With its tangled lanes lined with colourful shopfronts curving around the stunning blue green bay, this is definitely one of Ireland’s most picturesque cities.
It also one of the island’s most vibrant, with musicians striking up in its atmospheric pubs and busking on its streets, a seafood-driven culinary scene, and jam-packed calendar of events boosted by a thriving student population.
Famed far and wide for its pubs, most of which are just a crawl from the next, join the friendly locals as they move from bar to bar. This city is famed for his welcoming atmosphere making it a hugely popular stop off for tourists to the Emerald Isle.
In fact it is often celebrated as one of the friendliest cities in Europe, certainly the friendliest in Ireland, frequently topping lists of welcoming destinations according to travel magazines.
The city is known for its lively atmosphere, traditional music, and welcoming locals, making it a popular choice for travelers. It’s been recognised by travel publications Condé Nast Traveller and Lonely Planet for its charm and friendliness.
We are talking about the pretty little seaside city of Galway on Ireland’s west coast.
The New York Times dubbed Galway ‘Ireland’s most charming city’ and with its coastal position, pretty buildings and brimmed full with tradtional character filled pubs it is easy to see why.
Pints of “the black stuff” (Guinness) are popular, of course, but be sure to look out for Galway Hooker Irish Pale Ale, a local success story brewing locally for over a decade. If you’re after a whiskey, see the specialists at laid-back Garavan’s.
It’s not just the drinking of course. Galway’s pubs heave with live music. You’ll hear high-spirited traditional tunes featuring any combination of instruments – fiddle, tin whistle, bodhrán (goat-skin hand-held drum played with beater), guitar, banjo, squeezebox, and more – pouring out from inside. It’s possible to catch a seisún (pronounced “seh-shoon”) virtually every night of the week.
It’s worth spending a night or two in Galway on any trip to Ireland. Two days is enough time to wander the colourful streets in search of seafood, pints, and the local culture. But you could base yourself in Galway for a few days and add in a day trip to Connemara, the Burren or the Aran Islands.
But when is best to go and enjoy a pint of Guinness with the locals at this picture-perfect spot? Lonely Planet says: “July and August bring long days that are perfect for exploring, but the high season also brings higher accommodation prices. And while these may be the summer months, the sun is never a guarantee in Ireland.
“The shoulder season months of April, May, September and October are great times to visit, with fewer crowds. These months can even see stretches of exceptional weather — perhaps even warmer and sunnier than in summer in some years. As always in Ireland: prepare for rain and celebrate when the sun is out.
The winter months can be cold, wet and dreary. It’s not the ideal for visiting, but if you happen to be in Galway in these months, don’t fear — just pack well for the weather and expect to while away the long, dark evenings with some live music in the pub.”
Galway is fun at any time of year but its annual celebrations attract even more visitors. These include late April’s poetry- and prose-filled Cuirt International Festival of Literature, May’s Galway Theatre Festival, July’s Galway Arts Festival and Ireland’s leading film festival, the Galway Film Fleadh.
Next up though Galway Race Week a celebration of horse racing which starts on the last Monday in July. If food is more your thing then late September brings the long-running Galway Oyster and Seafood Festival. Then at Halloween, spectacle theatre company Macnas hosts an exceptional parade that features elaborate floats and giant sculptures that would give a Spanish Fiesta a run for its money.
If you’re driving the Wild Atlantic Way then Galway is the largest city on the route. Stop in and enjoy the selection of pubs and restaurants before getting back on the road for more rural stretches.
Galway is easily reached by train and bus from Dublin. If you want to get to Galway from any other city in Ireland, a bus is your best bet – check out routes and schedules at Bus Eireann and City Link.