Things to do · Galway · Ireland
14 best things to do in Galway
14 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: 瑞丽江的河水, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Galway are Latin Quarter and Shop Street, Spanish Arch and Traditional music sessions. Of the 14 picks below, 12 are free, 4 work on a rainy day and 3 suit children. Allow about 4 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Latin Quarter and Shop Street
- Free sights
- 12
- Good on a rainy day
- Galway City Museum
- Time to see the highlights
- 4 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Latin Quarter and Shop Street | Latin Quarter | 2 hours | Free |
| Spanish Arch | Latin Quarter | 30 minutes | Free |
| Traditional music sessions | Latin Quarter | 2–3 hours | Low cost |
| Galway City Museum | Latin Quarter | 1–1.5 hours | Free |
| Galway Cathedral | Woodquay | 45 minutes | Free |
| St Nicholas' Collegiate Church | Latin Quarter | 30 minutes | Free |
| Galway Market | Latin Quarter | 1 hour | Free |
| Salthill Promenade | Salthill | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Galway Atlantaquarium | Salthill | 1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| The Claddagh and Nimmo's Pier | Claddagh | 1 hour | Free |
| Lynch's Castle | Latin Quarter | 20 minutes | Free |
| Hall of the Red Earl | Latin Quarter | 20 minutes | Free |
| Salmon Weir Bridge and the River Corrib | Woodquay | 30–60 minutes | Free |
| University of Galway Quadrangle | Newcastle | 30 minutes | Free |
The 14 best things to do
Street · Latin Quarter
1.Latin Quarter and Shop Street
The pedestrian spine of Shop Street, High Street and Quay Street runs from Eyre Square down to the river past medieval merchants' houses, colourful shopfronts and street performers. Narrow Kirwan's Lane, restored with its old stone walls, gives a sense of the 16th-century town.
Walk it twice: once in the morning to see the buildings, and again in the evening when buskers and pubs come alive.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- After dark
- Shopping
- Food
Historic site · Latin Quarter
2.Spanish Arch
Built in 1584 as an extension of the medieval city wall, the Spanish Arch protected the quays where ships unloaded wine and goods. The grassy riverbank beside it is where locals gather on sunny evenings, looking across the Corrib to the Claddagh.
Buy fish and chips on Quay Street and eat them on the river wall here at sunset.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- History
- Photo spot
Experience · Latin Quarter
3.Traditional music sessions
Galway is one of the best places in Ireland to hear informal trad sessions, with fiddles, flutes, bodhráns and uilleann pipes. Pubs such as Tig Cóilí on Mainguard Street, Tigh Neachtain on Cross Street and the Crane Bar in the West End have sessions most evenings, and some also play in the afternoon.
Sessions are not performances; sit nearby, keep conversation low during tunes and buy a drink rather than standing around.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- After dark
- Couples
- Rainy day
Museum · Latin Quarter
4.Galway City Museum
Beside the Spanish Arch, the free city museum covers Galway's history from medieval walled town to modern city, with displays on the sea, a traditional Galway hooker sailing boat and exhibitions on the city's archaeology. Its upper windows look over the river mouth and the Claddagh.
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
5.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. Inside are mosaics, rose windows and Connemara marble floors.
Visit outside service times and look for the mosaic that includes President John F. Kennedy.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- History
- Rainy day
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Religious site · Latin Quarter
6.St Nicholas' Collegiate Church
Founded in 1320, this is the largest medieval parish church in Ireland still in continuous use. Local tradition holds that Christopher Columbus prayed here in 1477, and the church has medieval tombs and carvings.
Visit on a Saturday morning and combine it with the Galway Market, which sets up on the lanes around the church.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Architecture
Market · Latin Quarter
7.Galway Market
On Church Lane beside St Nicholas' Church, the weekend market sells local cheese, organic vegetables, crafts and street food such as crêpes, curries and oysters. It runs on Saturdays all year and on additional days in summer.
Arrive before noon on Saturday for the full set of stalls and shorter queues at the food stands.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Food
- Shopping
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Waterfront · Salthill
8.Salthill Promenade
The seafront promenade runs for about 2 km along Galway Bay, with views across to the Burren and the Aran Islands. 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.
Walk out from the Claddagh along the shore in the late afternoon and finish with a drink in Salthill.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Views
- Kids
- Couples
Aquarium · Salthill
1.Galway Atlantaquarium
On the Salthill seafront, this aquarium focuses on the marine life of Irish waters, from rays and conger eels to sharks, with touch pools for children.
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
Waterfront · Claddagh
2.The Claddagh and Nimmo's Pier
Galway's old fishing village across from the Spanish Arch gave its name to the Claddagh ring, with its hands, heart and crown. Swans gather in the Claddagh basin, and Nimmo's Pier stretches out into the bay with views back to the city.
For the ring's history, visit the small museum in Thomas Dillon's shop on Quay Street, which claims to be the oldest Claddagh ring maker.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Couples
- Photo spot
Architecture · Latin Quarter
3.Lynch's Castle
This fortified 16th-century townhouse of the Lynch family, one of Galway's 14 merchant 'tribes', is decorated with carved gargoyles and coats of arms on Shop Street. It now houses a bank, so you can step inside the ground floor during business hours.
Walk round the corner to Market Street to see the Lynch Memorial Window and its legend of a mayor who hanged his own son.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Architecture
Historic site · Latin Quarter
4.Hall of the Red Earl
On Druid Lane, the excavated foundations of a 13th-century hall built by the de Burgo family, the Anglo-Norman founders of Galway, are displayed under a glass-fronted building with finds from the dig. It is free and takes only a few minutes.
Look in on your way between the Spanish Arch and Quay Street; it is easy to walk past.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Off the beaten path
Waterfront · Woodquay
5.Salmon Weir Bridge and the River Corrib
The bridge between the cathedral and the courthouse crosses the fast-flowing Corrib just below the salmon weir. In spring and early summer you can often see salmon resting in the clear water below before they run upstream to Lough Corrib.
Follow the riverside paths along the canals and the Corrib towards the university for a quiet walk away from the crowds.
- Time needed
- 30–60 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Off the beaten path
Architecture · Newcastle
6.University of Galway Quadrangle
The university's Tudor Gothic Quadrangle of 1849, modelled on Christ Church, Oxford, is a quiet limestone courtyard with a central lawn and clock tower. The riverside campus is free to walk around outside teaching areas.
Combine it with the cathedral, which is a five-minute walk across the Salmon Weir Bridge.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- History
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Galway City Museum |
| History | Spanish Arch, Galway City Museum, Galway Cathedral and St Nicholas' Collegiate Church |
| Views | Salthill Promenade |
| Outdoors and nature | Salthill Promenade, Galway Atlantaquarium and Salmon Weir Bridge and the River Corrib |
| Food and markets | Latin Quarter and Shop Street and Galway Market |
| After dark | Latin Quarter and Shop Street and Traditional music sessions |
| With children | Galway City Museum, Salthill Promenade and Galway Atlantaquarium |
| On a rainy day | Galway City Museum, Galway Cathedral, Galway Atlantaquarium and Traditional music sessions |
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Galway?
Latin Quarter and Shop Street. The pedestrian spine of Shop Street, High Street and Quay Street runs from Eyre Square down to the river past medieval merchants' houses, colourful shopfronts and street performers.
+What can you do for free in Galway?
Latin Quarter and Shop Street, Spanish Arch, Galway City Museum, Galway Cathedral and St Nicholas' Collegiate Church. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Galway when it rains?
Head indoors to Galway City Museum, Galway Cathedral, Galway Atlantaquarium and Traditional music sessions.
+What is there to do in Galway at night?
Latin Quarter and Shop Street and Traditional music sessions are best after dark.