Glasgow Airport to Glasgow City Centre: best routes

To get the most out of your holiday in Scotland, we recommend that you read this short guide to get to know all the ways from Glasgow Airport to the City Centre.

As usual, we’ll start by giving you an overview of all the services you’ll find at the airport and all the means of transport available to get around quickly and conveniently.

What is the most convenient way to get from Glasgow Airport to the City Centre?

Glasgow is a vibrant city that boasts a perfect blend of tradition and modernity. It’s also home to one of the UK’s leading universities, Banksy’s famous artworks and many historic buildings.

Once landed, you can reach the Old Town by:

Local bus.
Train.
Taxi.
Car rental.
On foot or by bicycle (yes, you read it right).

From Glasglow Airport to Glasglow City Centre by bus

Catching a bus to reach the City Center is a convenient and affordable solution. Right outside the main terminal building, you find Glasgow Airport Express service 500, the official public service that connects you to the City Centre (and back) in just 15 minutes.

Airport Express service runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except on Christmas Day. So, thanks to bus 500, you can get to the airport or Glasgow Central at any time of the day or night.

In the city, you can catch the Glasgow Airport Express service 500 from Buchanan Station (stance 46).

Useful information: Buchanan Station is Glasgow's main station and connects you to every district of the city and other cities in Scotland and the UK.

From the airport, take Glasgow Airport Express service 500 from stance 1.

Glasgow airport transfers: prices

You can purchase a ticket directly from the dedicated app.

An ordinary ticket (adult) costs £8.50 (one way).
A discounted ticket (children aged 5-15 years) costs £4.50 (one way).

If you don’t have a smartphone, you can buy your tickets onboard (using credit card or cash) or online, directly from your computer.

Glasgow airport transfers: advantages

The bus service operated by First Glasgow is one of the most comfortable and safe in the UK. Inside every bus you’ll find:

Comfortable, spacious and always clean seats.
Lots of space to store your luggage.
Free 4G WIFI.
Plugs for charging mobile phones (remember to bring your English adapter).
USB charging points.
Real-time information on flights departing and arriving.

How to get from Glasgow Airport to Glasgow City Centre by train

Unfortunately, Glasgow Airport doesn’t have a station within it, but you can get to Paisley Gilmour Street Station, which is about one and a half kilometres from the airport.

Don’t worry, you won’t have to walk with your luggage all the way there! You can take McGill’s 757 bus service (Stall 7).

If you don’t want to take the bus, you can also get to Paisley Gilmour Street station by taxi.

From Paisley Gilmour Street to the Centre it will take 45 minutes! Please consider the timing before deciding which option is best for you.

Tickets to Glasgow Airport can be purchased at any train station in Scotland or via ScotRail.

For more information on the service, please visit the official Scotrail website.

Reach Glasgow Centre by taxi

We’ll now show you an expensive but convenient solution: the taxi!

Taxis allow you to get to your desired destination without intermediate stops, and if you’re travelling with a group of friends, you can share the cost of the taxi and save money.

You have three options to book (even in advance) your taxi from Glasgow Airport to the City Centre:

Telephone: 0141 889 1813.
Booking your taxi online.
Sending an email.

All the cars have chip-and-pin terminals, so paying by credit cards is easy. There’s no surcharge to pay by card, either.

If you regularly travel to Glasgow, you can also save time by registering with a business account.

You can also get a 20% discount by booking in advance.

Do you know that you can get from Glasgow Airport to the City Centre on foot or by bike?

Although it may seem strange, in Glasgow several cycle paths connect you directly to the city airport. They stretch across the campus linking Abbotsinch Road to Paisley and Renfrew (in the east), and Bransford Road (in the west), which provides access to Erskine, Houston, and Bishopton.

Glasgow Airport has bike services and free cycle-parking facilities at the following locations:

Staff Car Park (behind the Holiday Inn Express)
Administration Building Car Park
Close to multi-storey car park 1

They don’t provide locks, so don’t forget to use your own. Alternatively, you can store items at left luggage, but fees do apply.

For further information, you can visit the Sustrans official website (Sustrans is a UK walking and cycling charity and custodian of the National Cycle Network).

As you can see, using your bike is definitely the cheapest way to get to the airport!

Car rental at Glasgow Airport

If you don’t have time to waste and want to rent a private car to go to a hotel, to the office or out of town in a more comfortable way, Glasgow Airport provides different services.

Below is a handy list that makes it easier for you to compare all the prices.

Glasgow Airport at a glance

With more than 7 million passengers per year, Glasgow Airport is the second largest airport in Scotland and the eighth largest in the United Kingdom.

It’s a modern airport, full of shops and restaurants, in which you can pre-order food or choose a dietary menu.

Inside the airport halls, you’ll find free WIFI and special assistance service.

There are sockets to load phones or computers and a cosy souvenir shop. Moreover, the airport provides ample parking.

The airlines that land and take off from the airport are British Airways, Jet2.com, EasyJet and Loganair.

We also thought of giving you a useful map to get your bearings.

If you want to store your bags in a safe place while visiting Glasgow, you can use Radical Storage. It’s located in every district of the city.

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Best routes to get from Glasgow Airport to Glasgow City Centre