The Merchant City: A Self Guided Audio Tour of Glasgow
- 1–1.3 hour
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- Guided in English
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
Experience the magic of GPS on this self-guided walking tour through Glasgow. Three hundred years ago the wider Glasgow area was mostly countryside, with the Cathedral at its centre. The city began to change in the 1500s when Scotland became a Protestant country. Lucrative pilgrimages to Glasgow that had long been made by Roman Catholics ended, replaced by tobacco from America. You’ll hear how Glasgow went from surviving to thriving, transitioning from the tobacco trade to cotton and, later, heavy engineering to eventually become the burgeoning ‘Second City’ of the Empire. How did these merchants become wealthy beyond our imaginings? Slavery. We’ll explore Glasgow’s roles in slavery and its abolition while we walk the streets of the Merchant City district, discovering how the city developed from the 1600s until today. Everywhere you turn, from George Square to the Royal Exchange Square, you’ll encounter the wealth of Glasgow’s merchants written in stone.
Inclusions
What's included
- Get unlimited, lifetime use of this tour, before your booking date and after it
- The virtual playback option, so you can listen to this tour like an audiobook from anywhere
- Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata
- Flexibility to explore at your own pace with a self-guided GPS tour
- Directions to the starting point so that when you’re in the right place, the tour will start
Itinerary
Start your tour at George Square, the heart of Glasgow's civic life. Learn about its history and the mini Statue of Liberty, as well as the many notable statues that surround it.
Located on the east side of George Square, this grand municipal building showcases the wealth and ambition of Glasgow in the late 19th century. Discover its opulent interiors and fascinating history.
Visit the famous statue with its iconic traffic cone hat. Discover the story behind this quirky tradition and its significance to the city's culture.
Walk to the Royal Exchange Square, home to the Gallery of Modern Art. Hear about Glasgow's role in the tobacco trade and how it led to the city's wealth.
Stroll through the Merchant City district, where the wealth from the tobacco and sugar trades is evident in the grand architecture. Learn about the merchants who built these stunning buildings and their impact on the city.
Explore the historic Tron Church, an important site in Glasgow's religious and social history. Learn about its role during the Reformation and its influence on the city's development.
A beautiful 18th-century former church now used as a cultural venue. Discover its history and the role it played in the lives of Glasgow’s merchants and their families.
An elegant building that was originally a hospital and school for boys. Learn about its charitable origins and the impact of the Hutcheson brothers on Glasgow’s educational landscape.
One of Glasgow’s main shopping streets, filled with high-end shops and historic architecture. Hear about its transformation over the centuries and its role in the city’s commercial life.
End your tour at Blythswood Square, an elegant area that once housed the city's wealthy merchants. Discover the history of the square and its surrounding buildings, which reflect the grandeur of Glasgow's past.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
4.0
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- 41
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- 10
Ratings come from 1 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- The statue of Walter Scott is in the centre of George Square; the tour starts at the statue. George Square is in the centre of the city, beside Queen Street Station. It is easily reached on foot, by bus, or by train.
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Operated by
- VoiceMap Audio Tours
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
How it compares in Glasgow
- Its from-price is 96% below the median of the 395 experiences we list in Glasgow.
- It is shorter than most of them.
- By number of reviews it ranks 217 of 395.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About Glasgow
Glasgow is Scotland's largest city, a Victorian port on the Clyde with galleries, live music and red-sandstone terraces, and Loch Lomond close by.
Glasgow grew on the River Clyde through shipbuilding, tobacco and trade, and its Victorian wealth shows in the red sandstone of its terraces, museums and merchant halls. The medieval cathedral, which survived the Reformation intact, stands beside the Necropolis, a hill of Victorian tombs. The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, a red-stone palace, holds Salvador Dalí's Christ of St John of the Cross and a Spitfire hanging in its hall.
Top-ranked sights in Glasgow: Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park, Glasgow Cathedral, George Square.
Special offers in Glasgow
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
