Glasgow shopping guide

Glasgow’s mix of culture, leisure, and nightlife draws thousands of students every year. Different areas of the city have their own style and personality – and each offers a diverse shopping experience. Here are the best places to shop in Glasgow:

Style Mile

Think Scotland’s answer to Oxford Street. It’s the UK’s largest retail centre outside London, and home to more than 200 high street shops and a number of shopping centres. Our favourites are Buchanan Galleries and St Enoch Centre. Head there for names such as H&M, River Island, Topman, and Topshop. Princes Square is great for high-end designer boutiques – but you might want to avoid it if you’re sticking to a budget!

The stretch is mostly pedestrianised, full of traditional Glaswegian architecture, and sprinkled with restaurants, cafes, and bars. It’s the perfect place for a shopping trip. Just make sure you remember your student card!

Distance from Robert Owen House: 0.4 miles / 7-min walk

Distance from St Andrews Court: 0.7 miles / 15-min walk

Distance from Central House: 0.4 miles / 7-min walk

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by PEOPLE MAKE GLASGOW (@peoplemakeglasgow) on Jan 9, 2014 at 2:41am PST

Hillhead and the West End

Glasgow’s West End is known as the fashionable ‘hipster’ quarter – and it’s one of the city’s top student areas. Creswell Lane and Hillhead are famous for their classic vintage shops and quirky boutiques. There’s plenty of independent coffee shops and bars too.

Distance from Robert Owen House: 2 miles / 14-min subway

Distance from St Andrews Court: 2.8 miles / 22-min subway

Distance from Central House: 2.4 miles / 14-min subway

Merchant City

Merchant City has grown as Glasgow’s cultural centre. Even though it’s just minutes from the Style Mile, you won’t find many high street names here. There’s no shortage of exclusive clothing boutiques, independent record shops, cafes, and comic book stores. The area is also home to plenty of working design studios. Merchant Square regularly hosts art and craft markets where you can see – and buy – locally produced pieces.

Distance from Robert Owen House: 0.7 miles / 15-min walk

Distance from St Andrews Court: 0.4 miles / 7-min walk

Distance from Central House: 0.5 miles / 9-min walk

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by PEOPLE MAKE GLASGOW (@peoplemakeglasgow) on Jul 20, 2016 at 6:23am PDT

Barras Market and the East

The East is ideal for savvy thrift shopping – think vintage stores and charity shops. You’ll probably be heading here for fancy dress costumes.

Barras Market offers a true Glaswegian shopping experience like no other – even if you’re not massively into shopping. It was once notorious for selling knock-off CDs and DVDs. However, it’s now known for selling everything you can imagine – from antiques, fashion, to TVs and fridge-freezers.

You also can’t go to Barras without hitting the homemade doughnut stall either. Trust us.

Distance from Robert Owen House: 1.3 miles / 25-min walk

Distance from St Andrews Court: 0.4 miles / 7-min walk

Distance from Central House: 0.9 miles / 19-min walk

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BAaD (@baadglasgow) on Mar 16, 2018 at 3:08pm PDT

Looking for next year’s accommodation? Check out our student accommodation in Glasgow. Our studios put you at the heart of the city centre – a stone’s throw from your studies and everything else the city has to offer.