Glasgow stay safe · Glasgow travel safety advice
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Glasgow travel safety advice
Glasgow travel safety advice
Glasgow is like any other big city: it has safe areas and less safe areas, and the basic common sense rules apply. The centre of Glasgow is very safe and you should not encounter any problems. All of the city centre and tourist areas are well policed. During the day, the City Centre also has many 'information officers' in red hats and jackets who should be able to assist you if needed. Despite what its local reputation may be, it should be noted that being a Western European city, Glasgow ranks among one of the safest cities in the world. Glasgow does indeed have some very dangerous areas - particularly in some northern and eastern suburbs - where drug related crime for instance is rife, but these are well away from the centre and it would be impossible to venture into them unless you were making a conscious effort to do so.
Crime in the city centre is usually limited to drunken and rowdy behaviour late in the evenings - hotspots include the southern end of Hope Street next to Central Station, and under the 'Heilanman's Umbrella'; and the western end of Sauchiehall Street which have large concentrations of bars and nightclubs. There is usually a heavy police presence anyway in these areas on Friday and Saturday nights to defuse any problems. The West End fares better, but be aware that the backstreets off Byres Road and around the University can quickly disorientate a stranger unfamiliar with the area in the hours of darkness.
Although you'll see it being worn everywhere by the locals, if you buy any piece of Celtic or Rangers-related clothing as a souvenir, be wary of wearing it in public as it can lead to confrontation - particularly in the evenings. Most bars and clubs in the centre of the city universally ban all football colours, regardless of team.
It should be noted that whereas prostitution/sexwork is legal in Scotland, 'soliciting' (i.e. prostitutes soliciting for business in the street), 'kerb crawling' (that is 'punters' driving or walking around obviously looking for sexworkers) are illegal, so avoid driving/walking around obvious red light district. The main troublespots in the city have historically been the Blythswood Hill and Anderston areas close to the M8 motorway - a busy office district by day, but usually deserted in the evenings and on weekends. 'Running a brothel' is also illegal, so 'massage parlours' and brothels can be and are 'busted' by the police. If you are in a brothel/'massage parlour' which is raided by the police you may be taken into custody and asked questions you don't want to answer. Avoid such places.
Strathclyde Police, the local police force, has a Stay Safe while Travelling guide .
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Glasgow
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Glasgow - updated May 2024
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Glasgow Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.