Thank you for your enquiry regarding private guided tours of the Mackintosh building at The Glasgow School of Art. 

If the information you require is not contained below, please do not hesitate to contact us at tours@gsa.ac.uk or +44(0)141 566 1472 and we will be happy to help.

We look forward to welcoming your group to the Glasgow School of Art!

Can my group look around the building unaccompanied?

What happens during the Mackintosh building tour?

Does the tour route allow disabled access?

Is there anything we can do to make our tour extra special?

What happens if I want to change or cancel my private group tour  booking?

When and where should I arrive for my tour?

What can I do if I arrive early for my tour?

What happens if I am late?

Can I take photographs of the Mackintosh building?

Where do the profits from my tour booking go?

How do I get to The Glasgow School of Art?

 

Can my group look around the building unaccompanied?

Unfortunately not, The Glasgow School of Art is still a hard working art school, not a museum, therefore the needs and activities of our staff and students have to take priority.  We warmly welcome all visitors to the School but ask that you respect the daily routine of our institution by visiting only our public spaces and sticking with your tour group when visiting private rooms on your guided tour.

What happens during the Mackintosh building tour?

The Mackintosh Building tour at The Glasgow School of Art introduces groups to Mackintosh's 'total design' style in some of his most celebrated interiors, including the famous Mackintosh Library.

Conducted by an award-winning team of guides, all of whom are all current GSA students or recent graduates, the tour offers the opportunity to admire Mackintosh's original aesthetic in stained glass and enamel, wrought iron work and carved wood.

The Glasgow School of Art is widely considered Mackintosh's architectural 'masterwork', and in this seminal building your group will identify a theatrical Japanese-inspired aesthetic married to Scotland's own baronial tradition and influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement and International Art Nouveau.

Conservation to areas within the Mackintosh building can also often be observed within the private interiors of the School.

Throughout 2013, The Glasgow School of Art campus will be under development. Mackintosh building tours will not be affected; however the site opposite will be undergoing construction work.

Does the tour route allow disabled access?

Yes, with advance booking.  The tour route incorporates several flights of stairs but wheelchair users and those with limited mobility canpre-book to use the lift to access different levels.  In such circumstances an additional member of staff will accompany the tour, so please inform us of any such special requirements when making your booking.  For those hard of hearing or limited vision, again please contact us and we do all we can to accommodate your group.

Is there anything we can do to make our tour extra special?

We are always happy to discuss any special requirements you may have and well equipped to put together appropriate gifts for your group, to organise evening tours or hire a meeting space within the Mackintosh building to ensure your group has the best possible experience of the Glasgow School of Art. 

What happens if I want to change or cancel my private group tour booking?

We require a minimum of 48hrs notice over the telephone if you need to change any aspect of your booking.  We will be happy to make changes to group size or timings with 48hrs notice. We apologize that we are not able to accommodate changes without 48hrs notice and your deposit will be forfeit in this instance.   If you wish to cancel your booking unfortunately we cannot refund the deposit amount, but we will be happy to organize an alternative timeslot for you so long as 48hrs notice is given over the telephone.

When and where should I arrive for my tour?

We ask groups to arrive at least 10 minutes before the tour is scheduled to depart to allow us to allocate your tickets, settle payment and store coats and bags if necessary.  

The group should arrive at the GSA Shop, from the eastern entrance of the Mackintosh building, located at 11 Dalhousie Street, Glasgow G3 6RQ.  Our tour guides will collect your group from here.

What can I do if I arrive early for my tour?

Our Mackintosh Interpretation Space is available for you to explore through the GSA Shop whilst you wait for your tour to depart and our fantastic shop is also open for you to browse. The School also runs a regular schedule of exhibitions on campus which you will be very welcome to visit if you arrive early for your tour or would like to see more when you finish.

What happens if the group are late?

We understand that it is often difficult to get large groups around the city on a tight schedule so we will always do our best to ensure your group gets the most out of their visit even if the schedule slips a little!  Please help us to meet this commitment by contacting us with as much notice as possible if you know you are going to be late for your tour.

If your group arrives up to half an hour late for a private tour, we may need to curtail the length of the tour slightly so that it finishes at the pre-arranged time, depending on our tour guides' availability and the tour schedule for that day.

If the group arrives between half an hour and an hour late but would still like to participate on a tour, we will do our best to accommodate this subject to guides' availability and the tour schedule for that day. An additional charge of £20 will be incurred to cover administrative expenses and our tour guides' fee. 

If the group arrives 1 hour or more later than the tour departure time we will do our best to find another slot for the tour that day,subject to availability, however this will forfeit the deposit for the original tour and the group will be charged in full for another private tour slot.

Can I take photographs of the Mackintosh building?

You are welcome to take photographs of any aspect of the exterior of the building; however inside the Mackintosh building photography is prohibited.  This rule is in place in order to make sure the tours interfere as little as possible with the core activities of the School and to protect the School's intellectual property.

Where do the profits from my tour booking go?

All of the profits from our tour and shop sales are donated to the School annually to support the educational activities of The Glasgow School of Art and to fund the continuing conservation of the Mackintosh building.

How do I get to The Glasgow School of Art?

Our address is 11 Dalhousie Street, Glasgow, G3 6RQ.  We are located at the top of Garnethill in Glasgow's city centre, 15 minutes' walk from the two main railway stations; Central Station and Queen Street Station.  We are 5 minutes' walk from Cowcaddens Subway Station, 2 minutes from the LLP car park at Cambridge Street and buses 16, 18, 44, 44a and 57 all stop near the School.  There is a taxi rank nearby where Holland Street meets Sauchiehall Street and Glasgow Airport is a 20 minute drive from our doorstep. There are plenty of parking spaces in the streets surrounding the School and we sell parking vouchers in the GSA Shop.  For a detailed map please type our postcode into http://www.streetmap.co.uk/ or contact us for more information.