Top County Galway hotels
Archaeology, castles and ruins Galway
27 Reviews This arch is one of the oldest buildings in Galway, dating back to 1584. Although the name suggests a connection to Spain, no real link has been ascertained. It was originally known as the 'head of...
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Dun Aengus Inishmore
12 Reviews You will have to go to the visitor centre and pay your admission ticket (2 euro) before you can enter the fort. From here you have to go by foot towards the fortress Dun Aonghasa (Dun Aengus). It’s...
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Dún Aengus Aran Island
3 Reviews One of the main tourist attractions on the island of Inishmore, is the vast stone fortification. Perched on the side of a steep 300 meter high cliff at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, it dates back to...
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The Burren Galway
16 Reviews We drove from the Cliffs of Moder up to Galway and without a doubt it was the most spectacular drive I have ever made in my life. It is just GORGEOUS. And it changes every 10km from moonscape, to...
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Kilronan Inishmore
6 Reviews When the boat docks in Kilronan, wide-eyed tourists flood the streets and the bus and cart drivers know it. Ample transportation is available to any part of the island for a fee. We waited out the...
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Public Buildings and City Landmarks Galway
23 Reviews This sculpture in the city centre was a gift from the Estonian city of Tartu to Galway in 2004. It is a replica of a sculpture in Tartu. It shows the Irish writer Oscar Wilde and the Estonian writer...
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Seven churches Inishmore
6 Reviews This ancient site of two churches and a graveyard (the 7 Churches name comes from other buildings on the site that most likely were homes of the monks) is fascinating. One passes through the wall and...
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Beaches and shorelines Galway
11 Reviews Grattan beach is a smallish horse-shoe shaped beach that is situated on the Western side of Salthill, making it almost in Galway. The beach is of couse the place to soak up those rays, strip off and...
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Dun Dúbhchathair Inishmore
2 Reviews This fort is also located on the edge of a high cliff, it’s situated at the southern side of Inis Mór. The construcion consists of a extended part which was defended by a bended wall and a “chevaux de...
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Hills and Mountains, Islands and Rivers Galway
13 Reviews One of the shortest rivers in all Europe, the Corrib connects the expansive Lough Corrib to the north with Galway Bay to the south, passing through Galway City before emptying into the sea. You can...
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Religious buildings Galway
19 Reviews Galway's cathedral is Europe's newest stone cathedral, dedicated as recently as 1965. Nevertheless, it is an imposing sight on the banks of the River Corrib. It is usually open between 8.30 am and...
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Music, dancing and beer Galway
8 Reviews This pub has live music that starts around 1930 so you don't have to stay up all night. If you get there early enough, you can get a seat one table removed from the piano (across from the bar) so you...
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Towns and villages worth a visit Galway
6 Reviews One of the most common trips out for day from Galway is to visit the wilds of Connemara. The twelve Bens (mountains) dominate the landscape they rise up between the peat bogs in a majestic way (oh...
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Festivals Galway
9 Reviews Galway comes alive during the world famous Galway races. Its an experience for everyone - even if like me you've no interest in horses - its all about the incredible atmosphere that makes the whole of...
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Amusement and leisure Galway
4 Reviews Salthill, the seaside town couple of miles from Galway has a number of casinos. Don't however think of the place as a kind of mini Las Vegas. The tawdry collection of so called casinos are only one...
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Kilronan is the main village of Inishmore. There are a few wild pubs, churches, B&Bs, restaurants, schools, one supermarket, a bank (twice a week), a few tourist shops and bike rentals and the pier...that's basically it! But it's nice and it's the perfect base to explore INishmore by bike!
Actually I just had a look from the outside and stopped for a toilet break!! (It's always great to stop at tourist attractions with car parks full of coaches when you are searching for a toilet!!! ;)Kylemore Abbey is located at a very scenic spot at a lake in the middle of Connemara. It has been home to the Irish Benedictine nuns since 1920 who run a boarding school here. Next to the Abbey there's a small gothic church which I think is very cute.
Wild deserted landscapes, scenic roads along mountains and lakes ... Connemara must be one of the most spectacular areas in Ireland as far as scenery is concerned. It's amazing. You can drive for miles without seeing a house or another car. It's impossible to drive for a mile without seeing a sheep though ;)
This pittoresque lake is located next to the main road from Recess to Galway N59. I have to stop here everytime I pass by (guess why there's a car park here!). This is probably one of the most popular photo stop opportunities of the west of Ireland.The lake is just too beutiful: It's surrounded by your typical Connemara hills and a lot of fern. In the middle there's a island (which isn't really an island) with trees and some tiny real islands. This is cliché Connemara brought to reality I think!
If you have a car and if you have an hour while you are doing a tour through Connemara: Take the Sky Road and prepare for scenic viewpoints at every corner! It's a 11 km road around a peninsula west of Clifden. You're driving on a hill all along the coast, underneath you have gorgeous scenery, a castle, fancy cottages and the Atlantic ocean, in the distance you can see the mountains of Connemara. The drive will take you something like 20 mts (without stops). However, we stopped at every corner and spent at least an hour and a half here! It was fantastic!
Kylemore is an impressive bulding, built on a lake with a mountain as a backdrop. Once a family home now a girl's school run by Benedictine nuns. So only parts of the ground floor are open to visitors.Entrance was 11 Euros and you could easily spend a whole day here finding out about the place. There are several points of interest on the site, which includes a craft shop, restaurant and visitor and video centre.Don't miss the Victorian Walled Garden, a short minibus trip (included) from the abbey.
As the tourist 'capital' of Connemara, Clifden may be quite packed in summer. My advice is to take a trip on the Sky Road, a scenic road departing and going back to Clifden leave the car in a space by the road and walk through wonderful vegetation to catch the best view of the ocean.
Inshbofin is a tiny island just off the Connemara coast. Nothing but seabirds and some ruins, some houses, and the sea.Definitely a place where to escape the world. You get to feel stranded here between the two ferries leaving you down and picking you up...and just a small market for your comfort. No tourist coaches, no queues...
The mountains in the photo are called the Twelve Bens and in some of the guidebooks I have read liken them to Irish dancing girls, but I think someone just likes to think of dancing girls. At any rate they are lovely with an almost mystical aura and are described by author Brendan Lehane as "the central glory of Connemara." At any rate, they stand in dramatic contrast to the bog lands and glacial lakes of the area and support Oscar Wilde's description of this sparsely populated but beautiful area.The Twelve Bens seem to be a favorite spot for mountain climbing/hiking. I even read one place where "fell runners" (whatever that is) sometimes do all 12 in one day. Makes me tired thinking about it, but I can see how they would attractive the younger and more athletic folk.
This 4000 year old fort is an amazing architectural achievement, not to mention the laborious work that went into moving God knows how many tons of stone to build it. I is built in rows of concentric circles for defending the fort, though it seems no one knows against exactly whom this defense was required. This is an awesome thing in itself and the walk up is an interesting one - again you will probably be entertained by an itinerant musician as well as some lovely gorse. And the view from the fort down to the sea is breathtaking. Enlarge the photo to get a better glimpse of it.Please approach it only by way of the visitor center to protect it and wear good walking shoes as the terrain is rocky and uneven.
Park House Galway
2 Reviews and 657 Opinions I selected the Park House Hotel because it is very convenient to both the bus and train stations in...
Mainistir House Hostel Inishmore
66 Opinions
Clifden Station House Hotel Clifden
258 Opinions
Reviews and photos of County Galway attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for County Galway sightseeing.
Q: Hi, We're going to be visiting Ireland at the end of August, staying in Clifden. We'd like to make a day trip to Carrigaholt...
A: The AA routeplanner is a very reliable site for working out routes and drivetimes: http://www2.aaireland.ie/routes_beta/ More so than sites such as...
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