glasgow central station guided tour

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glasgow central station guided tour

On the Glasgow Central Tour you will be given an exclusive, behind the scenes look at Glasgow Central Station. You will walk in subterranean passageways beneath Glasgow’s streets, visit railway vaults that drove Glasgow’s industrial expansion to become ‘The Second City of The British Empire’, hear tales of the famous and infamous who have travelled the tracks and stood on the platforms of Glasgow Central Station

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  • Glasgow Central Tours
  • The History

The Tour aims to open up not just the history of Glasgow Central Station but also connect it with the great social history of Glasgow and its people. Glasgow Central Station is far more than just a transportation hub for passengers. It has been a meeting point for countless romances, a crossroads of historical events and the first sight of Glasgow for millions.

Our Tour Guides Paul Lyons and Jackie Ogilvie, bring all this to the tours. They will transport you through time with powerful storytelling. With emotion and humour as the stories weave through and around major historical events of not only Glasgow and Scotland but also the World, all of which have a Glasgow Central Station connection. Prepare to be informed, moved, and entertained on Glasgow’s number one tour

Glasgow Central Station was opened by the Caledonian Railway in 1879 on the north bank of the River Clyde. There were eight platforms linked by a railway bridge over Argyle Street to Bridge Street station on the south bank of the river. At its earliest the station was congested and in 1890 a temporary solution, that of expanding the bridge over Argyle Street and constructing a n additional station platform, was completed. However it took until 1901 before further development work on the station took place to solve the congestion problem. A solution that works well to this day.

Glasgow Central Station is the larger of the two present main-line railway terminals in Scotland’s largest city and is currently one of 20 UK stations managed by Network Rail. With over 32.8 million passenger entries and exits between April 2018 and March 2019, Glasgow Central is the busiest in Scotland and the second busiest outside London. Glasgow Central Station is registered as a Category A listed building under the Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas (Scotland) Act 1997.

If you’d like a taste of what’s in store for you, check out Travelling voices.

On the Glasgow Central Tour you will be given an exclusive, behind the scenes look at Glasgow Central Station. You will walk in subterranean passageways beneath Glasgow’s streets, visit railway vaults that drove Glasgow’s industrial expansion to become ‘The Second City of The British Empire’, hear tales of the famous and infamous who have travelled the tracks and stood on the platforms of Glasgow Central Station.

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  • Due to unforeseen circumstances, January dates have been delayed and will be released soon.
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Glasgow Central Tours - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024) - Tripadvisor

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GLASGOW CENTRAL TOURS - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Glasgow Central Station Tour

Photo of Glasgow Central Station Tour - Glasgow, GLG, GB. Excited!

Review Highlights

Helen M.

“ I beleive they are planning a roof only tour in the Summer count me in for that. ” in 7 reviews

Elizabeth F.

“ e. I thoroughly enjoyed it an d V ic was so knowledgeable, I loved his attention to detail especially with date ” in 6 reviews

Lucy B.

“ His patter was great and he kept us all really engaged and amused throughout the tour. ” in 2 reviews

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Glasgow Central Station

Glasgow G1 3SL

United Kingdom

City Centre

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Photo of Suzanne J.

The price was £13 and I was aware that the admission price had increased, but I think it was worth the cost. We were given hard hat caps in bright orange, which were rather fetching. The tour guide was Paul Lyons and he had a quick humour. We were guided down and given lots of historical facts. These were very interesting and the story/social history came to life by Paul. We went down and saw an old abandoned platform. Paul really treasured the stories and made me feel like these are important stories that need told and passed on to our generation. I left feeling that I wanted to know more and I will keep upto date with their progress, because there is a lot more to be uncovered. I guess it's a case of - watch this space.

Hard hat caps!

Hard hat caps!

Photo of Briony C.

What a delightful way to appreciate a part of Glasgow that I'm guessing most people take for granted. I was already a huge fan of Glasgow Central Station, and getting to do the tour underneath the station is a really eye-opening, educational and enjoyable experience. I'd actually done the tour as part of Doors Open Day a couple of years back, which I thoroughly enjoyed and was really glad when they made these a permanent feature. Booking is straightforward through their website and it's a very reasonable £10pp for an hour-long tour (although ours went closer to two hours!). You meet opposite M&S by the mobility station and get fitted out in hard hats and bright vests which I think is probably overkill but at least they won't lose you during the tour. I don't want to spoil any of it, but you'll hear a bit about the architecture and design of the station, some amazing stories, lots of history and you'll have lots of laughs along the way. The tour guides, Vic & Paul, are as interesting as the tour themselves and their long histories with the station make it even more amazing. Vic asked our group where people were from and he managed to tie nationalities back into stories later on in the tour which I thought was pretty special. The tour does involve quite a bit of walking and you should wear comfy shoes and make sure you don't have too much stuff with you so you can get around easily. I can't pick one highlight of the tour as it's all really interesting and enjoyable and presented in a passionate way. There are plans to expand the tour so that you can go down onto the Victorian platforms as well as having a special tour of the roof in the summer.

glasgow central station guided tour

See all photos from Briony C. for Glasgow Central Station Tour

Photo of Elizabeth F.

Epic? Full to the max of 'choo choo' awesomeness? Amazing Glesga history? In yer face patter that's nothing like watter? Then this is the tour for you. (Bet you felt a little bit inside you to imagine pulling the whistle). I have been wanting to go on this tour for many many years but it always fills up so quickly. So note, book up as soon as you can, way far in advance. Basically like booking a train going down south but you always end up missing out on those advance tickets. Has anyone ever managed to get them? Anyway off "track" there. Haw haw, see what I did. Behold the group of very excited Yelpers in the middle of the Glasgow Central concourse geared up and ready to embrace what was to lie ahead in our tour. We were greeted by our tour guide, Vic, nae Bob, just Vic but this guy didn't need no side kick. We were suited and booted with our fashionable Network Rail hi-vis and safety helmet. I loved it, I felt like a pure engineer like. Ha, well kinda! It was so interesting and the things that you will see and hear are unbelievable. I thoroughly enjoyed it and Vic was so knowledgeable, I loved his attention to detail especially with dates. His stories really brought the tour alive. I was a bit gutted we couldn't get out on the roof as it was icy. He explained it was a bit catch 22, when it's clear then the engineers like to get up and do repairs. Fair dos! This was a really brilliant way to spend a few hours of your day. If you can book up soon as I promise you will not be disappointed. I thank Briony C. for managing to book it for us and hopefully later on in the year when they've added more to the tour we will go back and explore more of Central Station. Excited much!

Photo of Gordon M.

I'll admit I signed up for the tour more out of curiosity than desire, and was ready to be a little underwhelmed. Boy was I wrong!! Whilst we didn't manage to get up on to the roof (there was still ice up there apparently) we did spend almost two hours learning about the history of the station from it's construction through to it's place as a central hub for Glasgow during World War I and beyond. Our guide, Vic, was great! His patter was, as he told us himself, pretty good and he clearly has a wealth of knowledge and passion about the station and this historic events that have transpired. It covered everything from the architectural design (I now know why the buildings are curved and the floor of the concourse slopes) and as we toured into the depths of the station he covered its use as a food hub, as a World War I staging area, and the visit of a certain future American President! Make sure to ask him about Laurel and Hardy too! Educational, funny, interesting, I can't recommend it highly enough!!!

Photo of Lucy B.

If you like history, this tour is definitely going to float your boot. Wait, it's a train station - toot your whistle? Our tour guide, Vic, was full of the Glasgow banter. His patter was great and he kept us all really engaged and amused throughout the tour. He was also full of awesome knowledge, and managed to bring the history of Central Station to life. We had to don high vis vests and hard hats. I'm not really sure why, but it actually did make me feel like part of the cool gang as we made our way around the station. Yeah people, stare all you want, we're learning interesting facts here! We got access to parts of the station that you never normally would - right underneath it, and were also given a peek at the old Victorian platforms. We learned why the station was built, and some of the more sombre history, as well as some amusing celebrity stories, very well delivered by Vic. A great experience, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it changes as they are able to open up more of the station as the tour develops. A great new addition to things to do in Glasgow.

Photo of Nicola H.

I really wish i could give this tour 10 stars as it was amazing! Our tour guide was vic and he was brilliant. He really brought the tour to life with his stories. I had no idea of some of the people that had passed through the station. We didnt get up on the roof as it was january but we did catch a glimpse of the victorian platforms and i cant wait to go back and do the platforms tour once they have made it accessable. Honestly for £10 you will not be dissapointed!

Photo of Karen H.

I went on the tour with my Mum and we both had a great day. Vic the tour guide was very informative and as well as having historical details he was full of banter and wee stories that made us laugh. We didn't make it on to the roof but managed to see the Victorian platform, can't wait to go back when rhis can be accessed (along with the ladies walkway).

Photo of Ant C.

I took the tour because of the reviews on Tripadvisor and yelp, but I was disappointed. It is mostly about the history of the train station, not Glasgow. Also tour guide, Paul, extremely delightful person, but I had a hard time understanding his thick Scottish accent.

Photo of Helen M.

Big thanks to Briony for organizing this we jaunt out on Easter Saturday. I had wanted to do the Central Station Tour for a long time but never got around to doing it. There were 14 of us on the tour lots of Yelpers and a few civilians who fitted in very nicely. We were met by Vic our Guide and were kitted out in hard hats an safety vests to identify us as tour members. We signed a Health & Safety Form and were good to go after Vic, broke the bad news that we would not get to go on the roof, as there was ice there boo hoo :o( Vic certainly new his stuff a history lesson and tour combined he kept us amused with lots of funny anecdotes. Going down under the station,seeing the Victorian Platforms that closed in 1964, with the loss of steam trains, brought back fond childhood memories to me. I beleive they are planning a roof only tour in the Summer count me in for that. People thought your review was: Useful 1 Funny 1 Cool 1 Delete review

Photo of Lindsay C.

This fascinating historical tour of the station began in the familiar surroundings of the main concourse where we met our knowledgeable, friendly and witty guide (a real character!) and heard a bit about the design and architecture of the building and the various changes that have been made over the years. We then descended into areas not open to the public and heard lots of facts and stories about the various spaces we were in that helped give a sense of the station's history (plus aspects of Glasgow's history), and bring past times to life. One of the areas we got to see was the old Victorian platforms and tunnel that steam trains used to run in. The tours don't currently take you onto the roof though due to health and safety concerns (apparently some people have gone against instructions not to take their phones out whilst on the roof), but we were told that they are working on it and hope to be able to take tour groups onto the roof in the near future. They also have other plans on how to make the tour even better so watch this space!

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A-Z of Secret Glasgow: Central Station Tours

glasgow central station guided tour

Forget Ewan McGregor and the back streets of Auld Reekie.

When it comes to proper trainspotting, there’s only one place to go and that’s Glasgow’s Central Station.

With over 106,000 passing through each day, it’s Scotland’s busiest station.

Now you can book a behind-the-scenes tour that takes you from the clouds to the catacombs.

NEXT:  Visit the site of an old box factory for a proper ale!

Starting under the famous clock – one of Glasgow’s favourite meeting places – the 90 minute tour burrows its way underground to the eerie site of a forgotten Victorian village, passing through rooms that were used as a mortuary during the First World War, as well as an old boiler house that was the site of a 1930’s murder.

Weather permitting, you’ll also get to explore the station’s iconic glass roof.

With 48,000 panes making up 2.2 square miles of glass it is the world’s largest.

The idea for the tours came from Paul Lyons, who has worked on the railways for 18 years. He offered to take people around during the city’s Doors Open Day celebration in 2013 and was staggered to find that 83,500 people had applied for just 100 tickets.

With that sort of interest in train tourism it made sense to schedule regular events and Paul is now the knowledgeable guide telling stories of the famous people who have passed through the station since it first opened its doors 135 years ago. Everyone from Rudolph Hess to John F. Kennedy ….and of course the station’s resident ghosts…

Tours run Fri, Sat and Sun. Tickets cost £10 per person with profits covering staff costs and improvements to the station.

Address: Glasgow Central Station , Gordon St, G1 3SL

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Glasgow Central Tours - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Why a tour of Glasgow Central Station is a must for Glaswegians and visitors alike

Glasgow Live joined historian Paul Lyons on the 30 minute public tour - and we were blown away by things we never knew about the city's beloved train station.

  • 11:36, 3 MAR 2020
  • Updated 12:00, 3 MAR 2020

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Central Station opened its ornate gates 140 years ago - and it remains one of the most fascinating buildings in Glasgow today.

The BBC Scotland documentary Inside Central Station captured the attention of the whole country, taking people to the heady heights of those glass ceilings and well below the platforms so many of us pass through daily.

One of the staff members featured in the six part series is Central Station historian and tour guide Paul Lyons, who has organised the station's hugely successful guided tours for the past five years.

And as a special treat, Glasgow Live were taken on a whistle-stop 30 minute wander round the station (the tour normally lasts an hour), which for 140 years has been at the heart of the city.

With over 44,000 visitors in the past five years, the tours have become something of a phenomenon for the city - topping the list of available tours on Tripadvisor since they started.

And it's Paul himself we have to thank for coming with with the idea for them in the first place.

Paul began the tour with an introduction into the history of the station and how, while the original structure remains, it has had to undergo fundamental redevelopment and expansion to meet the needs of the Glasgow public who pass through it on their travels .

glasgow central station guided tour

A veteran of the rail industry himself, he took particular pleasure in describing the station’s most stunning attribute - its glass panelled roof. There’s more than 48,000 pieces of glass that make up the roof, making it one of the biggest in Europe.

Covering 2.2 square miles, it could take a lifetime to get to know most of the nooks and crannies of Central Station, yet in Paul we have someone who both knows it like the back of his hand and has a keen desire to explore more of it.

Sporting a long grey beard and wearing a bowler hat, he gives off the air of a steampunk Billy Connolly.

And his enthusiasm for the history of the buildings rubs off quickly as he presents his profound knowledge of the building and the stories of those who lived, worked and died in it with a mixture of wit and tragedy.

From the main concourse, we are led down a level to an area away from public view, where there used to be huge grain and coal stores in Victorian times and where a temporary mortuary was constructed in the First World War.

A maze of pathways, cabling and storage and power rooms, the bowels of the gigantic building are hot and have an air of the ‘foostie' about them.

Red banners indicate where the mail was once brought up to put on to the Royal Mail train (which last left the station in 1998), with Paul reminding us of one particular incident that had ties to Central Station - the Great Train Robbery.

Interestingly, the walls of the tour route we take are filled with murals of the old Caledonian Railway Company and the engineers who helped build the station, with the artwork done by students from the Glasgow School of Art back in 2012 prior to the tours starting.

glasgow central station guided tour

Paul also shows us to an area home to his wonderful collection of finds he has collected over the years, be it gifted to him from people taking the tour or things he has come across while digging about within station.

Items such as an original street map of Grahamston - the village that disappeared with the construction of the station, alongside two headstones believed to be from the old church which once stood within the community.

At that point Paul revealed that he thinks he has stumbled across remnants of one of the old Grahamston streets deep under the station.

glasgow central station guided tour

Old bottles dating back from the late 18th century are also present, as well as a stretcher and wheelchair from the war era, alongside a fantastic map of the routes that left the station in the 1920s - complete with plenty of long-lost stations.

We are then taken to see where residents would come to collect their items from the trains on horseback in years gone by, at street level with Hope Street,  before we visit the undoubted jewel in the crown of the tour, and a place situated only yards away from the white painted iron surrounds of the walkway to the lower level stations.

A still intact Victorian era platform. Uncovered by Paul after curiosity got him to knock through a wall, it has lain dormant since 1964 and was sealed away and forgotten about for more than half a century.

On entry down into the platform through a nondescript door and down a metal staircase, the fascinating discovery sends chills down the spine. Remarkable given the fact that the lower levels platform trains can be seen a short distance away.

glasgow central station guided tour

The soot stained brick walls, blackened by the steam trains that once served it, give off an eerie atmosphere. Creating a dark mood only lightened by Paul’s constant humour.

Here Paul tells us of his plans for the future. To bring the old platform back to life, by cleaning up the railway line and placing tracks and sleepers in position, alongside the possibility of a vintage train carriage from the era being shunted into place.

While on the platform itself, he spoke of his desire to install and old Victorian era newspaper stand (featuring newspapers from the era), as well as advertisements from and a ticket booth.

He also notes his desire to clean up the adjacent former ladies waiting room to fully reveal the white tiled walls and ceiling, some of which are still visible today.

And it’s here we end our tour, with tour guide Paul also noting that he would love to allow visitors once again to visit the roof of the station, something that he did when the tours first began back in 2014. The panoramic view of the city, he tells us, is truly breathtaking.

Even in the brief half an hour tour we received, we were bowled over by the insight we received into not only the history of the station, but also the social history of Glasgow.

The tour is a real must for any local or visitor to the city. Let’s hope the tour can expand and make it even better than what it already has proven to be.

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glasgow central station guided tour

Article first published on March 3, 2019

  • BBC Scotland
  • Billy Connolly
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les d

Glasgow Central Tours - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Glasgow Central Station Tours

Glasgow central tours offer you the chance to explore behind the scenes of glasgow's most iconic and busiest landmarks, central station.

Glasgow Central Station Tours

About Glasgow Central Station Tours

Glasgow Central railway station is the largest of the two present main-line railway terminals in Glasgow. The station was opened by the Caledonian Railway on 31 July 1879. The station is steeped in history with amazing architecture, incredible underground tunnels, catacombs and has a fantastic glass roof consisting of 48000 individual panes of glass! Come on the Glasgow Central Station Tours see the buildings secret places and hear the voices of the past through stories of workers, famous station travellers and maybe even a ghost story or two... Glasgow Central Station Tours the real Glasgow experience...

Where possible we will update our listings to notify of cancelled, postponed and rescheduled events, however we STRONGLY ADVISE that you check with the venue/organiser in the first instance for updates.

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Station Secrets: Behind the scenes at Glasgow Central

  • Published 7 November 2014

Glasgow Central Station view

Glasgow's Central station has started running behind-the-scenes tours taking in everything from the huge glass roof to derelict tunnels deep underground.

Paul Lyons is a customer service assistant with an appetite for a story.

He has spent the 17 years he has worked at Glasgow's Central railway station absorbing the station's myth and history. Today is the first day that the station will offer regular tours - and Paul, as resident amateur historian, is the official guide.

Social fabric

The idea originally came during last year's Glasgow Open Doors Day. The station made 100 tickets available for guided tours - and then they received 83,500 applications. The current tours, scheduled to run until February, have already sold half their tickets.

Such popularity for a station tour might seem unfathomable, until you consider the sheer number of people for whom Glasgow Central is part of their everyday lives.

"It's the busiest station this side of London," says Paul, with just a hint of pride. About 106,000 people pass through the station every day: to catch trains, to meet friends, to say long-awaited hellos and painful goodbyes.

"It's more than a railway station," Paul explains. "It's part of the very social fabric of Glasgwegians."

His point is proved when the start of the tour is nearly hampered by several interested individuals asking when and how they can get tickets.

Steeped in history

Glasgow-born Michael Burke, 64, is one of the first to get the Central Station experience.

"I've been coming here with my grandmother since I was this high," he says, gesturing vaguely to somewhere below his waist.

And - pointing to Paul - "I see him almost every time I come into the station." But today is the first time Michael will see Paul in his true element.

central station

Since it opened its doors in 1879, the station has grown from eight to 15 platforms. It's been the site of a murder (so the story goes) and a gas explosion. It even acted as a temporary mortuary during World War One.

"If these walls could talk they would tell you amazing stories," says Paul.

Luckily, no talking walls are required on this tour, as we have Paul himself, winding the group between the hundreds of passengers making their way through the station concourse with an ease that betrays his 17 years of experience.

First stop: the station's glass roof. It's one of the world's largest, with 48,000 panes making up 2.2 square miles of glass.

During World War Two, the whole thing was painted black to avoid catching the eye of the Luftwaffe - the plan worked, and it was never hit.

But after the Blitz, the black paint proved impossible to remove. It was only in 1998 that they finally started replacing every single pane.

Famous names

The air grows musty and humid as the tour moves down to the station's underbelly - once a village called Grahamston, until it made way for the station to be constructed.

Snaking silver pipes and long-forgotten station signs sit gathering dust as Paul tells the tour of the Great Train Robbery: an infamous mark on the station's history, as the targeted train departed from Glasgow Central.

Paul is full of stories of the names that have passed through the station since it opened its doors 135 years ago.

The story goes that John F Kennedy's very first public engagement took place in the station's hotel and manager's office, after his father was unavailable to repatriate American survivors of the sinking of SS Athenia.

Even prominent Nazi Rudolf Hess supposedly got on the train from platform one after he was arrested in Scotland in 1941 - not before his handcuffs were removed so he could have a cigarette.

Underground Glasgow Central Station

Both wars left their mark on Glasgow Central. Troops bade their families farewell from the station's platforms before going to fight.

Many would never see Glasgow Central again, returning instead from the French battlefields as corpses to be stored in the station's makeshift mortuary during the First World War. The same families that waved them goodbye were called to the underground of the station to collect their bodies.

Ghost stories

At Glasgow Central, history meets myth. The station's colourful past is the perfect breeding ground for urban legends.

A desperate man who lost his fortune in the Wall Street Crash is rumoured to have killed his wife for her life insurance money in the old boiler room.

For years, station staff were too terrified to go into the grain store, where they insisted they saw a ghostly thin woman with brown hair. And just last year The Ghost Club conducted a fruitful official investigation into the station's alleged hauntings.

The old boiler room

One of the final stops is the former platforms, lying forgotten in the bowels of the station, victims of the railway cuts advocated by Dr Robert Beeching in the 1960s.

Our slot may be over, but Paul - who's been touring since 09:00 that morning - isn't finished for the day.

Until February, he'll be giving six tours a day on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. For your average Customer Service Assistant, this might seem like a lot of storytelling. Paul seems to be rising to the challenge.

"You can't tell everybody all the stories," he says. "But I try my best."

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glasgow central station guided tour

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Glasgow Central Station Tour: Know The Secrets

Glasgow Central station tour revolves around the famous congested station of Glasgow… an architecturally brilliant ensemble that dates back to 1879 and has a mystery laden past. The building is recognised to be one of the most legendary buildings in Scotland (it’s category ‘A’ listed) and it stands on the North bank of Clyde.

Once upon a time there were 8 platforms that were linked by a railway bridge over Argyle Street… an extremely picturesque sight. Several modifications and more than a century after, the Glasgow Central station is now the biggest station in Scotland’s biggest city and is the busiest in Scotland. More than 130,000 people use the station each day and the Queen Anne style architecture is highly photographed.

Glasgow Central Station Clock

The station changed a lot during the years and it’s fascinating to know the history of the place plus seeing the different nooks and crannies that normally remain hidden from public view. The public of Glasgow passes through this station for their travel needs but there are lots of history and interesting facts about the station that open up once anyone goes below the concourse level. Glasgow Central station tours are exclusively operated and managed by the station authorities and for many many years historian and guide Paul Lyons (he has decades of experience in the railway industry) has been conducting these tours.

The tour kicks off in its full flavour as the group descends below the concourse level into an entirely different medieval world that’s unlike the lively and modern everyday look of the Glasgow Central Station. At the first look the soot darkened walls and the maze like tunnels may seem gloomy but the excellent narrative provided by the guide puts colour in it.

The fascinating features of the station require some introduction. The glass panelled roof (biggest glass roof in the world) has more than 48,000 pieces of glass that make it up. The station covers almost 2.2 square miles and it could take years to know it well. There is a hidden area that used to host coal and grain stores in medieval times. There was even a mortuary that was constructed here during the First World War. The bowels of the station are humid and hot and yet seem like a fascinating maze of cables, power rooms and zig zag paths.

Tunnel

Some historical sites like the place where mail was dragged in to load up on the Royal mail train, are mostly a part of all Central station tours. Then there are walls filled with beautiful murals of Caledonian Railway Company and the engineers who constructed the station (artwork done by Glasgow school of art students).

If you are lucky the guide will show an area that hosts several finds associated with the station. There is an antique street map of Grahamstown (a village that vanished when the station was constructed), 18 th century bottles, wheelchair and stretchers from the First World War, map of the station in its 1920 version and a pair of church headstones. There is also a gorgeously intact Victorian era platform that was sealed behind a wall and vanished from memory for about 50 years before the guide Paul Lyons discovered it. Then there are steam boiler rooms.

Glasgow Central Station

The guide Paul Lyons’ passion about Glasgow’s history and in depth knowledge about every crevice of the station…is legendary. Lyons takes visitors into the hidden corners of the station continuously mixing facts with interesting stories about the place and in the process creating a fascinating narrative. There are moving accounts of the First World War, famous romances connected to the station, general plight of women, economic issues etc.

There are also stories about the engineers and workers who lived and died in this building and the commoners whose lives were inextricably tied with it. It’s also appreciable that he uses Glesga Patter; Glasgow’s famous dialect and that’s laced with a healthy dose of Glaswegian humour. Glasgow’s famous dialect has been aptly showcased at yet another fantastic attraction… the People’s Palace at Glasgow Green .

Paul Lyons also opens up about his wish to see more statues dedicated to women in Glasgow (for an enlightened city, Glasgow has only 4 statues dedicated to female luminaries) and a proper museum for the Central Station. He also wants a Victorian steam locomotive and a vintage news stand to be installed in the lower level Victorian Platform… plans are already underway for these. At the end of the tour most visitors end up enthusiastically rooting for his goals.

The Glasgow Central Station website makes no mention of where the group meets the guide but Paul Lyons with his movie like long grey beard and bowler hat is hard to miss anyway!!

Duration & Timings

The tours are usually one hour long and happen on weekends and selected weekdays. The tour starts off near the information kiosk right at the heart of the station. There is a huge clock in Glasgow central station and the information kiosk is right near it.  There is a Banner announcing ‘Glasgow Central Experience’ here so you can’t possibly miss the location.

Indicative Prices & Booking

The dates for Glasgow Central tours are published about 6 weeks in advance and you will find the dates on the calendar on the official website. The white dates are all unavailable ones and the pink dates are all sold out ones. All other dates are available ones and you can click on a date of your choice to book it.

The price per adult is 13 pounds. The money earned from the tour goes back into making the tour and station even better. A beautiful memento booklet is presented to the visitors at the end of the tour.

The tour is amongst the top tours of Glasgow and is almost always fully booked. You need to book it only through the official website and well in advance.

Here is the Booking Website .

Note: Minimum age is 12 years old. The tour takes visitors along dark cramped places. Also the tour takes visitors to places well below the platforms via steep flights of stairs into abandoned tunnels. There is a lot of stair climbing involved and it’s not suitable for people with mobility issues. Even healthy adults would need to wear comfortable walking shoes to get on this tour.

Location & Contacts

  • Best places to visit in Glasgow
  • Glasgow Tourism
  • Scotland Tourism
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glasgow central station guided tour

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glasgow central station guided tour

COMMENTS

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    Feb 2020. The tour last an hour and a half and covers the history of the Station while moving through the different levels of the Station and to parts not open to the public. It is interesting to have a behind the scenes look at the Station and to hear its history presented in a really engaging and entertaining way.

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    Fantastic tour venturing below Glasgow Central Station. Paul was a wonderful guide, lots of interesting information about the Station and it's history intermingled with stories from his past working in the Station and the people he has met along the way, his banter was brilliant and there was a lot of laughter.

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    About Glasgow Central Tours. The tour explores many parts of Glasgow Central Station. You'll find yourself walking through tunnels, boiler rooms and darkened basements, exploring the dark corners of Glasgow Central Station's subterranean sprawl below the streets of Glasgow. Walk down winding stairwells, turn sharp corners and before you ...

  10. GLASGOW CENTRAL TOURS

    Excellent tour of Glasgow's Central station with a great deal of very interesting historical information not only about the station but Glasgow and events at the time. I cannot recomment it highly enough and strongly recommend Network Rail to start similar tours at other large stations. ... Paul the tour guide is just as big an attraction as ...

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    10 reviews and 6 photos of GLASGOW CENTRAL STATION TOUR "What a delightful way to appreciate a part of Glasgow that I'm guessing most people take for granted. I was already a huge fan of Glasgow Central Station, and getting to do the tour underneath the station is a really eye-opening, educational and enjoyable experience. I'd actually done the tour as part of Doors Open Day a couple of years ...

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    Everyone from Rudolph Hess to John F. Kennedy ….and of course the station's resident ghosts…. Tours run Fri, Sat and Sun. Tickets cost £10 per person with profits covering staff costs and improvements to the station. Address: Glasgow Central Station, Gordon St, G1 3SL.

  13. Glasgow Central Tours

    Walk down winding stairwells, turn sharp corners and before you know it you'll find yourself in the underground vaults beneath Glasgow Central Station. Built as store houses for a city at the peak of its power as the technological and industrial beating heart of a long ago empire. Glasgow Central Tours aims to open up the history of Glasgow ...

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    Glasgow Central Station Tours - A Must Go! Oct 2021 • Couples. Absolutely outstanding tour, our guide Jackie, brought this astonishing place and its importance to Glasgow and its citizens fully into life, her passion shone through, both entertaining and informative. ... This is very much a TALKING guided tour, with lots of TALKING, lots and ...

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    Why a tour of Glasgow Central Station is a must for Glaswegians and visitors alike. Glasgow Live joined historian Paul Lyons on the 30 minute public tour - and we were blown away by things we ...

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    Glasgow Central Tours, Glasgow: See 4,416 reviews, articles, and 1,725 photos of Glasgow Central Tours, ranked No.443 on Tripadvisor among 443 attractions in Glasgow. ... Our tour guide, Flavia was so engaging and informative. ... Thank you Paul Great tour, very interesting history of the station and Glasgow with top patter, will be back to see ...

  17. Glasgow Central Station

    Glasgow Central Station is unique in offering guided tours of the station and its hidden underground areas. Tours usually run three times each day, with some additional evening tours, and are bookable and payable in advance using the website or by phone. Tours groups are up to 15 people. Children under 12 are not permitted and children 12 - 15 ...

  18. Glasgow Central Station Tours

    About Glasgow Central Station Tours. 1st Jan 2024 to 31st Dec 2024. See event website for details. Glasgow Central Station. Glasgow Central Station Gordon Street, Glasgow City Centre G1 3SL. See event website for details. Event organiser/part of Glasgow Central Tours. Call 01413354352.

  19. Station Secrets: Behind the scenes at Glasgow Central

    The station made 100 tickets available for guided tours - and then they received 83,500 applications. The current tours, scheduled to run until February, have already sold half their tickets.

  20. Glasgow Central Tours

    General enquiries: Tour duration: 1 to 1hr 30 minutes - depending on the engagement level of the group, Questions are welcome on the topics throughout the tour. General advice: Sensible shoes and reasonable attire - we run tours in a very old and very busy place - so it can be dusty, loud, and we will go into greater detail when you arrive for your tour.

  21. Glasgow Central Station Tour: Know The Secrets

    Glasgow Central station tours are exclusively operated and managed by the station authorities and for many many years historian and guide Paul Lyons (he has decades of experience in the railway industry) has been conducting these tours. ... The guide Paul Lyons' passion about Glasgow's history and in depth knowledge about every crevice of ...

  22. Glasgow Central Tours

    Visited today (Wed 10th Aug) with my Dad, this is one of the best Tours I have been on and really opens your eyes to old Victorian Central Station. Paul the Tour Guide was just brilliant, with fantastic knowledge of the history of Central Station as well as loads of info on Glasgow and Scotland and this comes through in this tour and made it so ...