Things to do on a budget
Published: 16 December 2022
UofG 2nd Year Law Student Alisha shares some of her favourite places to visit and see for free in Glasgow.
Words by Alisha
As a university student, there are definitely going to be moments where you feel like you’re financially strained. Glasgow is an amazing city in the sense that there is a lot to explore and do for free with your friends for a good evening. I’ve listed out some of my favourites amongst suggestions from my last two years in this amazing city!
Museums
There are so many amazing museums all around Glasgow worth visiting and they’re all free! The Kelvingrove Museum is probably the biggest one closest to university and took me several trips to finally see all of! There’s the Huntarian museum at the University main building (right above the cloisters), the Zoology Museum in the Zoology Building (in Science Way, opposite to the Learning hub) and 3 other museums right on campus. The Riverside museum and the Standing Ship (museum) right opposite to it are also personal favourites.
Parks
Glasgow translates to Dear Green City in Gaelic, and is home to over 150 different green spaces from the Botanic Gardens to the Kelvingrove park. They’re close to university and are free to visit. You could always bring some safe squirrel nuts and feed them at the Kelvingrove park if you’re careful. There are bigger parks down in the South Side of Glasgow from Linn Park to Pollock with mini waterfalls, highland cows and beautiful sceneries. You could always make it a day out with your flatmates or friends and grab some outdoor toys such as Frisbees or bring painting material assuming the weather lets you.
Day Trips
The Scottish Young Scot Cards are god sent when it comes to travelling with free bus trips anywhere in Scotland. If you haven’t applied for one yet, do so as soon as you can since it’s also free to apply. Once you’ve got them, you could take day trips to Edinburgh for free and visit the Edinburgh Castle for a pound (through your Young Scots Cards). You could also take a trip to Stirling from Glasgow, and do a bit of sightseeing for free. It’s also possible go take buses from Buchanan Bus Station to St. Andrews and places further north, and enjoy a paddle in the water, on warmer days. On a similar note, camping is popular amongst students if you travel closer to Loch Lomond with its beautiful views and rich history.
Other
This includes places such as NQ64, a games bar with retro fluorescent designs and cool arcade themed games. While you could purchase tokens and play the majority of their games, they have a smaller section of games such as Super Mario Party which you could play for free. If you love cats, it’s also worth looking into special events at the Purrple cat cafe such as their Thursday Quizzes which are 5 pounds per person (unlike their 10 pound per person tickets for weekends or 7 pounds per person tickets for weekdays)! It also gets you more time with the little felines ;)
Glasgow is an incredible city, the largest in scotland with plenty of hidden gems, most of which are free or really affordable. I hope you enjoy visiting these suggestions if you give them a go ;)
First published: 16 December 2022
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