1 Kelvingrove
The jewel in Glasgow's crown, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum reopened last summer after a three- year, GBP27.9 million (HK$421 million) refurbishment. Before its temporary closure, Kelvingrove was already one of Britain's most popular museums (
www.glasgowmuseums.com). Its renovation means 8,000 items are now on display in 22 themed galleries. A key exhibit is a second world war Spitfire that was part of the 602 City of Glasgow Squadron. The restored aircraft hangs from the ceiling of the West Court. Other displays include a life-sized skeleton cast of a ceratosaur, a collection of Egyptian treasures on loan from the British Museum and a controversial Salvador Dali painting, Christ of St John of the Cross, which - after heated public debate - was returned to Kelvingrove from the nearby St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art. The value of Kelvingrove's collection is estimated to be about GBP600 million. Entry and guided tours are free.
2 Buchanan Street
Admire the grand Victorian architecture along Buchanan Street - and because it's Glasgow's main shopping street you may be tempted to give your credit card a good workout. The Argyll Arcade, Britain's oldest covered shopping arcade (established in 1827), is headquarters for the city's top jewellers. Head for the designer boutiques in Princes Square, a converted 19th-century warehouse worth walking into simply to admire its glass canopies, wrought-iron balconies and wall mosaics. You'll find designer names such as Armani, Escada and Ralph Lauren in the Merchant City area, once home to 18th-century tobacco barons and now Glasgow's main haute-couture neighbourhood. Pop into the historic Willow Tea Rooms (
www.willowtea rooms.co.uk) for a spot of afternoon tea among the high-backed chairs and clean lines of architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
3 Glasgow Green
King James II granted Glasgow Green to Bishop William Turnbull and the people of the city in 1450. In those days it was used as a common area in which to perform tasks such as washing, bleaching linen and drying fishing nets, as well as for grazing and swimming. Today, Glasgow's oldest city park covers 55 hectares of open space and is used for concerts, fireworks displays and other major events. At the edge of the park is the city's social history museum, the People's Palace. Housed in an elegant 19th-century red sandstone building, the museum documents the story of the people of the city since 1750 with three floors of paintings and photographs. Wander next door into the Victorian glasshouse of the Winter Gardens, where you can warm yourself with a hot drink in the cafe among the tropical plants. Admission to the People's Palace and Winter Gardens is free.