10 Best Things to Do in Galway

The Spanish Arch is a surviving section of Galway's 1584 city wall, built to shelter merchant ships unloading wine and salt from Spain and Portugal. Two of the original four arches remain, the rest lost to the wave that followed the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. It is considerably smaller than photographs suggest, and first-time visitors are often underwhelmed. The reason to come is the grass bank behind it, where the River Corrib empties into Galway Bay and half the city sits out on any dry evening.

Cross the Wolfe Tone Bridge and the Long Walk runs along the far quay: a terrace of narrow houses painted deep red, blue and ochre, facing the water. This is the view that ends up on most Galway postcards. Swans gather at the Claddagh basin beside it, on the site of the fishing village cleared in the 1930s. The full loop takes twenty minutes and costs nothing.

The Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas was completed in 1965, which makes it startlingly young for a building of this scale. It was cut from Galway limestone on the site of the old city jail, and the design borrows without apology: a Renaissance dome, Romanesque arches, and a rose window that would sit happily three centuries earlier. The dome rises just over 44 metres above the crossing and is visible from most of the west side of the city.

Inside, the mosaics repay a slow look, including a Resurrection panel that controversially includes John F. Kennedy. The acoustics are exceptional and free organ recitals run on many summer weekdays around lunchtime. Entry is free with a suggested donation of 2 EUR. Half an hour is enough unless a recital is on, in which case stay for it.

Salthill Promenade runs roughly two kilometres along Galway Bay from Grattan Road to the Blackrock diving tower, and walking it is a local ritual rather than a tourist activity. Tradition says you kick the wall at the Blackrock end before turning back, and people of every age still do it without irony. On a clear day the low hills of the Burren and the outline of the Aran Islands are visible across the water.

The Blackrock diving tower draws swimmers year-round, including February mornings when the sea sits near 8C. Ladies' Beach and Salthill Beach both hold Blue Flag status and are lifeguarded in summer. The promenade is flat, paved and fully accessible. Bring a windproof layer whatever the month, because the bay wind is relentless and the forecast here changes hour to hour.

The Cliffs of Moher reach 214 metres at their highest point near Knockardakin and run for about 14 kilometres along the County Clare coast. They are the single most popular day trip from Galway and the numbers reflect it, with well over 1.5 million visitors a year. The site includes a grass-roofed visitor centre built into the hillside, O'Brien's Tower from 1835 at the north end, and a walled path that follows the cliff edge in both directions.

Puffins nest on Goat Island between April and July, part of a seabird colony of around 30,000 birds. Entry is timed and pre-booked at roughly 10 EUR per adult in 2026, while organised coach tours from Galway run 30 to 60 EUR and usually add the Burren. Sea fog closes the view entirely on a meaningful number of days each year, so check the forecast the night before rather than locking yourself in weeks ahead. The geology and the site's history are covered thoroughly in the Wikipedia entry for the Cliffs of Moher.

Connemara National Park covers 2,957 hectares of blanket bog, heath and mountain around Letterfrack, and the Diamond Hill loop is why most people make the trip. The full upper walk is about 7 kilometres, takes three hours, and climbs 400 metres to a summit looking over Ballynakill Harbour and the Twelve Bens. Park entry is free and the lower loop is a manageable 3 kilometres. Trail conditions and closures are posted on the official Connemara National Park website.

Kylemore Abbey sits 6 kilometres east: a Victorian castle built in 1868 by the Manchester businessman Mitchell Henry and run by Benedictine nuns since 1920. The six-acre walled Victorian garden and the miniature neo-Gothic church are the strongest parts of the visit, since only a handful of rooms in the house itself are open. Tickets are around 18 EUR and timed in summer. Paired with Diamond Hill this fills a full day including the drive.

Inis Mor is the largest of the three Aran Islands, 14 kilometres long, with a permanent population of around 760 and Irish as the everyday spoken language. Ferries leave from Rossaveal, roughly 40 minutes west of the city by connecting shuttle bus, and the crossing itself takes about 40 minutes. Return fares run near 35 EUR with another 10 EUR or so for the shuttle. Crossings are cancelled outright in heavy swell, so build a spare day into your plans.

Dun Aonghasa is the reason to go: a prehistoric stone fort dating to roughly 1100 BC, built in semicircular terraces against a 100-metre cliff with nothing at all guarding the edge. It is a 20-minute uphill walk from the road. Beyond it the island is limestone pavement carved into fields by around 1,600 kilometres of dry stone wall. Bikes rent at Kilronan for about 15 EUR a day, and minibus tours cost 15 to 20 EUR.

The Burren is a karst landscape in north County Clare where bare grey limestone pavement, split into blocks and fissures known as clints and grikes, covers roughly 250 square kilometres. The rock formed as a tropical seabed about 350 million years ago and was scoured clean by glaciers. Arctic, Mediterranean and alpine plants grow side by side in the grikes, which is why botanists rate the Burren among the strangest habitats in Europe. Peak flowering falls in May and June.

Poulnabrone dolmen, a portal tomb raised around 3800 BC, is the most photographed single site and sits right off the R480 with a small car park. Corcomroe Abbey, the Aillwee Cave system and the Burren Perfumery near Carron all justify a detour. Public transport reaches Ballyvaughan and Kilfenora but not the interior roads, so of everything on this list the Burren is the entry that most rewards a car or a guided tour.

Galway City Museum stands directly behind the Spanish Arch and is free to enter, which makes it the obvious wet-weather fallback in a city that gets plenty of wet weather. Three floors cover medieval Galway's trade with Spain, the Claddagh fishing village that occupied the far bank until the 1930s, and the city's part in Irish revolutionary history. The Galway Hooker sailing boat suspended through the stairwell is the standout object.

Labelling is clear, the building is modern and glass-fronted, and every floor is accessible by lift. Allow 60 to 90 minutes. The upper-floor cafe has one of the better views over the mouth of the Corrib and the Long Walk terrace. Opening runs Tuesday to Saturday year-round, with extra Sunday and Monday hours from Easter through September.

A traditional session in Galway is not a scheduled performance with a stage and a ticket. Musicians sit in a corner, agree sets of reels and jigs between themselves, and stop when they feel like stopping. The West End around Dominick Street Lower and Sea Road holds the most serious playing, with The Crane Bar the reference point. Tigh Neachtain on Cross Street and Taaffes on Shop Street run dependable nightly sessions closer to the Latin Quarter, though both pull far bigger crowds.

Sessions usually start around 21:30 and run past midnight. Most pubs charge nothing at the door, though a few West End venues run ticketed upstairs concerts alongside the free downstairs session. The etiquette is simple: do not talk over a slow air, do not shout requests, and do not clap in the middle of a set. A pint costs roughly 6 to 7 EUR.