Connacht (West Coast / Wild Atlantic Way)
Galway
There's no airport, so arrive by train from Dublin, stay two or three nights by the Latin Quarter, and book one Cliffs of Moher or Connemara tour rather than driving the west coast yourself.
Best length
2-3 nights
Nearest airport
No Galway airport; Shannon (SNN) ~1h, Knock (NOC) ~1h, Dublin (DUB) ~2.5h
From Dublin
Irish Rail train or Citylink coach, both about 2h 30m city-to-city
Best base
Latin Quarter / city centre on foot; Salthill for value
In short
Galway at a glance
Galway works best as a 2- or 3-night base on the west coast: arrive by train from Dublin rather than flying into Galway (there is no commercial airport), stay walking distance from the Latin Quarter, and use the city as a launchpad for one Cliffs of Moher or Connemara day tour rather than trying to drive everything yourself.
The short version
- There is no Galway airport: fly into Dublin and take the train or Citylink coach (about 2.5 hours), or use Shannon (about 1 hour by car) for west-coast-only trips.
- Stay in or beside the Latin Quarter so the trad-music pubs, restaurants and Spanish Arch are all on foot; Salthill is cheaper but a 30-minute seafront walk out.
- You do not need a car to stay in Galway itself, but a hire car or a day tour is the only sensible way to reach Connemara, Kylemore Abbey and the Cliffs of Moher.
- Book a Cliffs of Moher and Aran Islands combined tour (around €80) ahead in summer; the ferry leg is weather-dependent, so keep a flexible day.
- Two full days covers the city, a trad session and one big day trip; three nights lets you do both Connemara and the Cliffs without rushing.
Galway is small, and that is the point. The medieval Latin Quarter, the trad-music pubs, the Spanish Arch and the river all sit inside a 20-minute walk, so a first trip here is less about ticking off sights and more about settling into one good base, catching a session most nights, and picking your day trips well. Where it catches people out is arrival and the surrounding region: there is no Galway airport, so you fly into Dublin and add a train or coach, and the headline scenery — the Cliffs of Moher, Connemara, Kylemore Abbey — is an hour or more out of town on roads with thin bus coverage.
That makes the two planning calls simple. First, get in from Dublin by the Irish Rail train (about 2 hours 30 minutes, city centre to city centre) or the Citylink coach if you are landing at Dublin Airport, where it runs direct from the terminal. Second, decide how you reach the west coast: book a day tour from Eyre Square for the Cliffs or Connemara, or hire a car for the days you head out and skip it for the walkable city itself.
Two nights covers the city and one big day trip; three nights lets you do both Connemara and the Cliffs without rushing. The structured planning below — where to stay between the Latin Quarter and Salthill, the airport-to-Galway options, the day-tour prices and a realistic budget in pounds — picks up from here.
Plan your Galway trip
Keep a first trip focused: book the big timed sights, then leave room for neighbourhoods and food.
Top things to do in Galway
Cliffs of Moher day tour
The Cliffs of Moher are the headline day trip from Galway: 214m sea cliffs on the Wild Atlantic Way, usually paired by coach tours with the Burren or a Doolin-to-Aran ferry. Going independently by car is doable, but a tour handles the long drive, the timing and often a cliff cruise. Tours run from about €60-€80.
Latin Quarter and Spanish Arch
The Latin Quarter is Galway's compact medieval core: Quay Street and Shop Street, packed with pubs, buskers and shopfronts, running down to the 16th-century Spanish Arch on the river Corrib. It is free to wander and best done slowly on foot, with pub and trad-music stops, rather than ticked off as a sight.
Where to stay first
The areas that make a first visit easier — not an exhaustive directory.
Latin Quarter and city centre
£££ premiumThe obvious first-timer base: cobbled lanes, the trad pubs, restaurants and the Spanish Arch are all on foot, and the train station at Ceannt is a five-minute walk. You pay a premium and it is noisy at weekends, but you save every taxi.
Best for: First-timers, couples, short stays, nightlife
Eyre Square
££ mid-rangeThe square sits right by the bus and train station, so it is the easiest landing spot off the Dublin coach and still a two-minute walk into Shop Street. Slightly more business-hotel in feel than the lanes below it.
Best for: Easy arrivals, transport links
Salthill
£ valueThe seaside suburb along the prom, about a 30-minute walk or short bus from the centre. Cheaper guesthouses and hostels, sea views and the Blackrock diving tower, but you will walk back and forth for nightlife.
Best for: Value, sea air, families
The West End
££ mid-rangeAcross the river from the Latin Quarter, quieter and more local with a strong independent-restaurant and craft-beer scene. Walkable to the centre but a calmer base if weekend hen-and-stag noise is a worry.
Best for: Food-led trips, repeat visitors
Airport to city centre
| Option | Time | Cost | Book ahead? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dublin Airport to Galway by Citylink/GoBus coach | ~2h 45m direct | about €16-€20 booked online | Direct from the airport, runs through the night |
| Dublin city to Galway by Irish Rail train | ~2h 30m | web fares from about €14, walk-up €25+ | Cheapest booked ahead on the Irish Rail app |
| Shannon Airport (SNN) to Galway by bus | ~1h 50m | about €16-€22 | Best for west-coast-only or Ryanair trips |
| Knock Airport (NOC) to Galway by bus | ~2h | about €15-€20 | Handy for some UK regional flights |
When to go
Sweet spot: May, June and September are the sweet spot: long days, the lowest rain odds on a wet coast, and either side of the peak-summer crowds. September in particular keeps mild temperatures around 14°C while the summer pricing drops.
July and August are the busiest and priciest, stacked with the Arts Festival, the Races and school holidays, so book months ahead or go midweek. Winter is cheap and atmospheric for pubs and music but wet and dark, and the Cliffs cliff-cruise and some Connemara tours wind down outside roughly March to October.
What it costs
There are no direct UK flights to Galway because it has no commercial airport. Most UK travellers fly to Dublin (often £30-£90 return off-peak) and add the coach or train, or use Shannon/Knock for west-coast trips; budget the onward transfer into your total.
Daily budget per person
Galway gets expensive fast during the July Arts Festival, the late-July Galway Races and the September Oyster Festival, when hotel rates can double. A pint of Guinness runs under €6 in the city; the hidden cost is usually the day-trip transport, not the city itself.
Book the essentials
Where to stay
Tours & tickets
Airport transfers
Stay connected
Trains & rail passes
Also in Ireland
Galway FAQs
How do you get from Dublin to Galway?
Do you need a car in Galway?
How many days do you need in Galway?
Is Galway worth visiting for the Cliffs of Moher?
Ready to book?
Find hotels in Galway