No railway, but a 24-hour express bus: how to get from Glasgow Airport into the city, the cheaper route via Paisley, Glasgow Prestwick, onward travel to Loch Lomond and the Highlands – and the Tobacco Lords.
Glasgow Airport is Scotland's second-busiest airport, about eight miles west of the city centre near Paisley. It has no rail link – decades of plans for one have come to nothing – so almost everyone reaches the city by the Glasgow Airport Express bus or by taxi. It is the main gateway to the west of Scotland, Loch Lomond and the western Highlands.
Electric buses leave from stance 1 outside the terminal, every 10 minutes for most of the day and hourly overnight, and run non-stop along the M8 to the city, calling near Central Station on St Vincent Street and near Queen Street Station before Buchanan Bus Station (stance 46). Tickets include a connecting journey on other First Glasgow buses; pay by contactless, the First Bus app or on board.
Budget travellers can take a local bus or a short taxi ride to Paisley Gilmour Street station, then a frequent ScotRail train to Glasgow Central in about 10 minutes. It is cheaper but slower and awkward with heavy bags.
Expect roughly £25–35 to the city centre, depending on traffic and the time of day.
Prestwick, on the Ayrshire coast, is mainly used by low-cost and holiday flights. Unlike Glasgow, it has its own railway station connected to the terminal by a walkway, with trains to Glasgow Central in about 45–50 minutes. Elvis Presley's only ever stop on British soil was a refuelling stop here in 1960 – there is a plaque to prove it.
There are no direct flights from sub-Saharan Africa. Most travellers connect via the Gulf – Emirates flies to Glasgow from Dubai – or via European hubs such as Amsterdam and Paris, then clear UK immigration in Glasgow. Before you fly, check whether you need a visa or an Electronic Travel Authorisation: see our UK visa and entry from Africa and flights from Africa to the UK. Liquid rules vary by airport – check Glasgow's current rule before you pack.
In the 18th century Glasgow grew rich as Britain's leading tobacco port. The "Tobacco Lords" who imported leaf grown by enslaved people in Virginia and Maryland built the Merchant City, and many of its streets still carry their names – Glassford Street, Ingram Street, Buchanan Street. Later, Glasgow merchants invested heavily in Caribbean sugar plantations.
In 2019 the University of Glasgow published research showing it had received large donations from people who profited from slavery, and signed a reparative justice agreement with the University of the West Indies to fund a joint research centre – one of the first institutions in Britain to do so. Glasgow Museums have since added displays on the city's slavery links. Compare with our pages on Liverpool and Bristol.
Day tours from Glasgow cover Loch Lomond, Glencoe, the Trossachs, Stirling Castle and the Isle of Skye.
Entrance fees are included in the tour price; tips are not included but are always welcome.
Every major UK airport compared.
Tram, Airlink and the 2-litre liquids rule.
Another northern city built on slave-grown crops.
The Scottish story.
The Scottish missionary David Livingstone, born near Glasgow at Blantyre, is still remembered across southern and central Africa. For the African side of the colonial story, see our partner sites Zambia Vibes, African Independence and Ghana-Net.
Britain Adventures is an independent partner website. Our partner sites on Africa and its history are where the stories on this page continue:
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