Galway is a small city that lives outdoors: buskers on Shop Street, oysters at the market, and the light coming off the bay. This page is built around what locals actually do here, from the pubs of the Latin Quarter to the long walk along Salthill Prom, rather than the surface-level top-10 lists you find on Google.
How to use this guide: the tabs at the top move you between itineraries, places to see, restaurants, hotels, experiences and day trips. On any tab, open the map for a much clearer picture of how compact Galway is and how the old town, the Spanish Arch and the seafront all connect. On your phone, tap Get the App (or add this page to your home screen) so the whole guide is one tap away. Short on time? Jump to the ⚡ Quick Facts below.
This complete Galway travel guide covers getting around on foot and by bus, the cheapest way to reach the city from Shannon and Dublin airports, when to visit for the festivals, the best seafood and traditional-music pubs, and the essential day trips to the Cliffs of Moher, the Aran Islands and Connemara. Whether you are here for a long weekend of live music or using Galway as your base for Ireland's wild west coast, bookmark this page before you book your flight.
Galway sits on Ireland's west coast in the province of Connacht, where the short, fast River Corrib empties into Galway Bay. The city and its suburbs are home to around 85,000 people, which makes it walkable end to end in about 20 minutes, yet it draws visitors from all over the world for its arts festivals, its student energy and its role as the gateway to the Irish-speaking Gaeltacht of Connemara.
Whether you have a single day or a full week, the sections below cover how to get around, which area to stay in, where to eat the day's catch, and how to plan the big day trips along the Wild Atlantic Way without wasting half your trip figuring out the buses.
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