Things to Do in Galway

Galway is a small city — you can walk across the entire centre in under twenty minutes — but it packs an unusual amount into that space. A medieval street plan survives more or less intact around the Latin Quarter, the River Corrib runs straight through the middle of it on its way out to Galway Bay, and the whole place has a reputation for live music and festivals that's earned rather than marketed. Here's what to actually see.

The Latin Quarter

The Latin Quarter is the tangle of streets — Quay Street, High Street, Shop Street and the lanes that connect them — running from Eyre Square down toward the river and the Spanish Arch. Most of it is pedestrianised, lined with independent shops, pubs and cafés, and it's where you'll find buskers and impromptu trad sessions on any evening with decent weather. Shop Street is the spine of it and home to Lynch's Castle, a fortified 16th-century townhouse built by the Lynch family — one of the "Tribes of Galway," the merchant families who dominated the city for centuries. It's now a bank branch (AIB), and the ground floor is open to the public during banking hours, with the original carved limestone facade still intact outside.

The Spanish Arch

Down at the river end of the Latin Quarter, the Spanish Arch sits where the Corrib meets Galway Bay. It was built in 1584 as an extension of the city's medieval walls, protecting the quays where cargo was loaded and unloaded — the "Spanish" name reflects Galway's historic trading links with Spain rather than Spanish construction. It's free to visit, open year-round, and it's a natural spot to sit by the water — the Long Walk, a row of colourful harbourside houses just beside it, is one of the most photographed views in the city.

Galway City Museum

Right next to the Spanish Arch, the Galway City Museum covers the city's history across three floors — maritime trade, the War of Independence and Civil War era, local arts and crafts, and Galway's festivals and sporting life. Admission is free (donations welcome), which makes it an easy add-on to a walk along the river.

Eyre Square

The city's main square, officially John F. Kennedy Memorial Park, has been Galway's central public space since medieval times, when it hosted markets outside the old town gate. Mayor Edward Eyre gifted the green space to the city in 1710. It was renamed in 1965 in honour of President John F. Kennedy, who addressed a large crowd here in 1963. Look for the Quincentennial Fountain, shaped like a Galway hooker (the traditional local sailing boat), and the flags representing the fourteen "Tribes of Galway" merchant families.

Galway Cathedral

A short walk from the centre, the Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas is Galway's most architecturally striking building — a large domed cathedral completed in 1965 on the site of the old city gaol, often described as one of the last great stone cathedrals built in Europe. It's free to enter and worth a look inside even if you're not visiting for religious reasons.

St Nicholas' Collegiate Church

Back in the Latin Quarter, the smaller and much older St Nicholas' Collegiate Church dates to 1320 and is the largest medieval parish church in Ireland still in continuous use as a place of worship. It's said Christopher Columbus prayed here in 1477 before setting sail west. The church and the market that runs alongside it in Church Lane (Saturdays and Sundays, with extra days in July and August) are worth timing your visit around.

Salthill promenade

A couple of kilometres from the centre, Salthill is Galway's seaside suburb, and its promenade — locally just "the Prom" — runs along Galway Bay for about two kilometres. It's a genuine local tradition to "kick the wall" at the far end, near the diving tower at Blackrock, before turning back — a there-and-back walk that takes most people 30–45 minutes each way from the city centre. On a clear day you can see across the bay toward the Burren and, further out, the outline of the Aran Islands.

Getting around

Everything above except Salthill is comfortably walkable from Eyre Square. For Salthill, it's a flat walk along the water from the Spanish Arch and Claddagh, or a short local bus ride if you'd rather save your legs for the way back.

Related reading

• Galway in One Day
• Free Things to Do in Galway
• Best Day Trips from Galway
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