South of the train station, the Abbey (Mon-Sat 10am-3.30pm; free) was built on the site of the town's original settlement and was massively overhauled in the Victorian age. The unattractive, fat grey facade of the church does little justice to the renovated interior, which is tall, spacious and elaborately decorated; the elongated choir, rebuilt extensively throughout the last two centuries, is illuminated by jewel-coloured stained glass from a variety of ages and styles. Along Paisley's bland pedestrianised High Street , the town's Museum and Art Gallery (Tues-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 2-5pm; free) shelters behind pompous Ionic columns that face the grim buildings of Paisley University. The main reason for coming here is to see the Shawl Gallery, which deals with the growth and development of the Paisley pattern and shawls, showing the familiar pine- cone (or teardrop) pattern from its simplistic beginnings to elaborate later incarnations. Leading on from this is the largest gallery, mixing local social history with blown-up photos of locals (or "buddies", as inhabitants of Paisley like to be known) selecting their favourite exhibits in the museum. The Upper Gallery houses a small art collection including works by Glasgow Boys Hornel, Guthrie and Lavery, as well as one or two paintings by local boy John Byrne, artist and playwright best known for his plays The Slab Boys and Tutti Frutti .

Regular trains from Glasgow Central connect with Paisley's Gilmour Street station in the centre of town, and they're a faster, more convenient option than buses #9, #36 or #38 from Glasgow city centre. Buses leave Paisley's Gilmour Street forecourt every ten minutes for Glasgow International Airport, two miles north of the town. The tourist office is right in the centre at 9a Gilmour Street (June-Sept Mon-Sat 9.30am-5.30pm, Sun noon-5pm; Oct-May Mon-Fri 9am-1pm & 2-5pm; tel 0141/889 0711). Decent lunchtime and early-evening bar meals can be had at the stylish Bar Bossa , 40 New St, while nearby the Paisley Arts Centre has a small bar with seating outside. Most of the pubs in the centre, including the Last Post pub in the old Post Office building in County Square, serves a range of bar meals. Aroma Room is a more modern spot right opposite the Museum and Art Gallery, which serves coffees, snacks and lunches.