Fly from Bristol to Glasgow and transfer to Voco Grand Central Hotel.

The newly reopened Burrell Collection comprises a collection of 9000 objects from all around the world bequeathed to the city of Glasgow in 1944 by Sir William Burrell. Highlights include a significant collection of Chinese Art, one of the finest collections of tapestries in the world, Roman Sculpture and paintings by 19th century French artists.

The afternoon is free and offers an opportunity to visit to the House for an Art Lover, built according to drawings Mackintosh drafted for a design competition in 1900. The stunning interiors are packed with fine art. Or visit the Willow Tea Rooms, designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh. 

Hill House was created by Mackintosh and his wife Margaret and has stunning interiors. The house is currently undergoing external renovation and clad in a unique steel ’box’, allowing visitors to enjoy the sumptuous interiors and use the walkways around and over the roof of the house.

After lunch we visit the Hunterian Museum – this leading University museum is the largest single holding of the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and James McNeill Whistler. The Mackintosh House is also included, which has the reassembled interiors from his Glasgow home. 

The Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery , an architectural gem, opened in 1901 and is a firm favourite with locals and visitors alike. The 22 galleries exhibit collections from art to animals and ancient Egypt to Charles Rennie Mackintosh. There is an impressive collection of French 19th century paintings including works by Monet, Gauguin and Renoir. Further highlights are Rembrandt’s ‘Man in Armour’, ‘Christ and the Adulteress’ by Titian and Salvador Dali’s ‘Christ of St John of the Cross’. The Scottish art collection includes paintings by the Scottish Colourists and the Glasgow Boys. 

Dumfries House was built in the 1750’s by John and Robert Adam for William Dalrymple, 5th Earl of Dumfries and remained in the family until 2007, when the 7th marquess sold it the nation. It was saved by a consortium headed by Prince Charles who purchased it for 45 million pounds after years of uncertainty and to avoid the risk of the furniture being auctioned off to private bidders. Its purchase came with a 2000 acre estate, a 500-tree Arboretum and the magnificent five-acre Queen Elizabeth Walled Garden. We have a tour of the house, including the magnificent collection of 18th century tapestries, picture gallery and elegant rooms. There is an outstanding collection of 18th century furniture including some of Thomas Chipperfield’s finest works. Lunch and refreshments are available at The Coach house stables at the heart of the Dumfries estate. 

The Riverside Museum was designed by internationally renowned architect, Dame Zaha Hadid. It opened in 2011 after a four-year build, with over 3,000 objects from the city’s world-famous collections displayed inside. Located at the junction of the Rivers Kelvin and Clyde, it houses the city’s fabulous transport and technology collections, which have been gathered over the centuries and which reflect the important part Glasgow has played in the world through its contributions to heavy industries like shipbuilding, train manufacturing and engineering. The museum has an incredible array of objects from skateboards and vintage cars to prams and powerful locomotives and it is even possible to walk down an old cobbled Glasgow street with shops dating from 1895 to the 1980s. The Tall Ship, Glenlee, the UK’s only floating Clyde-built sailing ship is berthed outside the museum and also free to enter as part of the visit.

We continue to the airport for our homeward flight to Bristol.