City guide

Galway

July for the Galway International Arts Festival; September for the Galway International Oyster FestivalBest time

IrelandRegion

Galway is a compact medieval city on the River Corrib on Ireland's west coast, known for its colourful Latin Quarter, traditional music pubs, and Galway Bay. It is the gateway to Connemara and the Aran Islands and hosts a lively festival calendar through the summer.

What's on in Galway Plan your trip

Photo: Mænsard vokser / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

About Galway

Country: IrelandPopulation: 85.910Time zone: UTC+0

GalwaySee what's on

Das Flair & für wen

Ideal fürTraditional music pubs; Connemara and Aran Islands day trips; arts and festival weekends

Beste ZeitJuly for the Galway International Arts Festival; September for the Galway International Oyster Festival

FortbewegungSmall walkable centre; local bus network; Ceannt Station with rail to Dublin; Aran Islands ferries depart nearby Rossaveal

Wo übernachtenLatin Quarter near Shop Street for pubs and music within walking distance of the harbour

Eher nicht, wennYou want a large city or guaranteed dry weather

Top things to do in Galway

The most popular sights, with 2026 entrance fees. Prices are adult admission — cheapest at the gate. Many of the best things are free.

Attraction	Entrance	Time	Why go
Cliffs of Moher	€15	2-3 hours	Ireland's most-visited natural attraction: 8km of sheer Atlantic cliffs rising to 214m, with a visitor centre and O'Brien's Tower viewpoint. Day trip from Galway, roughly 1-1.5 hours' drive south into County Clare.
Kylemore Abbey & Victorian Walled Garden	Varies	2-3 hours	A neo-Gothic 19th-century castle turned Benedictine abbey on the shore of Kylemore Lough, with a restored Victorian walled garden, neo-Gothic church and mausoleum. Day trip into Connemara, about 1.25 hours' drive from Galway city.
Aran Islands (Inis Mór)	€34	Full day (6-8 hours including ferry)	The largest of the three Aran Islands, reachable by ferry from Rossaveal (near Galway) or Doolin, known for the Iron Age cliff-edge fort Dún Aonghasa, dry-stone walls, and Irish-speaking island culture. Full-day trip; bikes and minibus tours are the usual way to see the island once there.
Connemara National Park	Free	2-4 hours (longer if hiking Diamond Hill)	A 2,000-hectare park of bog, heath and mountain (including Diamond Hill) near Letterfrack, with waymarked trails and a visitor centre. Day trip, about 1.25 hours' drive from Galway, often combined with Kylemore Abbey.
Galway City Museum	Free	1 hour	A compact civic museum beside the Spanish Arch covering Galway's archaeology, maritime and social history, including artefacts from the medieval city. Good rainy-day option and a natural pairing with the Spanish Arch.
Galway Cathedral (Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas)	Free	20-30 minutes	A large 20th-century Roman Catholic cathedral overlooking the River Corrib, notable for its dome and mix of Renaissance, Romanesque and Gothic styles. Central, easy to combine with a riverside walk.
Spanish Arch	Free	20-30 minutes	A pair of surviving stone arches (1584) from Galway's medieval city walls, at the point where the River Corrib meets Galway Bay, and a popular gathering spot on the Long Walk promenade.
St Nicholas' Collegiate Church	Varies	20-30 minutes	The largest medieval parish church still in continuous use in Ireland, dating to 1320, with a well-known (unverified) legend that Christopher Columbus prayed here before sailing west. Located in the Latin Quarter.
Salthill Promenade	Free	1-1.5 hours (full walk both ways)	A 2km seaside promenade running along Galway Bay from the city edge through Salthill, popular for walking, cycling and the local tradition of 'kicking the wall' at the diving boards turnaround point.