Luxury holidays in County Galway

Connemara gives County Galway its wild streak, with native ponies grazing beneath the Twelve Bens and roads curling past bog, lake and mountain. Hike in the Connemara National Park, nose around Kylemore Abbey or follow the coast towards Galway Bay and colourful Clifden. There’s Killary Fjord to kayak, oysters to slurp and traditional music to seek out (and jig to) or saddle up to see this ruggedly handsome landscape on the hoof.

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Areas in County Galway

When to go

May to September brings long days for hiking and horse riding, though Atlantic showers are always on the cards. July has the Galway Races; September is oyster season.

Getting there

  • Planes

    Shannon and Ireland West airports are the closest gateways, both around 90 minutes’ drive from Galway City. Dublin Airport is around three hours away by road.

  • Trains

    Direct trains run from Dublin Heuston to Galway’s Ceannt Station in around two and a half hours. For a prettier ride, head south towards Limerick, where the line skirts Galway Bay before rolling through County Clare and the limestone landscapes of the Burren.

  • Automobiles

    A car is your best bet for exploring County Galway, especially once you venture into Connemara. Roads can be narrow and winding, so take your time; the reward is a particularly scenic stretch of the Wild Atlantic Way, with mountains, loughs and Atlantic views filling your windscreen.