3 great family trips in Galway, Ireland

From Donegal Southward, where we'll be taking some great family excursions in Galway. We'll be driving partly on the wonderful Wild

Along the Atlantic Way, the counterpart to the Causeway Coastal Route. With small stops along the way, we reach Westport, where we take our lunch break. Here we find a café that offers delicious vegan and vegetarian dishes. We also get fresh juices, which the kids absolutely love.

Galway – Typical Ireland in a nutshell

First, we try to check into the wrong hotel, the chain Maldron Hotels There are two nice hotels here in Galway, and one of them is within walking distance of the center. Thankfully, that was checked again, otherwise we would have ended up a few kilometers outside of Galway :)

Eyre Square with fountain and building remnants

Upon arriving in the city, we'll first check out Eyre Square, which is essentially the main square in Galway. The kids can play on the playground for a bit while we take turns taking photos of the surroundings. Family excursions in Galway naturally focus on our little ones. On Eyre Square stands the Quincentennial Fountain with its brown sails. These sails are reminiscent of a cargo ship that was used in Galway Bay from the 18th to the 20th century. You'll also find the Browne Doorway here on Eyre Square, a remnant of a manor house from 1627. It belonged to the then mayor of the city.

Enough culture, we'll keep walking to Shop Street and Quay Street, the two larger shopping streets. Around 75,000 people live in Galway, and even though it's only March and off-season, there's already a lot going on here. Beautiful Irish shops are located here next to pubs and taverns. There are also numerous seafood restaurants here, as Galway is also a small harbor town. We feel comfortable here from the start and enjoy the crisp sea air. We spend the first day ’just„ in the city, as there is a lot to discover here for young and old.

The nightlife in Galway is supposed to be great in the evenings, with street musicians and plenty of pubs. However, our kids weren't really up for that 😉

Atlantaquaria - Connected to the Sea

This is the National Aquarium of Ireland. It is located about 4-5 km from the city center and is ideal for family outings in Galway. We paid 31 EUR admission, which is actually not that expensive for three people. The youngest one was free. The aquarium is not exactly huge, but the kids were hopping from tank to tank with shining eyes. So, the investment is worthwhile. Of course, with your admission, you also support the animals and the institution. We walked past all the tanks, which took us about two hours.

The information panels are written in a relatively interesting way, and we learn something about the adjacent sea here, as well as local fish and marine animals. Of course, there is also a section that informs us about the current plastic pollution in the ocean. Unfortunately, that's part of it nowadays.

The aquarium is not just a bad-weather program and therefore suitable for family excursions in Galway. It is generally absolutely recommended for children and families.

Turoe Pet Farm – Farm with Indoor Playground

This farm was absolutely the highlight of our tour to Galway. After Dad got a flat tire on our car on the way there and, „of course,“ fixed it himself, we finally arrived at the farm an hour late. Completely fascinated, all four of us admired our shredded car tire in the trunk. Well done, Dad! First, we washed our hands and cleaned up, and then we were finally off.

Turoe Pet Farm opened in 1993 and was renovated in 2015. In addition to many animals, such as sheep, goats, and alpacas, it features the largest bouncy castle in Europe. Unfortunately, adults are not allowed on the bouncy castle, but the kids have a blast. And the bouncy castle is truly huge! Furthermore, there is another large indoor playground in an adjacent building, with a climbing frame and ball pit (Bällelibad in Swiss German *g*). In another adjacent building, there is a 20 x 30 meter sandpit. For those who aren't satisfied with all of this (like us), there are all sorts of other animals on the farm.

With admission, you get a large bag of food for the sheep, donkeys, calves, alpacas, and goats. These are tame and can be petted and fed. Our older daughter lets the younger one go first and gives her food to hold so she can feed all the animals. One stable over, there are also rabbits and guinea pigs. You can enter their enclosure here and pet all the animals. This is only partially cool, as I don't think it's entirely great for the animals. We'll still go in briefly and keep the rabbits company.

Exhausted and completely worn out (the kids from playing, Daddy from changing tires, and Mommy... she was actually fit) we're now having something to eat. Unfortunately, there's only fried food here, so basically very child-friendly.

The next day we'll go buy a new tire and then head off to Dublin.

Conclusion: Family trips to Galway

We also stayed in Galway for three days. The city is beautiful, not too hectic, and has many sights. The harbor was great for walking, and while the many restaurants didn't make choosing easier, there's something for everyone. The people here are also incredibly friendly and accommodating. On our next trip, we'll definitely do a few excursions with family in Galway again.

Here are a few more snapshots I've put together for you.

Have fun!