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Glasgow is all aglow. Volunteers taking part in the Commonwealth Games have said that you can 'almost touch the air with excitement'. Certainly the mood is buoyant.

But if you don't have tickets for the Commonwealth Games, which kick off today, don't worry — the city will be basking in the reflective glory for some time to come.

Sporting heroes: Mo Farah and Laura Trott will be competing at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow

Glasgow, a friend tells me, is a distillation of the Scottish personality. Will it be robust, hearty, a trifle dour? No, it's enormously friendly.

 

More...

• What a rip off! Hotel room prices in Glasgow soar 158 PER CENT to up to £448 a night as city prepares to host Commonwealth Games
• Sir Chris Hoy doesn't regret retirement despite missing chance to compete in his own velodrome in Glasgow
• All eyes on Glasgow: More than a billion people expected to tune in to opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games with Rod Stewart, Susan Boyle and Sir Alex Ferguson all set to feature

My taxi driver provides a running commentary of the city's history as we pass sites such as the university, 'which they moved because of all the hookers'.

He advises on the best shops, pubs and  restaurants, and tells me he wouldn't live anywhere else, except, maybe, Los Angeles.

Scotland's second city has heaps to offer, especially art and architecture. It was a thriving centre for engineering in the 19th century, producing affluent shipping magnates who became prominent art collectors. The city's talent for fostering artists continues today.

Inspiring: The Kelvingrove Gallery has a wing devoted to the work of the Glasgow Boys

The Glasgow School of Art or 'Mack' building, tragically devastated recently by fire, has been described as the city's artistic heart. It is architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh's best-loved work and also where the Daily Mail's Fred Basset cartoonist, Alex Graham, studied.

Sadly, the show-stopping library, known as 'the masterpiece within the masterwork', has been destroyed. However, students will still host art tours around the city until October.

Masterwork: The window and dramatic pendant light in the Mack library, sadly destroyed by recent fire

The Kelvingrove gallery is a good place to get your artistic bearings. The enormous red sandstone building sits below the elegant spires of Glasgow University and houses a vast collection, including a wing devoted to the Glasgow Boys and an exhibition on Mackintosh and his wife Margaret Macdonald.

They worked together on many projects, some of which — such as the Cranston tearooms — are recreated here.

Macdonald's illustrations are other-worldly and it's not hard to see why the Austrian artist Gustav Klimt drew inspiration for the Beethoven Frieze from her May Queen and Wassail, both of which were exhibited in Vienna. Mackintosh believed that while he had talent, his wife had genius.

Ethereal works: A panel painting by Margaret MacDonald and a portion of Klimt's Beethoven Frieze

The Glasgow Boys were one of the most significant groups of artists in Britain at the end of the 19th century. They were influenced by the work of renowned figures such as Whistler and the French artist Bastien-Lepage. Portraiture was their metier and John Lavery's painting of the ballerina Anna Pavlova, from 1910, is particularly lovely.

If you haven't run out of steam, venture outside the city centre to Pollok Country Park and the Burrell Collection, a staggering display of one man's passion for the arts.

Grand ambitions: Pollok House in Pollok Country Park, where you will also find the acclaimed Burrell Collection

Burrell was a wealthy shipping magnate who adored art and historic artefacts. He bought more than 8,000 objects and paintings and even restored a castle in which to house them.

He bequeathed the collection to Glasgow and set up a fund to build a museum. The exhibition on now, Bellini To Boudin, includes a self-portrait of a young Rembrandt painted in 1632 (it's protected by plastic sheeting — the flat roof has not withstood Glasgow's weather) and Portrait Of A Gentleman by Frans Hals, for which Burrell paid £14,500 in 1948 — more than he spent on any other painting.

Glasgow hasn't always had a great culinary repertoire — deep-fried doner kebabs are an acquired taste — but that's all changed.

When I ask Glaswegians where to eat, they all say the Ubiquitous Chip. It's an institution. Deliciously fresh local produce — scallops from Islay, Scottish venison and their signature oatmeal ice-cream — are served in a twinkly, plant-filled courtyard.

Local favourites: The Ubiquitous Chip restaurant off Byres Road and shops on the Great Western Road

For a dash of local liqueur, drop in on Demijohn on Byres Road. The flask-filled shop, like something from a Roald Dahl story, stocks locally brewed booze from rhubarb vodka liqueur to gooseberry gin and traditional mead. The slightest sniff will fire you up.

After a day on foot, the giant baths at the Hotel Du Vin, where I am staying, are a godsend.

Staying there will give you an impression of what it must be like to live in one of Glasgow's lofty Victorian homes — the hotel is four knocked into one.

The interior is richly decorated and a wonderful retreat. It's also well-sited for a foray into the Botanic Gardens, on the other side of Great Western Road. On a Sunday, the elegant glasshouses are filled with families.

Great Western Road is also a tempting spot for shopping. Humorous textile designers Timorous Beasties print their playful, colourful fabrics in Glasgow and their shop is the place to go for wild curtains.

So, what do Glaswegians  make of the referendum on independence?

'To put it in layman's terms,' says a barman near the Mack, 'if you get in a fight on Sauchiehall Street on a Friday night, do you want to be flanked by a couple of mates or on your own? If you want to be on your own, then vote yes.'