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Galway city: what 73 visitors wish they'd known

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Tips about Galway city

1For Galway trad, try Taaffes (5:30pm), Tig Cóilí and the Crane Bar. Arrive 30 minutes early6 visitors
- Hear trad sessions at Taaffes and Tig Coili in Galway around 5:30pm and 9:30pm; Dublin's O'Donoghue's starts around 8:30pm. · Fodor's, 2018
- Taaffes holds an early 5:30pm session in Galway; Tig Coili and Monroe's also have sessions. · Fodor's, 2025
- Arrive 30 minutes early at The Crane Bar in Galway for trad-session seats. · Rick Steves forum, 2025
- Taafe's Bar in Galway had trad music; O'Connor's had none that night. · TripAdvisor, 2022
6 visitors here; showing 4 of the 6 who gave detail.
2Base in Galway without a car and day-trip to Connemara, Aran and the Cliffs5 visitors
- A direct Dublin to Galway bus takes about 2.5 hours, giving a base for Connemara, Aran and the Cliffs. · Blog, 2022
- Take a bus day trip from Galway to the Cliffs, Burren, and lunch in Doolin. · Blog, 2022
5 visitors here; showing the 2 who gave detail.

Ireland-wide tips people mentioned here (4)

1Book dinner ahead in Galway, Dingle, Westport and Kilkenny, as busy places turn walk-ins away5 visitors
- Eat early at Cava Bodega in Galway (about 5pm) before it fills; the Pie Maker's beef and stout pie was also recommended. · Fodor's, 2018
- Reserve restaurants even for lunch in Galway; Ard Bia near the Spanish Arch is a top brunch spot. · Rick Steves forum, 2026
- Book Galway dinners every night; Kirwan's Lane turned away walk-ins at opening. · Fodor's, 2025
5 visitors here; showing the 3 who gave detail.
2Get fish and chips at a proper chipper: Leo Burdock's or Beshoff's in Dublin, McDonagh's in Galway5 visitors
- Get fish and chips at McDonough's, a Galway institution, or Brasserie on the Corner; also try a spice bag from Xian Street Food. · Rick Steves forum, 2026
- McDonagh's on Quay Street, Galway, was recommended as one of the best spots for fish and chips. · Blog, 2019
- McDonagh's fish bar in Galway and Quinlan's in Killarney for fish and chips. · TripAdvisor, 2022
5 visitors here; showing 3 of the 5 who gave detail.
3No car? Base in Dublin, Galway or Killarney and use day tours for the big sights5 visitors
- Book day tours via GetYourGuide from Killarney (Gap of Dunloe, Dingle, Ring of Kerry) and Galway (Cliffs of Moher, Aran Islands). · TripAdvisor, 2023
- Base in Dublin, Killarney and Galway and use day trips; Belfast works as a day trip by train. · Fodor's, 2017
- Use Lally Tours or Galway Tours from Galway, and base in cities with day trips. · Fodor's, 2017
- Base in Dublin or Galway for day trips to limit luggage moves. · Blog
5 visitors here; showing the 4 who gave detail.
4Use trains between cities; Dublin to Galway, Cork, Killarney and Belfast are easy5 visitors
- Dublin to Galway or Belfast by train or bus costs about 20 euro (~$22), so no car is needed between cities. · Blog, 2023
- Train beat bus for Galway to Dublin. Dunne's was the favourite supermarket. · TripAdvisor, 2022
- Dublin-Galway train takes about three hours. · Fodor's
5 visitors here; showing the 3 who gave detail.

Show 62 single-report tips

Driving (2)

Book an automatic well ahead; Galway had none available so they got a manual. · Blog, 2024
Galway city is hard to drive; park and walk. Buy the Heritage Card if visiting several OPW sites. · TripAdvisor, 2023

Getting around (23)

A Galway tour bus left them tied to a timetable at the Cliffs of Moher, so drive if you want flexibility. · Blog, 2024
Book Dublin to Galway buses online for a few euro less; popular routes fill and Limerick connections can mean hours waiting. · Blog, 2026
Book Irish Rail tickets online for a guaranteed seat; your name shows above it. Dublin to Belfast from Galway needs a station change. · TripAdvisor, 2023
Book the Dublin to Galway train the night before; it takes about 2.5 hours and many departures run. · Blog, 2026
Citylink buses did Belfast-Dublin-Galway; hostels stored bags, and an Uber to Dublin Airport was cheaper than the bus. · Blog, 2018
Doolin works without a car: bus from Galway, two nights, trad music in the pubs, then bus on to Ennis. · Rick Steves forum
Flying into Dublin and out of Shannon works well; Bus Eireann Galway to Shannon is about an hour, nonstop. · Fodor's, 2018
Galway bus station was under construction and messy, so allow extra time for connections. · Rick Steves forum, 2025
Galway to Killarney is about four hours by bus with a Limerick change and no direct train; Killarney to Dublin train is 3.5 hours. · Blog, 2026
Pick the car up in Galway on day four and drop it at Dublin Airport; it cost little more than a same-city return. · Blog, 2022
Prebook Galway bus tickets; walk-up buyers were turned away while prebooked tickets were honoured on the next bus. · TripAdvisor, 2022
Rent a car for only part of the trip: she picked up in Galway and dropped in Cork, then took the bus to Dublin. · Blog, 2024
Rent the car only for Galway to Kerry and return at Shannon; Dublin and Galway are easy on foot. · Blog, 2026
Shannon ferry saves about an hour between Killarney and Galway. · TripAdvisor, 2026
Sit on the right of the Galway to Doolin bus for coastal views; buy bus tickets online for priority. · Fodor's, 2019
Take a direct bus from Dublin Airport to Galway, then Galway to Ennis for County Clare tours. · Rick Steves forum
Take bus 350 from Kinvara to Galway, and finish with a night in Malahide before the airport. · Rick Steves forum, 2024
Take the 6:50am bus from Dublin to the Cliffs of Moher, about three hours, then stop at the Burren on the way to Galway. · Blog, 2025
Take the airport bus to Galway and onward to Clifden. · Blog
Take the tram to Heuston for the Galway train; Galway station is an easy walk to the centre. · Rick Steves forum, 2026
The Shannon ferry saved over an hour between Kerry and Galway. · TripAdvisor
Trains Dublin to Belfast, Dublin to Galway and Cork to Dublin worked well; connections elsewhere meant backtracking and sparse services. · Rick Steves forum, 2024
Use the Shannon Estuary ferry to break the drive to Galway, as a local suggested. · Blog, 2025

Food & pubs (8)

Eat at Library Street near Grafton Street, Dublin, and Kashmir Indian in Galway on hotel-staff recommendation. · TripAdvisor, 2023
Galway streets get crowded by 8pm; she liked Elephant and Castle for dinner and Mary Mullen's for a pub. · Blog, 2025
Order Murphy's chocolate whiskey ice cream in Galway; the author regretted not choosing it and sea salt was also good. · Blog, 2024
Hooked and Woozza's pizza in Galway were good; free street parking after 6:30pm. · TripAdvisor, 2022
Queue early for trad sessions at The Cobblestone in Dublin and Tig Coili in Galway; both fill up well before the music starts. · Rick Steves forum, 2026
Supermac's is Ireland's own burger chain; a quick, cheap burger and fries stop in Galway or Dublin works. · Blog, 2025
Try Rubin in Galway for fish chowder and cauliflower halloumi pie; it came recommended on Reddit and by locals. · Blog, 2024
Vegetarians: Xian Street Food (veggie spice bag) in Galway, Cornucopia in Dublin; Lidl and Aldi stock vegan sausage rolls. · TripAdvisor, 2022

Sightseeing (10)

Break up the Dublin to Galway drive at Sean's Bar in Athlone, which claims to be the oldest bar in the world. · Blog, 2023
Cliffs of Moher and Giant's Causeway from cruise shore excursions were mobbed; ship timing left no time for Cork or Galway. · TripAdvisor, 2022
Cliffs of Moher boat trip with a stop on Inisheer, Aran Islands, works well from Galway; rent a bike there. · other, 2025
Corrib Princess river cruise from Galway is worth it; sit on top deck, windy. · TripAdvisor, 2023
Galway to the Cliffs of Moher takes about two hours each way by day tour, and the cliffs are very windy in December. · Blog, 2022
Give Galway a couple of nights and add Cong and Kylemore Abbey in Connemara. · Blog, 2023
Go beyond Galway to Westport and the north-west coast; the authors rated it their favourite part and fewer visitors go. · Blog, 2023
Stop at Athlone Castle and Salthill pubs · Reddit, 2025
Visit Galway midweek for fewer crowds and weekday music. · Blog, 2024
Visit the Saturday market at Eyre Square in Galway and walk the Latin Quarter for buskers. · Blog, 2025

Where to stay (9)

Ask your Galway hostel to hold bags before check-in, then explore hands-free; a nearby supermarket lets you self-cater dinner. · Blog
Base in Galway city rather than traffic-heavy Dublin for the west. · Rick Steves forum, 2023
Check event calendars; Galway Races raised prices. · Blog
Check holiday-rental cleanliness; a West End Galway unit had grime and combo washer-dryer that harms clothes. · Fodor's, 2025
Dublin city-centre hostel dorms hit about 100 euro (~$110) in summer versus about 40 in Galway or Kerry, so book far ahead. · Blog, 2025
Hostel dorms in Galway sleep six, workable but not luxurious; return bus to Dublin takes about 3.5 hours. · Blog, 2025
Stay at French Villehouse B&B in Galway. · Rick Steves forum, 2026
The Hardiman in Galway had uncomfortable beds and no parking; paid parking is three blocks away, so get the voucher. · other, 2024
Warn Airbnb hosts about late check-in; a late dinner in Galway meant arriving in Donegal around 1:30am. · Blog, 2017

Money (1)

Book Bus Eireann Dublin to Galway online early at about 15 euro (~$16); the train costs roughly double and cheap seats sell out. · Blog, 2025

Other (9)

A tied Galway championship final was replayed weeks later, so watch for replays when planning to see a final. · Rick Steves forum, 2023
Choose two bases, Dublin and Galway or Dublin and Killarney, to cut transfers; Killarney to Galway means backtracking via Dublin. · Rick Steves forum
Hear live music at Gus O'Connor's in Doolin, and book 'Trad on the Prom' in Galway (April to September). · Rick Steves forum, 2023
Leave Galway by 3 PM to reach Doolin before dark. · Fodor's
Many Galway shops close Sundays. · Fodor's
Pack a waterproof bag or cover luggage; a suitcase soaked through in Galway rain. · Fodor's, 2019
Rough seas cancel Aran Islands boats, so keep two days in Galway. · Rick Steves forum
Skip Dingle and the Ring of Kerry on a Clare-Galway trip to avoid crowds and leave room for detours. · Rick Steves forum
Spend St Patrick's Day in Galway, then return the car in Dublin where the city is walkable and has transit. · TripAdvisor

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