Should I make an effort to spend a short time in Galway?

Galway is my favorite city in Ireland. If you can only stay for one night, so be it, but do stay. We loved the Petra House B&B, which also has a (free) parking lot in front. I don’t know how a 7:00 departure fits in with their breakfast schedule, but ask. Either they might feed you before then, or maybe send you on your way with a boxed-up breakfast.

No visit to Galway is complete without dinner at Oscar’s Seafood Bistro.

I think it depends on what's important to you. Personally, I love Galway and am always happy to spend some time there. I like the music, the charm, the bevy of really good restaurants, the walk along the bay to Salt Hill, etc. It is a lively town teeming with activity. But if those are not your interests then maybe not.

OK, sounds like Galway for a night would be worthwhile. I should have looked at it more when developing an itinerary. Since I'm only going to be there a short time, anyone have a recommendation for a more budget accommodation? Especially since its likely we'd miss breakfast.

I may be picky, but I wouldn't leave at 7am (we love a nice breakfast) in order to make a flight that still has a finite risk of cancellation. We drove to Rossaveal and it may not take longer if you're next stop is Clifden after your return, since both drives are on the way to Clifden. The marina and the ferry are only a stone's throw apart (slight exageration). Another point in the ferry's favor is that the Inishmore airport is a 45 minute walk to Kilronan, so you'll need a taxi or shuttle, if there is one. It would be an interesting challenge to see which method was actually faster. When your taxi gets you to Kilronan, the horse traps and tour vans you might use to get to the countryside might be gone, since they swarm for the ferry to unload. Maybe there's a similar frenzy at the airport that I'm unaware of. You'll be able to hire a bike or e-bike in Kilronan no matter when/how you get there.

I'm a big fan of flying when it makes solid sense. The risks of cancellation are dependent on when you're visiting. If the experience of a tiny plane is on your bucket list, have at it.

I'd strongly recommend spending the night on the island, as the character completely changes once the hoards of tourists leave on the last ferry. Much better experience. Music at T. Joe Watty’s, depending on the day.

As an anecdote about the ferry choices, our host in Kilronan (Cla Ban B&B) refused to book a room if we said we were coming from Doolin, since cancellation was so much more likely - maybe her son worked for the Rossaveal ferry :-)

Our favorite B&B in Galway is permanently closed, so last time we stayed at 7 Boutique which had just been remodeled and was very nice and under introductory rates. It has since gotten spendier. It is right in the heart of the pedestrian area and parking was half a block away. We had friends that spent the night on an old fishing boat in the harbor that had been converted to an Air B&B or VRBO - very fun.

Upstairs at The Crane Bar is our favorite music venue.

Good points! No idea what to do

Check with Aer Arann (e-mail them at
[email protected] ) and see what information they can provide about transportation once you land at the airport on Inishmore. As we spent the night, our B&B called us a cab.

As for lodging in Galway, we’d gotten the Petra House B&B recommendation from the Rick Steves guidebook. As I mentioned earlier, it was a great place to stay. I can’t say how their rates compare with other places now.

I'd love to stay at Petra House, but they don't permit one night stays. :(

If you're spending 30 days in Ireland, there are a lot of options open to you. You could throw yourself on the mercy of this forum to get ideas by describing your overall itinerary. We've spent 12 weeks so far, and there are endless things we want to still see. I've got two 3 week trips planned out, and there are still glaring misses.

After 18 weeks, we'll still have never been to Blarney, Waterford, or Guinness Storehouse. Just our biases...

Thanks, jjgurley. I do have a completely planned itinerary with all accommodations booked. I'm looking to make a very minor modification. We had planned to take the ferry from Doolin, and now I've found out that the location close to Galway is faster and can be a smoother ride since the boats are bigger. I actually could only book two nights in Doolin when we had wanted three so I now have one day I need an accommodation for. After Doolin/Galway, we are booked for Clifden. I didn't think too much about Galway when I created my itinerary and now I'm thinking it looks appealing for a half day/night.

I did get a lot of help from the forum on my itinerary, that I'm happy with except this little glitch due to the ferry and not being able to get three nights in Doolin. (some golf tourney) At this point, I'm trying to decide if we want to fly or ferry to Inishmore from Galway area, and get a place to stay for one night.

jules, that’s unfortunate that the Petra House in Galway has a 2 night minimum. I know there are several B&B’s along that same street as Petra … I wonder if any of them accept a single night stay?

You mentioned that you’ve booked your other accommodations, but for the record, on our last Inishmore trip, we stayed at the Seacrest B&B. Not sure if they have a required number of nights.

As for Clifden, we were there for several nights that same trip. Two of those nights, we had dinner at Mitchell’s - great seafood! We stayed at the Buttermilk Lodge, for the record.

I still say that flying is the best option for getting to and from Inishmore. Hope the rest of your plans fall into place without much trouble.

I don't have a hotel rec. We usually stay at the Leonardo Hotel but I think that may be a bit too pricey. However it's a great hotel in a great location. And there's parking.
When you are in Galway, if you need a snack and you like fries, get some fries at Prátai with their own sauce. So delicious. And, while you are in any of the larger areas, like Galway, try a Spice Bag from Xi'an Street Food. A popular Irish snack after some beers...

We had 5 days in Galway in March. Second stop of our two week trip (Dublin, Galway, Cork). Stayed at the Galmont. Walked the seaside promenade as far as the Black Rock diving board a couple times. Explored Salt Hill neighborhood. Had some very good meals at Cava, Kirby's, and Ruibin's. Also great pizza at Dough Boys. Bought some clothes we needed at the Dunne's dept store. As we are from Seattle, and Seattle and Galway are Sister Cities, we found the big chunk of basalt that sits by the river that was brought over from Washington State. Had a great time watching the St Patricks Day parade though it was a very wet, blustery, cold day. Downtown was crazy afterward with a lot of young partying people. Enjoyed the Latin Quarter and West End pubs. Walked through the University of Galway campus. Visited the cathedral to find the JFK mosaic in the side chapel. Took the train Oranmore to walk around that neighborhood. Then took the train to Cork for the continuation of our trip.

I have been to Galway many times. You aren't there long so I won't list a lot of places. Some good restaurants are listed, add Ard Bia to the list, particularly for brunch if you have a morning there. And yes, get a spice bag from somewhere in Ireland before leaving.

No offense to a previous poster, but I think the Crane Bar is one of the more overrated places in Galway. All tourists are told to go to the Crane. So what you get is a place packed to the gills with some people playing music and a lot of people talking loudly at the same time. I've only been there once when the music is respected, I find it really annoying. Dont get me wrong, I like it, and I like hanging out with friends downstairs, but I've had much more fun music experiences at other places.Depending on the night, you will have a better time at Monroe's and a more intimate music experience at Carroll's, which are just down the street from the Crane. Trad nights at the King's Head are fun, sit upstairs. And many other places. Try the Crane, and if it is just too packed, know there are other places not too far away where you can go for a good Irish music experience.

I just booked with Petra House, I was considering sending them an email asking for an exception and allow a one night stay. When I looked at booking dates, the night I wanted to book was open, but nothing around it was. So the search allowed me to book it. Now I'm checking to see if they can do a 7:30 breakfast and allow us to leave the car for the day when we go to Inishmore.

@Cyn, thanks for the restaurant recommendations!
@Kim, A spice bag? I will have to look it up! Ah, looks yummy. We typically don't eat lunch when we travel especially when we've had a big B&B breakfast. Can we get a spice bag "to go" for a snack?
@Pete and Iggystooge, thanks for your suggestions