Some may shudder at the mention of a night out in Glasgow but that’s probably because they’ve seen Train spotting or have never visited to Scotland’s largest city, for the uninitiated Glasgow is a great city and has been awarded many titles over the years including City of Culture, City of Architecture and Design and Capital of Sport. Glasgow’s main appeal is the people – warm, friendly and eager to chat - Your Begsby characters probably do exist but are fictional on the whole.

It’s safe to day that Glaswegians enjoy going out and enjoy a drink or three whilst debating every day matters this will usually be fused with rawkus banter. The city centre is laid out on an American style grid plan,the best drinking areas are in the West End (the area around Byres Road and Ashton Lane), second there is Sauchiehall street. Thirdly there is the Merchant City, which is near Strathclyde University's campus. This is the most 'upmarket' area to drink and eat in, although it still has numerous student dives. Finally, and up and coming, is the South Side (i.e. South of the Clyde). This used to be very much 'behind the times' socially speaking, but the relocation of the BBC to the South Side and the whole area generally moving 'upmarket' has improved things greatly. The City Centre, which makes up the majority and contains much of the city’s shopping and entertainment district, as well as its commercial heart, and the West End – the bohemian area of cafés, restaurants and bars surrounding the University of Glasgow

Be warned though about dress codes, particularly in some of the more upmarket establishments in the city centre and West End - sportswear and trainers (sneakers) are often banned, and some door staff are notoriously "selective" about who they do and don't allow in with arcane "regulars only" door polices which they never seem to want to explain. If confronted with this, don't waste your time arguing and take your custom elsewhere. The general "boozer" type pubs don't have dress codes, but football shirts are almost universally banned in all - particularly on weekends. One rule to be aware of is that some clubs and upmarket pubs enforce an unwritten policy of not allowing all-male groups of more than about four people. For this reason, it may be advisable to split into groups of 2 or 3.