The Burrell Collection

The Burrell Collection is Glasgow's hidden-in-plain-sight masterpiece. Sir William Burrell, a Glasgow shipping magnate, spent his life buying art and gave more than eight thousand objects to his home city, which built them a home of glass and sandstone in Pollok Country Park on the south side. The building lets the woodland in through tall windows, and the collection ranges across five thousand years: ancient Egyptian and Greek pieces, one of the great collections of Chinese ceramics and bronzes, Islamic carpets, medieval stained glass, arms and armour, and rich medieval and Renaissance tapestries, along with French paintings by Degas and others and sculpture by Rodin. Whole medieval stone doorways are built into the walls. After a long closure the museum reopened on 29 March 2022 with a transformed interior and more than ninety digital displays that help tell the stories behind the objects, and in 2023 it was named Art Fund Museum of the Year. Entry is free, and Pollok House and the park's Highland cattle are next door.

How to visit: the Burrell opens from 10am to 5pm Monday to Thursday and on Saturday, and from 11am to 5pm on Friday and Sunday. Entry is free, with donations welcome; the cafe closes at 4.30pm. The quickest route from the centre is the train from Glasgow Central to Pollokshaws West, about ten minutes, then a walk of under five minutes to the park gate. Buses 57 and 57A stop opposite the Pollokshaws Road entrance. Inside the park, a free electric shuttle links the entrance, the museum and Pollok House during the day, which is handy in rain. Drivers come in off the M77 and pay a modest parking charge; car access across the middle of the park has changed, so follow the signs.

What to see: start with the tapestries and the stone doorways, then the Chinese galleries, then the paintings. The digital displays are well judged and help children connect with objects that might otherwise feel distant. The tall windows make the woods part of the experience, so the museum is lovely in autumn colour and on bright winter days.

Making a day of it: Pollok House, the Georgian mansion of the Maxwell family, cared for by the National Trust for Scotland, is a short shuttle ride away, and the parkland walks pass the fold of Highland cattle. Allow half a day for the museum and the park together, and return by train for an evening in the city or in Shawlands, the lively south-side neighbourhood nearby.