Galway and the Cliffs of Moher: A West-of-Ireland Travel Guide
Galway is a harbor city on the west coast of Ireland with a population of around 86,000 — most often used by tourists as a base for visiting Ireland's most famous natural landmark, the Cliffs of Moher. We drove the four hours from Belfast with a lunch stop in Athlone, the small midlands town that sits roughly 3/4th way between Dublin and Galway. (Fun fact: Athlone's Sean's Bar claims to be the oldest pub in Ireland, dating to around 900 AD.)
We stayed at a B&B on College Road, right by the rugby field. The noise outside our second night made us assume there was a game on; it turned out to be Friday-night drinking spilling out across the neighborhood. The B&B was cute for a couple of days, but I'll admit I was already counting down to our next hotel stay — somewhere with a bigger bathroom, real water pressure, AC, an elevator, and a door I could just close instead of locking with a vintage key. B&Bs always feel like staying at a grandmother's house - and come with the smell of bacon cooking in the morning (a grandma house staple), a plus that my wife noted as they did have the best breakfast we encountered in Ireland. (Even some U.S. hotel chains have caught on — the Graduate Hotels brand explicitly leans into a "Grandma's house" aesthetic.)
Eyre Square is a 10-15 minute walk from most B&Bs, and the city center radiating out from it is lively — small galleries, lots of pubs, restaurants, shops, and an astonishing number of barbershops. Ireland appears to be in the middle of a serious men's-grooming boom; we passed multiple specialized shops, including Turkish Barbers. Arman, examining the signage, theorized they'd also provide wigs to clients without hair — to which I added that they probably had connections to the Turkish hair-transplant clinics that have become a major export industry.
The pubs are everywhere, and the cliché is true: Guinness genuinely does taste better in Ireland. The draft pour doesn't travel well, and the local version is creamier, smoother, and less bitter than the U.S. version. We also passed a bar with a sign outside proudly proclaiming itself "Voted Best Irish Bar by the Boston Globe." As I mentioned in the Belfast post, the U.S. Irish diaspora is significantly bigger than Ireland's actual population — the South End of Boston alone may have more people of Irish descent than all of Galway. So a Boston Globe ranking genuinely matters here, and after British tourists, Americans are the biggest visiting group in Ireland.
Visit the Cliffs of Moher
The drive from Galway is about an hour and a half through farmland — the western part of Ireland fences its fields with stone walls, while eastern Ireland leans on hedgerows.
Parking at the Cliffs of Moher visitor center is straightforward, but a few things to know before you go.
The wind. It is intense. If it's raining, an umbrella is useless; bring a proper raincoat or accept that you'll be wet. The wind was strong enough that we bought hats midway through the day, partly for warmth and partly as insurance against losing what little hair I had to the Atlantic. (Worst case, the Turkish barbers back in Galway were ready.)
Build in a buffer day. Cliffs weather is mercurial and visibility can collapse fast. A guest at our B&B told us he'd visited the day before us and seen nothing but fog — he was driving back for a second attempt the next day, hoping for a better window. We got lucky on our first day and had a clear, gorgeous visit, but a buffer day is a real consideration.
Manage your puffin expectations. Puffins nest at the cliffs roughly April through July. We visited in June but still they were elusive, and Arman — armed with binoculars — coolly delivered the verdict: "They're only birds acting like puffins." Hard to argue.
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This region produces some of the best wool clothing in Ireland. The Aran Islands off the western coast — and the wider Galway/Clare region — have a long tradition of distinctive cable-knit Aran sweaters, originally made for fishermen working harsh North Atlantic waters. The wool from here has a different texture and is genuinely warm. Galway's shops carry them in a range of price points, generally €60 to €160 depending on wool quality (rougher vs. smoother) and finishing.
Take the Ferry to the Aran Islands
If you have an extra day and a tolerance for choppy crossings, take the ferry from Doolin out to one of the Aran Islands. They're stark, beautiful, and feel quite different from mainland Galway.
What to do: Use Galway as a base, walk the city center, visit the Cliffs of Moher (with a backup day for weather if you can), and pick up a sweater or two while you're here.
Best for: Travelers looking for the classic west-of-Ireland experience — cliffs, pubs, music, sweaters. A great pairing with the Causeway Coastal Route up north.
Souvenirs to look for: Aran sweaters, Irish wool scarves and blankets, local whiskey, Galway crystal.
To make it memorable: Stay long enough to weather-shop the cliffs (book two days if you can), drink one Guinness in Ireland before you ever drink one elsewhere again, and bring a windproof hat.
Source: Galway and the Cliffs of Moher: A West-of-Ireland Travel Guide
