About Co. Galway
Lined by stone shopfronts, Galway's (Gaillimh) narrow cobblestone streets fill with a frenzy of street performers who enchant passers by. The administrative capital of County Galway, the city is also a departure point for the wild, windswept Aran Islands.
Explore Ireland
Overview
With more restaurants per capita than any other Irish city and a smorgasbord of festivals including the Jazz Festival, the Easter Festival of Literature and the Galway Arts Festival in July, even the near-constant rain fails to dampen the city's spirits.
What To Do
The breathtaking Connemara region and the Aran Islands abound with walking and cycling opportunities and are both an easy daytrip from Galway. Most adventures in the city itself are cultural in nature, with plenty of theatres and book or poetry readings. However, your biceps can get a good workout from lifting pints at the bar.
Events
Enhancing the festive spirit of the many annual events hosted by Galway and the surrounding communities, licensing laws are usually suspended, permitting pubs to remain open 24 hours a day (many restaurants also stay open).
The Cùirt Poetry & Literature Festival is a well established event that takes place in Galway and grows in importance each year. The Galway Arts Festival is another cultural extravaganza, with two weeks of round-the-clock theatre, music, art and comedy. For good measure, one of Ireland's biggest film festivals takes place at the same time. Galway's International Oyster Festival is a strange mix of oyster slurping and partying. Finally, Galway Race Week in Ballybrit, 3km (1.8mi) east of the city, becomes a site of feverish bacchanalia.
Health and Safety
Ireland is safer than most countries in Europe, and Galway is a very safe city within Ireland, but normal precautions should be observed. Be careful of your belongings in crowded places and on public transport.
Money
Getting Around
You'll see pedicab/rickshaws hauling people deep in their cups about the center on weekend nights. From the launch point (William & Ellington Sts), gravity propels the pedicab at breakneck speeds down to Quay St while fellow drunks dive out of the way.
Bus service between Galway Airport and Galway is comically useless, with just one bus a day (15 minutes). Some B&Bs and hotels can arrange pick-up. Bus Éireann operates daily services from Shannon Airport to Galway (1.75 hours, hourly). Citylink and Gobus Travel serve Dublin Airport.
Europa Bicycles hires bikes for 24 hours. It's on Earl's Island, opposite Galway Cathedral. West Ireland Cycling rents bikes and accessories like child trailers, and also organizes bike tours throughout the region.
You can walk to almost everything in Galway, including out to Salthill, but you'll also find frequent buses departing from Eyre Sq. For Salthill, take bus 1D/1K (15 minutes).
Parking throughout Galway's streets is metered. There are several multistory and pay-and-display car parks around town. Galway's unprecedented growth and the resulting lack of infrastructure serving its urban sprawl mean that traffic in and out of the city center can bank up alarmingly. For a stress-free holiday, leave the roads to commuters at peak hours if possible.
Taxi ranks are located on Eyre Sq, on Bridge St and next to the bus-train station. Or try Abbey Cabs or Cara Cabs.
Travel Tips & Tools
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