Getting Around Galway

The best way is to fly. Aer Arran do several flights each say form Dublin to Galway. At the moment (Jan 2002) you can only fly to and from Dublin from Galway but there have been various schemes to get flights to/from the UK which have all been stopped in the past. The runway is too short for jets to land so Aer Arran use 50 seater turbo props which are fine - I use them all the time when I go to Dublin.

Failing that you can get a train from Dublin to Galway which will take anything from two and a half hours to three and a half hours depending on what service you get.

You can also get a bus from Dublin or many other parts of the country to Galway which is cheaper than the train and plane but they are pretty bad - I hate busses. You can get a bus directly from Dublin Airport to Galway if you want to then you don't have to go through Dublin if you don't want to.

Aer Arran - http://www.aerarann.ie/
Bus Eireann - http://www.buseireann.ie
Ianrod Eireann (trains) - http://www.irishrail.ie
If you get a hotel in the center of Galway then you can walk anywhere in the city center within five or ten minutes which is handy late at night as getting a cab can ake quite a while, especially at teh weekends.

For taxis I always use Big O Taxi Company. Their number is (091) 585858 - don't use the 091 when in galway - that's the galway city dialing code.

Rent a car - there are a few places to rent cars from - you can see all of the offices together at Carnmore (Galway) airport and compare the prices directly but the rental offices only seem to be open when flights arrive as it's a very quiet airport.

The bus service in Galway city is pathetic - I tried to use it once but after about 45 minutes of waiting a flagged down a taxi - that was three years ago and I've never tried a bus again.

Use a bike at your peril - you won't believe the things people do on the roads here. I wouldn't feel safe on a bicycle.