Glasgow is the busiest city in Scotland and is well known as a centre of culture, from art to ballet and modern music. You can spend an entire holiday exploring the city, but why not take advantage of your hire car and treat yourself to some day trips in the West Highlands. Glasgow is within easy reach of some of Scotland’s most popular tourist attractions. You can strike out in any direction and find natural attractions, historical sites, architectural landmarks, and much more. SIXT has a number of branches in the city so you can easily arrange your car hire in Glasgow.
1. Loch Ness
- Distance from Glasgow: 181 miles
- Travel time from Glasgow: Around 3 hours 20 minutes
- Suggested route: Take the M90 north, then the A9
- Great for: Nature-lovers / Families
Loch Ness is one of the most fabled places in Britain, purportedly home to Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster of folklore. It’s set in the scenic Scottish Highlands, surrounded by the steep hills that create the Great Glen, and well worth the relatively long trip.
You can take leisurely drives around the loch’s circumference – the lake is about 23 miles long. This will give you wonderful views of the Scottish Highlands, with its fast-flowing rivers, rocky ridges, and waterfalls.
SIXT’s top tip: You can stop at Inverness or Fort Augustus and take hour-long boat trips on the loch. You might even spot Nessie if you’re lucky.
2. Stirling
- Distance from Glasgow: 26,5 miles
- Travel time from Glasgow: Around 40 minutes
- Suggested route: Follow the M80 all the way
- Great for: History buffs / Families
Stirling is one of the most important towns in Scotland, as it’s the nearest town to the location of two of Scotland’s most significant battles. Robert the Bruce defeated the English at the Battle of Bannockburn, and William Wallace famously did the same at the Battle of Stirling Bridge.
Places to visit here are the 12th-century Stirling Castle and the Bannockburn Heritage Centre. You can also survey the battlefields from the Wallace Monument, and get some exercise on the way to the top – it has about 250 steps.
SIXT’s top tip: Go see the immersive historical exhibitions at Stirling Castle. These include The Great Kitchens, a fully recreated scene of typical daily life in that era, complete with life-size human models.
3. Isle of Arran
- Distance from Glasgow: 50 miles
- Travel time from Glasgow: About 50 minutes
- Suggested route: Drive on the A737 to the Ardrossan ferry
- Great for: Families
This isle is just across the Firth of Clyde, to the west of Glasgow. It’s earned the moniker “Scotland in Miniature”, as it contains all the quintessential features of the country. There are mountains, castles, fishing harbours, and moorlands where wildlife is plentiful.
It’s a great place for nature rambles and has three golf courses. You can explore the best places on the island in a day – put Brodick Castle and Goat Fell Mountain at the top of your list. Otherwise, stay overnight and take your time.
SIXT’s top tip: To fit more in during your day trip, forego the walking and take the buses that run regularly all around the island. You can catch them at the ferry terminal – bus lines run to all the tourist attractions.
4. West Highlands and Loch Lomond
- Distance from Glasgow: 33 miles
- Travel time from Glasgow: Around 45 minutes
- Suggested route: Drive north on the M8, then the A82
- Great for: Families / Outdoor enthusiasts
Loch Lomond is often overshadowed by the myth of Loch Ness. However, it’s the largest freshwater lake in Scotland and more celebrated for its natural beauty. It’s at the south end of Trossachs National Park, which is also worth the drive.
This is the area that poets have waxed lyrical over, one of the prettiest places in Scotland. There are lots of hiking and cycling trails, boating activities, and water sports. And of course, golf courses.
SIXT’s top tip: The town of Balloch is near the southern shore of Loch Lomond. Drive via this village and visit SEA LIFE Aquarium, one of the major family attractions in the area.
5. Oban
- Distance from Glasgow: 97 miles
- Travel time from Glasgow: About 2 hours 15 minutes
- Suggested route: Take the A82 then the A85
- Great for: Families
Drive a little way north-west from Loch Lomond to Oban, known as the seafood capital of Scotland. It’s a small Victorian port that serves ferries and fishing boats around the Hebrides, Skye, and Mull island area.
You can see to the Isle of Mull from McCaig’s Tower on a clear day. It’s a Victorian monument designed to mimic Rome’s Colosseum. Eat at one of the many small restaurants and cafés to sample the day’s catch.
SIXT’s top tip: Savour the drive to Oban – you’ll pass through some of the finest scenery in the West Highlands. The trip will take you past Loch Fyne and Loch Awe. Stop for a bite to eat in the village of Luss, on the banks of Loch Lomond.
6. Ayrshire Coast
- Distance from Glasgow: 43 miles
- Travel time from Glasgow: Roughly 55 minutes
- Suggested route: Drive via the M77 and A77 south
- Great for: Families / Poetry-lovers
The Ayrshire Coast’s major claim to fame is that this is Robert Burns country – or Robbie Burns as he’s locally known. The entire region celebrates the great Scottish poet. You can walk the Burns Heritage Trail, visit the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum and walk in the very countryside that inspired him.
The Robert Burns House is up the road in Dumfries, where he lived until his death. It’s now a comprehensive museum of his life. To visit his grave, go to St. Michael’s Churchyard nearby.
SIXT’s top tip: While you’re here, visit another highlight of the Ayrshire Coast, Culzean Castle, and Country Park. You can relax in its landscaped gardens, including a Victorian Walled Garden, or walk the woodland trails.
7. Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life
- Distance from Glasgow: 10 miles
- Travel time from Glasgow: About 20 minutes
- Suggested route: Follow the M8
- Great for: History buffs / Families
This museum was the Summerlee Iron Works in the 19th century. It used to be one of the region’s biggest employers and is now a popular tourist attraction in Coatbridge, on the eastern outskirts of Glasgow.
You can take a ride on the only vintage tramway still operating in Scotland, and see original workers’ cottages, a recreated mine, and a collection of Victorian steam engines. There are also abandoned mines to be explored with a guide.
SIXT’s top tip: Coatbridge has several notable examples of 19th-century Gothic architecture. Drive around the town to see St. Mary’s Church and St. Andrew’s Church, which are the most elaborate.
8. Benmore Botanic Garden
- Distance from Glasgow: 40 miles
- Travel time from Glasgow: About 1 hour 40 minutes
- Suggested route: Follow the M8 north-west
- Great for: Nature-lovers / All tourists
This isn’t your typical botanic garden. It’s set in rugged, mountainous terrain at the south end of Loch Eck. You can’t miss the avenue of massive California redwoods as you arrive. The garden also contains over 300 different species of azaleas and rhododendrons.
Other attractions here include its hallmark 1875 bronze statue, A Boy With Two Dolphins, and Puck’s Hut, a wooden memorial to the garden’s creator, Isaac Bayley Balfour.
SIXT’s top tip: While you’re here, take a short drive to Argyll Forest Park. It dates back to 1935 and is a walker’s paradise. You can park and spend some time wandering through the more than 180 miles of footpaths.
9. Dumbarton Castle
- Distance from Glasgow: 20,5 miles
- Travel time from Glasgow: About 30 minutes
- Suggested route: Travel along the M8 west
- Great for: Families / GoT fans
You could hardly wish for a more dramatic setting for a castle – a basalt rock promontory on the Clyde River. It was built as a fortress guarding the estuary in the 6th century, remaining a strategic point till the 11th century.
The original dungeon and the 12-century gateway remain intact, along with the Governor’s House alongside. The latter still houses original castle artefacts. You can also view the artillery fortifications from the Georgian era.
SIXT’s top tip: Dumbarton Castle was used as one of the locations for the filming of the Game of Thrones TV series, and it’s become a popular tourist attraction among fans.
10. Paisley
- Distance from Glasgow: 10 miles
- Travel time from Glasgow: Roughly 20 minutes
- Suggested route: Head west on the M8
- Great for: Fashion history / Architecture
Paisley is where the world-famous clothing pattern that bears the town’s name originated. You can visit the Paisley Museum and Art Gallery to take a trip through the history of the tow’s textile industry, and the development of the pattern.
Paisley Castle is also worth visiting, with some parts still surviving from its original construction in 1163. There’s also the town’s other main landmark, the Thomas Coats Memorial Church, with its ornate stonework.
SIXT’s top tip: Inside the Paisley Museum, look out for the authentic old looms that produced the first paisley textiles, and the original Kashmir shawls on which the design was based.
