Glasgow - No 1 UK destination

September, 2006.

Condé Nast, in their prestigious travel magazine, The Traveller, has named Glasgow as the UK's top tourist city, ahead of London and Edinburgh. In a survey by their readers Glasgow came top in the poll for favourite UK City Destination.

According to the survey Glasgow's strengths are its people, hospitality and vibrant nightlife and of course there are many other attractions.

Condé Nast's A list readers were asked to score on factors including:

• value for money
• food
• nightlife and entertainment
• best range of accommodation
• finest culture
• cleanest streets
• people
• and hospitality

Glasgow has long been a popular destination for Shopping Week-Ends and City Breaks and praise has been heaped on the City in the travel guides:

Frommer's Travel Guide has identified Glasgow as one of the top ten 'must-see' destinations. The Editor of Frommer’s travel guides chose Glasgow as one of her top ten destinations for 2006 - the only one selected in Europe.

The City was also singled out by Lonely Planet, as the:

most Scottish of cities, with a unique blend of friendliness, urban chaos, black humour and energy. It boasts excellent art galleries and museums, as well as numerous good-value restaurants, countless pubs and bars and a rollicking arts scene.

Lonely Planet also highlights the appeal of Glasgow as "one of Britain's largest, liveliest and most interesting cities".lonelyplanet - Glasgow.

Additionally, Fodors, another respected Travel Guide, sings the praises of our City; pointing to its "friendliness" and amazing shops. It has also been dubbed 'Scotland's Capital of Cool' by the world's most widely read travel magazine National Geographic where Gary Krist praises the City's high-style, "innovative design, eclectic boutiques—and unpretentious attitude".

So don't just take my word for it. It is a great place to live (and obviously visit) it has some of the best restaurants, beautiful parks, brilliant architecture, great galleries, fantastic shops and a wide range of accommodation from top class, to comfy B & B's, to cheap hostels for the backbacker.

There is much to see and do throughout the year with interesting events and many festivals including
the fantastic West End Festival, The Mela, Asian Festival at Kelvingrove, Glasgow International Festival of Contemporary Visual Art, and this year for the first time The Charles Rennie Mackintosh Festival. The fabulous Winter Music Event Celtic Connections is a rare treat with many world renowned artists performing together with the cream of new talent.

Glasgow's City Centre has been completely reinvented with beautiful shopping malls such as the award winning Princes Square and bustling streets full of designer boutiques and high street stores. There is theatre, culture and eating out aplenty. However, make sure you also visit Glasgow's West End - the jewel in the crown with the magnificient Kelvingrove, University of Glasgow, Botanics Gardens with its Kibble Palace. You will love the leafy streets, great restaurants, interesting shops, beautiful architecture and bohemian atmosphere.

Useful Information for visitors to Glasgow

• Restaurant Reservation Service
• Accommodation in Glasgow
• Walks in and around Glasgow - Ian Mitchell.
• Eating and Drinking in Glagow - Roy Beers