"Galway -- Alive and Kicking" a Galway Travel Page by RhineRoll

Galway has something for everyone -- a beach resort for families (Salthill), a bustling city centre for the shopper, people doing business and making a lot of money, a student culture with many educational facilities, affordable nightlife and simply lots of young people around -- last but not least many offerings for the Irish speaking community. All this and much more is packed into a city of probably 70,000 people! Is it intense? You bet it is!!!

Since my first visit 5 years ago, a lot of development has been going on. The attractiveness of Galway's inner city has increased as the main streets have been turned in a full pedestrian zone now. Eyre Square -- a major focus spot in the city centre -- is also being made more pedestrian friendly which will further increase the attractiveness of Galway to pedestrians once the works are finished .

Unfortunately, the intensity also extends to the much too narrow inner city roads with car traffic often breaking down in the rush hours. The ongoing conversions of roads into pedestrian zones and all the other roadworks and construction sites make things worse for the motorist.

This is an important factor when choosing accommodation: Walking distance into the city centre is of crucial importance here!

The River Corrib and the basin it forms shortly before flowing into Galway Bay is one of Galway's many assets. Footpaths or small charming streets will take you along the river or one of its side canals.

The row of houses in the background marks the so-called "Long Walk" where in times past, Galway's gentry strolled. It's not exactly a Manhattan-style high-rise skyline, but still very pleasant to look at. Some of the buildings are quite new, but built in a very tasteful way with respect for the traditional buildings once having stood there. This is what the Salthill Promenade could have looked like.