Glasgow Cathedral

The City Apartments are only 5 minutes away from this historic Glasgow landmark just 10 minutes walk from the city centre. This amazing peice of history was built circa 1136 making it around 884 years old!

Glasgow Cathedral, also called the High Kirk of Glasgow or St Kentigern’s or St Mungo’s Cathedral, is the oldest cathedral on mainland Scotland and is the oldest building in Glasgow. One of Scotland’s most magnificent medieval buildings, Glasgow Cathedral is the only one on the mainland to survive the Reformation of 1560 intact.

Glasgow Cathedral is built on the site where St Kentigern, or Mungo, is thought to have been buried in AD 612. The crypt within the Cathedral was constructed in the mid-1200s to house the tomb of St Kentigern. St Kentigern was the first bishop within the ancient British kingdom of Strathclyde, and the present cathedral was built during the 13th – 15th centuries.

Other connections run through the cathedral’s history: one of Scotland’s most famous literary sons, Sir Walter Scott, refers to the kirk (Scottish for church) in his novel, Rob Roy. And no visitor should leave without gazing up at the breathtaking white ceiling in the Blackadder Aisle which was built around 1500 by Archbishop Blackadder – no relation to a certain famous TV character!

If you have time, pop next door to the award-winning St Mungo Museum of Religious Life & Art, named after the patron saint. It’s a haven of tranquillity in the bustling city. Or take a walk through the neighbouring Glasgow Necropolis, one of the most significant cemetaries in Europe and an exceptional display of Victorian Glasgow. Adjacent to the Cathedral, the Necropolis was modeled on Père-Lachaise in Paris. It is estimated that something in the order of 50,000 burials have taken place here, with around 3,500 tombs.

Glasgow has such rich roots and you can see/feel the history of the city in such a small radius surrounding this beautiful cathedral. Even the streetlights around the area have the seal of glasgow on them which was designed by St Mungo. The city’s seal has the bird that never flew, the tree that never grew, the bell that never rang, the fish that never swam. From the legend of St Mungo.

The Gallery of Modern Art

In the heart of the city centre Glasgow’s most visited art gallery, The Gallery of Modern Art, located in Royal Exchange Square only 10 minutes away from The City Apartments.

The gallery provides a thought-provoking programme including displays of local and international artworks from the City’s collection alongside temporary exhibitions and events with artists. There is also a permanent display that charts the history of the building. GoMA is part of Glasgow’s civic museum service and has a changing programme of museums’ collection and loaned-in exhibitions and associated public programme. Have a look at their website listed at the end for the full programme.

The gallery is free to enter and has a shop, library with free PCs and Internet access and also a cafe.

After spending time seeing all the fantastic exhibitions inside the gallery there is one last attraction directly outside. That being, the Duke of Wellington statue which has been made famous for having a traffic come placed on the duke’s head regardless of how many times it has been taken off. Sometimes confused for being an art installation that the Gallery is responsible for, the cone(s) on Wellington’s statue are placed by daring passers-by, usually very late at night. It seems to have been going on for about 30 years or so.

Opening times are as follows:
Mon – Wed: 10:00 – 17:00
Thu: 10:00 – 20:00
Fri: 11:00 – 17:00
Sat: 10:00 – 17:00
Sun: 11:00 – 17:00

Comedy Clubs in Glasgow

Many comedians choose to come to Glasgow to cut their teeth in comedy and try out new sets as they know there?s no audience like a Glasgow audience! You may be able to catch some of these comedians in other UK cities, but what is unique to Glasgow is the audiences and subsequent electricity and elevated level of such live shows.

The City Apartments are in a great location for easy access to countless great nights of comedy and listed ahead are some of the biggest and best for you to experience. You can also experience 10% off of your stay with us if you use the promo code – COMEDY.

Home to one of the leading comedy venues in the UK ? The Stand is a famous basement club in the west end, offering entertainment seven days a week. Tuesday night is comedy night at Blackfriars ? a real ale pub in the stylish Merchant City, which carries on the age old tradition of running a basement bar to support music and comedy. Billed as Glasgow?s oldest comedy club, The State Bar, located in the city’s main nightlife district of Sauchiehall Street, runs a popular weekly comedy night every Saturday in the intimate basement bar. The city’s newest and biggest comedy club is the Rotunda Comedy Club where you can enjoy a two-hour show every Friday and Saturday night, dine in one of the venue’s four restaurants and then enjoy cocktails until the wee small hours.

The SSE Hydro is the place to catch the big names ? Peter Kay, Russell Howard, Micky Flanagan and John Bishop have all performed in this top global arena. Hometown hero Kevin Bridges also performs multiple sold out shows every year.

IRN-BRU Carnival

Europe’s largest indoor fun fair is back again this winter between 20th of December to 12th January!

The IRN-BRU Carnival returns to the SEC and is celebrating 100 years of festive fun! With over 65 fun attractions, including thrill rides, family rides, kid’s rides, game stalls and a hall dedicated to Inflatable Play there is something for everyone.

As part of the 2019 Carnival, a special exhibition will display rare and historic images as well as traditional fairground memorabilia. Also, carnival goers past and present have been invited to share their own stories from over the years. Organisers hope to find; couples who met at the Carnival, who shared a first kiss on the Ferris Wheel or even just families that make it an annual part of the festive period.

The SEC is located in Glasgow city centre in the west-end. The campus is accessible by numerous transport options and is roughly 5 mins from The City Apartments.

For more details on the carnival visit the website or the Facebook page.

Near by beaches – City Apartments

When thinking of sunbathing, you don’t automatically think of a beach in Scotland. However, just because great weather is not always available doesn’t mean great beaches aren’t!

The City Apartments are within reach of a few of the best beaches on the west coast; Ayr Beach, Largs/Millport Beach and Helensburgh Beach.

Ayr Beach (Just 45 minutes drive) has all that is needed to spend the day at the sea side. A great range of fun facilities, including crazy golf, Laser tag and children’s play area and swing park. On the way to/from the beach, located 10 minutes away, is Heads of Ayr Farm Park. The Farm has lots of exotic animals – meerkats, Lemurs, monkeys, camels – and plenty of exciting activities for the kids to enjoy; amazing bumper boats, water wars, electric tractors and diggers. There is even an extensive play area with an assault course, giant sand pit, trampolines, ringo sledging, a giant aerial runway and jumping pillows.

40 minutes in the car is all it would take to reach the lovely town of largs on the North Ayrshire coast of the Firth of Clyde. Largs has a long winding coastline that has plenty for its visitors; a putting green, a historic viking landing point, famous ice cream and chip shops as well as play parks and attractions for the children. If willing to get the ferry across, the town of Millport lies directly across the water on the island of Great Cumbrae. The quaint town has its own beach with also; a host of superb restaurants and bars and plenty of bike rental shops to help you make a lap of the island a little faster.

Lastly, also 40 minutes drive away, is Helensburgh Beach. Helensburgh is an attractive little town in Argyll and Bute and has a picturesque waterfront/beach with many attractions to make the most of a great family day out.

Celtic Connections

The UK’s leading celebration of folk music returns to Glasgow on the 16th January to the 2nd February 2020. The Celtic Connections Festival features; concerts, ceilidhs, talks, art exhibitions, workshops, free events, late night sessions and a host of special one-off musical collaborations.

The Celtic Connections festival started in 1994 and has since been held every January, growing with popularity year upon year. The festival showcases traditional home-grown talent but also attracts acts from all over the world, with an estimated 2500 acts converging on Glasgow during this time. Previous years have featured Led zeppelin’s Robert Plant, Sinéad O’Connor, Shane MacGowan, Laura Marling to name just a few.

The festival takes place in 20 venues across the city with 300 separate events happening throughout, with the total audiences being more than 100,000 people.

One of the first acts announced for this year’s festival had to change to a larger venue due to high demand!

At the core of the festival is the Education Programme, which sees thousands of school children attend free morning concerts experiencing live music ranging from Burns to spiritual and blues. Every night of the festival, once the concerts are over, the late-night Celtic Connections Festival Club runs through to the small hours of the morning. The club has no set programme and is renowned for one-off collaborations, not able to be seen anywhere else, between musicians appearing at the festival.

Beer Festival – Barras Beer Bash – July 26th-27th

Coming to Glasgow this summer is beer, beer and more beer in the form of Glasgow’s inaugural Barras Beer Bash ! A weekend of pints, live music and street vendor food… What’s not to like?

Our city’s vibrant craft beer scene will be celebrated with a huge beer festival this July.

The crew at Barras Art and Design Centre (BAaD) are presenting the Barras Beer Bash at their East End venue which will give guests the opportunity to buy a vast array of locally brewed beer from some of Glasgow’s best breweries. Twenty of the top breweries will have their own stands across three public sessions, hoping to upstage their rivals, whilst vying for the title of ‘Beer of The Barras’ 2019.

If you’re fond of the amber nectar you won’t be disappointed – expect West Beer, Ride Brewing Co. and Overtone Brewing Co, Williams Bros. Brewing Co., Top Out Brewery and 71.

The BAaD bars will also be serving up various cool cocktails and summery specials !

Loads more will be revealed…..

City Apartments are approximately 10 minutes by taxi or car to Barras Beer Bash at Barras Art and Design Centre (BAaD) and around 27 minutes by bus.

Websters Theatre

This converted Gothic Revival Church and fully equipped 182 seat theatre, is an A-listed building and was originally built in 1863. Marvel at the stunning stained glass windows created by Alf Webster, after whom the theatre is named.

Performances feature an awesome line-up of shows to appeal to many different tastes. Expect to see wonderful musicals like Oliver and 13 The Musical. Drama contributions include Don’t Leave Me and Loving The Enemy. Comedy shows feature The Loch Inn and the hilarious That’s A Brassneck, to name just a few. Stand-up comedy is also performed here in addition to live music acts, the likes of The Psychiatrists and Rab Noakes.

Grab a bite to eat at Webster’s Bistro and sample soups and sandwiches like Haggis, onion chutney & rocket on sourdough bread and vegetarian options such as Hummus, beetroot, avocado & mixed leaves. Tasty cheese and meat board selections are also on offer.

City Apartments are located at the end of our street and is just a 2 minute walk from us. Come and stay with us in the heart of the vibrant West End close to great entertainment venues, bars, cafes and restaurants. Just remember to book through our website to receive the best possible room rates!