The Best Day Trips From Galway, Ireland
Galway is very much the picture-postcard Irish city – a colourful, old, charismatic place steeped in alluring tradition and nestled in amongst wind-swept shores and rugged hills. Its Atlantic-coast location also means it has some fantastic surrounds, from the last piece of land this side of Boston in the gorgeously tumble-down Aran Islands to breathtaking beaches and sheer, towering cliffs. You won’t have to travel far for astonishingly abundant scenery that begs you to indulge in the call of the outdoors, but the region also offers little glimpses of luxury. Here are our 10 favourite local spots.
The Aran Islands
A collection of thinly populated islands that mark the last stop in Europe before the Atlantic takes hold, the Aran Islands are an icon of historic Ireland, living largely off tourism today. The biggest, Inishmore, features a circular iron age fort that seems to drop off a cliff into the Atlantic. All the islands are known for their traditional lifestyles, homely bars and extremely old-world approach to life in general; expect narrow streets, locally produced gourmet food and tours that include a foodies’ hunt for edible seaweed. In short, it’s a fantastic, mellow, slow-travel destination.
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