Galway City was one of the highlights of our trip to Ireland. It’s full of incredible sights, amazing food and music, and has a wonderful atmosphere. One of the great things about Galway is that it can be an affordable destination in terms of entertainment. We found that accommodation was quite pricey, so we did our best to keep our budget low and managed to fill our days with some great affordable activities in Galway.
If you want to read more about how we got around Ireland on a budget using trains and buses, you can check out this blog post.
Here are our favourite free or budget activities to do in Galway City:
Explore the Latin Quarter
Cost: Free
The Latin Quarter is easily the coolest area of Galway. Full of restaurants, pubs, and shops, it’s the heart of all the action in Galway. In particular, High street and Quay street are must-visits. You’ll always find a wide array of amazing buskers out, giving the streets an incredible buzz. The colourful shops, cobblestones streets, historic buildings, and eclectic atmosphere made the Latin Quarter one of our favourite places in all of Ireland.
There are a number of things to keep an eye out for while you explore the Latin Quarter:
The Spanish arch
Cost: Free
The Spanish arch is a remnant of the old town wall of Galway. Most likely named due to the trade ships from Spain that used to dock in this area of Galway in the 15th century, the arch sits inside the Latin Quarter right next to the River Corrib. It used to house the Galway City Museum, however this has now moved, meaning the arch is just decorative currently.
Street Art
Cost: Free
There’s plenty of beautiful street art in Galway, particularly in the Latin Quarter. There are plenty of more permanent murals, as well as ever-changing graffiti all around the city. It all makes for some great photos and interesting strolls around the streets.
Lynch’s Castle
Cost: Free
A lot of Galway’s medieval history has been absorbed into the city, and the castle is no different. We accidentally walked straight past the castle when we were looking for it, as it’s been incorporated right into the city. it’s actually a bank now, so it’s easy to miss. Once you know where it is, you can see the carvings, gargoyles, and window decorations that are original to the building.
Walk to Salthill Along the Promenade
Cost: Free
Just along the coast from the centre of Galway is the suburb of Salthill. Salthill is worth a visit thanks to its amazing promenade that runs along the water. You’ll also find a number of pubs, cafes and restaurants in Salthill, so it’s a great place for a lunch or dinner.
There are a number of beaches along the promenade as well, which you can swim at if you’re up for braving the Atlantic temperatures.
You can drive or catch a bus out to Salthill, but we would highly recommend walking from Galway. You’ll reach the start of Salthill in around 40 minutes from the centre of Galway, but you can also keep walking further along the promenade if you’d like to. We ended up walking around an hour from Galway and then back again. You’ll get some lovely views of the Irish coastline, the Aran Islands and Galway Bay. Definitely pack your hat and sunscreen though, as there’s no shade on the walk.
Visit the Galway Cathedral
Cost: Free or small donation
Just outside the centre of town is the impressive Galway Cathedral. Built between 1958 and 1965, it’s definitely one of the newer cathedrals you’ll find in Europe, but it’s still worth a visit. There is no entrance fee, but they do accept donations.
Have Fish and Chips
Similar to the UK, Ireland is also well known for the quality of the fish and chips. Being a country with such a huge amount of coastline competitive to its size, there’s an abundance of seafood.
We had a great meal at McDonagh’s, which was delicious and very affordable, but there are so many amazing options in Galway!
Explore the Westend
Cost: Free
The Westend of Galway is situated across the River Corrib from the Latin Quarter. With less tourists, the Westend is home to more traditional pubs, restaurants, shops, and music venues. This is a lovely area to explore if you want to get out of the main city centre.
Walk the Riverside Soundwalk along the River Corrib
Cost: Free
From just north of the Galway Cathedral, near Fisheries Field, right down to the Galway Docks, you can walk along the River Corrib. There is a lovely walking path that winds between the river and Friar’s River Canal, taking you alongside the Latin Quarter and through the Spanish Arch. This is a lovely walk that only takes around 20-30 minutes. You can also cross the river at Wolfe Tone Bridge to join this walk with the one out to the Salthill Promenade.
Visit the Galway City Museum
Cost: Free or a small donation
Galway City Museum has exhibits on the history, archaeology, and culture of Galway. Ranging from prehistoric settlements by the River Corrib, right through to the 20th century, there is so much to learn about how Galway came to exist as it does now.
Located right by the Spanish Arch in the Latin Quarter, the museum will only take a few hours to visit.
Listen to Some Traditional Irish Music
Cost: Free, a small donation to a busker, or whatever you purchase at a bar
Galway is known for its abundance of amazing musicians, many of whom play traditional Irish music. As we mentioned, you’ll find many buskers out on the streets of Galway. You can find sessions with live traditional music at many pubs along the main street of Galway, or in the West End. Some of the more popular bars include Taaffes, Tigh Coili in the Latin Quarter, and the Crane Bar in the Westend. Whether you decide to listen to some buskers or head to one of the venues, listening to some Irish music is sure to get you in the right mood for exploring Galway.
Relax in Eyre Square
Cost: Free
Eyre Square, located right in the centre of Galway near many restaurants, shops, bars, and cafes. The square is on the same site as a medieval square used for markets. It is now a lovely landscaped public space that is lovely to sit and people watch in. Given its proximity to some of the main shopping areas of Galway, it’s also a great place for a break and a snack during a busy day of sightseeing.
Try Some Irish Alcohol
There are so many Irish alcohols that you may want to try during your time in Ireland, and there are plenty of pubs and liquor shops around Galway to get the goods. Along with the obvious, Guinness, Ireland is also known for its whiskey and cider, as well as other types of beer and ale. You can also find amazing liqueurs – our favourite is Bailey’s Irish Cream.
Something amazing about Ireland is that you can often find other treats made with whatever you want to try. There are plenty of chocolates in all of the souvenir shops made with Bailey’s, whiskey, or Guinness. We got some absolutely incredible strawberry flavoured Bailey’s chocolates!
Go on a Day Trip
If, like us, you have several days in Galway, you might want to use one of your extra days to see more of the county, or other surrounding areas. Within County Galway, you could visit Lough Corrib, Connemara National Park, or Dunguaire Castle. There are also further afield areas worthy of a day trip, including the Burren, the Cliffs of Moher, or the Aran Islands.
We took a day trip with Get Your Guide to the Cliffs of Moher, which was amazing! The tour took us through the Burren, a fascinating stone landscape, and spent a while marvelling at the cliffs. You can check out the trip we took here.
We loved our time in Galway, and we can’t wait to go back one day and explore even more of the west coast of Ireland. Feel free to reach out and let us know if you head to Galway and do any of these activities!
If you want to see what we got up to in Galway and the rest of Ireland, check out our vlog:
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