Glasgow essentially is a city of rich museums and lovely old buildings. The museums have mostly free entry (read about Glasgow top attractions) while the fantastic old buildings are there for everyone to admire and photograph. Besides this there are sprawling parks with nominal entry fees… the profusion of greenery has earned Glasgow the name ‘Dear Green Place’.
Anyway, the point is that you won’t really need a discount pass for saving entry fees on attractions if you are doing all your sightseeing inside Glasgow. On the other hand, if you plan to travel to historic destinations around Glasgow like Culzean Castle, Stirling Castle, Fort Augustus etc. then the travel pass may come in handy. Glasgow has easy access to the Scottish Highlands which is full of wild untamed beauty and gorgeous medieval castles and forts and a pass like the Historic Scotland Pass will help you cut down on entry fees. This pass is especially useful for people who are planning to do a cross-Scotland trip to visit Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness plus a couple of other towns than people who are planning to visit just Glasgow and its outskirts.
As mentioned in our extensively researched ‘How to get around in Glasgow’ page, the major city travel options in Glasgow are through bus and subway. The transport pass (subway and bus) may come in handy even for people who just want to explore Glasgow and its outskirts. First Bus has a number of combined ticket options like the one day ticket, one week ticket etc.
The best thing about transport discounts is that they can come in unexpected packages like if you are planning to sign up for a hop on hop off city sightseeing bus tour then you can get a decent discount on the Glasgow subway network too.
Historic Scotland Explorer Pass
The Historic Scotland Pass is ideal for those who wish to see a lot of historic castles and medieval palaces of Scotland. The pass comes with free access to 77 sites across Scotland and an information pack that has a brochure, location map and guidebook. The pass is provided by the official Scottish Government’s heritage organisation.
The Historic Scotland Explorer Pass comes in two versions; 5 days and consecutive days. The 5-day pass costs 35 pounds per adult and 21 pounds per child (for kids between ages 5 to 15). There is a family pass that can be brought for 70 pounds… it includes entry for 2 adults and 6 kids. The 14-day pass costs 45 pounds per adult and 27 pounds per child (for kids between ages 5 to 15) while kids under the age of 5 get to travel for free. There is a family pass that can be brought for this version too and it costs 90 pounds.
You can buy the Historic Scotland Explorer Pass online through Viator.
Some of these attractions like the Stirling Castle and Urquhart Castle are popular stops on day trips from Glasgow. Some day tour operators offer entry into these attractions as a part of their inclusive tour price and some will only take guests to the location. On reaching the location of the attractions, guests will have to buy the entry tickets for the attraction. In the before mentioned case, it might be profitable to possess a Historic Scotland Explorer Pass. This pass is more suitable for people who have extensive plans of touring Scotland.
Subway & Scotrail Discount Cards
Glasgow’s subway system is amongst the most well developed in the UK and as mentioned in our article ‘how to get around Glasgow’ page… using the subway is the best way to get around Glasgow city centre and the West End. Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) offers a number of discount schemes that include travel by subway, train and some selected bus and ferry networks. The following discount passes may be useful for tourists travelling in and around Glasgow.
Subway Smart Card
The best way to get the smartcard (and to avoid the usual 3-pound admin fee) is to apply online and then get it by post within 10 days but this may not always be a viable option for tourists. The next best option is to get an anonymous smart card from any of the subway stations. An all-day smart card will cost an adult tourist 3 pounds (1.50 pounds per child) and this includes unlimited subway travel using Glasgow’s (and greater Glasgow’s) subway network. A 7-day subway smartcard will cost 14 pounds per adult and 7 pounds per child.
There are more benefits associated with the Subway Smartcard than just saving money. Tourists can add their Scotrail tickets onto Subway smartcard and then use a single card for travelling by train as well as subway. The smartcard account can be managed online and it’s possible to check transport routes and avail the best loyalty scheme discounts.
Read more about the Subway Smartcard
Subway All Day tickets
An all-day Subway ticket (not the smart card version) can be brought from any subway station in Glasgow and it will cost 4.20 pounds per adult and 2.10 pounds per child (age 5 to 16). If you don’t have enough patience to arrange for a SmartCard ticket even the normal all day Subway ticket helps in making some savings.
Roundabout Ticket (Scotrail & Subway)
The Roundabout ticket offers one-day unlimited travel by Scotrail and Subway to more than 110 stations within the Greater Glasgow zone. The Roundabout tickets have to be brought from any Scotrail railway station from the railway staff.
You can view the full-fledged Roundabout Ticket coverage map here.
A Roundabout ticket costs 7.20 pounds per adult and 3.60 pounds per child.
Day-Tripper Ticket (Scotrail, Subway, Bus and Ferry)
A Day-tripper ticket gives tourists the option of travelling unlimited for one day using Scotrail, Subway and most buses and some ferry networks. The Day-tripper is aimed at families and there are two versions. There is a 12.70-pound ticket that can be used for one adult and up to 2 kids (age 5 to 15) while the 22.50-pound ticket can be used for 2 adults and up to four children.
Day-tripper tickets can be brought online and in advance.
You can also buy the Day-tripper ticket from Citylink Ticket Office near Buchanan Bus station on Killermont street.
Zone Card
A zone card is a good option for anyone planning extensive travel across Scotland over multiple days. This zone card is also managed by SPT (Strathclyde Partnership Transport) and offers unlimited travel by Scotrail, some bus networks, some ferries and the subway. For the record, Scotland is divided into many zones and studying this zone map will give you an idea of the different types of zones after which you can do the math and find out if the zone card is really a better option for your travel plans than just a subway pass or a First Bus pass.
Calculating the number of zones you need to get into maybe confusing as Central Glasgow is divided into zones (G1 and G2) while outer Glasgow is divided into 5 Zones (G3 to G8).
You can buy the Zone card at any functional Scotrail station after you supply a photo and ID proof. The Zone Card isn’t valid for First Glasgow and Stagecoach night bus services and the Transpennine Express rail services.
You can also buy the zone card online here.
A typical Zone card valid for 1 week and covering 2 zones will cost about 20.30 pounds per adult and 2.10 pounds per child.
Note: The day-tripper and roundabout tickets are valid only after 9.00 a.m. on Glasgow subway and train networks. Tickets are valid all days even public holidays. Normal subway operational hours in Glasgow is 6.30 a.m. to 11.40 p.m. from Monday to Saturday and 10.00 a.m. to 6.12 p.m. on Sunday. All things considering, neither the day-tripper nor the roundabout ticket option is suitable for people looking for late-night travel or non-rush hour travel by subway.
Apart from the above-mentioned schemes, City Sightseeing hop on hop off bus tickets offers guests discounts on the subway tickets as well as on selected attractions on Glasgow Science Centre.
Bus Passes
If you plan on travelling in and around Glasgow at night and with utmost convenience then availing the cities excellent bus networks is the best option. Keep in mind that the bus operates even at hours when the subway closes down and so getting a bus pass will be super handy.
PlusBus
The Plus Bus ticket works on all bus networks in and around Glasgow and it covers bus and tram services by more than 200 operators across Britain. A Glasgow PlusBus ticket offers unlimited bus travel on FirstBus, McGill’s and StageCoach bus services around the whole urban area of Glasgow City and its outskirts.
You can buy the PlusBus ticket with your train ticket at any National Rail station ticket office. Or you can buy the Plus Bus ticket from Virgin Train machines at the Glasgow central station.
Or else you can buy the PlusBus ticket online from the Scotrail website/ Cross Country Train Website/ LNER website. The plus bus day ticket is automatically offered at the 3rd stage of the ticket buying process. You need to tick the box saying Plus Bus and it will automatically be added to your basket of tickets. In the online purchase option, you will need to collect the Plus Bus ticket from a self-service ticket machine or you can get the tickets delivered by post (will take 5 days) or by courier (can be delivered the next day). The ticket will have Glasgow + BUS printed on it.
A day ticket (PlusBus) for an adult costs 4.10 pounds while a child ticket costs 2.05 pounds. A 7-day season ticket for an adult will cost 16.10 pounds (that makes the per-day price 3.22 pounds). Buying the Plus bus tickets gets considerable savings for tourists planning to use bus networks extensively. However, night buses of all operators are mostly excluded from this offer and this is a big disadvantage.
To know more about routes, availability on individual operator networks and PlusBus timetables, visit this PlusBus page.
Travel Passes with First Bus
First Bus (the principal bus operator of Glasgow and greater Glasgow) offers a range of combined tickets for days/ weeks. You can download the First Bus App for the cheapest bus fares and complete route information.
There is the FirstDay bus ticket that allows visitors to travel unlimited in one day and that includes night bus services. The ticket is not valid on Glasgow airport express.
4.70 pounds per adult and 2.10 pounds per child is the standard whole day bus ticket fare if bought on the Bus. To save a little more you can buy m-tickets/ App tickets in which case the applicable rate is 4.60 pounds (per adult) and 1.60 pounds (per child), there is unlimited travel for one day.
Remember that there is a local version of this ticket plus a Glasgow City version. The Local version includes travel within the local zone i.e. Lanarkshire, Cumbernauld, Kirkintilloch, Dumbarton. And if you want a FirstDay ticket that covers both Glasgow City and outer Local zones then get the Network FirstDay ticket that costs 5.80 pounds (from App) and 6.30 pounds (on Bus).
If you are travelling with family (2 adults and 2 kids aged 5 to 15) then buying the family ticket helps in making further savings. The Glasgow City/ local ticket costs 8.50 pounds per adult (on First Bus App) and 9.00 pounds (On Bus). The Network ticket costs 11.50 pounds (on First Bus App) and 12 pounds (On Bus).
Then there is the 1-week city/ local ticket that allows unlimited travel on First Buses in and around Greater Glasgow. If you buy this ticket on the App then it costs 17 pounds while the on Bus ticket costs 17.50 pounds. Buy the ticket from any other sales point and it will cost 18 pounds.
You can purchase FirstBus tickets online here.
Download the First Bus App and book tickets from there to get the biggest discounts.
Rail Passes
Rail passes will only come in useful if you plan on extensively travelling across Britain. Or if you plan on spending a week exploring Scotland.
There is the ‘Two Together Railcard’ that gets about 1/3rd savings on rail fare across Britain for two persons age 16 and above. The Senior Railcard is meant for people above 60 and they can save 1/3rd on train fares. The Family and Friends Railcard is available for only 30 pounds per year and is meant for families. A family/ group of 4 adults can save up to 1/3rd on rail fare while a family with kids can save up to 60% on tickets.
To know more about these schemes visit the Scotrail website.
You can also download the Scotrail app to apply for and then get the SmartCard (this can be used for subway journeys too). If you buy SPT Subway tickets then you can use ‘Pay as you Go’ credit for the Scotrail smartcard. Or you can put the Scotrail tickets on the SPT subway smartcard… works well both ways. All you have to do is to tap your smartcard (either subway or rail) at the ticket gate or platform validator and your ticket will automatically be loaded. You need to follow the same process at the end of the journey.
If you are planning on using Scotrail extensively then you can get the Smart Season Tickets; they come in weekly, monthly and annual versions and offer good savings. If you are planning a weeklong holiday in Scotland then the Smart Flexipass which will get you 10 journey tickets to destinations of your choice, is a good option. You will save at least 10% as compared to buying standalone tickets. For youngsters under 25, a saving scheme of at least 10% is available on advance fares on Scotrail services and for seniors over the age 50, 20% discount on all off-peak and advance tickets is available on Smartcard.
A travel addict. Still celebrating the day when he quit his high-profile corporate job to pursue his passion for travel writing.