Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
4.5
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Free Entry. Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Mu​seum is Scotland's most visited free attraction.​ With 22 themed, state-of-the-art galleries displaying an astonishing 8000 objects, the collections are extensive, wide-ranging and internationally-significant.
Duration: 2-3 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Top ways to experience Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
The area
Address
Reach out directly
See what travelers are saying
  • M K
    Idaho Falls, Idaho15 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Always a must see!
    A lovely art gallery with many Pre Raphaelite paintings and MacIntosh paintings and decorative items. A wonderful and varied collection in a beautiful building. When visiting, you can feel the sense of pride and community that Glasgow has for this lovely art gallery and museum! This is an art gallery not to be missed when in Glasgow!
    To M K, thank you for your lovely review of the art gallery & museum. We're glad to hear you enjoyed our Pre-Raphaelite and Charles Rennie Mackintosh collection. They both are some of our most popular exhibits in the museum. We hope you can visit us again soon!
    Written March 27, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited March 2023
    Written March 25, 2023
  • George1507
    59 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Kelvinhall Art Gallery - a must to see in Glasgow
    Brilliant art on display (you must see the Dali painting of Christ on the cross), loads of interesting exhibits, all in the most imposing and beautiful building. And - although you should leave a donation - it's free. Plenty of local parking too, and Kelvinhall subway is a short walk away.
    To George1507, thank you for leaving us a wonderful 5-star review. We're glad to hear you enjoyed your visit and managed to see Dali's Christ of St John of the Cross. It is absolutely one of the highlights of the museum. We hope you choose to visit us again soon!
    Written April 4, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited April 2023
    Written April 3, 2023
  • The_Coach55
    Ruislip, United Kingdom961 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Superb Art in Beautiful Building
    The Kelvingrove is situated in the west of Glasgow around a mile and a half from Central station. Bus 2 or 3 takes you there from the city centre. There are great paintings on display from internationally renowned artists such as Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Camille Pissarro, Mary Cassatt and Andre Derain, as well as local boy James Whistler. How ever it was the works by the Glasgow Boys and the Scottish Colourists that stood out for me. From the Glasgow Boys, E A Hornel’s Japanese influenced work was really good as were the paintings of John Lavery. I really liked his Maidenhead Regatta. William Kennedy impressed too. I enjoyed Samuel Peploe and John Duncan Fergusson of Scottish Colourist fame. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit in this beautiful building. Admission is free.
    Hi The_Coach55, thank you for taking the time to leave us a wonderful review of the museum. We're glad to see you enjoyed our wonderful collection of art - the Derain is a personal favourite of mine! We hope to see you back again soon!
    Written April 10, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited April 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written April 5, 2023
  • nycmom22
    New York City, New York3,151 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Walk in and gasp
    The grandeur of the ground floor grabbed me. More than I expected. Not unlike a cathedral.. we mainly saw Mackintosh…but there were lovely French paintings…and global animals, too. It is large but not too large to cover and to enjoy.
    To nycmom22, thank you for leaving a wonderful review of the museum. We're glad you enjoyed your visit. Our Charles Rennie Mackintosh gallery is one of our most popular attractions. We hope hope you can visit us again soon and can explore the rest of the museum.
    Written April 18, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited April 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written April 17, 2023
  • L_K1509
    London, United Kingdom1,333 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fabulous museum
    A fabulous museum, free admission, beautiful building full of character and charm. Huge halls with high ceilings, wide sweeping staircases up to the first floor with balconies overlooking the exhibition below. The art galleries, large mammals- including elephants , giraffe and loads of birds to name a few. Plus a morris & co exhibition. Plus more. Overall a great visit. Good for a few hours. Easy to get to from the city centre, buses stop out front. The kelvingrove park surrounds the museum is also worth a visit.
    Hi L_K1509, thank you very much for visiting the museum and taking the time to leave us such a wonderful review. We're happy to hear you had such a good time. We hope you can visit us again soon!
    Written April 24, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited April 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written April 18, 2023
  • Acran
    Alexandria, United Kingdom181 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Interesting
    Went here for the first time in a few years and was impressed. It seemed to be better than I remembered. So much to see and learn. You can get a map when entering which was handy. There is Staff around too and were friendly there's also a cafe as you in with a pipe organ that gets played at 1pm. The museum is split over 3 levels with the actual front on the lower ground floor. The play also has access for disabled to areas. There's is 2 gift shops with reasonable price gifts. Will definitely be returning
    To Acran, we appreciate you taking the time to leave us a review. We're glad to hear you enjoyed your visit to the museum. We hope you can make a return visit soon!
    Written April 24, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited April 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written April 19, 2023
  • JayOk
    Glasgow, United Kingdom6 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful Building and So much Cool!
    I went with my mum Sheels and Big brother Richard. My fav stuff was the nature exhibits and the armoury bit. They were really cool and shiny and beautifully arranged. Big Peacock feather guy with a blunderbuss like musket looked really BA! The Jesus painting by Salvador Dali is beautiful but a bit scary and ominous looking. We only saw the top tier. Will check out ground floor too soon. The planet contraption from way back before Neptune or Pluto was discovered was cool. Marvellous invention to show how the planets orbit. I'd highly recommend going! Paintings and sculptures lovely too.
    Visited April 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written April 26, 2023
  • natclay
    Quinns Rocks, Australia194 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fantastic museum
    I have been to many museums and this is one of my favourites. It's just the right size, with an interesting variety of exhibits, so there's something for everyone. The building is beautiful and we were lucky to be there to enjoy a performance on the organ. Coffee shop, cafe and gift shop. Allow a couple of hours.
    Hi natclay, thank you very much for your wonderful 5-star review of the museum. We're happy to hear that we are one of your favourites! Hopefully you'll be able to make it back for another visit soon!
    Written May 18, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited May 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written May 2, 2023
  • WittyNeal
    8 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    So much here to see, you won't do it in a day but well worth trying. Excellent.
    I came to find the Impressionist paintings in the collections and wasn't disappointed, there was so much more to see than I imagined at first glance. Lovely cafe downstairs where he ate a hearty lunch - soup and wrap, and lots of clean toilets all around the floors. Many families are visiting so it can be noisy in some areas and is busy busy all round really, but it is very spacious so you aren't tripping over one another. I was happy after seeing the French art section but was thrilled to read all about the Glasgow Boys and the art they created. Fab. Not to tiring, subway was really simple to get almost to the door from the town centre. Unmissable really.
    To wittyneal, thank for you visiting Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum. We're always grateful when visitors leave us a great review like yourself! The Glasgow Boys gallery really is a bit of a hidden gem, so we are always happy to hear someone was able to take the time to really enjoy their work. We hope you can come back soon and catch up on any items in our collection you may not have had time for during this visit.
    Written May 18, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited May 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written May 7, 2023
  • Mary M
    Exeter, United Kingdom64 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Eclectic museum and art gallery
    I love this museum. Arrive before 1pm and indulge in a snack or coffee and you will be treated to a free organ recital. Good collections of Scottish art including work by the Glasgow Boys and the Scottish Colourists. Plus, of course, the Dali 'Christ of St. John of the cross'.
    To Mary M, thank you for taking the time to leave the museum a wonderful review. We're glad you managed to view to Dali's Christ of St John of the Cross, which is one of our key artworks. We hope you get a chance to visit us again in the future.
    Written May 22, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited May 2023
    Written May 19, 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles15,812 reviews
Excellent
11,540
Very good
3,555
Average
614
Poor
78
Terrible
25

Timscfc
Madeley, UK112 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020 • Couples
A real mish mash of different exhibits and exhibitions and not very inspiring - but it’s free and it gets you out of the rain so can’t complain too much . The organ recital at 1pm was totally underwhelming as well.
The transport museum was much more interesting - and its only a short walk away
Written March 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

SWAdventures
Gateshead, UK500 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
Wow!
This place is simply stunning!
Being my first trip to Glasgow, obviously I turn to trip advisor for advice, and there it was, staring out at me from the screen in the top position of things to do.
It doesn't matter what your interests are, you will find something to delight you at this incredible homage to architecture, art, culture, and history. Kelvingrove Art Gallery has it all, so make sure you set aside at least a couple of hours to take it all in. The building itself is simply beautiful, from whichever way you approach it the facade draws your eye, beckoning you into its doors. Once inside you are treated to a maze of displays, all carefully brought together to please and delight the tourist. While I was there it wasn't only my eyes being treated to intricate artwork and visual perfection, my ears were in for a treat too. At 1pm, as I sat gazing upon the birds of prey, the melodic tones of organ music danced through the air. Making my way to the main hall, the acoustics vibrated through my body as a lone player sat at the magnificent organ to entertain the audience. I could have spent all day in this amazing place there was so much to see. This is a definite recommend from me for all ages, you simply can't go to Glasgow without visiting... You'll be so disappointed if you miss it.
Written February 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Scottishsaladdodger
Scotland34 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Solo
On a cold sleety Monday the art gallery and museum was the perfect place to spend a couple of hours. Lots of interesting things to see, and a very enjoyable organ recital to listen to. A few little kids running around screaming who perhaps should’ve been kept more in check, but if being taken to the gallery means they grow up art lovers their over-excitement will have been a small price to pay!
Written February 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Martin G
Leeds, UK283 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020 • Couples
We enjoyed our visit. There’s loads of exhibits of all kinds. Animals, historic items, Egyptian stuff and lots of art.

We went on the free guided tour which was fascinating. Definitely recommend as it brings to life some of the more significant exhibits including a Salvador Dali and a Rembrandt.

We were there early and walked around museum which is t great as we don’t know what we are looking at. It would be really good for the museum to have an app which explained the pieces that you can listen to as walking around

We also listened to the daily organ recital which was excellent
Written January 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Foodielive
Glasgow37 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2020 • Couples
First time here in a while. The new booking system for tickets is great, there’s staff everywhere to make sure not too many people were in one room and even though it is for safety being in a quieter museum was more relaxing and easier to see everything (if a bit spooky in some rooms!) also the disabled spaces now have individual ramps at each space which is a great help! Only thing is that for safety all the benches and seats are not at use but we were not aware of this. So if you have limited mobility like myself it’s not easy to get around
Written September 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

PeterY5
Glasgow, UK74 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
If you are looking for an informative free place to go on those wet days, then this is well worth a visit. With free access, this museum is situated on two levels with lots of displays on various topics. From ancient bones, paintings, animals and much more, all have good descriptive details which will take you lots of time if everything is to be read.
The only downside and this applies not just to this museum but the area in general, is the parking. It can very difficult to find a space nearby, with lots of residents only parking and of the spaces that are available they are often very popular. If you are prepared to drive about for 10 or 15 minutes you will usually get something, but note most require payment at the meter. Of course several buses do pass the area and the Underground subway is about a 15 min walk away.
Written January 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

cplatten
Surrey22 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2020 • Couples
Kelvingrove is one of those places you must really want to visit to go through the hoops needed to visit at the moment.
First, you need to book a lot in advance and slots fill up quickly. Then you have to find your way in through poor signage and a road that says No Entry. It is not signposted from the way of the Subway station that now the entry is around the back. But once you figure it out you will encounter all number of unfriendly Jobsworths feeling important on high-vis tabards who do nothing but direct a few people and cars around the background and of the building. I wish I could have that job!

At the entrance I was told by one lady I could use the lift. Then at the lift entrance I was shooed out by a Jobsworth till I explained I wanted the lift. Then a conversation ensued that involved me being treated like I was 9 years old in answer to my questions. It went like this:
NO Maps
NO Shop ("nothing to do with us, it's outsourced")
NO Café (people congregate for 4 1/2 hours)
NO turning back from one-way system
NO Seats
NO Mingling

Which really = NO Fun

Add to that the fact I have a health problem which means I need to sit down frequently and we decided to leave.

I also got the feeling if it took 7 Jobsworths doing nothing at the entrances, I didn't want to encounter anymore of them as they were all so rude.

So we crossed the street to a fantastic Italian cafe where we had refreshments, sat down and mingled and then just pottered around this interesting area where noone was wearing a tabard.

As a note, other museums and historic houses are making it work in these difficult times. Visitor experience should be better considered particularly for those with disabilities.
Written September 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Emily
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
We only had a short time to visit the museum and decided to take the free tour with Artie. We had a great overview and saw about one object in every room- you could spend many hours there. Artie was amazing. When we didn't know the Robert Burns song he was talking about, we asked him to sing it. He did, but he also danced with us in the middle of the exhibit! Make sure to go and take the tour.
Written February 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Robert S
Telford, UK61 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020 • Couples
This is the place to be on a breezy damp Sunday morning in Glasgow. 1 mile from the city centre you,llfind this gem of a public art gallery...one of the finest in the UK. From the stunning building itself to the eclectic array of collections, for a free entry gallery, this is superb. Kids obviously love it as there were lots of them about but they were awestruck at the exhibits, which was good! For a Glaswegian it makes me proud to have this gallery here and we try and visit when we're in glasgow for any length of time
Written January 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Irishlassy2014
Washington DC, DC46 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020 • Solo
Showed up at Kelvin Grove Museum just in time to take a free guided tour at 11 am by a local. The tour went at a fast pace but hit all the highlights of the museum in one hour. I knew about Glasgow as an industrial town, but learned a lot about the local arts community around the turn of the 20th century. Then I stayed to do more exploring of exhibits of interest on my own. For a small museum it packs in a lot of varied exhibits! Afterwards I stayed for a wee tea and sponge from the cafe and listened to the organ performance at 1 pm. It was a rainy day otherwise I would have spent time in the lovely park. It was my second trip to Glasgow visiting my daughter and I’m glad I finally had a chance to see the museum.
Written January 31, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

…
Showing results 1-10 of 14,493
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Frequently Asked Questions about Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

According to Tripadvisor travelers, these are the best ways to experience Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum:

Hotels near Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum: View all hotels near Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum on Tripadvisor

Restaurants near Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum: View all restaurants near Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum on Tripadvisor

Attractions near Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum: View all attractions near Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum on Tripadvisor