Riverside Museum

Zaha Hadid's first major public building in the United Kingdom houses Glasgow's transport collection. Its zinc-clad, zigzagging roof rises where the River Kelvin meets the Clyde, on the site of the city's shipbuilding past. The museum opened in 2011, taking over the collections of the former Museum of Transport, and was named European Museum of the Year in 2013. It draws more than a million visitors a year.

Inside, a single column-free hall is filled with trams, buses, steam locomotives, motorcars and motorbikes, many displayed in tiers that climb the walls. A large collection of ship models reflects Glasgow's shipbuilding history. Recreated streets of shops, a subway station and interiors evoke the city across the twentieth century and are among the most popular parts of the museum.

Moored alongside is the Glenlee, a sailing ship built on the Clyde in 1896, which can be boarded separately. The museum suits families and anyone with an interest in engineering or the city's industrial history.