Galway · Things to do

Free museum on Spanish Parade beside the Spanish Arch, covering the city's medieval and maritime past, the Aran Islands and the revolutionary period. Tue–Sat 10am–5pm, plus Sundays noon–5pm from Easter to mid-September; galleries close at 4.45pm and no booking is needed.

A seafront walk starting about 30 minutes on foot from the centre and ending at Blackrock diving tower, where people swim all year. Free, and the local custom is to kick the wall at the far end before you turn back.

Year-round sailings from Rossaveel, 37km west of the city, with a connecting shuttle bus from Victoria Place; the crossing is about 40 minutes. Seasonal sailings also run direct from Galway city, which takes 90 minutes.

Free to enter and free to park, about 93km from Galway via Clifden. Four marked trails; the Upper Diamond loop climbs Diamond Hill for views over the Twelve Bens and out to Kylemore. Visitor centre, café and toilets open Wed–Sun 9am–5.30pm.

Victorian castle turned Benedictine abbey on a lake in Connemara, 1hr 25min from Galway and 20 minutes beyond Letterfrack. Open daily 10am–5pm, last admission 4pm, tickets from €10 covering the abbey rooms, the six-acre walled garden and the neo-Gothic church.