Glasgow's Music Mile: A Guided Walking Tour of Iconic Music Venues
4.9
62 Ratings
Glasgow City
Discover Glasgow's iconic music venues on a guided walking tour of the city's Music Mile. Immerse yourself in the vibrant music scene and learn about the city's rich musical history.
Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall - This is home to the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Celtic Connections - the world’s biggest winter music festival.

While here, we time travel back and hear tales from the heyday of the Empire. A former neighbour of the Concert Hall, the Empire is long gone but its fierce reputation for having the UK’s most critical and passionate audience lives on.

  • The Pavilion Theatre - The Pavillion has hosted everyone from Houdini and Charlie Chaplin to Sydney Devine, Glasgow’s very own rhinestone cowboy.

The former Odeon gets a mention here. First and foremost a cinema, it was also a stomping ground for bands like The Beatles, Little Richard and The Rolling Stones.

  • Royal Conservatoire of Scotland - At the Conservatoire, your guide has plenty of stories about associated hobbits, Outlander stars, Dr Who actors and even Bob Dylan, an unlikely fan of the bagpipes.
  • Nice ‘n’ Sleazy - The tour pauses at Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, a big-hearted dive bar that plays an instrumental part in nurturing young talent. As well as offering the opportunity for guests to buy a refreshment, Sleazy’s is where we tell visitors all the rock ‘n’ roll legends from the late, lamented Apollo.

It is also where guests hear about the changing sounds of Sauchiehall Street, an area that has been the city’s night-time playground for decades.

  • King Tut’s Wah-Wah Hut - The Music Mile tour finishes at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut where you have the opportunity to follow in the early footsteps of Oasis, Blur and the Manic Street Preachers.

Depending on access, there may be the chance to stand under the lights at King Tut’s and grab a selfie on the stage that helped launch so many great acts.

What's Included
  • Tour Guide Included
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
Additional Information

Immerse yourself in the renowned music scene of Glasgow through a two-hour guided exploration covering the city’s revered music mile.

Spanning from the Royal Concert Hall to the renowned King Tut’s, and including Glasgow’s Conservatoire, this is an express tour across the bustling city centre, a location brimming with historical and contemporary music venues.

Glasgow is unparalleled in its fame for breeding outstanding bands, creating iconic music, and hosting remarkable shows. Join us on this walk to uncover the reason for its musical prowess.

Our guides are passionate music enthusiasts, artists and authors, deeply engaged in Glasgow’s cultural sphere.

Extending just over a mile, the Music Mile journey focusses on a wide array of music styles and periods- from dancehall and classic jazz to punk and pop, and the current generation of guitar virtuosos.

There’s abundant information for the ardent music lovers yet, as with all our tours, it is filled with fascinating stories that will captivate even the casual fan seeking a new perspective of the city.

  • Minimum age is 14 due to licensing laws.
  • Route contains steep inclines and stairs. Please contact local supplier to discuss mobility issues.
  • Weather appropriate clothing and comfortable shoes are recommended.
Location
The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
Sauchiehall Street
Meet your guide at top of steps leading to Sauchiehall Street entrance of Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(62 Ratings)
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326athena
May 28, 2024
Musos - don't miss this! - What Phil doesn't know about music and culture isn't worth knowing. Linking his tales with historical context and social awareness, Phil had me hanging on every word. Just wish we'd had longer in town so we could have gone to both of them. Fab. Thanks, Phil.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Z2542rkjohnm
May 14, 2024
A blast from the past - A trip down memory lane for me as I often frequented Glasgows music venues in the late 60s & 70s. Thankfully the weather was dry and sunny. Fiona the tour guide was lovely, excellent and very knowledgeable in describing past and president music venues including from my era in which I was encouraged to share recall. I celebrated my 70th birthday last year , thankful for the music tour gift voucher which I received from a friend. A great day out. Cheers. John
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Janejennifer
Apr 29, 2024
Makes you wish you were 18 again and living in 1980s Glasgow! - If you are a music fan (especially of '70s/'80s/'90s New Wave and rock) you'll love this walk! Fiona, a local music critic, took us on a tour of the current and late-great music venues west of Buchanan Street. Oh, how I wish I'd grown up in Glasgow. I could have seen Depeche Mode and Ultravox and Bauhaus -- or The Killers and Blur before they were famous. There are and were so many venues. We even sat down in one of them (Sleazy's) for a beer and a chat. Fiona's stories about all of the legendary shows and misbehaving rock stars and wide-eyed unknowns-who-later-became-stars were incredible. We had a lot of Glaswegians on our tour who had been at some of those shows when they were young, so they shared their stories too. The last stop on the 2-hour tour was King Tut's. The manager let us come inside to see the venue. This was the best tour we took in Scotland. Fiona is awesome!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cotswoldmark
Apr 29, 2024
Amazing tour, super knowledgeable guide - Wow! This was an amazing tour of Glasgow’s famous music landmarks from the Royal Concert Hall to Kings Tuts Wah Wah Hut. Our guide Fiona really brought every venue to life with her stories, knowledge and props (old programs, tickets and photos) I would not hesitate to recommend this tour, it was the true highlight of our trip to beautiful Glasgow
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jane_h
Apr 29, 2024
A can't-miss for '80s New Wave fans - I highly recommend this fantastic walking tour. Our guide, Fiona, has been a music journalist for 30 years, so she knows her stuff. It's incredible how many Glasgow music venues (past and present) are located along the mile-long route of this tour. Fiona had tons of great stories of legendary rock shows that happened in each venue. Those stories made the tour very memorable. It must've been incredible to grow up in Glasgow and be a fan in that scene. In fact, there were several older music fans on the tour with us who had been those teens at those shows in the '70s, '80s and '90s. Fiona generously let them tell their stories too. During the two-hour tour, we stopped at "Sleazy's" for about a half hour and had beers in the club while she and others in the group shared stories of legendary shows there from people like Depeche Mode, The Vaselines, Ultravox and Lou Reed. The tour ended at King Tut's, and the manager there also let us inside. We headed upstairs to the stage and heard about the legendary shows there--by Oasis, The Killers, Blur and many others who played King Tut's before they were famous. I loved very minute of this tour. If you were young in the '70s, '80s or '90s, you'll especially love it!
Review provided by Viator
Shoegirl2014
Apr 9, 2024
Don’t hesitate to do this tour! - I am really glad we picked up this tour on our short trip to Glasgow. Super interesting and the tour guide, Fiona, was extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Loved visiting King Tuts where so many of my favourite bands launched themselves. Definitely planning on the morning tour when we are next over.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Njmetz
Aug 29, 2023
Very engaging and informative - A solid look at the deep music scene, covering everything from the jazz greats to Beatles, Buzzcocks, Nazareth, Simple Minds, The Cure, Oasis, even Susan Boyle, and many more all in between. Our guide was an engaging storyteller with great humor and plenty of local vernacular that kept the group smiling. The tour takes you by the famous music theaters, performing arts schools, and into a couple of the music clubs including the famous King Tuts Wah Wah. If you’re a music art lover of any sort, this is a must do.
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Explorer587014
Aug 7, 2023
Great! - Such an informative tour from a really engaging and knowledgeable tour guide. As a native of the city I learned so much!
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137kierang
Jul 31, 2023
Amazing tour - Fantastic afternoon with Phil So many stories and lots of fun Phil knows everything there is to know past and present brilliant way to spend a few hours
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ajduncan
Jul 16, 2023
Brilliant tour - A brilliant walking tour for everyone from musical obsessives to those just interested in the city's history and architecture. So many great stories, brilliantly told.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 10 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
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