Glasgow with Kids: Age Limits Tour by Tour

For a family with young children, the safest bookings are the Loch Lomond cruises and the free museums; the long coach days and the evening walks are where age limits start. The Loch Lomond Island Discovery cruise at €35.86 per person, rated 4.7/5 from 1,749 reviews, says infants aged 0 to 4 are free, but you must still select a ticket for them when booking. Sweeney’s own timetable runs this cruise from April to October only; outside that season, check the dates of the 1-hour cruise. The age rules below come from each booking page; they can change, so check the page before you pay.

Tour	Age rule on the booking page	Length	From, per person
Loch Lomond 1-hour cruise	infants 0 to 4 free, select a ticket	1 h	€23.31
Loch Lomond Island Discovery cruise	infants 0 to 4 free, select a ticket	2 h	€35.86
Loch Lomond, Trossachs and Stirling Castle	under 4 not permitted	8.5 h	€59.76
Loch Ness, Glencoe and the Highlands	under 4 not permitted	11.5 h	€69.92
Oban, Glencoe and Highland Lochs	not carried under 5; under 18 with an adult	10.5 h	€59.94
Kelpies, St Andrews and Fife	under 4 not permitted	10.5 h	€65.74
Ghouls, Ghosts and Gruesome Tales	under 15 not suitable; under 18 with an adult	2 h	€21.51
Magnificent and Mysterious History walk	under 10 not suitable	2.5 h	€15.54
Jackton Distillery	under 12 not suitable	1.5 h	€32.51

Day trips

Every day trip above is long, and the age limit is the first thing you meet. Timberbush’s Loch Lomond, Loch Ness and Kelpies days do not take children under 4. The Oban day trip does not carry children under 5. The Loch Ness page adds a practical warning: the first stop is about 1.5 hours away and the page advises using the restroom beforehand, saying there are no toilets on the bus. For comparison, the Loch Lomond, Trossachs and Stirling Castle guide covers the shortest of these days.

Whether a child will sit through 8.5 to 11.5 hours on a coach is your call; none of the pages can answer it.

Boats

The Loch Lomond cruises leave from Balloch Village Ferry Landing. The 1-hour cruise runs with live commentary and a bar on board; the 2-hour cruise passes the islands and goes on to Luss. Both pages say well-behaved dogs are allowed. The 1-hour page says electric wheelchairs cannot be accommodated for health and safety reasons, and asks you to call ahead if you have access needs. Bring cash, which both pages list.

In the city

• Ghost walk: the page warns of graphic descriptions of crimes, gory details and swearing, and calls it unsuitable for young children. It is not suitable for under-15s.
• History walk: not suitable for under-10s, per the page, which also bars large luggage. The route is 2.5 hours with one hill.
• Stadiums: the Celtic Park page says the tour involves walking and climbing steps; the Tour and Dine version adds that children 12 and under must be with an adult and that under-5s go free. At the Rangers Museum, which has interactive screens, unaccompanied minors are not allowed. The Hampden Park and Scottish Football Museum ticket is described by its operator as a day out for families, and lets you run out of the tunnel. See the Celtic Park and Ibrox guide and the stadium tours.
• Whisky: Clydeside gives children Irn Bru in place of whisky. Glengoyne’s standard tour welcomes children, who must be supervised at all times, while its chocolate tasting admits adults only. Jackton does not suit under-12s.

Free

Kelvingrove and the Riverside Museum are free to enter and need no booking, according to Glasgow Life. The Helix park around the Kelpies is free, too, per Scottish Canals. A boat trip on the Falkirk Wheel needs a ticket for every passenger including children under 5, so book that separately.

Which one

• Under 4: the Loch Lomond cruises, the free museums.
• School age: the Hampden Park ticket, the cruise.
• Teenagers: the ghost walk from 15, the history walk.
• Adults only: the Glengoyne chocolate tasting.

See more on the walking tours page and the day trips from Glasgow.