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Glasgow is a great city to visit in spring, with so much to see and do during the warmer months. As Scotland’s largest and most populated city, modern Glasgow is now renowned for culture, style and friendliness. Glasgow has a rich history, and with the combination of historical and contemporary architecture, venues, and so much more, it’s not hard to see the city’s allure from the very first glance. We’ve added a few ideas for a spring visit below to get you started.

Take a Spring Walk

Pollok Country Park is best to visit in the spring as it’s the city’s largest green space and home to a herd of Highland cattle that call the park home. You can see them with their fluffy calves arriving throughout the season. While there, you can visit The Burrell Collection and the Edwardian mansion Pollok House.

Alexandra Park is another favourite for a spring walk. The entrance boasts ornate gates, and after just a short walk, you’ll enjoy beautiful floral displays, playgrounds, picnic areas and more, making this a popular choice for an afternoon out.

Victoria Park is known as one of the city’s prettiest parks to wander in to enjoy the spring flowers. But did you know this park is home to an ancient preserved forest? The Fossil Grove features a fascinating array of fossilised tree stumps dating back 330 million years.

Go Blossom Spotting

Nothing quite says spring so much as cherry blossoms with Glasgow Green and Blythswood Square are great places to see this spectacle. Expect a well-kept garden at Blythswood Square, surrounded by elegant buildings, and try to spot the neoclassical entrance to The Glasgow Lady Artists’ Society (1908).

Or, if you love organised gardens featuring blooms from international locations, take a trip to the Glasgow Botanic Gardens, where you can enjoy all manner of beautiful plants, flowers, and trees in both the grounds and greenhouses.

Visit a Museum

There are so many great museums to explore in Glasgow, so you’ll never be short of a place to discover something new. Spend time exploring the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, the Glasgow Science Centre, or the Riverside Museum with its fabulous transport and technology collections. And for those who like something a little more macabre, why not visit the Necropolis, Glasgow’s largest cemetery, complete with 37 acres of incredible architecture, sculpture and fascinating stories?

Get Out on the Town

Glasgow is known for being one of the UK’s best cities for nightlife, with great bars, restaurants, warehouse parties, fine dining, distilleries, cocktail bars, pub grub, and so much more. Spring is an ideal time of year to get out and try the bounty the city offers and try something new.

Get NATIVE in Glasgow

When planning a weekend getaway or time in Glasgow, try the local Native Apart Hotel, featuring all the perks of an apartment with the services of a boutique hotel in a central location close to all the springtime excitement in the city.

To the delight of the north, Eurovision is coming to Liverpool! It’s going to be an epic show to excite both die-hard fans and those sitting on the fence alike. But while Liverpool may have taken the hosting duties on board for this epic event, there is nowhere better to stay during the festivities than Manchester rather than Liverpool. Why? Our top three reasons include:

• Manchester is very close by without being right in the thick of it.
• It’s going to be cheaper to get accommodation in Manchester.
• Heck, Manchester is home to more fun!

Manchester is only 30 miles away from Liverpool so the journey is an easy drive or a relaxed train, taxi or bus journey to get between the cities. Plus the city is known for being a hub of arts and culture, fantastic food and drink, quirky shops and colourful street art that will entice and excite alongside one of the biggest events in the Euro music calendar. What’s not to love?

Stay at Native Manchester?

This luxurious apart-hotel is set above the character-filled Ducie Street Warehouse, a popular Grade II listed building that is packed with charm and features while having a decidedly modern vibe. The venue is centrally located and impossibly cool, known for great food, drinks, and fun. The apart-hotel itself offers an independent apartment space for you to enjoy while offering the facilities and services of a boutique hotel including room service and cleaning. This is the perfect place to relax and enjoy a special Eurovision stay!

Location

There are many reasons to choose Manchester for your Eurovision to stay including proximity as noted above. The city is full of art, history, culture, and many places to get out, eat, drink and enjoy. Best of all, Native is centrally located only a 2-minute stroll to Manchester Piccadilly, 5 minutes to tram stops, and easy taxi pick-up, with an underground car park for those driving. You can get everywhere fast making it the perfect location to sample Manchester delights before making the easy journey to Liverpool.

Ducie Street Warehouse

Onsite in the Ducie Street Warehouse, you’ll find a heap of interesting spaces including a gourmet restaurant serving great food and drinks to enjoy inside or overlooking the canal when the weather is fine. Plus if you time everything right, you can get along to a host of events including a famous Ducie Street Brunch. Enjoy evenings of music and special events too, when you’re not too busy with Eurovision, and hear tunes from local Manchester talent.

In-House Cinema

Usually, you could catch a movie in the relaxed Mini Cini space – a 36-seat cinema screening cult classics, RomComs, and kids’ films. But during Eurovision the space will screen the show, so you can sit back, relax and watch in-house for those sessions you don’t have tickets for.

Book Your Stay

There are so many reasons to stay at the Native Apart Hotel in Manchester for Eurovision. To help you decide, take a look at the website for more information plus the latest events, menus, and facilities.

To the surprise and delight of the UK and particularly the northern cities, Eurovision is coming to Liverpool! There is nowhere better to stay for the event than Manchester keeping you close to the action, while also not being directly in the chaos. It’s only 30.97 miles away making it either a 45min drive or an easy distance via train or bus to get from Manchester to Liverpool. Those who choose this option will mean you can enjoy the industrial city that became a hub for arts and culture, fantastic food and drink, quirky shops and colourful street art. There is a vast array of options to choose from whether you want to experience the Northern Quarter, trendy Spinningfields, or historic Castlefield. Discover several great places to stay for Eurovision in Manchester below.

Native Places

Native Manchester is a luxurious apart-hotels set above the character-filled Ducie Street Warehouse, centrally located, and impossibly cool. Offering the freedom of an apartment along with the facilities and services of a boutique hotel in Native Manchester will make your Eurovision stay something special. Onsite in the Ducie Street Warehouse, you’ll find a gourmet restaurant serving great food and drinks to enjoy inside or overlooking the canal, get along to a famous Ducie Street Brunch event, and even enjoy any Eurovision sessions you can’t get along to in Liverpool on the Ducie Street in-house cinema big screen. Plus there is underground parking for your car, and transport links close by. Everything you need!

YOTEL Manchester Deansgate

You can’t get much more central than YOTEL Manchester Deansgate in the heart of the city close to transport links. This venue offers innovative design, time-saving technology, and sustainability features including solar panels and water-saving showers. Enjoy the all-day restaurant and bar when you’re not out watching Eurovision or enjoy time in the TRIB3 fitness studio. Benefit from the 24/7 reception great for emergency supplies, toiletries, extra keys, or towels. While there is no onsite parking, the local Watson Street Parking is easily accessible.

The Cow Hollow Hotel

A restored turn-of-the-century textile warehouse is now an inspired boutique hotel. Each of the sixteen rooms is beautifully designed and luxurious while also being affordable. Situated right in the city centre next door to Manchester’s hippest bars & restaurants, while also being able to enjoy fabulous cocktails, wine, and food onsite. The last bonus is you’re only a 5-min walk from Piccadilly Station and there are several car parks close by making this an ideal Eurovision location.

Velvet Manchester

Located in the heart of Manchester city and only a short walk from Piccadilly Railway Station with carparks only 2 minute’s walk away, this is another wonderful central location to stay. Situated amidst lively bars and shopping there is so much to enjoy when you’re not busy watching Eurovision. Each bedroom and penthouse is individually designed to offer indulgent luxury along with the onsite Velvet Bar and Village Brasserie. Experience a warm welcome from friendly and experienced staff.

London is a great place to spend valentines day – there is so much on that it may be challenging to pick one (or a few!) things. Staying at Native London is a great place to start – our boutique apartment hotels offer all the freedom and comfort of your very own central London apartment while providing all the amenities of a luxurious boutique hotel. It sounds like a perfect recipe for a few days if you ask us and your very own kitchen or the option of endless room service means you’d never have to move if you’re not inclined to. However, when you do want to venture out, we’ve added a few favourite places to visit to turn up the heat for Valentine’s day.

 

Love Caffeine?

It’s a well-known fact that the basis of all good relationships is coffee… or is that just ours? For coffee lovers coming to the capital, we recommend two venues as a must-try: Fair Shot and Monmouth. Both offer great coffee and a space to snuggle up with your loved one for your romantic caffeine fix.

 

Fair Shot

Just off Bond Street, Fairshot Cafe’s mission is to change workplace perceptions of people with learning disabilities. The cafe trains young adults with learning disabilities in all aspects of hospitality, including customer service, food prep, and coffee making. Pop in and give them a Fair Shot!

 

Monmouth Coffee Company

One of the first specialist retailers to arrive at Borough Market in the late 1990s, the Monmouth Coffee Company is one of the most revered coffee shops to grace the London coffee scene. The company is known for specially selected single-origin coffee beans that are roasted in Bermondsey and finished by Monmouth’s skilled barista team. Perfection in a cup!

 

Fancy some Malay Flavours?

Tudkin is a well-known local neighbourhood restaurant not far from a few Native London venues. It’s the ideal place to take your beloved, try new flavours, and savour the moment. Malaysian cooking is unique in that the chefs simply know when a dish is ready by how it feels and tastes rather than following any arbitrary process. This balancing act culminates in a marriage of flavours that is aligned closely to life and relationships, making a Malaysian meal perfect for Valentine’s day.

 

Art, Anyone?

Along the Georgian streets around Mayfair, you’ll find Hamiltons Gallery. This beautiful venue is London’s leading photography gallery that hosts an array of exhibitions from modern masters to rising contemporaries for you to discover, enjoy, and discuss with your loved one. Check the website for the latest exhibit information or to book for a special event.

 

Fancy Getting On a Boat?

Does a boat trip sound like an ideal V-day celebration? Make memories while experiencing London from an unusual nautical perspective with GoBoat. This self-drive boating experience gives you access to stunning sections of Regents Canal around Paddington to see the world from a different perspective. Of course, as you’ll be on your own, some boating experience will be necessary, so be sure to look at the GoBoat website for details.

This January, we’re celebrating wellness. We sat on the mat with Alex our Native wellness ambassador to chat about what wellness means to her.  

What Does Wellness Means To You? 

Wellbeing to me, is an offering of kindness, compassion and love to our body and soul. It’s an opening to the raw experience of the body, its felt sense and the stories it holds. To live well, respecting our physical shell, is to listen patiently to all the messages it sends us, to nourish it with soulful, healthy food and move in a way that feels good. There is no one thing we can do to make ourselves feel our best. Well-being is such a holistic project. It’s a meeting with all parts of us, our shadows, our light, in acceptance of all that is arising. To show up for yourself time and time again in an authentic, loving way is, to me, the purest act of kindness.  

How Do You Get Out Of The January Slump? 

For me, the best medicine when I feel stagnant and sluggish is to move my body. To connect to the moment-to-moment experience of what it means to be alive in my body today. It doesn’t have to be a crazy exercise or a 10-mile run; it can be as small as a morning wiggle and a shake, a dance in your kitchen, or a roll around on your mat. I think we often overcomplicate things so much…We think January has to be this time of big promises and resolutions. What if we start with little things that make us feel good and alive? What if we chose to spend more time with people we love? more time in nature, more time feeding our souls with things that make us smile from the inside?  

What Do You Listen To When Doing Movement Practice? 

As a yoga facilitator and DJ, music has always been such an important part of my daily practice and teachings. It’s one of the most powerful tools to connect to my body. I choose music based on how I feel and what is arising for me at a given moment. My playlists change all the time, and so is the way my practice looks and feels…I think it’s all about being open and curious, allowing the sound to carry my body through shapes, and inspire the most authentic movement. Sometimes it’s a full-on party soundscape with big Jon Hopkins-like vibes; other times, all my heart needs is the melody of piano or harp to soothe my soul!