The city runs on festivals and music, and west of it Connemara opens out: bog, mountain and lough under the Twelve Bens. The Aran Islands sit offshore, on their own older rhythm.
County Galway pairs one of Ireland's most lively cities with some of its most loved landscapes. Galway City, on the bay where the River Corrib meets the sea, is known for its medieval lanes, buskers, pubs and festivals, and serves as the gateway to everything west and north.
West of the city lies Connemara, a landscape of bog, mountain and lough beneath the Twelve Bens, with Kylemore Abbey on its lakeside and Clifden as its informal capital. Offshore, the Aran Islands preserve Irish-speaking culture and ancient forts, while the east of the county is gentler farmland around Lough Corrib and historic towns. Plan for contrasts: the energy of the city, the silence of a Connemara bog road, and the very different, older rhythm of life on the Aran Islands. Ferries and island trips depend on the weather, so keep a flexible day in your itinerary for them.
A mountain and bog landscape protected in part as Connemara National Park.
A lakeside Victorian castle and abbey with walled gardens, set beneath Connemara hills.
Three Irish-speaking islands with prehistoric forts, including cliff-edge Dún Aonghasa on Inis Mór.
Medieval streets around Shop Street and Quay Street, full of shops, pubs and street music.
Connemara's main town, with a scenic loop road above Clifden Bay.
Galway runs on music and sea air. Buskers hold the lanes all day, the pubs take over at night, and the festival calendar fills much of what is left. The city sits where the River Corrib meets the bay. Go in festival season if you like a crowd; go in winter if you want it to yourself.
The roads through Connemara all seem to end here, in a small town founded in the early 19th century on the Owenglin River. Come for the light and the empty country around it.
Seaside suburb of Galway City with a promenade along the bay.
Historic market town in north Galway with two cathedrals.
Summer brings festivals and the longest days, but also the biggest crowds. Spring and early autumn are excellent for Connemara and the islands with quieter roads.
Galway City is about two hours from Dublin by motorway and rail. Shannon and Ireland West (Knock) airports are both within reach, and ferries to the Aran Islands leave from Rossaveal and Galway.
12–25 Jul 2027 · Galway City
The festival's 50th edition: two weeks of theatre, music, visual art and street spectacle that take over Galway every July.
26 Jul – 1 Aug 2027 · Ballybrit, Galway
Seven days of summer racing at Ballybrit: the Galway Plate and the Galway Hurdle, famous crowds, and the whole city in festival mode around it.
24–26 Sep 2027 (dates to be confirmed) · Galway City
The world's oldest oyster festival opens the native oyster season: the World Oyster Opening Championships, a seafood trail through the city's restaurants, and a great deal of stout.
The Cliffs of Moher, County Clare
Cliffs & coastal tours
The Cliffs of Moher are the one sight nearly every first trip to Ireland is built around, and this is the day trip we point people to. It runs about thirteen hours from Dublin, out along the Wild Atlantic Way to the cliffs, then into Galway for a couple of hours on the cobbled streets before the run home. It leaves from College Green in the city centre. The numbers are hard to argue with: from US$88.21 a head, rated 4.9 from nearly 24,900 reviews, the largest count of any cliffs tour on Viator, with free cancellation up to a day ahead.
Best for: Anyone whose trip is built around the cliffs and who would rather not hire a car. It is a long coach day of about thirteen hours, so travellers who like to set their own pace may prefer to drive the coast themselves.
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Traditional music runs the evenings from Ennis to Doolin, and the days belong to the coast: the Cliffs of Moher and the limestone Burren behind them.
Clew Bay's islands sit under Croagh Patrick, Westport anchors the corner, and the north coast empties out towards Achill and Erris. Mayo is big, and the distance is part of it.
A quiet county between the Shannon and the west: Lough Key's forest park, Rathcroghan's royal landscape and castles without the crowds. The charm is the lack of hurry.
Part of Wild Atlantic Way.