A first-time guide to Galway

12.07.2024 - 14:56 / lonelyplanet.com

Jul 3, 2024 • 8 min read

With its tangled lanes lined with colorful shopfronts curving around Galway Bay, compact Galway is one of Ireland's most picturesque cities. Bolstered by an energetic student population, it's also one of the island's most vibrant, with musicians striking up in its atmospheric pubs and busking on its streets, a seafood-driven culinary scene, a jam-packed calendar of events and a bohemian soul.

If you want to dive deep into Galway, here’s everything you need to know. 

July and August bring long days that are perfect for exploring, but the high season also brings higher accommodation prices. And while these may be the summer months, the sun is never a guarantee in Ireland.

The shoulder season months of April, May, September and October are great times to visit, with fewer crowds. These months can even see stretches of exceptional weather ⁠— perhaps even warmer and sunnier than in summer in some years. As always in Ireland: prepare for rain and celebrate when the sun is out.

The winter months can be cold, wet and dreary. It's not the ideal for visiting, but if you happen to be in Galway in these months, don’t fear ⁠— just pack well for the weather and expect to while away the long, dark evenings with some live music in the pub. 

Galway is festive any time of year but especially during its annual celebrations (when you'll need to book accommodation well ahead). Standouts include late April's poetry- and prose-filled Cúirt International Festival of Literature; May’s Galway Theatre Festival, mid-July's Galway Arts Festival and Ireland's leading film festival, the Galway Film Fleadh. Horse racing and high fashion at Galway Race Week starts on the last Monday in July, and late September brings the long-running Galway Oyster & Seafood Festival. At Halloween, spectacle theatre company Macnas hosts an exceptional parade that features elaborate floats and giant sculptures. 

It’s worth spending a night or two in Galway on any trip to Ireland. Two days is enough time to wander the colorful streets in search of seafood, pints, and the local culture. Base yourself in Galway for a few days and add in a day trip to Connemara, the Burren or the Aran Islands.

If you’re driving the Wild Atlantic Way, Galway is the largest city on the route. Stop in and enjoy the selection of pubs and restaurants before getting back on the road for more rural stretches.  

Galway is easily reached by train and bus from Dublin. If you want to get to Galway from any other city in Ireland, a bus is your best bet ⁠– check out routes and schedules at Bus Éireann and City Link. 

Once you’re in Galway City, the central core is very walkable, and rambling ⁠(and pub-crawling) around Eyre Square and Shop Street is part of the Galway