Glasgow’s most prestigious structure and probably Britain’s finest-looking council building, the City Chambers, were modelled on Classical Italian architecture, by William Young and completed in 1888. The interior is every bit as lavish as the exterior, with no expense spared on materials such as Aberdeen granite, Carrara marble, mahogany and gold leaf. A maze of pillars, balustrades, frescoes and mosaics...

The vast Georgian stately home of Culzean (kul-LAYN) is celebrated for the gentility of its design, and its marvellously wild and windswept clifftop setting on the Firth of Clyde – and for the arresting contrast between the two. There have been fortifications of some sort here since the 12th century, but the present structure dates back to an 18th century...

This impressive collection of glittering fish and fearsome-looking sharks can be appreciated from below thanks to moving walkways through tunnels in tanks. This helps make it much more engaging for kids than traditional aquariums, as does the chance to touch rays in a learning centre and even dive with the sharks (age 8 upwards; £95 with advanced booking). Shark-diving is...

The extraordinary 1775 mansion of tobacco magnate William Cunningham now creates intriguing and attractive spaces – complete with stained glass and Corinthian columns – for stimulating contemporary art. Nicknamed GOMA, the museum has a solid permanent collection of painting, sculpture and modern photography but is usually best for its temporary exhibitions. These always seem chock full surprises; often impressive, clever...

Romantic as this 17th-century Glamis Castle, with its medley of towers and turrets, may look, it’s famed mostly for its literary association, since the King’s murder in Shakespeare’s Macbeth took place here. Inside, rooms are of interest partly because all their furnishings, tapestries and suits of armour are themed by era. A few rooms are said to be haunted and...

The dynamic Glasgow Science Centre has three huge floors of interactive exhibits for kids. This means it gets jam-packed and can resemble a giant playground on weekdays thanks to the many school visits. At other times it’s easier to get to all the different puzzles, optical illusions, music, engineering and craft areas. They’re all good fun and pretty successful at...

Glasgow’s mighty Victorian industrialists provided the wealth for the Kelvingrove and the extravagant building not only testifies to their brash self-confidence but also hints at its impressive treasures. These warrant a couple of hours of anyone’s time, in part because they are so eclectic. Artefacts include a World War II spitfire plane dangling from a ceiling; Egyptian relics; priceless paintings...

The little highland town of Drumnadrochit is the self-made capital of Nessie-mania. This is where visitors come to inform themselves about the legend of the Loch Ness Monster. A couple of places have set themselves up as “visitor centres” on the subject and, of them the Loch Ness Centre & Exhibition has the edge. Here you’ll find a detailed rundown...

This purpose-built Victorian sandstone museum gives a flavour of Glasgow culture by looking the ordinary lives of its working East End population. Exhibits may go back to the 12th century, but most of the social history is 19th and 20th: think temperance tracts, trade-union banners and suffragette posters. Comedian Billy Connolly’s banana-shaped boots are here too. Some tranquil and exotic...

The angular of architecture of Zaha Hadid, with its eye-catching jagged roof, opened in 2011 to become the impressive new home of Glasgow’s revamped Transport museum. For all its modern exterior though, the museum’s style is old-fashioned, with little real thrust or direction to its exhibits. But it’s a wonderful place to wander around and stumble upon vehicles of yesteryear....

Scots probably invented whisky, but they were certainly among its earliest distillers and soon became experts. Today, taking a distillery tour is pretty much a right-of-passage for visitors to Scotland and the Scottish Whisky Association publishes a handy leaflet detailing the forty-or-so possibilities. Find it at most tourist info centres and online. A Quick History Scottish distilling probably started in...