Glasgow Botanic Gardens and the Kibble Palace
About
Free public gardens at the top of Byres Road in the West End, with the Kibble Palace, a huge Victorian glasshouse first erected in 1873, as the centrepiece: a domed iron-and-glass structure holding tree ferns, a Victorian marble statue collection, and (in a separate range) a working tropical and temperate plant collection. The wider gardens run down to the River Kelvin, connecting directly onto the Kelvin Walkway, and are a genuine local green space rather than a formal tourist garden, busy with students, dog walkers and picnics whenever the weather allows.
Photos
Highlights
- ✓The Kibble Palace's 1873 glass dome and Victorian marble statues
- ✓Tree ferns and a working tropical and temperate plant collection
- ✓Free entry and open year-round
- ✓Direct access onto the Kelvin Walkway along the river
Tips
- →Free entry to the gardens and the Kibble Palace; no booking needed.
- →Combine with a stretch of the Kelvin Walkway, which runs right past the gardens.
- →Ka Pao restaurant, in the old tram depot at the gardens' Vinicombe Street gate, is a good lunch stop before or after.
Best Season
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