Season guide · Galway · Ireland
Galway in summer
June–August: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Ayounginsb, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Long evenings and the festival season, with the Arts Festival and Galway Races in late July bringing peak crowds and prices. Expect highs up to 19°C (66°F) and lows around 10°C (50°F), with about 41 rainy days across June–August. June is among the best months of the year to visit.
Key facts
- Months
- June–August
- Temperatures
- 10°C (50°F) to 19°C (66°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 41
- Sea
- 13°C (55°F) to 16°C (61°F)
- Crowds
- Busy
- Hotel prices
- High
Weather in summer
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June | 18°C (64°F) | 10°C (50°F) | 12 | 17 h | 4/5 |
| July | 19°C (66°F) | 12°C (54°F) | 14 | 16.5 h | 5/5 |
| August | 19°C (66°F) | 12°C (54°F) | 15 | 14.8 h | 4/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 19°C (66°F) against a yearly 14°C (57°F), and 41 of the year's roughly 182 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 4/5 and hotel prices 4/5 on average.
What's on in summer
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- July: Galway Film Fleadh (usually early July)
- July: Galway International Arts Festival (usually mid to late July)
- July: Galway Races at Ballybrit (usually late July to early August)
- August: Galway Races continue into early August
Good choices for summer
Aquarium · Salthill
Galway Atlantaquarium
Combine it with the playground and promenade nearby for a full rainy-morning plan with kids.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Nature
Experience · Latin Quarter
Traditional music sessions
Galway is one of the best places in Ireland to hear informal trad sessions, with fiddles, flutes, bodhráns and uilleann pipes.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- After dark
- Couples
- Rainy day
Museum · Latin Quarter
Galway City Museum
Head to the top floor for the view over the Spanish Arch and Galway Bay.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
Religious site · Woodquay
Galway Cathedral
Dedicated in 1965, the domed limestone cathedral beside the Salmon Weir Bridge is often described as one of the last great stone cathedrals built in Europe.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- History
- Rainy day
Day trips in summer
- Inis Mór, Aran Islands (About 1 hour 30 minutes by coach and ferry) — The largest Aran Island has stone-walled fields, Irish-speaking villages and the prehistoric cliff-edge fort of Dún Aonghasa.
- Connemara and Kylemore Abbey (About 1 hour 30 minutes by car) — Connemara's bogs, lakes and the Twelve Bens mountains lead to Kylemore Abbey, a castellated 19th-century house on a lake with a Victorian walled garden.
What to pack
- Layers, a warm sweater and a jacket for cool evenings
- A compact umbrella and waterproof shoes — rain is frequent
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is summer a good time to visit Galway?
Yes: June is among the best months. Long evenings and the festival season, with the Arts Festival and Galway Races in late July bringing peak crowds and prices.
+What is the weather like in Galway in summer?
Highs of up to 19°C (66°F) and lows around 10°C (50°F), with about 41 rainy days over the season.