Art in Scotland - Great cities, spectacular museums

The coach leaves the hotel at 2pm and Glasgow Central Station at 2.20pm. Drive to Pollok Park outside Glasgow to the Burrell Collection, a wonderfully eclectic collection including Chinese ceramics, French Impressionists, medieval stained glass, global textiles, etc. that was assembled by shipowner Sir William Burrell in the early 20th century. Beautifully displayed here from 1983, the gallery reopened in 2022 after major upgrading and enlarging. First of two nights in Glasgow.

Start the day at the arts section of The Hunterian, a wide-ranging university museum: James McNeill Whistler, the Glasgow Boys, Scottish Colourists and – famously – Margaret MacDonald and Charles Rennie Mackintosh, including the interiors of their Glasgow home. Nearby Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, opened 1901, is housed in red sandstone splendour exuding the self-confidence of the second city of the Empire. The holdings are extensive and wide-ranging, the painting collection internationally significant with major works by Rembrandt, Van Gogh and Salvador Dali, a good selection of French Impressionists and dazzling displays of the Glasgow Boys and the Scottish Colourists.

Some free time before visiting St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art. Built on the site of the medieval Bishops’ Castle, the museum is designed in the Scottish baronial style. Reopened in 2022 after threat of permanent closure due to the pandemic, the artefacts and artworks explore the importance of religion over time. Travel in the afternoon to Dundee, most likeable of Victorian cities, now transitioning from its industrial origins into a cultural hub. First of three nights in Dundee.

The core of the McManus Art Gallery and Museum is a building by George Gilbert Scott (1865), but it has several times been extended. Here is the best collection of Victorian Scottish painting, good English works, 20th-century art and contemporary ceramics. Opened in 2018, Kengo Kuma’s V&A Dundee has an excellent display of Scottish arts and crafts and changing exhibitions. Some free time – and plenty to see.

Day trip by rail to Aberdeen, a striking city of silver-grey granite. Opened in 1885 and re-opened in 2019 after refurbishment by Hopkins Architects, the Art Gallery is one of the best in regional Britain. The painting collection includes Old Masters, French Impressionists and historic British works, and is particularly strong on Scottish 20th-century and contemporary. King’s College in Old Aberdeen was founded in 1495, and the chapel has medieval wood carving and Art Nouveau stained glass.

Drive from Dundee directly to the Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh. Within the British Isles this is second only to its counterpart in London for the richness, range and quality of its collection of European paintings from the Renaissance onwards. Settle into the hotel mid-afternoon before a walk through streets and squares in one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. First of two nights in Edinburgh.

See first a former Victorian church with spectacular Arts and Crafts murals by Phoebe Anna Traquair. By the same architect, Sir Robert Rowland Anderson, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery is a splendid building with a magnificent collection, the history of Scotland through personalities and great art. Some free time – possibilities include the Georgian House in Charlotte Square, Holyroodhouse and the Queen’s Gallery, and, depending on exhibitions, the Royal Scottish Academy or City Art Centre.

The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art is home to an outstanding collection of modern and contemporary art. In the surrounding park are sculptures by Miró, Moore, Hepworth and Whiteread, and the indoor collections include works by Matisse, Picasso and Dix, a world-famous collection of Surrealism and Dada and a rollcall of the leading Scottish artists. The tour finishes at Edinburgh Waverley train station at c.1.00pm. The coach continues to the hotel.