Accommodation and travel
Glasgow is in west central Scotland on the banks of the river Clyde. It is Scotland’s largest city and it is easily accessible from the rest of the UK and overseas by train, sea, road and air. Once you arrive, you’ll be surprised at how simple it is to get around. Choose from an array of public transport options including an efficient subway network and bus services. Or you can enjoy Glasgow on foot.
01 Getting to the conference
Glasgow is well connected by train from across the UK by two main stations:
- Glasgow Central Station links Glasgow to the south
- Glasgow Queen Street Station operates routes mainly to Edinburgh and the north.
Glasgow has an international airport nearby, with connections across the UK and the world. Catch the express bus service from outside the terminal and arrive in Glasgow in around 15 minutes. You can also arrive into Edinburgh Airport, where there is a direct bus service from the airport to Glasgow’s Buchanan Bus Station which takes around one hour.
You can travel to Scotland by ferry from the major ports of Belfast and Larne in Northern Ireland. Ferries dock at Cairnryan in the southwest of Scotland, with a bus service taking you to the city centre in 2 hours 10 minutes.
You can also travel by ferry from mainland Europe, arriving either in Hull in the northeast of England (where it’s around a 4 hour drive to the Scottish border), or Newcastle (which is around a 2 hours 40 minute drive from Glasgow).
Find out more about getting to Glasgow and getting around on the Glasgow tourism website.
02 Visas
If you’re coming to the BISA conference from outside the UK, you might need a visa. Check if this applies to you at www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.
Once you have been accepted to present on the conference programme, and you have registered and paid to attend, we can provide you with a letter to confirm this. You will make your request for a visa letter as part of the registration process. We aren’t legally allowed to provide general letters of invite to the conference.
If you are applying for a standard visitor visa (please do not assume this is the correct visa for you – use the link at the top of this section to find out), current government guidance states that the earliest you can apply is three months before travel. Therefore, you will need to register and pay for the conference before obtaining your visa. We will issue a refund to any delegate who is turned down for a visa. Please send proof to office@bisa.ac.uk.
Requests for visa letters made after the 6 March 2023 deadline unfortunately cannot be accepted.
Please also ensure you follow the visa application instructions very closely.
03 Accommodation
You’re guaranteed to find accommodation in Glasgow which suits your taste and budget. Whether you’re looking for something uniquely Glaswegian, a trendy hotel, a vibrant hostel or a comfortable city centre apartment, you can be assured of a warm welcome. If you’d like to stay at the conference hotel itself, you can book Hilton Glasgow at a special BISA conference delegate rate. We are also working with the Glasgow Convention Bureau who have provided a dedicated hotel booking page where you can book your accommodation. Of course, you are also free to look for alternative places to stay.