Glasgow Airport terminals have excellent train links to the rest of Scotland, via a convenient shuttle bus service. Many, therefore, who fly into this busy airport choose to take the train to their final destination, saving both money and time.
Glasgow Airport is just 10 miles west of Glasgow city centre. A convenient Glasgow Airport Express shuttle bus service connects the Glasgow Airport to Glasgow Central train station. This runs every 10 minutes, 7 days a week. Glasgow Central train station links with the mainland UK train network. This makes Glasgow Airport accessible via train to locations throughout the UK.
Read on to learn more about buying train tickets, timetables and possible connections.
Getting to Glasgow from Glasgow Airport by train
With Trainline, you can book cheap train tickets from Glasgow Central train station to anywhere within mainland UK. This way, you save time and money on airport parking and taxis, which helps if you’re short of cash after your holiday. We recommend booking well in advance of travelling to get the lowest fares. National Railcards can save you a further 1/3 off adult fares and 60% off fares for kids.
You can use the Glasgow Airport Express shuttle bus to get from Glasgow Airport to Glasgow Central station. The bus departs from just outside the airport terminal and costs £8 pounds for an adult single, with children half-price. The Glasgow Airport Express runs every 10 minutes during peak times, 7 days a week. It also operates through the night, every hour from midnight to 05:00.
For Glasgow Central station, you’ll need to get off the bus at the ‘Bothwell Street at Hope Street’ bus stop. You will then see Glasgow Central train station on your right. From Glasgow Central, ScotRail run direct train services to Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Inverness. This puts the whole of Scotland, England and Wales within easy reach of Glasgow Airport.
If you have a late flight into Glasgow Airport or you need to be up early the next morning for a train, then a Holiday Inn hotel lies just opposite Glasgow Airport terminals. You can walk there within a minute.
Useful travel tips
We want to make travel easier for you, which is why we’ve compiled a selection of useful travel tips to help you on your way.
Off-peak fares
Learn more about peak and off-peak fares, and how they can affect the cost of your journey.
Seat reservations
Need information about seating? Read our guide to find out more about what's available.
Interrail
Planning to travel Europe by train soon? Read our handy guide on how to save with an Interrail Pass.
Things to do in Glasgow
Glasgow Central train station is the busiest train station in Scotland and the 4th busiest in the UK outside of London. So, it has plenty of places to eat, drink and shop. Eateries include Burger King, Starbucks and Pret a Manger. Shops include WHSmith, Tesco Express and Boots. The station also has a Travelex for exchanging foreign currency.
As the largest city in Scotland, Glasgow has plenty of attractions. Famous for the architect and designer, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, you can find buildings of his from the 1890s within walking distance of the train station. These include the Willow Tea Rooms, The Glasgow School of Art, The Lighthouse and the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
Northeast of Glasgow Central, you can find George Square which houses the impressive 19th-century City Chambers. Further east of here lies Glasgow Cathedral, a medieval cathedral dating from before the Scottish Reformation and dedicated to St Mungo, the patron saint of Glasgow.
Glasgow’s local delicacy is the Deep Fried Mars Bar, a Mars chocolate bar coated in fried batter. You can find these in local fish and chips shops across the city. A circular subway system called the SPT connects all the major sites within Glasgow city centre.