St Mirin's Cathedral and more: what to see in Paisley
15 of the 27 places to visit in and around Paisley are museums or galleries. Mapped inside Paisley’s locality are 4 places to visit, and within 5 km of its edge another 23. Visitor numbers at Riverside Museum reached 1.1M in 2015. On the list, 2 places are looked after: 1 by Historic Environment Scotland and 1 by the National Trust for Scotland. The big name further out is Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, 9.3 km from the centre.
Must-know places in Paisley
Alongside St Mirin's Cathedral you find 2 museums, a zoo and an art gallery.
CathedralSt Mirin's Cathedralin town
MuseumPaisley Museum and Art Galleriesin townZooZooNature Cornerin townArt galleryArt galleryPicture framers and Art Galleryin town
Big drawMuseumRiverside Museum4.4 km outside town, to the east · 1.1M visitors a year (2015)
Castle · Historic Environment ScotlandCrookston Castle1.1 km outside town, to the eastEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
On the map
Leave town to the east for most of the 23 nearby.
The dashed line is Paisley’s locality; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · NRS locality 2022
The mix
Museums or galleries number 15, castles or historic places 6.
Green: inside Paisley. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
2 places are cared for: 1 by Historic Environment Scotland and 1 by the National Trust for Scotland (Crookston Castle and Pollok House).
Each place in turn
In town there are 4, and the list adds 23 more within 5 km of its edge.
Paisley Museum and Art Galleries
Museum in Renfrewshire, Scotland, United Kingdom.
7The Burrell Collection
Art museum in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom.
9
10Glenlee Visitor Centre
1896 steel-hulled three-masted barque and museum in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom.
11
12
13
14Clydebank Museum and Art Gallery
Maritime museum in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, United Kingdom.
16Glasgow Museums Resource Centre
Museum resource centre near Glasgow, United Kingdom.
The 4 inside Paisley come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
273 listed buildings and 2 scheduled monuments are on Paisley’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Paisley →
Day trips from Paisley
The 12 days out are led by Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, 9.3 km away.
Big drawMuseumKelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum9.3 km east · 1M visitors a year
MuseumGlasgow School of Art11 km east
FortAntonine Wall27 km northeast
CathedralGlasgow Cathedral13 km east
Castle · Historic Environment ScotlandDumbarton Castle14 km northwest
Big drawArt galleryGallery of Modern Art11 km east · 596K visitors a year
CathedralSt Andrew's Cathedral11 km eastCathedralCathedralSt Mary's Cathedral10 km east
MuseumPeople's Palace12 km east · 290K visitors a year
GardenGlasgow Botanic Gardens9.9 km northeast
MuseumHunterian Museum9.6 km northeast
Castle · Historic Environment ScotlandBothwell Castle21 km eastPlaces well known beyond Paisley (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust for Scotland or Historic Environment Scotland property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.
Questions before you go to Paisley
What are the main attractions in Paisley?
The best known inside Paisley’s locality are St Mirin's Cathedral, Paisley Museum and Art Galleries, Nature Corner and Picture framers and Art Gallery. In all, 4 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 23 more within 5 km.
Does Paisley have a museum?
15 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Paisley: Paisley Museum and Art Galleries, Picture framers and Art Gallery, Riverside Museum and The Burrell Collection.
Is there a National Trust for Scotland or Historic Environment Scotland property near Paisley?
Yes. In or within 5 km of Paisley, 2 places are cared for: 1 by Historic Environment Scotland and 1 by the National Trust for Scotland (Crookston Castle and Pollok House).
What are the best-known days out near Paisley?
Within 40 km: Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum (9.3 km), Glasgow School of Art (11 km), Antonine Wall (27 km), Glasgow Cathedral (13 km).
Where are Paisley’s historic buildings listed?
Paisley has 273 listed buildings, 24 of them Category A. They are on its History page, from Historic Environment Scotland’s list, not repeated here.
How is this list made?
From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Paisley when it is inside the NRS 2022 locality boundary, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.
Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the NRS 2022 locality (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (23)
- St Mirin's Cathedral: JohnArmagh, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Paisley Museum and Art Galleries: Thomas Nugent, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Riverside Museum: Cutkiller2018, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Crookston Castle: Richard Sutcliffe, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Pollok House: LornaMCampbell, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Glasgow Science Centre: Daniel from Glasgow, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Glenlee Visitor Centre: Armada Española (Persona Juridica), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Glasgow Tower: Feorag at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Johnstone Castle: wfmillar, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Haggs Castle: Alexander Duff Robertson, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Clydebank Museum and Art Gallery: Darrin Antrobus, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Glasgow Museums Resource Centre: Lairich Rig, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum: 瑞丽江的河水, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Glasgow School of Art: Stinglehammer, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Antonine Wall: Chris Wimbush, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Glasgow Cathedral: Bewahrerderwerte, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dumbarton Castle: Otter, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Gallery of Modern Art: BrainiacBlink, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- St Andrew's Cathedral: Michal Klajban, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- People's Palace: Emmi Hakka, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Glasgow Botanic Gardens: Finlay McWalter, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Hunterian Museum: Ham, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bothwell Castle: James Mérigot, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
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