With kids · Galway · Ireland
Galway with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Quick answer
Galway is relaxed with children: the city is small and largely pedestrianised, Salthill has the promenade, playgrounds and the aquarium, and street performers on Shop Street entertain for free. Day trips to the Aran Islands by bike or minibus and the Cliffs of Moher suit older kids. Top picks: Salthill Promenade, Galway Atlantaquarium and Galway City Museum. Families usually base themselves in Salthill.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 5
- Best area for families
- Salthill
- Rainy-day options
- 2
- Busiest months
- July
Best things to do with kids
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Waterfront · Salthill
1.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
2.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
Museum · Latin Quarter
3.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
Street · Latin Quarter
4.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
Waterfront · Claddagh
5.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
Rainy-day ideas
- Galway City Museum — Head to the top floor for the view over the Spanish Arch and Galway Bay.
- Galway Atlantaquarium — Combine it with the playground and promenade nearby for a full rainy-morning plan with kids.
Where families should stay
$$ · Best for families, beach and quiet stays
Salthill
Salthill is Galway's seaside suburb, about 2 km west of the centre, with a long promenade along Galway Bay, small beaches, the Atlantaquarium, playgrounds and amusement arcades. Seafront hotels and guesthouses face the Burren hills across the bay, and a bus or a 30-minute walk reaches the Latin Quarter.
- Good
- Sea views and promenade walks; Good for children; Easier parking
- Watch out
- A walk or bus ride from the pubs; Quiet outside summer
- Nearby
- Salthill Promenade, Galway Atlantaquarium, Blackrock Diving Tower
Family travel tips
- Pack waterproofs and warm layers for children even in summer.
- Children are welcome in pubs during the day, but usually need to leave by early evening.
- Salthill's seafront hotels are a calmer family base than the Latin Quarter.
- Keep young children well back from cliff edges at the Cliffs of Moher and Dún Aonghasa, where barriers are limited.
- Ferry crossings to the Aran Islands can be rough; bring travel-sickness remedies for children.
Day trips for families
- Cliffs of Moher and the Burren (About 1 hour 30 minutes by car or tour coach) — The Cliffs of Moher rise about 214 metres above the Atlantic along about 14 km of County Clare coast.
- 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.
- Cong and Ashford Castle (About 50 minutes by car) — The village of Cong between Lough Corrib and Lough Mask, where the film The Quiet Man was shot, has a ruined Augustinian abbey and woodland walks into the grounds of Ashford Castle, now a luxury hotel.
- Kinvara and Dunguaire Castle (About 35 minutes by car) — The harbour village of Kinvara on the south shore of Galway Bay sits beside Dunguaire Castle, a 16th-century tower house on the water's edge.
When to go with children
The best months overall are May–June and September. July is the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Galway good for kids?
Galway is relaxed with children: the city is small and largely pedestrianised, Salthill has the promenade, playgrounds and the aquarium, and street performers on Shop Street entertain for free. Day trips to the Aran Islands by bike or minibus and the Cliffs of Moher suit older kids.
+What can kids do in Galway?
Salthill Promenade, Galway Atlantaquarium, Galway City Museum, Latin Quarter and Shop Street and The Claddagh and Nimmo's Pier.
+Where should families stay in Galway?
Salthill: Seaside promenade, family hotels and the Blackrock diving tower.