Galway is in the west of Ireland and marks the half way point of the Wild Atlantic Way. In fact it is the only city over the course of the 2500km route.

A quarter of Galway’s population is made up of students which may give you a rough idea of the sort of vibe you get from the city.

It’s one of the fastest growing cities in Europe, let alone Ireland because of its music and cultural scene, and its access to the nearby Cliffs of Moher and Aran Island.

Galway if anything is the perfect place to do a walking tour. Its small, easy to get around and if you go on one early enough, you could effectively plan your day around what you want to see, what you want to do and maximise your stay.

I’ve always been a fan of walking tours because they are a good way of getting to know the place you’re visiting. It’s especially good if you’re not staying for long.

As you can imagine we covered a lot. From the history of the Latin quarter to the growing popularity of the university, population of students in Galway, and the traditional live music scene.

Luckily for me the weather throughout my stay in Galway was good. I made the most of this with a stroll along Salthill Promenade.

You can walk 4 kilometers without crossing a road, and along the way you’ll pass several beaches along Galway Bay.

You’ll be heading out of the city centre as well, so if you wanted to get away from the crowds and everything that comes with being in the centre of the city, a walk along Salthill Promenade is the perfect thing.

I can’t recall if I walked the whole promenade. All I can remember is that once I started feeling hungry it was time to turn back.

Apparently there’s a local tradition where you kick the wall when you’ve completed the walk. I didn’t part take as I know with my luck I would have somehow injured myself, and the thought of potentially hobbling back injured didn’t appeal to me.

If you’re a new reader, then I’ll let you in on a not so little secret.

One of my favourite things to do on trips is hunting for street art. I don’t how or when my obsession with street art started.

I have a huge appreciation for creativity. It’s arguably the most underappreciated quality to the point it’s suppressed to an extent. As if we’re afraid to let people unleash their creative side.

Anyway before I digress any further.

Galway has its fair share of street art to keep you busy walking around. I know in other places you can do actual street art tours though it’s not as common as you would think (I couldn’t find any street art tours for Galway).

As I mentioned earlier, live traditional Irish music is huge here. Unsurprisingly it’s the the number one thing to do in Galway.

First of all, what an experience this is!

I don’t think I’ve ever experienced as much camaraderie amongst strangers from locals and afar. This was by far and large one of my favourite evenings spent in Ireland.

In between the break of watching one band playing to another taking over, there was a lot of commotion outside. People started rushing out to find a street performer had garnered a huge amount of attention with his singing and dancing.

So much so that people made their way to the centre to dance with one another. And before you knew it more and more joined in. I’ve seen groups gathered here or there when they see performers or singers doing their thing. But I have never seen it anything like this.

It was awesome to watch and experience. I still have video footage of it that I’ve watched back many times.

Between live music, and pub and bar hopping, plus a live street performance thrown in with a few pints of Guinness for good measure, it all made for a night to remember.

If you’re going to experience live music anywhere, make sure it’s in Galway.

Now on to places to eat at.

The Burger Story – Being a self confessed burger connoisseur this was one of the better burgers I had in Ireland let alone Galway

The Dough Bros – For the best pizza in Galway, go to O’Connell’s pub where The Dough Bros operate out of. You get the best of both worlds with a good pub mixed with good food, and a good atmosphere.

Murphy’s Ice Cream for some whisky infused ice cream. Without sounding like I’m generalising, why does it not surprise me to find a place in Ireland selling whisky infused ice cream?

They are kind enough to let you sample some flavours.

Galway Market is open all year round on Saturday and Sundays and if I had to pick my personal favourite stall it would be yummy crepes.

Now I guess with a name like that you’re taking a risk but they back up their name with some top notch crepes.

I’ve said this about other places I’ve visited about how they have reminded me of Brighton, but genuinely I think Galway is the closest place I’ve visited that reminds me of Brighton.

The quirky vibe, the live music scene, its student population, coastal location, There’s more I could mention.

That’s all before mentioning how well located Galway is and the access to other parts of Ireland and popular day trips options.

I know we talk hypothetically about living in other places and all that, but if given the choice and I were to move to Ireland, Galway would be in the top 2.