On the Trail of Charles Rennie Mackintosh

We begin our voyage with an inspiring journey along the historic Upper Clyde, once the lifeblood of Scotland’s shipbuilding industry. Arriving in Glasgow, we visit Mackintosh Queen’s Cross, the only church ever designed by Mackintosh which opened in 1899. Elegant, intimate, and quietly powerful, it showcases his early mastery of light, form, and symbolism. Continue to the original Willow Tea Rooms on Sauchiehall Street, where Mackintosh’s distinctive interiors were created in 1903 for the visionary Kate Cranston. Here, you’ll enjoy a refined afternoon tea surrounded by iconic design that remains as striking today as it was over a century ago.

Step inside the Mackintosh House, a meticulous re-creation of the Glasgow home shared by Charles and Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh, offering a deeply personal insight into their shared vision.

Your journey continues at the renowned Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, home to 22 themed galleries and over 8,000 objects, including the city’s most significant display of Mackintosh and the Glasgow Style. Lunch is served at the House for an Art Lover, a beautiful realisation of Mackintosh’s original designs, set within tranquil landscaped grounds.

The experience concludes with visits to Hill House, Mackintosh’s domestic masterpiece, and the Mackintosh Club in Helensburgh, his first complete commission and a vital precursor to his greatest building, the Glasgow School of Art.

Disembarkation