Art & culture

Merchant City is my favourite part of Glasgow, known for its stylish bars and fine dining. At the heart of the area, Merchant Square is a renovated Victorian courtyard which is home to some of the city’s best cocktail bars and eateries.

Originally built as part of Glasgow’s Fruit Market in the 1800′s, the charming building has always been a focal point in the Merchant City. Inside the courtyard, you will find cobbled pavements and wooden benches and the tall arched ceiling above is draped in small fairy lights which illuminate at night.

It is packed at weekends and there is a great buzz in the place which spills out into the courtyard from its restaurants and bars. If you are sitting in the bistro style seats of one of the trendy cocktail bars at night you could be forgiven for thinking you are sitting outside, underneath the stars.

During the day, the Square adopts a more family friendly feel and also holds weekly craft fairs with traders selling hand crafted goods such as cards, photography, candles and boutique cupcakes.

I go to The Lighthouse all the time, to pay homage to one of the best views of Glasgow and to browse the amazing gift shop. Located just off the heart of Glasgow’s shopping street – Buchanan Street – The Lighthouse is Scotland’s Centre for Architecture and Design. The former Glasgow Herald Building is impressive and inside is even better.

If you are in the city centre and in need of an escape, then the hidden Lighthouse is definitely worth a stroll around. It’s completely free admission and very peaceful and well arranged. Each of the different levels is brimming with art, projects, workshops and exhibits all year-round. It is also home to the Mackintosh Centre, and if you are a Charles Rennie Mackintosh nut like myself, then it’s a must see, as it plots Mackintosh’s contribution to the history of architecture and design in a timeline wall.

The best way to burn off all those weekend calories and to get one of the best views of Glasgow city centre is to head up the 134 steps to the top of Mackintosh tower. You might be exhausted afterwards, but at least you’ll get to treat yourself to a spectacular view of the city.

My favourite place in Glasgow for a cup of very special tea. Tucked away on a cobbled street in the West End, this wee gem is a haven from the chains of coffee shops in the city centre.

With so many teas from all over the world on offer, the menu is like a book. I confess to never having tried any of them apart from the Yogi Yogi chai – it’s so good I can’t bring myself to have anything else. Definitely the best chai I have ever tasted.

The atmosphere here is most definitely laid back. Take a seat inside if it’s cold. The mishmash of tables and chairs is divided by screens and voile curtains. I like to stretch out on the cushions in the Zen Room at the back and listen to the chill-out music. If it’s sunny, sit outside in the tea garden and try a shisha.

It’s not unusual to hear conversations going on in three different languages here. Tchai Ovna attracts a very international clientele.

The vegetarian meals and snacks and home-baked cakes are all very reasonably priced and portions are on the large side.

Check out the events page on Tchai Ovna’s website for gig listings. There’s something on most evenings including jazz, folk, blues, sitar recitals and poetry readings.

Better known as The Tall Ship, The Glenlee is a symbol of the city’s shipbuilding heritage. Built in a Clyde shipyard in the late 1800s, The Glenlee once transported cargo all over the world. A Naval Architect found her abandoned in Seville Harbour and in 1992, The Clyde Martime Trust had her towed back home to serve as a museum showing the maritime history of Glasgow.

If you have any aspiring young pirates in the family, this is the place to take them. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve visited with my son and it’s never easy getting him to leave.

Be sure to let the children take the ship’s wheel and pretend they’re Captain Jack Sparrow aboard the Black Pearl. Ask the crew nicely, and they might even let you hoist the Jolly Roger.

Don’t be put off if it’s raining as there is a children’s play area below the main deck and loads of room for children to run about freely.

And don’t let cold weather put you off either – The Glenlee now has a revolutionary new heating system that uses water from the River Clyde in its radiators. In fact, it’s the first floating museum ship in the world to use renewable energy sources. No more shivering in the timbers!

The city’s new Riverside Museum at Pointhouse Quay on the banks of the Clyde opened on June 21st. It replaces the city’s much-loved Museum of Transport and is worth a visit just to see the building, designed by the award-winning architect Zaha Hadid. It really is a work of art.

The huge space (the size of 7 Olympic-size swimming pools) is full of trams, trains, fire engines, gypsy caravans, motorbikes, cars and there’s an impressive display of bicycles suspended from the ceiling.

You can wander into the shops and establishments on the cobbled streets – there’s an Italian café, a pub and a photography studio where you can get your photo taken. And watch out for the the horses pulling the old Victorian funeral carriage at the entrance to the street – they look so real!

The area upstairs is devoted to the city’s shipbuilding heritage but don’t miss the Tall Ship, The Glenlee, moored outside on her new berth on the quay. Having been refurbished for the opening of the museum, there’s now much more to explore.

Leave at least half a day for your visit to Riverside Museum and The Glenlee. A shorter visit wouldn’t do these fabulous attractions justice.

The nearest underground station is Partick. Pointhouse Quay is a ten-minute walk away.