Moving to Glasgow: An Honest Area Guide for Newcomers

Welcome. Whether you are moving up from London, over from Edinburgh, back from abroad or across from Ireland, you have picked a city that is easy to like and easy to get around. We have moved people into every corner of it, so this is our practical take on how the areas differ and which might suit you.

It is a big city, but it thinks of itself in a handful of parts, and most people settle on one of them within a few weeks of arriving.

How Glasgow fits together

The city centre sits on the north bank of the Clyde inside the M8. The West End is west and north-west of that. The Southside is everything across the river. The East End runs out along the Gallowgate and Duke Street. Around all of it is a ring of suburbs, several in different council areas, that function as part of Glasgow in every practical sense.

Transport shapes everything:

• The Subway is a single circular line linking the city centre, the West End and the inner Southside. If you live near a Subway station, the centre is 10 to 15 minutes away.
• Trains from Central and Queen Street reach the suburbs in 10 to 25 minutes. The Southside and East Renfrewshire are served from Central, Bearsden and Milngavie from Queen Street low level, Bishopbriggs from Queen Street high level.
• Buses are frequent on the main radial roads.
• The M8 cuts through the city and is busy at peak times. The M77 serves the south-west suburbs and Ayrshire, the M74 the south-east and the road to England.

The West End

Glasgow's best-known neighbourhood, built around the University, Byres Road and Kelvingrove Park. It is a place of red and blond sandstone tenements, delis, bars and the Botanic Gardens.

• Hillhead and Hyndland are the classic tenement heart. Hillhead is livelier and more student-heavy; Hyndland is quieter, with larger flats and good schools.
• Woodlands and Finnieston sit closer to the centre. Finnieston has become a restaurant destination and has a lot of newer flats along the river.
• Partick is the practical West End: a train and Subway interchange, big supermarkets, slightly better value.
• Jordanhill further out is leafier, with more houses and a well-regarded school.

Best for: students, young professionals, academics, anyone who wants to walk to a good coffee. Expect tenements, stairs and permit parking. Our West End removals page has the practical detail.

The Southside

Bigger, more varied and, many locals would argue, the best value in the city. The Southside has parks (Queen's Park, Pollok Country Park), a strong food scene around Victoria Road and Pollokshaws Road, and everything from tenements to large detached villas.

• Shawlands is the hub: tenements, bars, cafes, a train to Central in about 10 minutes.
• Mount Florida near Hampden is quieter and slightly cheaper, with a train station and easy access to the M74.
• Pollokshields has grand Victorian villas on the west side and dense tenements on the east, with a strong South Asian community and excellent food.
• Strathbungo, Battlefield and Langside are the small pockets in between, all popular with families and couples moving out of the West End for more space.

Best for: families who want a garden, people who want the West End vibe at a lower price, commuters who can use Central. See Southside removals.

The East End

The East End has changed a great deal and continues to. It is closer to the city centre than most people expect, and the value is hard to beat.

• Dennistoun is the standout: handsome tenements, a growing cafe strip on Duke Street, ten minutes from the Merchant City on foot.
• Further out, Parkhead, Shettleston and Tollcross offer houses and flats at lower prices, with the M74 and M8 nearby.

Best for: first-time buyers, people who work in the city centre and want to walk, anyone priced out of the West End. See East End removals.

The city centre and Merchant City

Living in the centre means converted warehouses and newer apartment blocks, nightlife on the doorstep and no commute.

• Merchant City has the character buildings, cobbled streets and the best restaurants.
• The rest of the city centre is a grid of offices with pockets of flats above, plus large developments along the river and around Charing Cross.

Best for: people without cars, shift workers, anyone who wants to be in the middle of things. Parking is difficult, the Low Emission Zone applies, and you will want a building with a lift.

The northern suburbs

Across the boundary into East Dunbartonshire are three of Glasgow's most sought-after commuter towns.

Area	Character	Journey to centre	Best for
Bearsden	Large houses, leafy, top-rated schools	15 to 20 min by train	Families
Milngavie	Small-town feel, start of the West Highland Way	25 min by train	Families, walkers
Bishopbriggs	Mix of older and newer housing, good value	10 min by train	Families, commuters

The southern suburbs

East Renfrewshire, to the south-west, is the other big draw for families, with consistently strong schools.

Area	Character	Journey to centre	Best for
Giffnock	Established suburb, bungalows and villas	15 min by train	Families
Clarkston	Quieter, more houses with gardens	20 min by train	Families
Newton Mearns	Newer estates, larger homes, M77 access	25 min by car or train	Families with cars

Further out, East Kilbride is Scotland's largest new town, in South Lanarkshire. Prices are lower, the housing is mostly post-war and modern, and the M74 and M77 are both close. It suits people who work in the south of the city or who want the most house for the money.

West to Paisley and Renfrew

Paisley is a town in its own right with a fine Victorian centre, a university campus and fast trains to Central. Renfrew sits by the Clyde near Braehead and the airport. Both are good value and well connected by the M8, with the usual caveat that the M8 at peak time is slow.

Property types you will meet

• Tenements. Three or four storeys, shared close, high ceilings, no lift. Most of the West End, Southside and East End. Beautiful, but read our tenement guide before you buy a sofa.
• Four-in-a-block. Two flats up, two down, each with its own door and a garden share. Common in Jordanhill, Knightswood, Bishopbriggs and the older suburbs.
• Terraced and semi-detached houses. The suburbs, mostly interwar and post-war.
• Detached villas. Bearsden, Pollokshields, Newton Mearns, parts of Hyndland.
• New-build apartments. City centre, Finnieston, along the Clyde, and increasing numbers on former industrial land.

A few things nobody tells you

• It rains, but less relentlessly than the reputation suggests, and the west coast light on a clear day is something else.
• The Fair Fortnight in July still empties parts of the city.
• Council tax bands and bills differ between Glasgow City, East Renfrewshire, East Dunbartonshire and South Lanarkshire, so check before you commit to a suburb.
• People will talk to you at bus stops. This is normal.

Need a hand?

Once you have chosen your patch, we can get you into it. We move people into every one of the areas above every month, and we know which closes are tight and which streets need a parking suspension. Request a quote with where you are coming from and where you are heading, or call Peter on 07481 469221 and we will happily talk through the practicalities of your new area.