Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Where to Stay
Being a major hub of both domestic and international tourism, Galway is packed with hotels
to match any budget. Youth hostels such as
Kinlay House
and the
Galway City Hostel
(both centrally located near Eyre Square and the Galway Train Station) have expert staff,
mostly local, who can direct you to the best places to eat, drink, and take in the city's sights.
At the other end of the spectrum are luxury hotels, although the best high-end experience
will probably come from one of the city's hundreds of
B&B's
. These tiny institutions offer
home-cooked meals and a much more personal touch than the standard high-rise hotel,
which hasn't really caught on in Galway. You can find very pricey B&B's around Galway
that will truly pamper everyone in your group, or slightly more down-to-earth options that
pretty much feel like spending the night in the guestroom of some extraordinarily hospitable
cousin.
As far as geography goes, the advice is fairly predictable: if you choose a place in the central
areas of Galway like
Eyre Square
or the area around
Nun's Island
, you'll be right in the
heart of the action - but a quiet escape may be a little harder to find. On the other hand, if
you stay in the more suburban areas like
Ballyloughane Strand
or
Shantalia
, you'll have
quieter evenings but a slightly less convenient trip into the city.
Salthill
has plenty of hotels,
and its atmosphere is somewhere in between the two extremes. Bear in mind, though, that
Galway is already a fairly small town by American standards. Pretty much anywhere you
stay will be relatively quiet and relatively close.
