Riverside Museum and the Tall Ship

The Riverside Museum is the most fun you can have for free in Glasgow, and it is just as good for adults as for children. The building itself is a landmark: a shimmering, zigzag-roofed shed designed by Zaha Hadid, opened in 2011 on the old shipyard ground where the River Kelvin flows into the Clyde, and named European Museum of the Year in 2013. Inside, one of the world's finest transport collections fills a single vast hall. There are Glasgow trams and buses, steam locomotives, a wall of vintage cars, bicycles, prams and motorbikes, and models of the ships that the Clyde built for the world. The favourite part is the street, a recreated cobbled Glasgow road lined with shops, houses and even an old subway station, which you can wander through and peer into. Outside on the river is the Tall Ship, the three-masted Glenlee, one of the last Clyde-built sailing ships still afloat, which you can explore from the deck to the hold.

How to visit: the museum opens at 10am from Monday to Thursday and on Saturday, and at 11am on Friday and Sunday, closing at 5pm. Entry is free and there is no need to book; just drop in. The easiest approach is by subway to Govan, then a five-minute walk across the Govan to Partick bridge, or from Partick station, a little further. The hop-on hop-off bus stops here, and cyclists can follow the riverside route. The car park has been reduced to around 100 spaces and fills quickly at weekends. Note that the small Govan ferry across the river is not currently running.

The Tall Ship: the Glenlee is run separately by its own trust, with its own tickets and hours. It usually opens from 10am to 5pm, from 11am on Tuesdays, with last admission 30 minutes before closing. In November 2026 it opens at 2pm on Tuesday 10 November, and hours can change for events, so check its website before you plan around it.

Making the most of it: start on the street before the crowds, then let children loose among the vehicles and the interactive displays. The cafe looks over the water, and the glass end wall frames the river and the shipyard cranes. Combine it with Kelvingrove, a fifteen-minute walk through the park, or with the Clydeside Distillery tour a short way upstream for a full West End and riverside day.