A bike can be parked with much more ease than a bus or car and that makes a bike tour one of the best options to explore the city up close. Most good bike tour providers will provide safety helmets and follow designated cycling routes. Biking along the Clyde waterfront and the Canal is one of the best outdoor activities you could do in Glasgow… every step is full of beautiful vistas. The only word of caution here is the weather… the Glasgow weather is very unpredictable which makes carrying a light waterproof cover mandatory.
You can find several great biking tours and book them online from this Viator site.
Below are the best guided bike tours & operators in Glasgow followed by some great options for self-guided bike tours:
Glasgow Bike Tours
This is the city’s first exclusively bike tour company and was founded in April 2016 by a Glaswegian and avid biker called Keith. Keith used his vast experience of Glasgow’s towpaths, cycle routes, waterways and cycling-friendly spots to draw up a different map of Glasgow… the cycling-friendly version. The company employs a team of great guides who are conversant with all traffic rules and know every inch of the city and most of them are friendly, super informative and fun to be with. There is a guide with each group…. generally retired policemen or some other retired professional who knows all the city by lanes and different terrains besides its cultural history.
The bikes used are cruisers donated by the Royal Post… these are re-painted and repurposed. These are also called Elephant bikes… the guide will fill you up on their history. Guests can leave extra luggage at Drygate at their own risk though handbags and rucksacks can easily be carried on the tours.
All Glasgow bike tours kick off from near Drygate Glasgow and guests can either wait inside the microbrewery or inside the dining area. The bike tour guide meets the group here. The nearest subway station from Drygate is the Buchanan street station and from there you need to take a short walk towards George square. The nearest train station is Queen Street station and you can get off at George square. If you are taking a city sightseeing bus tour then you can get off at the stop near Drygate Brewing Co.
Glasgow City 3-Hour Bike Tour
This 3-hour exhaustive bike tour is done in small groups of less than 14. The tour can be taken by anyone of moderate fitness level. The tour starts off by bike from Drygate and then takes the bike route near Clyde waterfront (this has some of Glasgow’s best architecture). The group bikes through Kelvingrove Park and Gallery and then past the University of Glasgow before exploring the West End.
The group moves along the canal to Glasgow Cathedral and Necropolis and then back to Drygate where their guests are treated with craft beer and tasty snacks. Bikers need to bring their own water bottles and be prepared to bike through more than 17 km of varying terrain (roads, paved walkways, slightly undulating grounds etc.).
Stops & Attractions
Some of the spots halted at on this incredibly up close bike tour are:
- Drygate Brewing Co is explored and it’s worth knowing that this is Glasgow’s best microbrewery. Next door is Tennents i.e. Scotland’s favourite and largest beer producer….read all about Tennents brewery tours here. The brewery is passed by twice (at the beginning and end of the tour) and at the end guests get amazing beer and snacks too.
- Glasgow Cathedral and Provands Lordship… both constructs dating back to 1471. You can read about Glasgow’s top attractions in detail here. Right next to these two is the Royal infirmary with a shining history of its own.
- The Kelvingrove Art Gallery is what most bikers look forward to on their bike circuit of Glasgow. Handsomely perched on the banks of the Kelvin river this is a must-visit attraction for anyone who sets foot in Glasgow. Read in detail about the Kelvingrove Art Gallery on our exhaustively researched page.
- Barrow lands or the Barras is a famous concert venue in Glasgow and it has hosted many international performers like Oasis, Smiths, Simple Minds, and Clash. Barrowlands is right next to the Arras market and is a prominent stop on the cycle tour.
- The Clyde auditorium is a brilliantly designed building that also goes by the name Armadillo. This is also a stop on the route.
- The Glasgow Necropolis… the prettiest home ground of the dead has been exhaustively discussed on our Necropolis page. The necropolis containing some 50,000 graves is an important stop on the tour.
- Glasgow University is considered to be one of the best and oldest universities in the UK and the group halt their bikes to take a look at its amazing architecture and learn about its history. However, it’s absolutely recommended to take a separate tour of Glasgow University and the esteemed Hunterian Collection.
- The next stop is Mackintosh Church that’s in Maryhill Queens Cross. Designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh this is a great example of the artist’s style.
- The People’s Palace and Winter Gardens are also a stop on the Glasgow bike tour… you can read in detail about this attraction here.
- The last stop on the 3-hour tour is the Finnieston Crane that’s another jewel on the Glasgow skyline…a superb example of the advanced engineering standards of the city.
The 3-hour tour that’s available at 10.30 a.m. and 2.30 p.m. There may be an evening tour in the months between May to September.
You can check the rate and book the tour online through this Viator page.
Full BHUNA All Day Tour
Besides all the tour stops included in the 3-hour bike tour, there are additional stops & offerings as follows.
- The Full BHUNA tour also includes beer and snacks at the microbrewery. There is also the option of lunching (at own expense) at one of Glasgow’s best restaurants and a post-tour whiskey and ‘blether’ session at a traditional pub. Obviously, the full BHUNA tour is more extensive than the 3-hour tour…stops are lengthier and much of Glasgow’s iconic ‘Patter’ is explained giving guests good exposure to the city’s culture.
- The Botanic Gardens and Kibble Palace that’s a leading attraction of Glasgow.
- The Forth & Clyde Canal and Maryhill Locks are other added stops on this tour. The Forth and Clyde Canal dates back to 1790 and are good examples of Georgian engineering and the lovely Maryhill locks make up a quaint cycling route that leads away from the traffic.
- The beautiful murals of Glasgow are admired and stopped at and there are plenty of photo opportunities at stops like St. Mungo.
Full BHUNA tours are extensive and last from 10.30 a.m. to 4 p.m. They are only scheduled after prior requests. The full BHUNA tour price per person is 65 pounds per adult and 40 pounds per child (age 1o years minimum to 16 years max).
You can book the Full BHUNA tour through this website.
Glasgow City bike Tour & Tennents Microbrewery Tour
Glasgow Bike tours also offers a Glasgow City bike Tour plus a Tennent’s Microbrewery Tour that includes the 3-hour city sightseeing plus a demonstration of the brewery working stages and a tasting session. This is a collaborative venture between Tennent’s and the Glasgow Bike Tours company
The bike tour starts off at 2.30 p.m. and lasts for 3 hours after which the Tennent’s tour is offered at 6 pm (summers). In other seasons the microbrewery tour is offered at 1 pm.
The Tennent’s Brewery tour plus bike tour costs 47.5 pounds per adult and 34.5 pounds per child (12 to 16 years). Obviously, kids are not allowed to taste alcoholic beverages and are offered Irnbru instead on the brewery tour.
You can book this tour online through this website.
Glasgow City Tour and Beer Tasting
The Glasgow city tour plus beer tasting offers the 3-hour city tour by bike and then an extensive beer tasting session at Glasgow’s favourite microbrewery; Drygate. The beer tasting session is tutored and there is an expert who guides guests about different flavours of beer and their properties. Route and stops taken are the same as in the standard city bike tour.
This is a 4.5 hour by request tour that is scheduled at 2.30 p.m. in the summers and 1 p.m. in the winter. The tour price for an adult is 45 pounds.
You can book this tour online through this website.
Glasgow City Tour with Whiskey tasting
This tour combines the standard Glasgow city bike tour with a whiskey tasting session. Guests are taken to one of Glasgow’s best bars and there is a guided whiskey tasting session where different whiskies are offered and their characteristics explained.
If you have a deep interest in knowing about whiskey and want to see the inner workings of the production process then a distillery tour is most recommended. Read about the best Glasgow distillery tours here.
This is again a 4.5-hour tour that’s divided into a 3-hour city tour and a 1.5-hour bar session. The tour starts off (only by prior booking) at 2.30 p.m. in the summer and 1 p.m. in the winter. The tour costs 55 pounds per adult.
You can book this tour online through this website.
Contact Details
28 Vinicombe Street, Glasgow, G12 8BE
Email: [email protected]; Phone: +44 7786 683445
Glasgow Cycle Tours
Glasgow Cycle Tours is not as well-known as Glasgow Bike Tours but they offer an economical (albeit a bit less extensive) city tour at a much cheaper price. The route is approximately 12 km long and has cycling routes of varying levels of difficulty. There will be smooth roads, undulating hills, canal sides and slightly rough grounds. At the beginning of each tour, there is a health and safety discussion conducted by the tour guides. They offer only one standard city tour and it’s the most recommended way to tour Glasgow by bike if you are on a tight budget and yet want a guided tour. The tour guide keeps briefing the group about different attractions and the history of the city at halts.
The tour group meets up at the Cenotaph Lion statue at George Square at 10.15 a.m. / 2.15 p.m. Alternatively the group can also meet at Babbity Browser Pub on Blackfriars street at 10.30 a.m. / 2.30 p.m. The tour covers a maximum of 10 stops that include well-known attractions like Tennent’s Brewery, Glasgow Cathedral, Glasgow Greens, Kelvingrove art gallery, Clyde auditorium etc. There is a snack stop in the middle of the tour and the price of the snack is included in the tour.
The morning tour is conducted from 10.15 a.m. to 1.15 p.m. while the afternoon tour is conducted from 2.15 p.m. to 5.15 p.m. The tours cost 25 pounds per person
You can book the tour from the operator’s website.
Contact Details
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +447913229192
Free Wheel North
Free Wheel North works with Glasgow Community Cycling Network (an association of bodies collaborating to popularise cycling and offering various biking activities). They have two centres; Glasgow Greens and Maryhill and 4 rides per week are offered for cyclists (both beginner and advanced level). The best thing about this association is that they offer cycling opportunities to the differently-abled too. There is even a range of adapted bikes for people who are unable to ride on two wheels.
Freewheel North has a full-fledged Cycling Centre at Glasgow Green where a range of cycles right from adapted bikes to trikes to normal bicycles to tandems are supplied and there is a team of tutors and volunteers who teach visitors on using these according to latter’s physical abilities. The Glasgow Green centre also has two tracks; one smooth and the other rough. There is also a bike repair workshop and public toilets nearby. The icing on the cake is the huge playground nearby that will keep kids busy for hours.
The Maryland Centre is actually the erstwhile Maryhill Road White House Inn that dates back to the 18th century. This is the oldest standing building in Maryhill and was only recently developed into a community hub and walking/ cycling centre by Free Wheel North.
The Free Wheel North offers biking events and bike hires at very nominal rates (some rides are only one pound per shot) and the guides are very helpful, fun and cooperative. This isn’t strictly a touristy venture and is geared more towards kindling the community spirit in Glasgow so you will see a lot of locals and get plenty of exposure to the cultural scene of Glasgow. However, you won’t get an attraction by attraction round of the city… their rides mostly go off to some green space like the Pollok Country House Park and then come back after nature watching and a cup of coffee/ tea.
View this events calendar and then check out the event dates before selecting the one you want to participate in.
Glasgow Green centre is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. On Saturdays, the centre remains closed. On all open days, there is some or the other scheduled ride organised by the centre. The Maryland Centre is open on Monday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays. On Thursdays, the centre is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. while it remains closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Contact Details
Email: [email protected]
Glasgow Green Centre address:
Cycle Centre, Templeton Street, Glasgow G40 1AT
Phone: 0789 109 7936
Maryhill Centre Address:
The White House, 1641 Maryhill Road, Glasgow G20 0DZ
Phone: 0141 551 8869
Self-Guided Bike Tours
If you are an avid cyclist then you are in the right city; Glasgow is as cyclist-friendly as Amsterdam and almost as well facilitated. As a nice alternative to guided biking tours; you can opt for self-guided bike tours with a rented bike from any bike rental provider in Glasgow. There are so many beautiful Loches, castles and scenic spots beside quaint hamlets and towns around Glasgow that there will be no dearth of places to explore.
If you want to travel east then biking from Glasgow to Uddingston is a good option… this is a well-signposted route and fairly easy. You can bike from Glasgow Green Park through Rutherglen and Cambuslang after following the north bank of River Clyde. After this, there are some on-road sections to Uddingston… a total distance of about 19 km.
If you want to take on a longer route then biking from Glasgow to Loch Lomond is also a brilliant option. This is a good day trip attraction but cycling opens up better vistas and more exposure. From the city centre, you will take the Clyde cycle path and go past the SECC exhibition centre and Riverside Museum towards Clydebank where it meets the canal. En route, you will cross places like Dumbarton and then you can go and visit the pretty lakeside town of Balloch (south bank of Loch Lomond). This is a longish route though….a total distance of 47.2 km.
Travelling from Glasgow to Eaglesham is another good biking trip idea especially if you are reasonably fit and can manage some climbing. You can bike south from the Glasgow city centre and follow Aikenhead Road and Carmunnock Road before climbing to Carmunnock village. Next, you proceed to Thorntonhall and then Eaglesham, you will find plenty of cafes on the way and there is a nicely segregated 2-way cycle path linking Newton Mearns (Glasgow outskirts) to the south of Fenwick. This route is roughly 16.2 km but it’s harder than the previous routes owing to the amount of climbing involved.
If you aren’t feeling too adventurous and just want to bike around the city then take advantage of the designated Clyde Walkway Cycle Route. This route follows 10.5 miles of the Clyde Walkway right from Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (in the west) to Cambuslang (in the east)… this is a part of National Cycling Route 75.
In the western direction, you will find the city’s best attractions like SECC, Clyde Auditorium, Finnieston crane, Hydro etc. In the eastern direction, this route covers People’s Palace, Templeton Business centre and Glasgow Green and then to Polmadie footbridge that leads to Richmond Park on the other bank of Clyde. The Clyde walkway cycle route is meant only for walkers and cyclists and is just one example of the many facilities that Glasgow City Council has provided for the facilitation of cyclists.
You can refer to the Glasgow City Council Website for more help….it has a lot of route maps, safety information, cycling guides etc.
There are charitable institutions like Bikeforgood that loan out and sell bikes at very reasonable prices. BikeforGood operates out of Glasgow West End as well as 539 Langside Lane. You can contact them at [email protected].
Then there are professional enterprises like nextbike who operate all across the globe and provide e-bikes (electric-powered bikes) as well as standard bikes for rental. Glasgow is a part of the nextbike UK network which in turn belongs to nextbike GmbH… the world’s biggest bike-sharing service provider. With nextbike you have the assurance that you are a part of a large chain… they provide bikes for rent in 200 cities across 26 countries on 4 continents.
You need to register on the nextbike network via app or website and then scan the QR code on the bike that you have selected in Glasgow… the e-lock is released and the rental process begins. The bike can be parked using the option ‘Park’ on the nextbike app. All you have to do is to press the button. There are lots of official e-bike stations all over Glasgow and the e-bike needs to be returned after use at any e-bike station and then locked by pressing down the lever on the frame lock.
For standard bikes, the lock has to be slid through the front fork till it clicks and locks and then the ‘TP’ button has to be pressed on the bike computer after which the bike can be parked. For continuing the rental, a pin code has to be entered on the bike computer and then the bike is unlocked.
For e-bikes the rental rate is 2 pounds per 20 minutes while for standard bikes the rental rate is 1 pound per 30 minutes. A standard bike can be rented for the entire day for 10 pounds (24 hours). Nextbike also offers attractive rental schemes for monthly and annual bike rental.
Remember, that there is a steep fine for vandalizing bikes; 200 pounds for a standard bike and 500 pounds for an e-bike. You can get more details about nextbike services on their website here.
A travel addict. Still celebrating the day when he quit his high-profile corporate job to pursue his passion for travel writing.