Glasgow

Glasgow

Scotland's largest city and the third largest city in the UK, Glasgow's had long taken a back seat to Edinburgh with tourists and visitors. Its reputation as a rough, crime-ridden, dirty and hard drinking city put people off. But, since the mid 1980s, Glaswegians have worked hard to turn that image around.

And they've succeeded.

In 1995, Glasgow was European Capital of Culture. The award wasn't for the heritage culture that enlivens Edinburgh but for an entirely more contemporary vibe.

And it keeps getting better. In 2008, Lonely Planet named Glasgow one of the top 10 cities for tourists. In the same year, the Mercer report, a quality of life survey, put Glasgow among the top 50 safest cities of the world. Nervous tourists note: that was more than 30 places higher than London.

Today, Billy Connolly's home town is a hip destination for contemporary art, jazz, clubs, comedy, design and fashion (of both the chic and the gutsy street kind). It's also the gateway to the Western Highlands. Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park is about half an hour away.