Are you visiting Glasgow but might want to add some day trips to your Scotland itinerary? Check out these amazing day trips from Glasgow by train that are totally worth the effort!
This list of day trips from Glasgow by train was written by family travel expert Marcie Cheung and contains affiliate links which means if you purchase something from one of my affiliate links, I may earn a small commission that goes back into maintaining this blog.
Scotland’s largest city Glasgow is a fantastic place to visit for a day or two thanks to its plethora of museums, parks, and world cuisine.
But if you’re sticking around for longer than a weekend, there are so many places to visit near Glasgow to make your trip to Scotland even more memorable!
While there are some great day trips from Glasgow by bus, there are few Glasgow day tours as most depart from Edinburgh.
Lucky for you, there are tons of easy and exciting day trips from Glasgow by train!
This guide includes all the best day trips from Glasgow to Highlands, port towns, beach towns, other exciting cities, national parks, and more.
13 Best Day Trips From Glasgow by Train
Day Trip from Glasgow to Edinburgh
Let’s face it, you cannot visit Glasgow without visiting Scotland’s capital! Luckily, day trips from Glasgow to Edinburgh are super easy to take by train.
Essential sights to see are Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile, Victoria Street, and the National Museum of Scotland. Walk through Princes Street Garden if it’s a sunny day and climb Calton Hill for sunset before hopping on the train back to Glasgow!
How To Get From Glasgow to Edinburgh by Train
Distance: 47.3 miles
From Glasgow Queen Street station, take a direct ScotRail train to Edinburgh Waverley station. These services take around an hour, but there are longer direct services of around 90 minutes from Glasgow Central too.
Trains depart very frequently, often four times an hour. Return tickets cost around £16.
Glasgow to Loch Lomond Day Trip
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs is one of two Scottish national parks and it’s one of the best day trips from Glasgow.
Climb Conic Hill (or Ben More if you’re a keen hiker!) for epic countryside views and hire kayaks or sail on the Maid of the Loch to see more of Loch Lomond. It’s the largest lake in Scotland by surface area, so it’s well worth setting!
How To Get From Glasgow to Loch Lomond by Train
Distance: 24.9 miles
From Glasgow Queen Street station, hop on a direct ScotRail train to Balloch station. This train takes less than 60 minutes and departs approximately every 30 minutes. Return tickets cost around £7.
Day Trip from Glasgow to Ayr
Ayr is one of the most underrated day trips from Glasgow by train. It’s quick and easy to navigate with high rewards.
There’s a small neighborhood called Alloway which is the birthplace of world-renowned Scottish poet Robert Burns. Stroll along the Poet’s Path which connects the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum with the Burns Cottage (where he was born) and the Burns Memorial Gardens.
You can also visit places mentioned in his poems like Alloway Auld Kirk which means ‘old church’ and Brig O’ Doon, which means ‘Bridge over the River Doon’.
How To Get From Glasgow to Ayr by Train
Distance: 37.2 miles
From Glasgow Central station, catch a ScotRail train to Prestwick station which takes about 45 minutes. Then, catch a connecting service to Ayr station which should take no longer than 10 minutes.
Trains with a connection depart approximately every half an hour and return tickets cost an average of £12.
Glasgow to Oban Day Trip
Taking day trips from Glasgow by train isn’t the quickest way to explore the Highlands, but it’s easy. Plus, you can avoid renting a car and driving along Scotland’s narrow country lanes!
Oban is a scenic port town on Scotland’s west coast. You can visit Oban Distillery, a 19th-century stone tower on top of Battery Hill, and enjoy beautiful views across the water to the Isle of Kerrera.
How To Get From Glasgow to Oban by Train
Distance: 96.5 miles
From Glasgow Queen Street station, take a direct ScotRail service to Oban station. While these trains can take three hours, they’re direct and you can have incredible views!
These services depart approximately every 90 minutes and the cost of a single ticket starts from £17.
Day Trip from Glasgow to Stirling
One of the easiest, quickest, and best places to take Glasgow day trips is Stirling.
This city sits at the top of the Firth of Forth. One of the top places to visit is Stirling Castle, an important 12th-century former palace that sits on a rocky outcrop overlooking the city.
Another top place to visit in Stirling is the National Wallace Monument. This tower is dedicated to Sir William Wallace, one of the leaders of the First War of Scottish Independence, which also offers stunning views.
How To Get From Glasgow to Stirling by Train
Distance: 27 miles
From Glasgow Queen Street station, catch a direct ScotRail service to Stirling station. These trains take around 30 – 40 minutes and depart every 10 – 15 minutes. Return tickets cost from £10.
Glasgow to Gretna Green Day Trip
Gretna Green is a town on the English border famous for weddings between runaway English couples in the 18th century. Whereas couples under 21 couldn’t get married without their parents’ consent, they could in Scotland.
Gretna Green’s famous Blacksmith shop which hosted these elopements is now a museum. This romantic town makes for one of the best underrated day trips from Glasgow, Scotland for couples.
How To Get From Glasgow to Gretna Green by Train
Distance: 86.9 miles
From Glasgow Central, take an Avanti West Coast service to Carlisle station which takes around 75 minutes. Then, take a connecting ScotRail train to Gretna Green station which takes around 15 minutes.
Return tickets start from around £20 and approximately 15 trains travel along this route every day.
Day Trip from Glasgow to the Isle of Bute
Yes, you can even visit an island on your one-day trip from Glasgow by train! Granted, you’ll have to team your train journey with a ferry ride, but it’s totally doable.
Rothesay is a beautiful town on the Isle of Bute. Visit Rothesay Castle, climb up Canada Hill, and visit the eclectic Rothesay Victorian Toilet Museum. You won’t forget a day trip like this in a hurry.
How To Get From Glasgow to the Isle of Bute by Train
Distance: 39.6 miles
From Glasgow Central station, hop on a direct ScotRail service to Wemyss Bay station which takes around 50 minutes. Then, jump on a ferry from Wemyss Bay port right next to the station to Rothesay Ferry Terminal on the Isle of Bute which takes 35 minutes.
Return train tickets start from around £10 and return ferry tickets cost £7.60. Trains and connecting ferries depart approximately once per hour.
Day Trip from Glasgow to the Isle of Arran
The Isle of Bute isn’t the only day trip from Glasgow you can take without a car. The Isle of Arran is the southernmost Scottish isle and many say it’s like visiting the entire country of Scotland in miniature.
Visit the stunning Blue Pools of Glen Rosa, check out Brodick Castle and Garden and, if you have time, climb up Goatfell Hill. It’s the island’s highest peak so it’s not an easy hike. Make sure you descend with plenty of time to catch your return ferry!
How To Get From Glasgow to the Isle of Arran by Train
Distance: 46.9 miles
From Glasgow Central station, catch a direct ScotRail service to Ardrossan Harbour station which takes around 50 minutes. Then, take the ferry to Brodick port on the Isle of Arran which takes around 55 minutes.
Return train tickets start from around £10 and return ferry tickets cost £8.40. Trains with connecting ferries depart approximately once every two hours, so book in advance!
Glasgow to Dundee Day Trip
While Dundee isn’t the most popular of day trips from Glasgow, there are lots of reasons to visit. Dundee was an industrial city but today there are lots of museums, art galleries, and other cultural attractions.
Check out the stunning V&A Museum or visit The McManus Art Gallery displaying 19th and 20th century Scottish art.
Or, head to the waterfront and board the HMS Unicorn or the RSS Discovery. The latter was the ship that sailed on the British Antarctic expedition of 1901 and it’s been fully restored.
How To Get From Glasgow to Dundee by Train
Distance: 81.3 miles
From Glasgow Queen Street station, take a direct ScotRail service to Dundee station. Trains depart every 30 minutes and take around 90 minutes. Return tickets cost an average of £22.
Glasgow to St Andrews Day Trip
St Andrews is a famous city on Scotland’s west coast known as the birthplace of golf. But there are lots of other things to do here on a day trip from Glasgow!
Check out the University of St Andrews, the Castle of St Andrews, the harbor, and West Sands Beach. This is the famous beach that appeared in the Oscar-winning movie Chariots of Fire, so don’t forget to pack your running shoes.
How To Get From Glasgow to St Andrews by Train
Distance: 73.4 miles
From Glasgow Queen Street station, hop on a ScotRail service either to Dundee station or Edinburgh Haymarket station. From either station, take a connecting service to Leuchars station. Hop on the N.99 bus from the station to St Andrews Bus Station.
This journey should take around two hours in total and trains depart approximately twice an hour. Return train tickets cost around £25 on average and bus tickets cost between £2 – £4 for single journeys which you can buy from the driver.
Day Trip from Glasgow to Linlithgow
Linlithgow might be a small town, but it’s easy to reach from Glasgow and it’s packed with history.
One of the top sites to visit in Linlithgow is its 15th-century palace. Once the main residence of Scottish kings and queens, Linlithgow Palace was the birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots.
More recently, it stood in for Wentworth Prison in the Outlander TV series!
How To Get From Glasgow to Linlithgow by Train
Distance: 34.1 miles
From Glasgow Queen Street station, catch a direct ScotRail service to Linlithgow station. This journey only takes 30 minutes and trains depart every 30 minutes too. Return tickets cost, on average, £12.50.
Glasgow to Troon Day Trip
Visiting Glasgow in summer? If you travel during a rare heatwave, you might want to enjoy a day at the beach. One of the best beach towns to visit near Glasgow is Troon.
Troon Beach is a 2.8-mile beach popular with kite surfers and windsurfers. If it’s too cold to swim in the sea, wrap up warm and walk along the scenic Troon Beach Walk Trail.
How To Get From Glasgow to Troon by Train
Distance: 32.7 miles
From Glasgow Central station, take a direct ScotRail service to Troon station. Trains traveling on this service depart every 30 minutes and take approximately 40 minutes. Return tickets cost an average of £10.
Day Trip from Glasgow to Falkirk
While Falkirk city center might not be the best place to spend your precious time in Scotland, it does have two fantastic attractions nearby. They’re well worth getting a bus or taxi from the train station to visit!
The Kelpies are a pair of 100 ft-tall steel horses from Scottish mythology that were built in 2013. They’re cool to see up close and the park setting is also beautiful.
If you appreciate incredible feats of engineering, visit The Falkirk Wheel. It’s the world’s only rotating boat lift and helps transport canal boats from the Forth and Clyde Canal to the Union Canal.
How To Get From Glasgow to Falkirk by Train
Distance: 24.3 miles
From Glasgow Queen Street station, hop on a direct ScotRail service to Falkirk High station. Trains depart two to three times an hour and the journey takes less than 30 minutes.
Return tickets start from around £11 and you may need to catch a bus or take a taxi into the city center.
Glasgow Day Trips FAQs
How do I plan a day trip to the Scottish Highlands from Glasgow?
For a trip to the Highlands, consider destinations like Fort William or Oban, which are accessible by train. These journeys offer stunning views and a gateway to the wider Highlands. Check train times and plan for an early start as these can be longer trips.
Can you recommend any castle visits near Glasgow?
Besides Stirling Castle, you can visit Doune Castle, famous for its appearances in film and television, by train and a short bus ride. Bothwell Castle is another option, accessible by train to Uddingston and a short walk or bus ride.
Are there any good coastal day trips from Glasgow by train?
Yes, the coastal town of Ayr is a great option for a day trip, offering beautiful beaches and the birthplace of Robert Burns. Troon and Largs are also excellent choices for coastal scenery and seafront walks.
What’s the easiest way to check train times and prices for day trips from Glasgow?
The ScotRail website or the National Rail Enquiries website are reliable sources for checking train times and prices. The Trainline app is also useful for planning journeys and buying tickets.
How much do train day trips from Glasgow typically cost?
Prices vary depending on the destination and how far in advance you book. Traveling off-peak can reduce costs, and rail passes or group tickets might offer additional savings for frequent travelers or families.
Is it possible to visit the Isle of Arran for a day trip from Glasgow?
Yes, it’s possible. You can take a train to Ardrossan Harbour and then a ferry to the Isle of Arran. While doable in a day, starting early to maximize your time on the island is advisable.
Can I do a day trip to Edinburgh from Glasgow by train?
Absolutely, Edinburgh is only about an hour away by train, making it a perfect day trip. Trains run frequently between the two cities, allowing for flexible planning.
Best Day Trips From Glasgow by Train Wrap-Up
Whether you want to visit the beach or lesser-traveled cities, there are some great day trips from Glasgow by train.
While there are more options for day trips from Glasgow by car, renting a car is much more hassle. Not to mention the stress of learning to drive on the left and driving a stick shift for just one day!
Train travel is a great way to explore Scotland like a local and enjoy a fun and easy Glasgow day trip.
Looking for more Scotland travel resources? Check out 13 Best Day Trips From Edinburgh by Train, Planning a Trip to Scotland: Step-by-Step Guide, and 9 Best Edinburgh Hotels for Families Worth Booking!
