Glasgow

Glaswegians' appetite for life is legendary, and locals boast that 'you'll have more fun at a funeral in Glasgow than a wedding in Edinburgh'. Alongside its traditional hedonistic ways, however, Scotland's largest city is also undergoing a roaring renaissance.

While it washes its notoriously rough and ready past down the River Clyde, the world has been sitting up and taking notice. First, Glasgow became Europe's City of Culture in 1990, then just nine years later the European City of Design and Architecture.

With its sleek Art Nouveau edifices by Charles Rene Mackintosh, elegant neo-Classical buildings forged on the back of the industrial revolution and the richest collection of Victorian architecture in the country, this is unmistakably a city growing comfortable in its own skin.

Wander through Merchant City and you'll find Victorian warehouses reborn as loft apartments, chic bistros in place of greasy spoons, and busy streets lined with designer boutiques (Glasgow has some of the best shopping north of London).

Art lovers in particular will have their work cut out trying to squeeze everything in. The Burrell Collection, idyllically set in landscaped Pollok Park, is the eclectic home to more than 8000 works, while the Hunterian Gallery houses the largest collection of Whistlers outside Washington.

Next-door, Mackintosh House is a testament to the city's favourite son, but it's his work on the Glasgow School of Art that really steals the show. Also renowned for Burns Night revelry, Glasgow is scattered with heritage of Scotland's most celebrated poet, and provides an easy route to Ayrshire, Burns country.

Not only does Glasgow have the best nightlife in Scotland, it also has something to suit every taste - from stylish late-night watering holes to opera at the Theatre Royal.