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Your Local Area

When you're looking for somewhere to live and when you've first moved in, you will need to find out what's available in the local area. One of the quickest ways to find out what facilities are near you is through www.upmystreet.co.uk, a great website for finding absolutely anything, put in your post code or the name of your area and you can look up your nearest shops, dog-groomer, hat-maker and anything else your heart desires. The site also provides maps to show you exactly where things are, it's easy to use and really helps you get to know your local area.
Also try www.myglasgow.org for information on cinema times, restaurants, bar, clubs and galleries. Or if you prefer the printed word, get up to date information from Metro, a free daily paper available on buses and trains and at major stations.
It's also worth keeping an eye out for student discounts and making use of an NUS Extra card and the Student Snapfax which are sold around campus in early October. Snapfax www.snapfax.co.uk has information on discounts and freebies for shops, pubs, clubs and restaurants and in some cases can be used without a student card.

Travel

You may choose to live somewhere outside of the city centre as rents are generally cheaper. In Glasgow this is made easier by the extensive bus and rail network and a night bus service at weekends.
If you're likely to be traveling around Glasgow on a regular basis, it's worth finding out about a FirstCard (First buses only) or ZoneCard (buses, trains and ferries...) which can be bought as weekly or monthly cards. You'll need a passport sized photo and you can get a card at SPT travel centres - the nearest to campus is in St. Enoch's Underground - and some newsagents. You can also save money on some buses by buying an all-day ticket when you board, allowing you to get on and off that operator's buses until midnight. You can even get an all day ticket on the First night bus service, which means for an extra 50p in the early hours, you can take your hangover all over the city on the following day...

Bus

Travel Line Scotland has information on bus and coach travel throughout the UK:
0870 608 2608 www.travelinescotland.com
A new VERY cheap bus service is the Mega Bus running from Glasgow to Edinburgh, Dundee and Perth and from Edinburgh - St. Andrews. You have to book in advance online at: www.megabus.com and a return generally costs from £3 plus a 50p booking fee.
You can also contact the bus operators in Glasgow directly:
First Glasgow: 0141 423 660 www.firstgroup.com
Arriva: 08701 20 10 88 www.arriva.co.uk/scotlandwest

Underground

At peak time there is an Underground train every four minutes calling at each of the 15 stations on the circular route north and south of the river. Amongst the offers available are a 20 journey ticket and the Discovery ticket offering unlimited travel all day after 9.30am. http://www.spt.co.uk/subway/index.html

Train

SPT travel centres have information on travel throughout the Glasgow area. There is a large network of trains in and around Glasgow. Timetable and fare information as well as route maps can be found at www.spt.co.uk
Information on national travel is available through national rail enquiry: 08457 48 49 50 and at main train stations and through the Scot Rail website: www.scotrail.co.uk