Getting to Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland, located in the centre of the country, fifty miles west of Edinburgh. It is served by Glasgow International Airport (GLA) (15 minutes by bus to the city centre), Glasgow Prestwick Airport (PIK) (45 minutes by train to the city centre), and Edinburgh International Airport (EDI) (55 minutes by bus to the city centre). There are also direct trains from London (4.5 hours) with connections to the Eurostar.
For those travelling from the SAT/SMT/AR summer school in St Andrews, the Stagecoach X24/X27 bus goes from St Andrews bus station to Glasgow city centre. Alternatively, it is slightly faster to take a Stagecoach bus to Leuchars station, and then Scotrail trains from Leuchars (LEU) to Glasgow Queen Street (GLQ), changing at Edinburgh Haymarket.
Visa and Electronic Travel Authorisation Information (Important Changes!)
Visitors from some countries may need a visa to attend; please see the UK government advice for details.
For visitors who do not need a visa, the UK will be introducing an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) system during 2025, which will require an application before you travel. This will include visitors from the EU, the United States, Canada and Australia. Please check these links even if you have previously travelled to the UK without needing prior authorisation!
Accomodation
We recommend booking accommodation well in advance of the event. The conference is being held at the same time as the Edinburgh Festival and the World Pipe Band Championships.
The Glasgow Convention Bureau has reserved a range of hotel rooms near the venue and in the city centre, with prices guaranteed until 28th July. From the city centre, it is a ten minute trip on the Subway to Hillhead Subway Station, which is next to the venue.
Alternatively, there are numerous smaller hotels and B&Bs in the city centre and west end, which are often cheaper: this brochure provided by the Glasgow Convention Bureau includes some options.
Venue
SAT 2025 will be held at the University of Glasgow’s Gilmorehill Campus in the west end of Glasgow, in the Boyd Orr Building and the James McCune Smith Learning Hub.
Directions to Venue
To get to the venue from the city centre, the easiest way is to take the Subway. The venue is a four minute walk from Hillhead Subway Station. Alternatively, if the weather is good, you can walk from the city centre to the venue via Kelvingrove park in under an hour.
Please note that if using Google Maps, we recommend asking for directions to the Boyd Orr Building rather than the James McCune Smith Learning Hub, because the latter new and is not shown correctly. The two buildings are adjacent and connected by walkways, whilst the Mathematics Building shown on Google Maps no longer exists.
All entrances to the James McCune Smith Learning Hub are accessible, as is the entry to the Boyd Orr Building from Lilybank Gardens, but the entrance to the Boyd Orr Building from University Avenue involves stairs.