Visit Galway, Ireland

Welcome to my visit Galway, Ireland guide! I have all the best things for you to eat in Galway, see in Galway, do in Galway, and stay in Galway! Galway was a great stop during our Ireland Roadtrip. We hit up Galway after visiting Dublin, The Dingle Peninsula, and Kerry. Galway was super small but I really liked it. It’s a great hub for if you plan on visiting the Cliffs of Moher. We hit the Cliffs on the drive from Dingle to Galway and unfortunately… it was SO FOGGY! So we missed seeing them. WAH.

what to eat see and do in Galway, Ireland

So sit back and relax while I plan the best places to visit in Galway, Ireland whether it’s your first time to Galway or your 100th! Check out my Travel Diary on Ireland if you want to see exactly what we did on our Irish vacation before you visit Galway!

What to Do in Galway, Ireland:

I am going to be honest. There isn’t THAT much to do in Galway. We had a solid day here and it was too much time haha. We finished exploring the town at like 2pm. So unless you are planning some day trips to Limerick, Adare or Cliffs of Moher, a day is plenty.

Places to Visit in Galway, IReland

Quay St. – Main street in Galway, filled with shops, bars, cafes and restaurants. Touristy for sure but it’s the main part of Galway.

Latin Corner – Loved this little area.
Eyre Square – Main square in Galway. Along the border are shops and restaurants. And most likely the place you will get on and off the bus.
Galway Cathedral – Pretty cool cathedral.

St. Nicholas’ Collegiate Church – Just another church. Underwhelming if you just came from the Cathedral. Word on the street is that Christopher Columbus prayed there though.
Galway City Museum – A free museum all about Galway, Ireland and its history. This was my favorite thing we did in Galway.

Spanish Arch – Right next to the Museum. It was designed to protect the quays. Now it’s just an old arch. lol.

The Long Walk – That’s literally all it was. A walk.
Oscar Wilde & Eduard Vilde Statue – Not really something you do, more of something to see. Good if you care about literature. Or statues.
Hall of the Red Earl – We stumbled upon this near Druid Lane. A preserved archaeological site right in the city center.
Lynch’s Castle – Ok so it’s not actually a castle. It’s the front facade of the AIB bank. You can go in and read all about it. But remember, it’s now a working bank.

Galway Market – Food stands, crafts, knick knacks. You know. Open all year round on Saturdays from 8am to 6pm, Sundays/ Fridays in July-August 8am to 6pm.
Medieval Walls – weirdly in the middle of the shopping center. Literally the shopping center is build around the walls. Do a little shopping, see some history.
Charlie Byrnes Bookshop – Huge book shop! So cute.

Day Trips from Galway

Cliffs of Moher
The Burren
The Aran Islands
Connemara
Cruise along the Corrib River and to Lake Corrib

Castles Near Galway

Athenry Castle
Merlin Castle
Menlo Castle
Oranmore Castle
Dunguaire Castle
Aughnanure Castle
Lough Cutra Castle
Ashford Castle
Portumna Castle

Where to Eat in Galway, Ireland:

Out of all of our Ireland stops, I believe we had the best meals in Galway. We were only there for a day but we had great breakfast, coffee, tea, dinner and dessert. Everything we ate was FANTASTIC.

Breakfast in Galway, Ireland

Cupan Tae – Hands down one of the BEST tea places I’ve ever been to. The food was outstanding and the tea was magnificent.

Pascal Coffee House – Coffee and breakfast.
Caprice Cafe – Had some GREAT muesli here. The interior of this place was so cute.

Coffee Werk + Press – We stopped in here for a mid-day coffee and my sister claims it was her favorite coffee of the trip. They had a cute art/ design shop upstairs!
Ard Bia at Nimmo’s – Great for breakfast or brunch.
Grind Coffee & Food Hub – Coffeeshop and breakfast.
The Full Duck – A little outside of the city center. Such a random place. but I couldn’t get over how good ALL our meals were. The pancakes were top notch.

Restaurants in Galway, Ireland

The Dough Bros – A MUST! Amazing homemade pizza.

McDonagh – Fresh fish and chips!
Kai – Such a cute place.
Le Petit Pois – Another cute place.
Tigh Neacht – Great place for beer and live music. Such a cozy pub with eclectic decor.

Sheridan’s Cheese Mongers – I fuck hard with a cheese shop. It’s my kryptonite.
Milano – Great italian food.
Piemaker – mmmm pie.
The Front Door – Kinda upscale bar food. Traditional Irish.
McCambridges – Food hall and restaurant. The most perfect lunch spot. People rave about the hot chocolate here!
Boojum – It’s like the Irish version of Chipotle.
Loam – A Michelin star restaurant. We didn’t have reservations or we totally would have eaten here. Looks great!
Aniar – Another Michelin star restaurant that looks great. The menu is ever changing.

Where to Stay in Galway, Ireland:

To be honest, we stayed at a shitty hotel, The Connacht Hotel. I won’t even tag it. No recommendo. It felt like I should be there for a business conference. It was a little out of the city center. Easy to get to because of the buses but not ideal. It was slim pickings for us but here are the other places we researched. We also checked Airbnb but nothing was close enough to the center for us.

Tips for Galway, Ireland:

Couple of tips for when you visit Galway!

Currency– Euros
Transportation – Great bus system! Most everything is walkable. We left our car rental at the hotel and bused everywhere.
Weather – Honestly, I checked the weather app every day and every day it was wrong. We went in May and it was drizzling on and off, a bit misty and super sunny all in one day. I always carried an umbrella or a jacket with a hood, just in case. It can get cold and windy right on the coast.
Pick Pockets – I felt super safe. It seemed like most of the tourists were in Dublin. But always be aware!
Days in Galway – We had one solid day in Galway and it was more than enough. If you are doing tours from Galway, obviously do more than one day.

Alrighty people. That rounds out my list of what you should eat, see and do when you visit Galway, Ireland. If you enjoyed by blog on what to visit in Galway, I highly recommend checking out my post on Dublin if you are visiting! Check some of my others on Amsterdam, Rome, Athens or check out all my Destinations! In the meantime feel free to read my Travel Diary on Ireland.

Byeeeeeeee!