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Varied yet compact, Glasgow is easy to get around and an ideal place to take an English language course.

Scotland’s largest city has seen a dramatic transformation in recent years and this historic, dynamic and friendly city is now famed for its art and culture.

Glasgow is a port on the river Clyde, which runs through the heart of the city, and built its wealth on trade and shipbuilding. The city is noted for its magnificent Victorian architecture and the early 20th century Scottish style developed by Glasgow-born artist and architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Following a period of economic decline, the city has recently seen investment in major regeneration projects such as the Clyde Waterfront heritage site, featuring the Zaha Hadid-designed Riverside Museum, which houses the city’s transport collection. River cruises on the Clyde stop at various locations, including the thoroughly modern Glasgow Science Centre.

Glasgow means ‘Dear Green Place’ in Gaelic and it lives up to the name, with over 90 parks and gardens.

Closest to the centre is Glasgow Green, with the People’s Palace and Winter Garden. Kelvingrove Park and the Botanic Gardens are in the West End, while Queen’s Park to the south, a beautiful Paxton creation, offers fantastic views of the city.

Home to Scottish Opera, Scottish Ballet and the National Theatre of Scotland, Glasgow has an international reputation for the arts and boasts more than 20 - mostly free - museums and art galleries. Highlights include the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, a treasure trove of art, historical artefacts and natural history exhibits, arranged in carefully themed rooms.

Glasgow University’s Hunterian Museum is Scotland’s oldest public museum, housing a collection from across the arts and sciences. The Hunterian Art Gallery is home to unique collections of works by Whistler and Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and includes the Mackintosh House, with reassembled interiors from his home.

Situated in Pollok Country Park just south of the centre, the Burrell Collection is an eclectic mix of more than 8,000 art objects assembled by one of the city’s industrialists, William Burrell, and gifted to the city in 1844.

Glasgow Cathedral, built between the 13th and 15th centuries, with its dark imposing interior, is a magnificent example of medieval Gothic architecture and also home to one of the finest post-war collections of stained glass windows in Britain. Stretching up the hill behind the cathedral, the Necropolis has over 50,000 memorials – some designed by Mackintosh - and is the final resting place of some of the city’s wealthiest industrialists.

The so-called ‘Style Mile’ in the centre of the city has a concentration of over 200 stores featuring major brands, while the West End offers quirkier independent retailers. For local colour, have a wander round the Barras flea market on Gallowgate at the weekend.

Glasgow has a thriving music scene with vibrant nightclubs and an average of 130 music events every week across the spectrum of musical styles.  The city has a full calendar of festivals and major sporting competitions, and also offers world class sports facilities. And nothing can beat the passion of the ‘old firm derby’ between Glasgow’s rival football clubs, Celtic and Rangers.

Surrounded by breath-taking scenery, with Loch Lomond, historic castles, the Scottish Highlands, and miles of unspoilt coastline all within easy reach of the city – Glasgow is a wonderful place to study English.