Help Sitemap Home Skip Navigation Contact Us Disability Statement


Glasgow and Edinburgh top poll as the UK's favourite cities

Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image

Published Date: 05 September 2006
By MATT DICKINSON
GLASGOW was named the UK's favourite city by a prestigious travel survey yesterday, beating Edinburgh into second place.
Readers of Conde Nast Traveller voted Scotland's biggest city into first place in its annual tourism poll, toppling last year's winner London.

The former industrial powerhouse also leapfrogged its close rival Edinburgh, which came second in the m
agazine's Readers' Travel Awards 2006.

It is the second time Glasgow has taken the top spot in the poll, which has been going for nine years. London was ranked third this year, ahead of Newcastle in fourth place and Leeds in fifth.

Conde Nast said Glasgow, which was in second place last year, had been singled out for its people and hospitality as well as its lively nightlife.

The city's attractions include free galleries and museums such as the city council-owned Kelvingrove Museum, the most popular tourist attraction outside London with more than one million annual visits, and the Burrell Collection of art.

Edinburgh - which has secured the poll's top position for three out of the last five years - was favoured for its safety and cleanliness.

Glasgow's Lord Provost, Liz Cameron, hailed the poll result as fantastic news. "A lot of people have worked very hard to transform Glasgow in recent years and this is evidence of how successful we have all been."

City of Edinburgh Council's tourism spokesman, Donald Anderson, added: "I have no worries about losing to Glasgow - it's a wonderful city."

London has the best restaurants and accommodation, according to the poll, while Newcastle is the easiest city to get around.



Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 05 September 2006 9:29 AM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Glasgow and Edinburgh
 
1

everything you do is probably a Balloon,

05/09/2006 11:41:33

Moray , I meant until it is cosmopolitan , but I can see the problem with what I said.

2

Bigmac,

Glasgow (on Holiday) 05/09/2006 11:43:18

Well Sheik Ali - you keep your relatives in the South and we will keep laughing - oh and send Bejjy with them - they could all be teached then by Sue.....Watford....give us a break

3

everything you do is probably a Balloon,

05/09/2006 11:55:00

I dont like any of the cities in the UK.

4

Bejjy,

05/09/2006 12:04:26

What are you doing up in the glens Ken Livingstone; looking for socialists?

5

Bigmac,

Glasgow (on Holiday) 05/09/2006 12:26:23

Well I felt it was time to travel North, after all the Livingston family come from an explorer background, so I thought it was time to travel( using the Conde Nast Guide) and leave some of that smog behind, after all this gives me time to savour and look back at what this great country has given to the world, no other has been so responsible for many of our great discoveries, which is why in the South we can only look on in admiration, so I am not too proud to admit that we can learn a lot from what Glasgow has achieved and if we could do the same elsehwere, the UK would be a far better place, plus you are right Sheik Ali, I may have a beer with a socialist or two, one in particular has a bit of time on his hands.

6

Bejjy,

05/09/2006 12:40:29

Good on yer Livingston; now wait while I find my fiddle. And by the way; why would I want to take Bejjy down south; he's an infidel and belongs elsewhere.

7

Eve,

Scotland 05/09/2006 13:24:40

18. Kate: Did you read that webpage it says this about Glasgows "a 45-minute drive can take you to the outskirts of the Highlands."

I've been 45mins drive out of Glasgow loads of times, I never relised that I was in the outskirts of the highland. It's strange that, cause it take over an hour to travel from Glasgow to Perth by car.

31. Mario Antoinette: What Really even, Inverness and Stirling!

8

Gordon Zola,

Mallaig 05/09/2006 13:31:54

Eve, when you drive west out of Glasgow for 45mins on the A82 and arrive in Tarbet, where the hell do you think you are?

9

Kitti Kat,

us 05/09/2006 13:44:45

Agree with Edinburgh but Glasgow? Someone at Conde Nast must be out of their mind, paid off or was as drunk as the people we saw on our stops there.
At 8a.m. we saw nothing but drunks and hooligans with football banners ,etc. coming upon tourists, citizens of Glasgow, etc. We here in the US are used to problems in some cities but to be honest I felt safer in NY than I did in Glasgow. And that says a lot because New York is pretty bad. York England and Edinburgh rate high as does Inverness, Orkeny, etc. but keep Glasgow.

10

Kitti Kat,

us 05/09/2006 13:51:12

Before everyone in Glasgow sends me hate mail, on one side of my family,my great grandparents came from Glasgow and Paisley and owed a textile mill (exactallly where, we haven't yet discovered but are still looking into the Scottish archives). On the other side , we have Edinburgh great grandparents so I have a bit of both sides running in my veins.

11

Ex Pat Scot from Leith,

London, Canada 05/09/2006 14:23:40

As someone who was born and raised in Edinburgh, I will always consider it the most scenic and historic city in Scotland - Glasgow in my opinion doesn't come close

12

Scottish 'N British,

Dundee 05/09/2006 14:26:11

19. One word - sectarianism.

'Nuff said.

13

Ex Pat Scot from Leith,

London, Canada 05/09/2006 15:03:14

Ali - fortunately in this day and age we are all entitled to our own opinions!

14

kas,

Glasgow 05/09/2006 15:52:15

Eve, have you ever heard of the highland fault line? what lies above is the 'highlands', below the 'lowlands'. Technically I can be in the highlands in about 30 minutes....

15

Loren,

Minneapolis, USA 05/09/2006 18:20:32

For what it's worth... I absolutely love Glasgow & agree wholeheartedly with the poll.

I live in the US but have traveled extensively across the UK & to me Glasgow is the absolute best. I think it really depends on what you're looking for in a city. Glasgow has a great pub scene, nightlife and music scene.

I think it's a fairly polarizing city which helps explain some of the opinions here. Much like New York, you either love it or hate it. That said, I can see how someone coming from small town America (or small town anywhere) wouldn't feel comfortable there. Truth is that it IS a little seedy & dirty sometimes. Personally, I feel that much like NYC that is part of the charm of the city. The Barras would be the perfect example... It just wouldn't be Glasgow without that experience.

I have always found something extremely "Real" about Glasgow. I know it's cliche, but I notice an immediate friendly vibe to Glasgow every time I visit. The city also just feels alive. It's very vibrant at any time of the day (or most nights for that matter).

16

Rod,

Kirkliston 05/09/2006 18:39:26

#33
Who is looking after the newts, Red Ken? We need to know about the newts,
A newt, after all, is for life and not just for Christmas.

17

Synchronicity,

05/09/2006 21:53:31

I've been sitting here for about 15 minutes trying to think of something positive to say about Glasgow and I just can't. That's not being nasty or biased, I have lived in both cities. I just don't like Glasgow. It's scary!

18

Doreen,

Dear old Glasgow toon 05/09/2006 22:11:07

Aye well Glasgow is a bit scary there's no doubt about that. Its rock to Edinburgh's fudge, disnae hiv a castle bit ye'l find many a dungeon in it. Edinburgh's aw tartan and shortbread whereas Glasgow's......we don't tart it up for the tourists, whit ye see is whit ye get, and sometimes ye get more than ye bargained for! Glasgow's the yang to Edinburgh's yin. Go tae Edinburgh for aw the nice touristy stuff then come through to Glasgow and bask in the hot air......we do like to talk and be heard....and agreed with.

19

SC,

Dundee 05/09/2006 22:28:58

Can't we just agree that in Edinburgh and Glasgow, we have two great cities with a hugely healthy rivaly. It is about time teached the whole World about them.

20

SC,

Dundee 05/09/2006 22:31:53

Oh look at that, I made a mistake. "We teached". Sorry.

And "rivalry". If only I hadn't been teached in the Seventies by lefty taughters I'd have learnt spelling and accuracy.

21

Silver Tassie,

London 05/09/2006 22:48:44

Such a load of mince some of you spiel. We all know that there is no place like Glasgow. What a place! It has everything. If Tony Blair or that nut McConnell were to put more policemen on the beat to clear the streets of the scumbags, then Glasgow would be absolutely perfect. Perhaps if those on the 'Social' were given food coupons instead of money then that might be a start.

22

SILVANA,

06/09/2006 00:07:46

HAIL CALEDONIA

As one of those on the "social! who had to fight for a year to obtain what is given freely to non tax paying eejits, drug addicts etc, after a lifetime of tax paying, I expect more than food coupons. Considering that I lost two stone in two months due to being food intollerant, blacked out if I ate as much as two slices of toast, pray tell me what your food coupons would do for me............another thing, I suppose am to sit in the cold and starve . IN SHORT, THERE ARE TAX PAYING INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE ON THE "SOCIAL".

23

Ann,

Cahir 06/09/2006 13:39:37

I belong to Glasgow!!.

24

Standards,

Glasgow 06/09/2006 15:00:38

13. sue, watford / 11:05am 5 Sep 2006 i cannot believe glasgow is being touted as uk best city. i teached there last year and can only describe the place as a living hell


It certainly wasn't English you "teached there". Hmm, then again...

25

Kitti Kat,

usa 06/09/2006 15:02:51

Ali, I am NOT another "roots chasing AMerican".
The only reason I know anything about the great grandparents from Scotland is because of the family Bible that they brought with them. I have never, in 20 trips to the UK bothered to "root out" the ancestors. There's an olid Biblical saying"let the dead bury the dead" and that's my feeling.
As to your trip to NY, had you researched it, you would have known not to go into the subways there.
Edinburgh is still a nicer, more cultured city and even with its many problems ( like ALL cities) it is still more comfortable than Glasgow.

26

Loren,

Minneapolis, USA 06/09/2006 17:54:58

I absolutely agree that Edinburgh is a "More Comfortable" city, but in some peoples eyes (mine included) Comfortable = Boring. Once again, just depends on what you're looking for I guess.

27

Long Black Veil,

NYC 06/09/2006 18:57:01

Is it possible that it just might be that tourists delight in the very things that put long-term residents of Glasgow off. I know that's true of the Euros who visit New York and never favor our magnificent museum mile but prefer to hang out in the areas where they're most likely to see homeless bums, drug addicts and welfare families. Harlem, for example, is a popular destination. I always assumed it was because they think our grunge is more "authentic" than theirs, and feel that they have enough art museums of their own, but now you're telling me that we here might even be no. 2 or even lower ranked for crime, filth and indigents.

28

david,

south carolina usa 07/09/2006 10:27:38

Regarding the issue of top cities i think it's great that both scottish cities are named one and two in the poll. As a native glaswegian its good to see such positiveness coming out of our country.
Glasgow people have the greatest sense of humour which is reflected in their statement of the people of edinburgh(there's more fun at a glasgow funeral than at an edinburgh wedding) just a joke, both are great place to be .

29

Jill,

Edinburgh 07/09/2006 10:48:47

I must say that I find both Edinburgh and Glasgow really safe (love them both)

But do you know what I hate? The people who congregate across from Haymarket station drinking bottles of Buckfast, jeering at passers by.

They really need to get a grip! Never seen anything like it - even in London or NYC!

30

Kitti Kat,

Newtown Square 20/09/2009 21:45:44
Love Edinburgh but you can keep Glasgow!!!

 

Comment on this Story

 

In order to post comments you must Register or Sign In

 
 
RSS Feed of this article's comments
Delivery formats: RSS, Atom, Javascript & Email
 
  

 
 


Sister Newspapers:
Press Complaints Commission

This website and its associated newspaper adheres to the Press Complaints Commission’s Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then contact the Editor by clicking here.

If you remain dissatisfied with the response provided then you can contact the PCC by clicking here.