Glasgow should be included on any Scotland travel itinerary. Edgier than Edinburgh, it offers world-class museums, iconic food and incredible nightlife.
Arriving in Glasgow
I took a Citylink bus from my previous destination, Oban. The journey took just over 3 hours and costs £14.60. The bus dropped me at Buchanan Station which was an approximately 15 minute walk to my hotel.
Welcome to Glasgow
Where To Stay In Glasgow
Surprisingly, there are hardly any hostels in the city centre of Glasgow. In fact, there were only 2 places offering dorm rooms. Other hostels were quite far outside the centre. This is in complete contrast to Edinburgh where there are many city centre hostels. A first sign, perhaps, that Glasgow is not as touristy as its eastern neighbour.
These are some of the best budget hostels in Glasgow, according to user reviews. These are affiliate links to the Agoda web site. I receive a small amount for any bookings made through these links at no extra cost to you.
- Glasgow Metro
- Glasgow Youth Hostel
- Alba Hostel Glasgow
- Tartan Lodge
- Safestay Glasgow
- Euro Hostel Glasgow
Safestay Glasgow
I had booked a 4 night stay at Safestay Glasgow. I had a mixed experience at this hotel.
First, the positives:
It’s on the west side of Glasgow, about 10 minutes walk to the city centre. There are plenty of bars and restaurants and takeaways in the area. The WiFi was excellent. The beds were comfy and the bedding was changed every day, unusual for a dorm. Each bed has privacy curtains and two plugs and 3 usb charging points per bed. The staff were very friendly and helpful but unfortunately, they had to be!
And now for the negatives:
At the time of my visit, the place seemed to be going under some sort of takeover and was undergoing renovation. It had also recently become cashless. This caused a lot of problems. First of all, on arrival I asked if there were towels available, only to be told dorms didn’t have towels provided. I asked if I could rent one and they said they had to check with management. About an hour passed and I was then told by a girl in my room she had been given a towel for free. I was wanting to go out so I returned to reception who told me they were still waiting to hear from management. Why they couldn’t have just given me a towel, I don’t know.
About 20 minutes later, the reception came and said they would give me a towel for a deposit of £5. I went to reception to sort this out to be then told as they were cashless they didn’t want the deposit. I then got given 2 huge towels. One of them was taken away by the cleaners the next day and not replaced meaning I had to tell reception to tell the cleaners not to take my remaining towel as they were now charging £2.
The key system was a joke. I was given a card which didn’t work a single time during my stay. This meant I had to return downstairs to the reception area EVERY TIME!
There were no facilities that you might expect in a dorm such as common area, laundry options, kitchen. It’s basically a single dorm room in a hotel. 10 beds and one bathroom. The cleaners left a single use bottle of shower gel each day. For 10 people!
As I already mentioned, the place was going under some kind of transition so there were a LOT of teething problems. But apart from that, my stay was a comfortable one, despite the inconveniences. It’s the cheapest place in Glasgow so I suppose you have to take that into consideration.
Safestay Glasgow
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I paid £48.60 for a 4 night stay in a 10 bed dorm with shared bathroom.
Click here to stay at Safestay.
