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Square
George Square
The principal civic square of Glasgow, one of six squares in the city centre.
A mini guide to
Merchant City & City Centre
Civic squares, the shopping streets and the theatres and venues of the central grid
Photos
1 / 8Welcome to the area
Civic squares, the shopping streets and the theatres and venues of the central grid
George Square is the principal civic square of Glasgow, with the City Chambers on its east side. Glasgow Central, the busiest station in Scotland, and Queen Street, the terminus for Edinburgh and the north, are both within a short walk. Buchanan Street forms the central stretch of the main shopping district, and Royal Exchange Square, home of the Gallery of Modern Art, lies between it and Queen Street.
The Merchant City, a name introduced in the 1980s for the area east of George Square, holds the Tron Theatre, St Andrew's in the Square and a cluster of galleries and studios. North of the centre, Garnethill and Cowcaddens hold the Glasgow School of Art, the Film Theatre, the Theatre Royal, the Royal Concert Hall and a cluster of music venues.
Highlights
Start here
If you only have a few hours, these are good places to begin.
Civic building
Glasgow City Chambers
Category A listed headquarters of Glasgow City Council since 1996, on the east side of George Square.
Gallery
Gallery of Modern Art
Glasgow's main gallery of contemporary art, in the centre of the city.
Directions Website Report a problem with Gallery of Modern Art
Square
Royal Exchange Square
Public square between Buchanan Street and Queen Street, south of George Square.
Station
Glasgow Central station
Category A listed terminus and the busiest station in Scotland, with 25 million passengers in 2024-25.
Street
Buchanan Street
One of the main shopping streets of Glasgow, forming the central stretch of the shopping district.
Find your way
On the map
The map shows Merchant City & City Centre and the streets around it. The Getting there page lists nearby stops and stations.
Insider tips
Before you go
1
Walk between the stations
Visit Glasgow says Central and Queen Street stations are within a 12-minute walk of each other; ScotRail also runs a bus link between them.
2
Use the Subway for the north
Cowcaddens is the nearest Subway stop for the School of Art, the Film Theatre and the Tenement House, according to SPT.
3
Look up
Visit Glasgow suggests looking up as you walk the city centre to take in the buildings and architecture.
4
Check Mackintosh sites
The School of Art's Mackintosh Building was badly damaged by fires in 2014 and 2018, so check each Mackintosh venue's own site before you plan around it.
Tips from the Britlens editors
Explore this guide
Everything for Merchant City & City Centre
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Cathedral Precinct, Necropolis & Dennistoun
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Open the mini guide →Photo credits
- Merchant City & City Centre (area photo): Michael D Beckwith, CC0, source
- George Square: Stinglehammer, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Glasgow City Chambers: Michael D Beckwith, CC0, source
- Gallery of Modern Art: BrainiacBlink, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Royal Exchange Square: Daniel from Glasgow, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0, source
- Glasgow Central station: 瑞丽江的河水, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Buchanan Street: James Allan, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Glasgow School of Art: John a s, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tenement House: No machine-readable author provided. Twid assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mitchell Library: Richard Sutcliffe, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Theatre Royal: Stinglehammer, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Glasgow Royal Concert Hall: wfmillar, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Glasgow Film Theatre: Stinglehammer, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tron Theatre: Kim Traynor, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- St Andrew's in the Square: Andy Rennie, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Finnieston, Clydeside & the Riverside: Rosser1954, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- The Southside: Gordon Brown, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Cathedral Precinct, Necropolis & Dennistoun: 瑞丽江的河水, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Glasgow Green & the East End: dun_deagh, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Partick & Hyndland: James Petts, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Shawlands & Langside: Richard Sutcliffe, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Charing Cross & Garnethill: Sonictiller, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- West End & Kelvingrove: Suicasmo, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, used under the licences shown. All photo credits
Keep exploring Glasgow