Salthill Galway

The Hardiman is just a stone’s throw from Salthill, the main seaside area of Galway City. There’s a bus directly outside The Hardiman that will bring you to Salthill in 5 minutes. If the weather is pleasant, you can take a 25-minute stroll along the Claddagh which will guide you through some of the most beautiful parts of the city. On a clear day, the Aran Islands are visible to the right. Directly across Galway Bay is the Burren (County Clare) and to the west are the bogs and mountains of Connemara.

The lapping waters of Galway Bay are referenced in a multitude of songs but they have been most popularly immortalised by the Irish band The Pogues in ‘The Fairytale of New York’ as ‘The boys of the NYPD choir were singing Galway Bay’.

Salthill offers a host of safe, sandy beaches for exploration. There are so many activities to be enjoyed including swimming, sunbathing, sail-boarding, snorkelling, sea angling and high board diving. For a more relaxed pace, take a stroll along Ireland’s longest promenade or ramble through nearby Salthill Park or down through Barna Woods. Galway Tennis Club and Galway Golf Club are based in Salthill too. In the summertime, there are a number of festivals to be discovered, from 5-a-side soccer to Brewers on the Bay Craft Beer Festival and Currach racing.

Things to do in Salthill

Visit the Beach

The beach at Salthill is made up of several small beaches separated by outcrops. Some of the beaches are sandy and some pebbly.

Kick the Wall

A tradition that all local Galway people uphold, even the children that when you walk ‘the prom’ you kick the wall at the Blackrock diving boards end.

Galway Atlantaquaria

Situated on the famous Salthill Promenade, Ireland’s National Aquarium is home to 170 species of fresh water and marine life. Spread over two floors, visitors follow a vivid interpretation of the Irish aquatic landscape; from the glacial mountain streams of Connemara, down through the famous River Corrib and out into the Atlantic Ocean via Galway Bay. On the journey exhibits include Salmon, Seahorses, Octopus, Stingrays and a real 60ft whale skeleton. The aquarium also boasts four types of native Irish shark including the rare Angel Shark and graceful Smooth Hound. Visitors can take part in the feeding, explore the model submarine, and even hold Starfish and giant Spider Crabs. www.nationalaquarium.ie

Leisureland

The Leisureland complex has recently re-opened and offers an indoor heated swimming pool completed with separate kids play pool and mini pirate ship.

Golf

A challenging 18 Hole Championship course located in Salthill near the diving boards. A tight tree lined course with some tiered greens that make it very important to accurately place your drives. A good short game is necessary to score well. The course has excellent views of Galway Bay, the Burren and the Aran Islands.   Par 70 : Length 5,816 Metres

Tennis

Galway Lawn Tennis Club is spread over three acres of ground in the scenic heartland of Salthill overlooking Galway Bay. The club itself is over 100 years in operation and is widely known throughout the county and Ireland as a centre of excellence specialising in racquet sports.

Fun Fair

An outdoor funfair is open from Easter onwards and is in full swing during July and August. It is a traditional funfair, a combination of Dodgems, simulator, Mega dance twist, Waltzer’s, Buggys and Sideshows.

Salthill-Galway “Train”

A road train service which takes 50 minutes round trip from The Salthill Alantaquaria into Galway’s Eyre Square taking in all the sights along the way and is a great family experience as well as being a fun way to travel in or out of Galway City.