Scotland: The Architecture of Glasgow and Edinburgh10th Oct 2025

Scotland: The Architecture of Glasgow and Edinburgh

From:£845

Summary

Lying just 45 miles apart, Scotland’s two largest cities enjoy a healthy rivalry and are often contrasted with each other in a bid to determine superiority. Whether it’s the friendliness of their citizens, the quality of their shops or the prowess of their rugby teams, each city will proudly attempt to claim supremacy. But it’s the quality of their architecture that we are highlighting in this tour, not in an attempt to determine that one is better than the other (they are equally magnificent in their own way), but to illustrate the difference between the two cities and how they developed. In broad terms, Glasgow’s city centre architecture is predominantly Victorian, vast edifices built on a grand scale to reflect its status as the ‘Second City of the Empire’. In contrast, Edinburgh is most noted for its Georgian architecture, in particular the elegant terraces and wide streets of the New Town, though it also boasts a historic Old Town. 

Visits in Edinburgh include the 500-year-old Gladstone’s Land, the controversial Scottish Parliament building and the fascinating Georgian House, while in Glasgow we explore the impressive City Chambers, the humble Tenement House and the city’s social history at the much-loved People’s Palace.

Edinburgh

4 Days

Light

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  • What to Expect

    • Visit Gladstone’s Land with its hand-painted ceilings
    • Guided tour of the Scottish Parliament building
    • Contrast and compare Edinburgh’s Georgian House with Glasgow’s Tenement House
    • Private tour of the marble staircases and cavernous rooms at Glasgow City Chambers
    • Afternoon Tea at Mackintosh at the Willow

    Departure Routes

    LocationPickup TimeDropoff Time
    To be advised00:0000:00
    Glasgow, Bus stop on North Hanover Street, opposite Queen Street Station12:4514:30
    Edinburgh, outside reception of the Delta by Marriott Hotel, Glasgow Road14:0015:45

    ** Please note that all timings are approximate and subject to change. Final timings and pick-up points will be confirmed with your joining instructions approximately 10 days prior to departure. **

    Day by Day Itinerary

    We depart from our designated pick-up points (Glasgow, Edinburgh) and travel to central Edinburgh, where we begin with a tour of the Old Town, the historic area either side of the Royal Mile that runs from Edinburgh Castle down to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Included is a visit to Gladstone’s Land, one of the oldest buildings on the Royal Mile which has been a commercial and social hub for more than 500 years. It has witnessed momentous social and political change as well as war, fire and disease. Look out for the beautiful hand-painted ceilings from 1620.

    Continuing on a short walk from here and down the High Street, we will visit St Giles’ Cathedral, the scene of Her Majesty The Queen’s lying-in-state in September 2022 and the ‘Scottish Coronation’ of His Majesty The King in May 2023. The history of St Giles’ has spanned 900 years, from early beginnings as a Romanesque church in 1124 to its current standing as a modern Presbyterian church.  It has seen the seeds of civil war sown and been the centre of the Scottish Reformation as John Knox’s Parish church.

    Following our visit here we depart for our hotel.

    Meals includedDinner

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