This junction of five roads is a major Glasgow landmark and indicates the end of Merchant City and beginning of the East End. Standing tall is the Tolbooth Steeple, a clocktower that is all that remains of the 17th-century town hall. Near it is the Mercat Cross, which traditionally marked the place that a market could be held by royal decree, represented here by a unicorn.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.57 MILES
Glasgow Cathedral has a rare timelessness. The dark, imposing interior conjures up medieval might and can send a shiver down the spine. It's a shining…
21.76 MILES
Hold Stirling and you control Scotland. This maxim has ensured that a fortress of some kind has existed here since prehistoric times. You cannot help…
2.49 MILES
This visually impressive modern museum at Glasgow Harbour owes its striking curved forms to late British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid. A transport museum…
2.09 MILES
Attached to the Hunterian Art Gallery, this is a reconstruction of the first home that Charles Rennie Mackintosh bought with his wife, noted designer…
Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum
1.99 MILES
A magnificent sandstone building, this grand Victorian cathedral of culture is a fascinating and unusual museum, with a bewildering variety of exhibits…
6.91 MILES
Paisley Abbey is well worth the short trip from Glasgow. This majestic Gothic building was founded in 1163 by Walter Fitzalan, first high steward of…
18.54 MILES
Completed in 2002, the Falkirk Wheel is a modern engineering marvel, a rotating boat lift that raises vessels 115ft from the Forth & Clyde Canal to the…
1.93 MILES
This brilliant science museum will keep the kids entertained for hours (that's middle-aged kids, too!). It brings science and technology alive through…
Nearby Glasgow attractions
0.11 MILES
This neo-classical Georgian church is quite a sight with its facade of Corinthian columns, tall slender tower and brick-edged windows. The design was…
0.12 MILES
This extraordinary mechanical theatre is located at the Trongate 103 arts centre. Russian sculptor and mechanic Eduard Bersudsky, now resident in Scotland…
0.26 MILES
This noble Merchant City edifice was built in 1805 as a hospital and a school for the poor with a bequest from the brothers whose statues stand in the…
0.26 MILES
Designed by Robert Adam in 1791 to house the trades guild, this is one of Merchant City's most notable buildings, with its dignified neoclassical facade…
0.28 MILES
The solid Tobacco Exchange flanks pretty Virginia Court. Sugar and tobacco were traded here in the 18th and 19th centuries.
0.36 MILES
The grand seat of local government was built in the 1880s at the high point of Glasgow's wealth. The interior is even more extravagant than the exterior,…
0.4 MILES
Stately George Sq is the civic centre of Glasgow, dominated by the town hall – City Chambers – on the eastern side. The large open space is dignified by…
0.4 MILES
This contemporary art gallery features modern works from local and international artists, housed in a graceful neoclassical building. The original…