Glasgow's Nightlife

Scottish people are world renowned for enjoying a good night out with a few (or a few too many!) drinks so with this in mind I decided a little post on some of Glasgow's best bars and clubs would be perfect. As a 21 year old student who's lived just outside of the city for all my life I think I'm more than qualified to write about Glasgow's buzzing nightlife.

The West End

This is the area of the city which houses Glasgow University and because of the number of students around it has so many great bars and clubs. The West End is where you will find more independent places to indulge rather than the chain bars and clubs which can be found in the city centre.

A rather blurry but bustling Ashton Lane at hogmanay
(Thanks to my friend Rich for this pic) 

Ashton Lane is a cobbled sidestreet in the west end with a canopy of fairy lights illuminating the bars, pubs and restaurants which are situated on either side of the street. One bar which I love there is Nude, which can be found on the top floor at the end of the street. It's a really nice bar which specialises in cocktails and if you do decide to go there make sure you ask for a Raspberry Cheescake shot, I don't know what's in it but it tastes amazing!

Lovely cocktails in Nude

Directly underneath Nude is quirky Radio. The walls are decorated with band and artist posters from all eras and with couches and all sorts of nick nack's dotted around the place it has a great, lived-in vibe. With free wi-fi and reasonably priced drinks what's not to love?

Milkshakes in Ketchup
(thanks to my lovely friend Kirsten for this pic)

The City Centre

If you're looking for a big night out in Glasgow then the city centre is definitely the place to be. There are so many bars, pubs and clubs here that sometimes it's just too hard to choose. November is a great place to have a nice meal or just a few drinks to start off the night. It is situated on the top floor of Princess Square, a very small indoor shopping centre with high-end shops and a few lovely restaurants. November does some great cocktails, both traditional and a little different and is normally pretty busy no matter what night of the week it is.

Another perfect place to begin your night is Hummingbird, a deceptively large venue with 4 different floors, numerous bars, a dancefloor and lots of little booths and pods to relax in. This is an ultra-modern venue with lovely decor and pretty mood lighting. They also do food and the cocktails are absolutely delicious- I think I've sampled most of the cocktail list at one time or another!

Another of my favourite bars in Glasgow is Blue Dog, a charming little cocktail (are you starting to see a theme here?!) and piano bar that in my opinion is the best spot for a relaxing drink and a catch up with friends.

Yummy cocktail in Blue Dog

If you find yourself looking for a club to go to after sampling some of Glasgow's bars then there are so many to choose from. Kushion in the city centre is a great club with lots of comfy seats, booths and even a swing that hangs from the roof- perfect for a photo opportunity, just don't fall off! There are three different rooms in the club and some great music, plus there's never long to wait to be served at the bar, bonus!

My best friend Gill and I getting friendly with the wall decorations in Kushion

Just round the corner from Kushion is another great club, ABC. It's housed in an a massive old cinema building and the main floor of the club has a great mezzanine level to chill out on. Abc is also used for gigs and I've seen some great bands here and due to the high ceiling the acoustics are absolutely amazing.

A great night in ABC

If you're ever in Glasgow why not try out some of these places- I'd love to know what you think of them! Or if you've been to Glasgow and found some places you enjoyed I'd love to hear about them...