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Galway City

Arty, bohemian Galway (Gaillimh) is one of Ireland's most engaging cities. Brightly painted pubs heave with live music, while restaurants and cafes offer front-row seats for observing buskers and street theatre. Remnants of the medieval town walls lie between shops selling handcrafted Claddagh rings, books and musical instruments, bridges arch over the salmon-stuffed River Corrib, and a long promenade leads to the seaside suburb of Salthill, on Galway Bay, the source of the area's famous oysters.

Best Time to Visit

Experience the real

　　Established in 1750, this is Ireland’s oldest jewellery shop, with vintage examples of Claddagh rings, featuring two hands holding a heart topped by a crown, wax blanks and traditional tools in its small back-room ‘museum’. Admission is free. ...

Must-see attractions

Kiernan Moloney Musical Instruments

　　Stringed instruments including fiddles and harps are the speciality of this dealer in fine instruments, which handles sales, rentals and repairs. It also stocks a small range of wind instruments. The shop sometimes opens on Sunday and Monday. 　　It's on the 1st floor; duck into the alley, then take the...

　　West of the Corrib, this atmospheric, always crammed two-storey pub is the best spot in Galway to catch an informal céilidh (traditional music and dancing session), with music nightly on both levels. ...

Ard Bia at Nimmo's

　　Casually hip Ard Bia ('High Food' in Irish) is decorated with works by local artists and upcycled vintage furniture. Organic, local, seasonal produce (some foraged) features firmly – you might sample Cork monkfish, Burren smoked haddock or Galway goat's yoghurt. Opt for the upstairs restaurant or a street-level cafe serving...

Charlie Byrne's Bookshop

　　A civic treasure, the rambling rooms at Charlie Byrne's are crammed with over 100,000 new, secondhand, thirdhand, discounted and out-of-print books, including a trove of Irish interest (and Irish language) fiction and nonfiction. Look out for events including book launches and storytelling sessions. ...

　　Right on Eyre Sq, this traditional, garrulous pub has a great, huge heated beer garden, which is home to two outdoor bars and regular music events. Original floor tiles, stained-glass windows and a pressed-tin ceiling are among its preserved features; historical photos line the walls. 　　From Thursday to Saturday the...

　　Terroir specialist Aniar is passionate about the flavours and food producers of Galway and west Ireland. Owner and chef JP McMahon's multicourse tasting menus have earned him a Michelin star, yet the casual spring-green dining space remains refreshingly down to earth. The wine list favours small producers. Reserve at least...

　　Set in an olive-green building with exposed stone, bare timbers, fresh flowers and a glass-roofed atrium, this rustic West End spot is a fantastic place for daytime coffee, gourmet sandwiches and salads, and craft beer. Or come for adventurous evening meals such as monkfish with madras broth, perhaps followed by...

　　Now an AIB Bank, this excellent example of a town castle was built around 1500 (the exact date is unknown). The facade's stonework includes ghoulish gargoyles and the coats of arms of Henry VII, the Lynches (the most powerful of the 14 ruling Galway tribes) and the Fitzgeralds of Kildare....

　　Irish whiskeys are the speciality of this genteel old boozer. Incredible 'tasting platters' generally cost €11 to €14 – choices include an Irish Writers' platter, featuring the favourite tipples of Samuel Beckett, James Joyce and WB Yeats. Or splash out on the Grand Masters' platter (€95), with an 18-year-old blended...

　　Upstream from Salmon Weir Bridge, which crosses the River Corrib just east of Galway Cathedral, the river cascades down the great weir, one of its final descents before reaching Galway Bay. The weir controls the water levels above it, and when the salmon are running you can often see shoals...

　　Painted a bright cornflower blue, this 19th-century corner pub – known simply as Neáchtain's (nock-tans) or Naughtons – has a wraparound terrace for watching Galway's passing parade, and a timber-lined interior with a roaring open fire, snugs and atmosphere to spare. Along with perfectly pulled pints of Guinness and 130-plus...

Hall of the Red Earl

　　In the 13th century, when the de Burgo family ruled Galway, Richard – the Red Earl – erected a large hall as a seat of power, where locals would arrive to curry favour. After the 14 tribes took over, the hall fell into ruin. It was lost until the 1990s,...

　　Two live céilidh (traditional music and dancing session) a day (at 6pm and 9.30pm) draw the crowds to this authentic fire-engine-red pub just off High St. Decorated with photos of those who have played here, it's where musicians go to get drunk or drunks go to become musicians…or something like...

　　The menu changes daily at this outstanding seafood restaurant but it might include monkfish poached in saffron and white wine and served with cockles, seaweed-steamed Galway Bay lobster with garlic-lemon butter, or lemon sole with samphire. The intensely flavoured fish soup is a delight. 　　Head chef Micheal O'Meara also authors...

Salthill Promenade

　　A favourite pastime for Galwegians and visitors alike is walking along the Salthill Prom, the 2km-long seaside promenade running from the edge of the city along Salthill. Local tradition dictates 'kicking the wall' across from the diving boards (a 30- to 45-minute stroll from town) before turning around. ...

Fishery Watchtower

　　Constructed in the 1850s, this butter-coloured Victorian tower was used to monitor fish stock levels (and poachers). Now restored, the unique trilevel building contains a tiny museum that gives an overview of Galway's salmon-fishing industry through displays including photos, along with fantastic views over the waterways. ...

　　More than 150 freshwater and sea-dwelling creatures from local waters swim in Ireland's largest native-species aquarium, including seahorses, sharks and rays. There's also a floor-to-ceiling ocean tank, fin whale skeleton and model submarine. Talks, tours and feeding sessions take place daily; check times online. 　　Tickets are valid all day, so...

Galway Cathedral

　　Rising over the River Corrib, imposing Galway Cathedral is one of the city's finest buildings. Highlights include a beautifully decorated dome, attractive Romanesque arches, intricate mosaics and rough-hewn stonework emblazoned with copious stained glass. Regular musical events showcase the superb acoustics; look out for concerts, organ recitals, Gregorian chanting and...

　　Galway's central public square is busy in all but the harshest weather. A welcoming open green space with sculptures and pathways, its lawns are formally named Kennedy Park in commemoration of JFK's June 1963 visit to Galway, though locals always call it Eyre Sq. Guarding the upper side of the...

　　Galway's bohemian spirit comes alive at its street market, which has set up in this spot for centuries. Saturdays are the standout for food, when farmers sell fresh produce alongside stalls selling arts, crafts and ready-to-eat dishes. Additional markets take place from noon to 6pm on bank holidays, Fridays in...

　　The Spanish Arch is thought to be an extension of Galway's medieval city walls, designed to protect ships moored at the nearby quay while they unloaded goods from Spain. It was partially destroyed by the tsunami that followed the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. Today it reverberates with buskers and drummers, and...

Galway City Museum

　　Exhibits at this modern, three-floor museum engagingly convey the city's archaeological, political, cultural and social history. Look out for an iconic Galway hooker fishing boat, a currach (a boat made of a framework of laths covered with tarred canvas) and sections covering Galway's role in the revolutionary events that shaped...

Latest stories from Galway City

　　A large Dunne's supermarket is the centrepiece of this shopping centre ,which features more than 70 shops and chain-food outlets. 　　Look out for the large, three-story sections of Galway's medieval city walls that have been cleverly incorporated into the centre's architecture. ...

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