Glasgow South Tourist Information

Paisley & The Inverclyde Area - Greenock, Gourock & Inverkip

To the west of Glasgow, Paisley is easily reached by rail from Glasgow central station. Head here to find out more about the town's fascinating textile heritage, particularly the famous Paisley Shawl.

Moving further west (also easy by rail), into the Inverclyde area and main towns of Greenock, Gourock to the far west Inverkip, industrial heritage particularly shipbuilding history at Greenock is explored in Greenock's McLean Museum and Art Gallery. Greenock's famous son, James Watt, inventor of the steam engine is also given due attention.

• South Glasgow Hotels
• South Glasgow Bed and Breakfasts
• Holiday Cottages in South Glasgow

Glasgow International Airport

Glasgow International Airport, situated just 8 miles to the Southwest of Glasgow City Centre, is the busiest of Scotland's three big international airports. By 2004 it was handling over one million passengers (the first of Scotland's Airports to do so). As well as cheap flights from Glasgow to well known holiday destinations such as Majorca, the Algarve and Alicante/Malaga/Spanish Costas, flights head direct from Glasgow to top city breaks such as Barcelona and Amsterdam, all London Airports, Belfast and Dublin. Long Haul flights depart from Glasgow International Airport too, to destinations such as Canada and North American locations such as Las Vegas and Boston.

Glasgow International Airport, just 8 miles west of Glasgow city centre, is well served by public transport. Paisley's Gilmour Street Railway Station is just 1 mile for Glasgow Airport's terminal building, and regular trains (at last count 8 per hour) run from here into Glasgow Central Station. Likewise, shuttle buses depart regularly into Glasgow from outside the terminal building. A choice of luxury Glasgow Airport hotels and budget B&B accommodation is located in the Glasgow West area in and around the Airport.

Paisley is the nearest town, and often a cheaper option than the adjacent Airport Hotels. See accommodation listings for Glasgow West here on Iknow Scotland.

• Guest House in South Glasgow
• Holiday Apartments in South Glasgow
• Accommodation in South Glasgow

Motherwell Attractions

Motherwell is just 12 miles to the southeast of Glasgow. The North Lanarkshire border stretches right up here, and the area's history in coal mining, iron and steel is seeing somewhat of a revival in some superb heritage centres including one at Motherwell, what promises to be the splendid Summerlee Industrial Heritage Centre at Coatbridge (due for reopening in Spring 2008) and one at Shotts further east.

It all sits well with Glasgow's many museums exploring shipbuilding history, as these industrial heritage history centres on the city's outskirts dig deeper into the industries that served shipbuilding. The raw materials of coal, iron and steel came from North Lanarkshire, and were integral to Glasgow's development as a shipbuilding centre.

• B&B in South Glasgow
• Hotels in South Glasgow
• Holiday Flats in South Glasgow

Hamilton, Blantyre, Biggar, Lanark & East Kilbride

South of Glasgow into the Clyde Valley you'll arrive at Blantyre, famous particularly as the birthplace of explorer and missionary David Livingstone. Explore Livingstone humble beginnings at the Livingstone Centre in Blantyre, with his birthplace mill tenement house on-site plus an exhibition containing many of his personal possessions including diaries, notebooks and clothing. Further south, Hamilton is home to Hamilton Park Horse Racing, a popular Scottish horse racing track.

Alongside Hamilton, the Strathclyde Country Park offers a diverse range of outdoor activities both on land and on the water. Pushing down into South Lanarkshire, ancient burgh and market town Lanark has numerous links with William Wallace and in June annually holds one of Scotland's oldest traditions, the Lanark Lanimers.

East Kilbride is Scotland's sixth largest city and home to Scotland's largest indoor shopping centre which includes and indoor ice rink, also now has an exciting arts centre. Just outside the city sits the superb Scottish Museum of Rural Life, set on the site of a 1950s farm. The history of farming and rural life from 1750 to the present is laid bare here.

Finally, the attractive market town of Biggar is a bustling centre bordering stunning Tweedale in the Borders, with easy access to mountain biking in on some of the 7 Stanes trails in the Borders Forests. Within Biggar itself there's a host of attractions including an old gas works, a puppet theatre and a choice of country pubs and divine restaurants. Biggar makes a superb central base for exploring both Lanarkshire and the Scottish Borders, and is only a short drive from both Edinburgh and Glasgow.

• Bed and Breakfasts in South Glasgow
• Guest House in South Glasgow
• Budget Accommodation South Glasgow

New Lanark Mills, UNESCO World Heritage Site, South Lanarkshire

New Lanark UNESCO World Heritage Site (just outside of Lanark) today blends the history of New Lanark Mills and Robert Owen biography with a plethora of services including hotels, conference facilities, wedding services, kids parties, wildlife centre, trails and walks along the Clyde taking in the sublime still Falls of Clyde, shopping with an Edinburgh Woollen Mill on-site, a large cafe/restaurant and a series of events including Victorian Fairs and Christmas Fairs running throughout the year.

New Lanark Mills does well for its accessibility to children. The visitor centre here has won awards, particularly for its Millennium Experience where you're transported on a ride through a slick audio-visual presentation of the history of New Lanark, the workers here and Robert Owen presented by visual images of children who live in the future. It's an idea that works, as does the Annie McLeod Story, a mill girl ghost who appears on stage.

New Lanark World Heritage Site, South Lanarkshire, Scotland ML11 9DB. Tel. 01555 661345. (weblink right for details).

• Luxury Hotels South Glasgow
• Bed and Breakfasts near South Glasgow
• South Glasgow Holiday Apartments