Essential transport information on getting to Glasgow
You have decided to visit Glasgow, here are the transport options available for getting to Glasgow.
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and has excellent transport links. It has three international airports within reach of the city and is only an hour away, by flight, from London.
AIR
GLASGOW AIRPORT
Image: Glasgow Airport
Glasgow Airport is around 8 miles from Glasgow city centre. Cities such as Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, Belfast, Dubai and much more are served from here.
TRAVELLING FROM GLASGOW AIRPORT TO GLASGOW CITY CENTRE
Find up-to-date travel information from Traveline Scotland
Buses run from the airport to Glasgow city centre 24 hours a day and operate every 10 mins. The journey takes around 25 minutes.
Glasgow Airport Taxis are located immediately outside the terminal building or can also be booked by calling +44 (0) 141 889 1813.
There is no railway link to Glasgow Airport. (yet!)
GLASGOW PRESTWICK AIRPORT
Image: Glasgow Prestwick Airport
Glasgow Prestwick Airport is 32 miles South-West of the city. It is the main base for Ryanair flights.
Glasgow Prestwick Airport Website
TRAVELLING FROM GLASGOW PRESTWICK AIRPORT TO GLASGOW CITY CENTRE.
Prestwick Airport has its own train station which can. be reached via a walkway from the main terminal. There are four trains per hour on weekdays and the journey to Glasgow Central Station takes around 50 minutes. Click here for train information.
There is an early morning and late evening express bus service, the X99/X100, which takes an hour. You can book tickets here.
EDINBURGH AIRPORT
Image Gareth Easton Photography
I know it sounds strange but getting to Glasgow from Edinburgh Airport is easy as Edinburgh Airport is only 39 miles from Glasgow and can be reached by bus, train, tram and taxi.
Scottish Citylink provides direct bus services from Edinburgh Airport to Glasgow’s Buchanan Bus Station every 30 minutes.
Or catch a bus or taxi to Edinburgh Haymarket and then catch a train to Glasgow Queen Street Station.
Lothian Buses provides public transportation to Edinburgh Airport with the Airlink100 express bus from Edinburgh city centre as well as local bus services.
By rail – Glasgow Queen Street Station provides the main rail link between Glasgow and Edinburgh, with 8 direct services per hour on weekdays.
There is a tram from Edinburgh Airport to Edinburgh City Centre where you can get a train from Haymarket Railway Station to Glasgow.
RAIL
Image: Network Rail
Glasgow has two mainline railway stations. Glasgow Central Station links Glasgow by rail to all UK cities south of Glasgow. Glasgow Queen Street Station operates routes mainly to Central and Northern Scotland.
Average travel time by train from across the UK:
| Station | Average Journey Time |
| London | 4 hours 10 mins |
| Birmingham | 4 hours |
| Manchester | 3 hours 30 mins |
| Liverpool | 3 hours 40 mins |
| York | 3 hours 30 mins |
| Edinburgh | 50 mins |
Glasgow Central Railway Station website
Glasgow Queen Street Railway Station website
ScotRail website – Scottish Railways.
ROAD
Glasgow is easy to reach by road, mainly due to the foresight of the city fathers many years ago in building motorways. The city is linked to Edinburgh with the M8, England with the M74, Stirling with the M80 and the West Coast of Scotland with the M77.
For travel information on roads visit Traffic Scotland
SEA
We can’t forget the sea. Glasgow can be reached by sea and rail/road/bus from Belfast and Larne to Cairnryan or Troon.
Stenaline run crossings between Cairnryan and Belfast.
P&O Ferries run crossings between Larne & Cairnryan, as well as between Troon-Larne.
To get to Glasgow from overseas, Ferries run from Rotterdam and Zeebrugge to Hull in the northeast of England, which is around 4 hour’s drive from the Scottish border, and from Amsterdam to Newcastle, around 2 hours 40 minutes drive from Glasgow.
From Rotterdam and Zeebrugge to Hull: P&O Ferries
From Amsterdam to Newcastle: DFDS Seaways
Click here for more essential Glasgow posts.
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Author: Glasgow Foodie
Writes for here and Foodie Explorers website. Usually found napping.