Greenock

55°56.9′N 4°45.9′W

BERTH
Alongside berth. No tender.
GLASGOW
45 min
GLA
25 min

Ships tie up alongside at Greenock Ocean Terminal. There is no tender, so you walk off onto the quay and you are away.

Greenock is about 25 miles down the Clyde from Glasgow. The city and the south end of Loch Lomond are both around 45 minutes from the berth, and Edinburgh is 90, which on a normal call still leaves most of a day in the capital. Few ports in Britain put this much within reach of a single day ashore.

The town is worth some of your time too. It built ships for two centuries and the waterfront looks straight up the firth to the Argyll hills. Lyle Hill above the town has one of the best views on the west coast, out over the Tail of the Bank where the Atlantic convoys gathered.

What is in reach

  • Loch Lomond and Luss

    45 min

    Over the Erskine Bridge and up the west shore. Luss is the village everyone photographs, with a pebble beach, a pier and a tearoom. Half a day here leaves room for Glasgow on the way back.

  • Glasgow

    45 min

    Kelvingrove, the Necropolis, the Mackintosh buildings, the Barras, the West End. The only place on this list the train also reaches, so a driver here buys you time rather than access.

  • Glengoyne Distillery

    60 min

    Book before you sail. Tours fill up on ship days.

  • The Trossachs and Aberfoyle

    60 min

    Quieter than the Loch Lomond shore and better for walking. Most people take it as the back half of a Loch Lomond day.

  • Stirling Castle

    70 min

    Less crowded than Edinburgh, with some of the best restored royal interiors in Scotland. It leaves room for something else in the day, which Edinburgh does not. The Wallace Monument is ten minutes further on, 246 steps up, and the view from the top covers the whole Forth valley.

  • Inveraray

    1h 30

    Round the top of Loch Lomond and down Loch Fyne, on one of the best drives in the country. Inveraray Castle is the seat of the Duke of Argyll, and the Georgian jail in the middle of the village has been kept as a museum. Good seafood on the loch either side of the town.

  • Edinburgh

    1h 30

    Ninety minutes each way, and on an eight hour call that still leaves five hours in one of the most beautiful historic cities in Europe. The Old Town, the castle on its rock, the Georgian New Town below it. Best taken as the whole day rather than combined with anything else.

  • Culzean Castle

    1h 30

    Down the Ayrshire coast past Ayr. A clifftop castle with Robert Adam interiors, and a country park big enough to spend the afternoon in.

  • Glencoe

    2h 15

    Two and a quarter hours north, up the full length of Loch Lomond and across Rannoch Moor into the glen. The drive is as much of the day as the destination. It needs a long call and a group happy to spend the time in the vehicle.

  • Glenfinnan Viaduct

    3h 05

    The viaduct from the Harry Potter films, at the head of Loch Shiel. Getting there runs through Loch Lomond and Glencoe, so two of the finest landscapes in Scotland are on the way. Three hours each way means a long call and an early start. Local operators do run it. If you want the steam train crossing, check the Jacobite timetable before you book.

Driving time one way from the terminal.Round trip needs a long call

Getting ashore

The gangway comes down onto the quay and you walk off.

The terminal building has a cafe, toilets and a small exhibition. The town centre is about twelve minutes on foot.

Drivers wait in the terminal car park rather than at the ship. Agree the meeting point by email before you sail. Signal inside the terminal building is patchy and you do not want to be standing on a quayside with a phone that will not load.

Getting around

Train. Greenock Central is fifteen minutes on foot from the terminal. Trains to Glasgow Central run twice an hour and take 35 to 40 minutes. For a Glasgow day under your own steam this is cheap and hard to get wrong, though it does not help you reach anywhere else. Loch Lomond by public transport from here involves two changes.

Local operators. Small firms running one or two eight-seaters, listed below. They price per vehicle rather than per person, so it is worth getting a quote for your group before you assume the ship's excursion is the cheaper option. Book ahead. There are not many vehicles in Inverclyde and the days with more than one ship in go early.

Taxis. There is a rank at the terminal when a ship is in, which is fine for a lift into town.

Open-top bus. McGills run a 'Local Highlights' open-top tour which leaves from the cruise terminal and visits Lyle Hill, Custom House Quay, the Beacon Arts Centre, McLean Museum, Battery Park, Esplanade and Newark Castle. A great option if you want to stay close to the ship. You could also consider taking a bus down the Clyde coast to the seaside town of Largs, about 40 minutes away.

Ship excursions. Booked through the shore excursion desk. The one real difference is that the ship will hold departure for its own tours and not for anyone else's, which local operators handle by building slack into the return time. Agree that return time when you book and it is a non-issue.

Local operators

Firms running tours and transfers from Greenock, listed alphabetically. Nobody pays for placement.

  • Caley Pines Tours & Transfers

    Port Glasgow. Set shore excursion itineraries, bookable online.

    Shore excursions, Airport transfers, Private hire

  • Mini Tours Scotland

    Greenock. Day tours from the terminal.

    Shore excursions, Private hire

  • Scottish Terrier Tours

    Gourock. Itineraries built around individual Clyde ports.

    Shore excursions, Private hire

  • Serca Tours

    Greenock. Published day tours from the terminal.

    Shore excursions, Private hire

  • Spirit Scotland Tours

    Greenock. Tours built around distillery visits.

    Shore excursions, Distillery tours, Private hire

  • SS Travel

    Port Glasgow. Tours and airport work.

    Shore excursions, Airport transfers, Private hire

  • Tartan Tours Scotland

    Greenock. Enquiries by phone or email.

    Shore excursions, Private hire

  • The Transfer Team

    Greenock. Eight seater. Airport runs, tours and group travel.

    Airport transfers, Shore excursions, Weddings, Golf, Nights out, Private hire

Common questions

Do ships tender at Greenock?
No. The Ocean Terminal is an alongside berth, so you walk straight off onto the quay.
Can I get to Edinburgh on a port call?
Yes, and on a normal call it works. Ninety minutes each way leaves about five hours in the city. Book a driver rather than chancing it, and keep the day clear of anything else.
Edinburgh or Stirling?
Edinburgh if you want the city and the whole day for it. Stirling if you want a castle and something else as well, because it leaves time for Loch Lomond or a distillery on the way back.
How far is Loch Lomond?
Forty-five minutes to Luss on the west shore. It is the closest of the big Scottish landscapes to the port.
Is a local operator cheaper than a ship excursion?
Local firms price per vehicle and the ship prices per person, so a group travelling together often comes out ahead. Get a quote before you sail and compare.
Do I need to book ahead?
On days with more than one ship in, yes. There are not many vehicles in Inverclyde and they are spoken for early.
How do I get from Greenock to Glasgow Airport?
About 25 minutes by road. There is no direct train, so it is a pre-booked car or a taxi.