Galway
The city of the fourteen Tribes at the mouth of the Corrib, with three starred kitchens, two Orient Express carriages and the Aran Islands out in the bay.
- Arrival
- Shannon · SNN
- To the city
- About 1 h 15 by car from Shannon
- Private jets
- Shannon, 3,200 m, US preclearance
- Best time
- June to August
The city
Tribes, arches and the Corrib.
Galway grew in the thirteenth century into a walled town run by fourteen merchant families, the Tribes. The Spanish Arch of 1584, a fragment of that wall, still stands on the banks of the Corrib, and St Nicholas' Collegiate Church, finished in 1320, is said to have received Christopher Columbus in 1477. Shop Street runs through the Latin Quarter between them.
July is the city's month, with the International Arts Festival and the Film Fleadh; September brings the Oyster Festival. Lough Corrib, north of the city, holds two Key hotels on its shores, and from Rossaveal ferries cross all year to the three Irish-speaking Aran Islands.
Arriving
Shannon to the south, a strip at Carnmore.
Galway's own field takes no airline flights, so travellers come in through Shannon (84 kilometres) or Ireland West Airport Knock (89 kilometres), each roughly an hour and a quarter by road.
- Paris 1 h 35
- Geneva 2 h 05
- Ibiza 2 h 40
- Vienna 2 h 45
- Bangkok 13 h 15 long-range jet
When to go
June to August.
The climate is mild and Atlantic. June to August is the season, with afternoons of eighteen or nineteen degrees and the festivals in full swing. From September to January rain passes a hundred millimetres a month, while winter highs hold at eight or nine.
- 8° J 107
- 8° F 75
- 10° M 77
- 13° A 61
- 15° M 71
- 18° J 67
- 19° J 69
- 19° A 90
- 17° S 104
- 14° O 113
- 10° N 117
- 9° D 113
What to see and do
Days in and around Galway.
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Landmark
The Latin Quarter
Shop Street and the lanes between the Spanish Arch, O'Brien's Bridge and St Nicholas' Church.
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Landmark
Galway Cathedral
Dedicated in 1965 and called the last great stone cathedral built in Europe.
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Landmark
The Aran Islands
Three Irish-speaking islands at the mouth of Galway Bay, reached by ferry from Rossaveal.
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Culture
Galway City Museum
Housed beside the Spanish Arch in a building of 2007, with a collection spanning archaeology, art, natural history and folklife.
Official site -
Opera & music
Druid Theatre
Garry Hynes, Marie Mullen and Mick Lally founded the company in 1975, and it plays in the Mick Lally Theatre in the city centre.
Official site -
Racing & sport
Galway Racecourse
At Ballybrit, with a first meeting in 1869, the course stages a seven day festival each August and further meetings in autumn.
Official site -
Nature
Cliffs of Moher
A 14 km line of sea cliffs in County Clare, reaching 214 metres, with O'Brien's Tower of 1835 and a visitor centre opened in 2007.
Official site
Where to stay
Castles and an abbey on Lough Corrib.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Ashford Castle Once the Guinness family's home on Lough Corrib, Forbes Five-Star and two Keys, with 83 rooms and a boathouse over the lake.
- Glenlo Abbey Hotel The Ffrench family's house of 1740 on a 138-acre estate, new to the Keys in 2026 and home to The Pullman.
- Gregans Castle Hotel One MICHELIN Key, on the far shore of Galway Bay, for a night beyond the city.
Where to dine
Three stars around the city.
From the MICHELIN Guide 2026, shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these restaurants.
- Aniar One Michelin star Modern €€€€ Dominick Street, West End
- The Pullman One Michelin star Modern €€€€ Glenlo Abbey Hotel
- Lignum One Michelin star Creative €€€€ Bullaun, near Loughrea
- George V Dining Room MICHELIN Guide Classic €€€€ Ashford Castle, Cong
- Blackthorn MICHELIN Guide Modern €€€€ Bearna
Elsewhere in Ireland
More reasons to come.
Flying to Galway?
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A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.