10 Best Places to Go Shopping in Glasgow

The Barras Market is a marketplace located at Gallowgate by the east end of Glasgow. It takes place every weekend when stalls line the market both indoors and outdoors, with vendors selling rare vintage fashion and home accessories as well as unique handmade novelties. If you're feeling a little hungry post-shopping, be sure to pop by any of the food stalls selling local homemade snacks and sweets. We also recommend trying the famous Barras Market doughnuts.

Prices are reasonable at The Barras Market, and even if you’re not looking to shop, the lively atmosphere that awaits will make your 10-minute trip out of the city centre worthwhile.

Argyll Arcade is a popular tourist destination in the heart of Glasgow featuring 32 jewellers under one roof. Built in 1827, Argyll Arcade is where you’ll find a wide selection of luxury watches, wedding bands, and diamond rings for every occasion. It retains an old-time charm with its original Parisian style fittings across the arcade, even marvelling tourists who are simply passing by to window-shop.

Many tourists may confuse Argyll Arcade for Argyle Street, which is where the high-end fashion shops are, so be sure to note the slight differences between the 2 when you're travelling.

Buchanan Street is an upmarket shopping destination featuring high-end fashion brands, footwear specialists, and beauty stores. This bustling pedestrian boulevard is a part of the "Style Mile" district in Glasgow and tourists are often wowed by its Victorian-style architecture. At the end of Buchanan Street, you’ll be greeted by Buchanan Galleries, a shopping mall with over 80 high-street and independent boutique spanning across 4 floors.

The flashy electric-blue streetlamps of Buchanan Street come to life at nightfall, illuminating the way for locals and visitors to enjoy a wine and dine experience at the local eateries before settling for the day.

Loch Lomond Shores is just a 25-minute drive outside the main town of Glasgow. It has a variety of designer fashion brands and independent stores featuring toys, home accessories, and more. A farmers’ market with makeshift stalls by the boardwalk also takes place on every 1^st and 3^rd Sunday of the month. Here, you’ll find an array of fresh produce, handmade trinkets, and taste local meals.

For families with young children, Loch Lomond Shores offers an outdoor play park that’s open daily and free to enter. If you’re here on a weekend, don’t forget to hop onto the Loch Lomond Shores Express, a mini train ride that takes you around the shores for a small fee.

St. Enoch Centre is set in the heart of St Enoch Square, just a step away from the famed Buchanan Street. It is the largest shopping centre in the Glasgow city centre, featuring over 100 notable brand establishments for fashion, food, and entertainment. For parents with young children, the mall is also home to a flagship Hamleys, along with a Mothercare store that covers 2 floors with toys, clothes, and childcare products.

The architecture of the St Enoch Centre building stands out because they feature a glass roof, providing the mall with natural sunlight come summer. This earns St Enoch Centre the nickname of “The Glasgow Greenhouse” – it’s the largest glass-covered enclosed area in Europe.

Glasgow Fort is a unique outdoor style mall located approximately 15 minutes away from the city centre. Locals especially prefer this mall as it takes them away from the bustling city but provides them just as many shopping choices. Mimicking a traditional high street look through its dual-street architecture, you’ll find over 100 top branded fashion stores such as JD Sports and eateries serving both local and international fares.

Through an aerial view, the retail stores are said to make the shape of a horseshoe. Due to its outdoor design with minimal roofing however, Glasgow Fort is ideally visited only on non-rainy days.

intu Braehead is a shopping mall on King’s Inch Road, offering over 100 stores, including big-name brands for fashion, toys, and other accessories. For adrenaline seekers, the mall prides itself in housing leisure establishments such as a laser tag station, a rock-climbing centre with the tallest indoor slide in the UK, a trampoline park and indoor skiing arena, just to name a few.

Between 10 am to 11 pm on the 1^st Tuesday of the month, intu Braehead dims the lights and turns the music down in the mall in support of Autism Hour by The National Autistic Society, providing a more comfortable shopping experience for patrons.

Hector Russell Kiltmakers was first established in 1881, making them the oldest kiltmakers in Glasgow today. They specialise in highland dress outfits in original Scottish fashion, along with contemporary styles for a modern-day touch. Prices are quite steep, but the quality of their tartan wear is well worth the cost.

While kilts were traditionally worn only during formal events, highland dress outfits now also make their appearance during occasions such as weddings or even a weekend out. If you’re not interested to purchase a kilt, Hector Russell Kiltmakers also provides costume rentals so you can experience the heritage of kilt-wearing for a day.

Merchant Square is set just 5 minutes away from St. Enoch Square – unlike the bustling high street shopping establishments around the city centre, it is home to independent boutiques and galleries. Pop-up stalls also make their appearances at Merchant Square every weekend, selling homemade trinkets and crafts for tourists to take home.

What makes Merchant Square even more unique is because it opens beyond regular retail times, with several stores closing only at 3 am on Fridays and Saturdays so you can shop to your hearts' content. Restaurants and bars are also popular here at Merchant Square, so be sure to stop and refuel before continuing your shopping spree in Glasgow.

Glickman’s Confectionery was established in 1903 by London Road and is Glasgow’s oldest sweets store. They are best known for their macaroon cakes and Soor plooms, a sweet and tangy hard candy usually sold in paper bags. Today, this family-run confectionery still makes their candies using traditional copper pots and original recipes, adding in new flavours to adapt to modern tastes.

Despite being set in a small shop, the staff still prepares their candies on site so if you're lucky, you may catch a glimpse of how their sweets are made. Glickman's Confectionery accepts bulk orders and conducts tours by appointment.