IrelandGalway is Ireland's most exuberant small city, a compact harbour town on the wild west coast where the River Corrib pours into the Atlantic and the streets seem permanently tuned to a fiddle. You can walk the medieval core, the winding Latin Quarter down Quay Street to the Spanish Arch, in ten minutes, so the trick is to slow right down: follow the buskers, duck into a snug for a pint, and let the weather set the pace. Galway is famous for oysters, for its September oyster festival, and for the freshest seafood you will eat anywhere in Ireland, so build meals around it. Base yourself in or near the centre, walk everywhere, and treat the seaside stroll along Salthill Promenade as a daily ritual, kicking the wall at the far end as locals do for luck. Use Galway as a launchpad too, because the Cliffs of Moher, the lunar limestone of the Burren, the Aran Islands and the mountains and lakes of Connemara are all within a day's reach. Bring a raincoat, expect four seasons in an afternoon, and know that the craic here is genuinely worth the trip.
Day plans
Pick your trip length. The full 1-day plan is free, members unlock the 3 and 7-day plans.
Grab the soda bread and a sausage roll; the street is quiet and the buskers arrive later, so it's a calm start.
See the Galway hookers sculpture and the old city gates, then look up at Lynch's Castle's carved stone facade as you pass.
The medieval parish church where Columbus is said to have prayed; on Saturdays the street market wraps right around it.
