Cutting through the heart of Glasgow, this bustling pedestrianized street is lined with sleek shopping centers, restaurants and several cultural highlights.
Buchanan Street is a common part of any trip to Glasgow as it is bookended by two major stations. Spend time on this wide, car-free street during your trip to the cosmopolitan city. Walk along the length of “Style Mile” for an afternoon of shopping and sightseeing.
At the northern end of Buchanan Street is a set of iconic steps that lead up to the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. Lounge with the locals who like to gather on the stairs as a focal point in the city. Not far from this meeting point is the statue of Donald Dewar, the first leader of a devolved Scottish Parliament.
Spend an evening in the concert hall, which hosts orchestras, legendary musicians and experimental performances. The modern auditorium, shaped for the best listening experience, is the Glasgow home of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, who perform here frequently.
Head south from the hall to reach the Buchanan Galleries, an expansive mall. This street is the main shopping destination in the city, with fashion boutiques and several stylish retail centers. Spend hours browsing the latest trends in Princes Square Shopping Centre, which is built around an elegant, glass-roofed atrium. The jewelry shops in Argyll Arcade are equally enticing.
Take a small detour off Buchanan Street in either direction to admire art in beautiful surroundings. Turn to the west to the Lighthouse, a center for design and architecture created by famous architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh. A few yards east of the street is the neoclassical Gallery of Modern Art, which combines permanent exhibits with touring exhibitions to display the best in contemporary painting, sculpture and multimedia.
After filling your shopping bags, relax in one of the cafés and restaurants facing onto the street. Choose from Indian restaurants, pizzerias, American food joints or more informal coffee shops.
Walk from Buchanan Street to Glasgow's two major train stations. Trains from Queen Street head north and east into the rest of Scotland, while Glasgow Central links the city to the west coast as well as regular routes into England.