Getting Here

Don't believe the hype, like the other major cities in the UK, Glasgow is only a booking reference away. The calibre of your transport is up to you. We wouldn't necessarily recommend sweating it out on a budget bus service to get here - but it's up to you. The city is easy to get to from all over the UK and Europe, with two airports and two train stations - and the M6 only an hour from Glasgow.

Flying

If you're not concerned about your carbon footprint, or if you're just impatient, Glasgow has two airports: Prestwick and Glasgow International Airport. Prestwick is served by two low cost airlines (Ryanair and easyJet). It links to London Stanstead and there's a regular rail service from Central Station - you can usually get a 50% discount on a standard fare if you show your flight confirmation and ID. Glasgow International Airport is closer (about 7 miles from the city centre) and is served by 30 airlines (including Easy Jet, BMI, British Airways and Flybe). A regular bus service to the city leaves from immediately outside the terminal building, a taxi to the West End is about £20.

Trains

Glasgow's got two main train stations in the city centre: Glasgow Central, which will take you pretty much everywhere in the UK and Glasgow Queen Street, which has trains to Edinburgh and the north and east of Scotland. Glasgow is on the West Coast and East Coast main lines, so it's really easy to reach. Like with all rail travel, the sooner you book your ticket, the cheaper it's gonna be and of course make sure you have your railcard sorted or you're going to miss out on big discounts.

By Car 

The motorway network is pretty handy too. Because lets face it, when you're bringing all your possessions planes or trains aren't going to cut it! Car will probably be the transport of choice! Particularly if you're lucky enough to get parents/family/friends to help you move. 

Get to the M6 and that takes you pretty much to Scotland. It's actually worth doing the drive at least once if driving through mountains with stunning scenery either side of you is your kind of thing (at least, that's what it's like once you get to the Lakes or the Pennines, depending where you're coming from).

Getting Around

There is a highly developed Parkour scene in Glasgow which, for the adventurous few has turned getting around Glasgow into something between an art form and a spectator sport. For the rest of us mortals, however, as Glasgow is relatively small, getting around by foot or bike is easy, taxis are cheap and the Subway is fast and reliable. There are really only four areas: the West End, the City Centre, the East End and the South Side. The uni is in the centre of the West End and although there is enough to explore in the West End alone, the City Centre is within walking distance - so no point limiting yourself to just one area. Walking everywhere can be a drag so here is the hierarchy of transport in Glasgow.

Cycling

Glasgow has more than 90 parks, if you're cycling across the city you're probably gonna go through at least one of them. This is a city to explore; doing it by bike is one of the most rewarding ways. You don't even have to own a bike, or schlep it up from home; some very, very cheap bikes are available from Bike Shed, a Community Social Enterprise that's run by volunteers in the Barrowlands. Refurbished donated bikes and re-usable parts are reconditioned and sold in the shop - and by cheap I mean <£10. There is also a dedicated group of fixed gear cyclists in the city (glasgowfgss.com) who hold regular alley cats for all gear heads. 

Public Transport

Hillhead Subway Station

Subway

This is by far the easiest and cheapest way to get around - the city centre is 5mins on the Subway from Hillhead (the closest station to the uni). This is a circular system that loops through central Glasgow. It's £1.20 to anywhere on the line and £3.50 for a Discovery ticket, which gives you unlimited day travel. 

Buses

The city's buses are pretty good too, although they only take the exact change - which can be a pain in the arse when you only have crisp tenners. As you'd expect of any decent city the buses go pretty much everywhere - some of the routes even get you to Ikea easily and cheaply, which is handy when you're picking up some new stuff for your new place or you just fancy the £4 meatballs. The Uni organises some buses too, the SRC minibus is free and provides an easy way of travelling between the university campuses and halls.

Taxis

Taxis are hella cheap. Some of the taxi companies have discounts to halls - which makes them even cheaper. From the city centre, a taxi to Murano Street (the largest halls) is approx £5.00 - less if you're sharing! This is the preferred method of night-time transport.