Botanic Gardens

Botanic Gardens showing a garden
Botanic Gardens featuring interior views and a garden
Botanic Gardens showing interior views and a garden
Botanic Gardens showing a garden
Botanic Gardens which includes a park and interior views


Tour the park and arboretum with century-old trees, have a picnic on the lawn, watch a concert, or admire the design of the impressive 19th-century glasshouses.

Discover tropical plants, stroll along the banks of the River Kelvin and picnic on the bright green lawns at the Glasgow Botanic Gardens. Glaswegian Thomas Hopkirk, a botanist, founded the gardens in 1817 with a core of 3,000 plants. The gardens moved to its current location in 1839 and opened in 1842 as a members-only garden. Today, this public park attracts almost half a million visitors per year.

Check the website of the park to see if you can join a free guided tour, or explore the park at your own pace. Start at the Kibble Palace, the glasshouse dominating the 42-acre (20-hectare) gardens. Inventor and engineer John Kibble designed the impressive structure in the 1860s for his private residence.

Enter the glasshouse to see the collection of Southern Hemisphere fern trees as well as sculptures and statues, including King Robert of Sicily by the famous Scottish sculptor George Henry Paulin. Find orchids, begonias and tropical plants in the Main Range houses, which are old Victorian buildings from the 1880s.

Pick up a map of the Heritage Trail inside the Kibble Palace and set aside two hours to complete it. Admire the 30 historical sites, including bridges and train stations. Check out the tall black oak and 200-year-old weeping ash tree in the arboretum. Enjoy a picnic on the lawns in front of the glasshouses or buy lunch in the garden’s café.

Come during the weekend to enjoy public events, such as crafts markets, theatre, book fairs or concerts. Check the official Glasgow Botanic Gardens website for the calendar of events and live performances.

The Glasgow Botanic Gardens in West End is open daily, but closes at dusk. Entrance is free and there are public toilets. The glasshouses, the Visitor Centre and the Tearoom open mid morning and usually close earlier than the park grounds.

The site is a 40-minute walk from the city centre. The Hillhead Underground Station is a five-minute walk away and you can also get there by bus or car from the city centre. Free and metered street parking is available nearby.

Reviews of Botanic Gardens

4.4
Top destination
5 - Excellent
93
" "5 - Excellent 59%
4 - Good
46
" "4 - Good 29%
3 - Okay
17
" "3 - Okay 11%
2 - Disappointing
1
" "2 - Disappointing 1%
1 - Terrible
1
" "1 - Terrible 1%

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller

Interesting history and great to go in if it's a cool day! Very good tea room with delicious scones! Lawns and seats to relax and watch the world go by, all free of charge to visit.

5/5 - Excellent

Mezzer

Lovely relaxing place to visit. Being a Crystal Palace fan I loved the fact that it was inspired by the old Crystal Palace.

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller

Interesting place to spend a couple of hours; tea room is excellent. Can easily walk from here to Glasgow Uni Hunterian and Kelvingrove.

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller

Within walking distance

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