Galway Activities: Sessions, Museums, Bay

November 5, 2026

Where Galway’s days and evenings go

Galway is a compact city on the River Corrib, where the river meets Galway Bay. Most of what people do here sits within a 20 minute walk of Eyre Square, with Salthill a short stroll or bus ride to the west. Prices below are in euro.

Traditional music sessions

Galway is known for unamplified traditional music in pub corners. Four names come up again and again:

Taaffe’s Bar on Shop Street runs sessions at about 17:00 and 21:00 each day.
The Crane Bar on Sea Road has sessions seven nights a week, with the upstairs room starting around 21:30.
Tig Cóilí on Mainguard Street is known for its sessions, though start times are not fixed.
Tigh Neachtain at 17 Cross Street has live traditional music through the week.

Musicians play together as a group, so keep conversation low near the circle and skip the pop requests. Times change by season, so ask at the bar.

Galway City Museum

The museum stands on Spanish Parade beside the Spanish Arch, in a modern building that opened in 2006. Entry is free. It opens Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 17:00, and on Sundays from 12:00 to 17:00 between Easter and mid-September. Opening hours and notices are on the city council page .

St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church

Founded in 1320, this is Ireland’s largest medieval parish church still in regular use. A weekend market sets up in the churchyard, which makes a natural stop between Shop Street and the quays.

Galway Atlantaquaria

On Seapoint Promenade in Salthill, the National Aquarium of Ireland shows native Irish species, with an ocean zone holding sharks, a ray pool and an octopus. Adult tickets are €15 online or €16 at the door, children €10 or €11, and under-3s are free. Check the aquarium’s visit page for current days and hours.

The Salthill Promenade and Blackrock tower

The bay walk runs about 3.2 km from the Claddagh to the Blackrock Diving Tower. Locals finish with a kick of the wall before turning back. The tower has a middle and a top platform and swimmers use it all year, but the water is cold, depth changes with the tide and currents can be strong. Check the tide, stay out of the water in rough weather and never jump in a storm.

The Claddagh Ring Museum

Thomas Dillon’s Claddagh Gold at 1 Quay Street has a small free museum at the back, open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 17:00. It covers the ring’s heart, hands and crown design.

Rain plan

Rain is frequent in any month. The museum, the aquarium and the pub sessions all work indoors.