Somewhere for the Weekend: Glasgow

Explore Scotland's trendiest city to the rhythm of the very best of Celtic music, says Rhiannon Batten

WHY GO NOW?

To join the other 93,999 revellers expected in Glasgow to celebrate the annual Celtic Connections festival. Arguably the world's foremost festival of Scottish music (and all its global variations), it's now in its 10th year, taking place at 10 venues throughout the city from today until 2 February. Regular performers include "Perfect" Eddi Reader, the percussionist Evelyn Glennie, and the legendary Emmylou Harris. This year, it's Sinéad O'Connor, Mary Coughlan and Billy Bragg who kick off proceedings, but the new favourites, Salsa Celtica, and a host of upcoming bands will also be appearing, as will performers from Canada, the States, France, Spain and Scandinavia. To book tickets, contact the box office at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (2 Sauciehall Street, 0141-353 8000) or, for more information: www.celticconnections.co.uk

DOWN PAYMENT

Glasgow is served pretty well by train, with services from Bristol taking just over six hours from £51.50 return this weekend; Birmingham four and a half hours (from £60) and London Euston five and a half hours (from £72.50). For other fares and timings, call National Rail Enquiries on 08457 484950 (www.thetrainline.com). Alternatively, National Express (08705 808080; www.gobycoach.com) runs bus services from across the UK, including Manchester (from £26.50 return); Leeds (from £30.50); and London (from £31). Then there are flights: easyJet (0870 6 000 000; www.easyjet.com), £65 return from Stansted; bmi (0870 60 70 555; www.flybmi.com); British European (08705 676676; www.flybe.com) and BA (0845 77 333 77; www.ba.com) all fly to Glasgow airport from various UK destinations and Ryanair flies to Glasgow Prestwick airport from Stansted and Bournemouth (0871 246 0000, www.ryanair.com).

INSTANT BRIEFING

With a neglected riverside, roads that come to a stop in mid-air, and a generally pedestrian-unfriendly ethos, Glasgow isn't the easiest city to get to grips with. For both its wealth of architecture and its good-time philosophy on city living, though, it's worth persevering. Less stuffy and a lot more stylish than Edinburgh, it makes a different and very lively weekend-break destination. And beyond the city centre (a network of shops, bars and restaurants easily navigable on foot), the underground – or "Clockwork Orange", as it's dubbed for its garish carriages – is relatively little hassle. The single fare is 90p, return £1.80, and a "discovery" day pass £1.70 ) (only after 9.30am). For more information, try the Glasgow Tourist Information Centre at 11 George Square (0141-204 4400; www.seeglasgow.com). It's currently open from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday, but be warned that the information it gives isn't always reliable.

REST ASSURED

One Devonshire Gardens is hard to beat if you're looking for luxury in tartan packaging. Traditional but very swish rooms start at £185 per double (1 Devonshire Gardens; 0141-339 2001; www.onedevonshiregardens.com). For a more modern take on Scottish hospitality, Langs is the place to go (2 Port Dundas Place; 0141-333 1500; www.langshotels.co.uk). Double rooms start at £100 and the hotel boasts a spa too. The conventional mid-range choice is the Quality Central Hotel (99 Gordon Street; 0141-221 9680). Its standard double rooms are £105 but, if you book through Choice Hotels (0800 444 444; www.choicehotels.com) before April, there's a special rate of £78 including dinner, bed and breakfast. The downside is that rest is not exactly assured during Celtic Connections, when the hotel plays host to one of the festival's most infamous events, the Festival Club (you pay for a ticket but don't know who you'll get until the night). A better budget choice over the next few weekends would probably be Glasgow Youth Hostel (7-8 Park Terrace; 0141-332 3004; www.syha.org.uk) where beds in en-suite rooms cost £10.50 per night.

MUST SEE

Although it is Scotland's biggest city, Glasgow is not a place of must-sees but rather somewhere to ramble through history, make the most of the nightlife, and take in an impressive mix of ancient and ultramodern architecture. The two main cultural attractions are the Burrell Collection, an immense collection of art donated to the city in 1944 but only properly displayed in the 1980s (Pollok Country Park, 2060 Pollokshaws Road, 0141-287 2550); and the legacy of local boy made good, Charles Rennie Mackintosh. The former is open 10am-5pm on Saturdays, and 11am-5pm on Sundays (entrance free), and, to get there, you can either take a train from Central station to Pollokshaws West, or hop on the No 57, 48, 47 or 45 bus from Renfield Street. The latter is best represented at the stunning Glasgow School of Art (167 Renfrew Street, 0141-353 4500; pre-booked guided tours, £5, on Saturday mornings at 10.30am and 11.30am); and at the House for an Art Lover (10 Dumbreck Road, 0141-353 4791; usually open 10am-4pm at weekends, but this varies so check first; entrance £3.50).

However, in a city that pays such obvious homage to the architect that there's even a word – "Mockintosh" – for Charles Rennie's many imitators, you won't go far without glimpsing the thin sweeping lines and organic emblems typical of his style.

MUST BUY

Sauciehall Street and Argyle Street have long been Glasgow's shopping stalwarts, offering all the main high-street names, and a bit more. These days, though, they've been eclipsed by the revamped Buchanan Street, with its mix of high-street and designer shops and the proximity of places to stop for a coffee – or a pint – if you need a rest.

MUST EAT

The Gordon Ramsay-run Amaryllis is probably the city's best – and most infamous – restaurant (1 Devonshire Gardens; 0141-337 3434). If you can't afford the prices here, you could always opt for Perthshire woodpigeon wrapped in bacon with wild mushroom sauce (dinner £30.95 for two courses) at The Ubiquitous Chip (12 Ashton Lane; 0141-334 5007; www.ubiquitouschip.co.uk); or baked saddle of halibut with a tapenade crust and truffle essence (£17.95) in the original Art Deco surroundings of Rogano (11 Exchange Place; 0141-248 4055). As stylish, but cosy with it, is Gordon Yuill and Company (257 West Campbell Street; 0141-572 4052), which opens from 8am for Loch Fyne kippers with poached eggs and toast (£6.50) – or, wait until dinner and feast on battered cod with minted pea purée and chips (£10.95). Or take a leaf from Eddi Reader's book and opt for a haggis (£2.60) or fish (£2.95) supper at the Blue Lagoon chip shop (109 West Nile Street; 0141-332 7071).

INTO THE NIGHT

While the festival is on, take your pick, whether it's the Aberdeen band, Old Blind Dogs, at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (2 Sauchiehall Street; www.grch.com), or Salsa Celtica at the legendary Barrowlands (Barrowland Ballroom, 244 Gallowgate; 0141-552 4601). You could also try the cosy Scotia bar, a folk-music haven (112 Stockwell Street; 0141-552 8681); or King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, where Oasis were discovered – recently voted the UK's best live-music venue by Radio 1 listeners and bands who've played there (272a St Vincent Street; 0141-221 5279). If the thought of one more twang of the fiddle is too much, head for the CCA (Centre for Contemporary Arts) Bar at 350 Sauciehall Street (0141-322 7521).