2 days in Galway

Day by day

1. Day 1: Latin Quarter and Shop Street and Spanish Arch

   Latin Quarter and Shop Street, Spanish Arch, Galway City Museum and St Nicholas' Collegiate Church, then Traditional music sessions in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Latin Quarter and Shop Street

      Narrow Kirwan's Lane, restored with its old stone walls, gives a sense of the 16th-century town.

   2. Late morning

      Spanish Arch

      The grassy riverbank beside it is where locals gather on sunny evenings, looking across the Corrib to the Claddagh.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Galway Bay oysters

      Seafood bars and pubs in the Latin Quarter and around Clarinbridge and Kilcolgan on the bay south of the city.

   4. Afternoon

      Galway City Museum

      Its upper windows look over the river mouth and the Claddagh.

   5. Late afternoon

      St Nicholas' Collegiate Church

      Local tradition holds that Christopher Columbus prayed here in 1477, and the church has medieval tombs and carvings.

   6. Evening

      Traditional music sessions

      Sessions are not performances; sit nearby, keep conversation low during tunes and buy a drink rather than standing around.

2. Day 2: Galway Cathedral and Salmon Weir Bridge and the River Corrib

   Galway Cathedral, Salmon Weir Bridge and the River Corrib, Galway Market and Salthill Promenade, then Latin Quarter in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Galway Cathedral

      Inside are mosaics, rose windows and Connemara marble floors.

   2. Late morning

      Salmon Weir Bridge and the River Corrib

      In spring and early summer you can often see salmon resting in the clear water below before they run upstream to Lough Corrib.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Seafood chowder

      Most pubs and seafood restaurants on Quay Street, Dominick Street and in Salthill.

   4. Afternoon

      Galway Market

      It runs on Saturdays all year and on additional days in summer.

   5. Late afternoon

      Salthill Promenade

      At its western end, local tradition says you 'kick the wall' before turning back, and the Blackrock diving tower is used year-round by hardy swimmers.

   6. Evening

      Latin Quarter

      Quay Street, Cross Street and High Street hold the city's best-known pubs, including Tigh Neachtain, the Quays and Tig Cóilí, with music most nights.

If it rains

• Swap in Galway Atlantaquarium (Salthill): Combine it with the playground and promenade nearby for a full rainy-morning plan with kids.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 9–12 hours of visiting over 2 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 7.5 hours in December to 17 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Walking. The Latin Quarter is pedestrianised, and riverside paths link the cathedral, the Spanish Arch, the Claddagh and the Salthill promenade.

More or fewer days

• One day in Galway
• 3 days in Galway
• 5 days in Galway

Questions travellers ask