Getting here

One of the first things you will need is a city map. Both Glasgow Central and Queen Street railway stations have maps available to buy from vending machines for around £1. Alternatively you can visit the Tourist Information Centre which is at 11 George Square.

Glasgow ’s Airports
Glasgow is served by two airports, Glasgow International Airport being just a few miles outside the city centre and is the main airport for transatlantic and world wide flights. There is a regular bus service into the city centre costing around £4, alternatively a taxi from the airport to the University will cost around £20 to £25.

Glasgow Prestwick International Airport is approximately 30 miles away from Glasgow city centre and is a smaller airport mainly used by low cost airlines offering domestic and European flights. Prestwick Airport is connected to a train station which is accessed via a covered walkway and journey time between the airport and Glasgow city centre is approximately 50 minutes. Passengers are entitled to a 50% discount on the train fare if they show their flight ticket / confirmation (the fare is approximately £5 with discount). The University of Strathclyde is around a ten minute walk from Glasgow Central railway station or a short taxi journey (the  fare is approximately £4).

Ireland
When planning your journey to the UK, it is best to avoid travelling via Ireland (this is particularly applicable to students from the USA as many flights are routed through Ireland ). Although the Republic of Ireland is not part of the UK , we do have a common travel area agreement which minimises immigration checks. When you arrive in Ireland , your passport will be endorsed in green by Irish immigration officials. However, when you pass through UK immigration on arrival in the UK your visa will NOT be endorsed, as you have entered the UK through the common travel area. If you do arrive in the UK through the Republic of Ireland you will have to take a short trip out of the UK within two months of arrival (such as to mainland Europe) in order to come back in to the UK and pass through UK immigration control and have your visa endorsed. (You will have to provide evidence of the dates and flights you arrived and left Ireland on.) This may prove to be expensive and may disrupt your studies so it is probably best to avoid travelling through the Republic of Ireland .

Insurance

You should arrange suitable travel insurance to cover your luggage when travelling, and you should arrange insurance for your possessions (particularly expensive items such as laptops or cameras) once you arrive in Glasgow .

What to Bring

The UK may be much colder/wetter/milder than your home country; therefore you will need suitable clothing, particularly good waterproof shoes and a warm winter coat. These may be cheaper to buy here, but if you have them, bring them with you. Check what is included in your accommodation, most things will either be provided or will be easy to purchase when you are here, but if you can’t live without your favourite pillow, bring it with you.

You will be able to buy books and supplies for your studies here; however you might want to bring your laptop with you. If you do, be sure to arrange insurance (either from home or when you get here). Bring some passport photographs with you – you may need a few when you get here for identification, attaching to forms, etc.

Don’t forget to bring some photographs of your friends and family and other mementos from home. However, do not try to bring any plants or foodstuffs into the UK .

Clothes/Climate
The British are well known for talking about the weather, and it’s for good reason – British weather is very unpredictable and Glasgow ’s weather is no exception. In Glasgow we joke that we can experience four seasons all in one day! On the whole, we do not experience extremes of weather: summers are warm, but not hot with temperatures around 15° - 20°C and winters are cold and frosty with temperatures around 0°C. Spring and autumn are generally quite mild. The West coast of Scotland can get a lot of rain, so a waterproof jacket and shoes are a must. Generally several light layers of clothes are better for staying warm than one thick sweater. Glasgow has a huge selection of shops, so suitable clothes can be found to meet any taste or budget.

Glasgow International Students’ Welcome Programme

Student volunteers from the Glasgow International Students’ Welcome Programme (www.giswp.org.uk) will meet students who arrive at either Glasgow International Airport or Glasgow Central Railway Station (i.e. students who arrive at Glasgow Prestwick International Airport ) between the hours of 08.00 hrs – 20.00hrs - every day from Thursday 3 September – Friday 25 September.

What should I do if I am going to arrive in Glasgow after 8pm?

On arrival at Glasgow International Airport

Make your way from the International or Domestic Arrivals halls into the main check-in area of the airport’s main terminal building then exit the building through any of the automatic doors.  Immediately in front of you is a bus departure lane and on your right there is an airport taxi rank. Look for the ‘Glasgow Flyer’ bus stance. The Buses are lime green and white and have the number 500 displayed front and back. They have Glasgow (Buchanan Street) displayed on the front window (above the driver’s seat). This service departs every 15 minutes until 23.00hrs and every hour from 23.00hrs – 05.00hrs and will take you directly to Buchanan Street Bus station in Glasgow City centre. It is only a 20 minute ride from the airport and it will cost you £4.20.

On arrival at Buchanan Bus Station
Walk the short distance to the taxi rank (it is located behind Stance 1 see map: http://www.spt.co.uk/wmslib/Images_Bus/bbs_plan.jpg and take a taxi to your accommodation. This will take only 10 – 15 minutes and should cost you £3 -£5. Ask the taxi driver for a receipt.    (In Glasgow you pay the driver before getting out of the taxi).   As you will have noticed the two journeys should cost less than £10 in total.  If you present your bus ticket and taxi receipt to the University’s Cash Office in the McCance Building , 16 Richmond Street, the next day when you are at Registry collecting your Registration papers (both offices are in the same open hallway) they will give you a cash refund.

On arrival at Glasgow Central railway station from Glasgow Prestwick International airport
Your train should arrive at platform 10 or 11.Walk through the main concourse of the station and out the main door on to Gordon Street. There is a taxi rank immediately opposite you. All you have to do is cross the street. It should take only 10 – 15 minutes to get to your accommodation from the station and the fare should be between £3 - £5. Ask the driver for a receipt and take this to the Cash Office (see above) and you will be given a cash refund.

Note:
The last train from Glasgow Prestwick International Airport to Glasgow Central station is at 23.08hrs.  After that there is a late night bus service X99 which departs from the side of the airport terminal building at 23.59hrs, 01.15hrs, 03.15hrs, 04.30hrs.  The fare to Glasgow Buchanan Bus Station is £9 and the journey time is 1 hour.