but asks you to book a slot, the card says so, and the official site link takes you to the booking page.