Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, Bezoekersgids & wat te doen in de buurt

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is one of Glasgow's best-loved buildings, a red sandstone palace in the West End that holds art, natural history and arms and armour under one roof. It opened in 1901 and is among the most visited museums in Scotland, with general entry free. It sits beside Kelvingrove Park on Argyle Street.

The story behind it

Kelvingrove was built in the Spanish Baroque style, and opened in 1901 alongside the great International Exhibition held in the park. A popular story says the architect designed it back to front, then threw himself from one of the towers when he realised. It is only a legend. The building faces the way it was meant to, and the architect did not die that way. It is a good fact to carry back to anyone who told you otherwise.

The pipe organ in the main hall dates from the same year, 1901, and is still played in recitals. After a long closure the museum reopened in 2006 following a major refurbishment, and it has been busy ever since. Among its treasures is a portrait by Vincent van Gogh, though the sitter is not Van Gogh at all. It shows the Glasgow art dealer Alexander Reid, and it is a reminder of the city's long links with the art trade.

What to look for

• The towers and carved red sandstone of the exterior, which are well worth a slow look from Argyle Street and from the park side before you go in.
• The Floating Heads installation by Sophie Cave, a cloud of suspended faces in the main hall that has become one of the museum's most recognisable images.
• The great pipe organ at the end of the hall, a working instrument from 1901 that gives the space its grand, cathedral-like feel.
• The portrait of Alexander Reid by Van Gogh, when it is on display, along with Dali's Christ of St John of the Cross and the Spitfire hanging in the West Court.

Tips for your visit

• Allow at least two hours inside. A first visit can easily fill half a day, so pick a few galleries rather than trying to see everything.
• Go early on a weekday for the quietest halls. Check current opening hours and any special exhibition details before you set out.
• Pair it with a stroll through Kelvingrove Park next door, and the University of Glasgow and Byres Road are within easy walking distance.
• Yes, you can go inside, and general entry is free. Donations are welcome, and some special exhibitions may be ticketed.

See it on a quest

In Glasgow's West End: The Portal Traveler, you reach Kelvingrove on foot as one stop on a longer route through the West End. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle in what is in front of you, so you look closely instead of just walking past. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.

Historic Glasgow: The Testing of Thomas takes a historical angle on the city, leading you from place to place on a self-guided walk. You hear the story of each stop as you get there and solve a puzzle on the spot, with no guide and no group to join. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.