5 Best Things to Do in Galway This Christmas

Galway at Christmas is something special. The city, already compact and characterful at any time of year, takes on a particular warmth in November and December — the lights go up over the Latin Quarter, the Christmas Market fills Eyre Square with the smell of mulled wine and bratwurst, and the trad pubs feel even more welcoming than usual when the nights draw in and the Atlantic wind picks up outside. For a weekend break or a longer festive stay, there are few better cities in Ireland to be in over Christmas.

Staying at Salthill Hotel puts you within easy reach of everything — the city centre a short bus ride or 20-minute walk away, the Promenade on your doorstep, and the Ocean Fitness leisure centre available whenever you need warmth and restoration. Here are the five best things to do in Galway at Christmas.

1. The Galway Continental Christmas Market

The Galway Continental Christmas Market is, by any measure, one of the finest Christmas markets in Ireland. Now in its 16th year, it takes over Eyre Square from early November through to late December, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors across the run. Over 50 wooden chalets line the square, selling everything from handmade gifts and artisan craft items to international food, seasonal treats, and Christmas decorations of every description.

The centrepiece is the 32-metre Ferris wheel, which offers views across the city and out towards the bay — particularly atmospheric on a clear December evening when the city lights are reflected in the water below. The traditional carousel, Santa’s Express Train, and Santa’s Grotto (bookable in advance for families) make this one of the best family Christmas outings in the west of Ireland.

The German Bier Keller, run by the Róisín Dubh, is a perennial favourite for adults looking for a proper festive drink in good company. The hot food options — bratwurst, crêpes, waffles, French pastries — are excellent, and the overall atmosphere of the square on a busy Saturday afternoon in December has a genuine magic that is hard to manufacture and harder to resist.

The Christmas Market is free to enter. It is open Monday to Wednesday from noon to 8pm, Thursday to Saturday from 10am to 10pm, and Sunday from 10am to 8pm. From Salthill Hotel, the 401 bus takes you to the city centre in minutes.

2. An Evening in the Latin Quarter

At Christmas, Galway’s Latin Quarter becomes something from a film set — in the best possible way. The fairy lights that run above Shop Street, Quay Street, and Kirwan’s Lane create a canopy of warm light over the medieval street layout of the old city. Walking through it on a winter evening, with the smell of woodsmoke and the sound of trad music coming from open pub doors, is one of the great simple pleasures of a Galway Christmas.

The trad sessions in Galway’s pubs are at their best in winter, when the city’s own musicians take over from the more tourist-oriented summer scene. Places like Taaffes Bar, Monroe’s Tavern, and the Crane Bar offer genuine sessions that can go on late into the evening. Find a seat early, order a drink, and let the music do the rest.

For dinner, the restaurants around Quay Street and the West End offer some of the finest cooking in Galway’s excellent food scene. Galway is particularly strong on seafood — if there is one city in Ireland where you should order the oysters, the chowder, and the fresh Atlantic fish, this is it. Book ahead for Friday and Saturday evening tables, especially in the run-up to Christmas.

3. Christmas Morning on the Salthill Promenade

There is a Galway tradition that sits well outside the usual Christmas morning routines: a walk — or, for the truly committed, a swim — at Salthill on Christmas Day. The Blackrock Diving Tower at the western end of the Promenade sees a dedicated gathering of swimmers every 25th of December, taking the plunge in the name of tradition, charity, and the kind of bragging rights that sustain a person well into the new year.

You do not need to swim to appreciate the experience. A Christmas morning walk along the Promenade — wrapped up properly, coffee in hand, watching the bay in its winter colours — is one of the most distinctively Irish ways to start the day. The air is clean, the bay is dramatic, and the particular stillness of a Christmas morning on the seafront is quite different from any other day of the year.

The walk west to Blackrock, the traditional kick of the wall, and the stroll back along the Prom before returning to the hotel for a Christmas breakfast is the kind of tradition that you start in Galway and continue forever after. Breakfast in the Prom Restaurant, with views over the bay, is the reward.

4. Ocean Fitness — The Best Festive Wellness Retreat You Will Find

The Christmas season, for all its pleasures, tends to involve a degree of excess — rich food, late evenings, and less movement than usual. The Ocean Fitness leisure centre at Salthill Hotel is the antidote, and it is available to all hotel guests as part of their stay.

The 25-metre swimming pool is open from 8am at weekends and bank holidays — including over the Christmas period — giving guests the option of a proper swim before the day begins. The 18-metre hydrotherapy pool, with its warm water and therapeutic jets, is ideal for the kind of full-body restoration that the festive period sometimes requires. The sauna and steam room provide heat therapy that works particularly well on cold December days, and the fully equipped gym is available for those who prefer to keep moving over the holiday.

Spending an hour or two in Ocean Fitness between Christmas dinner and the evening’s festivities is one of the better ideas available to guests at Salthill Hotel over the Christmas period. You emerge warmer, looser, and considerably more ready to enjoy the rest of the day.

5. A Special Dinner at the Prom Restaurant

Christmas in Galway deserves a dinner to match. The Prom Restaurant at Salthill Hotel serves locally sourced Irish cuisine with views towards Galway Bay — a setting that earns its adjective at any time of year, but is particularly atmospheric on a December evening when the lights of the city reflect on the water and the festive decoration adds warmth to the room.

The kitchen team works with the finest local ingredients, and the menu reflects the quality of what the west of Ireland produces — from the Atlantic seafood to the quality Irish beef to the seasonal produce that the Galway food scene has built a genuine reputation around. Whether it is a Christmas Eve dinner, a Christmas Day lunch, or a Boxing Day treat, the Prom Restaurant provides the right combination of occasion, quality, and bay-view ambiance.

The Blackrock Bar is equally well suited to a more relaxed Christmas drink or a casual dinner — with craft beers, a seasonal cocktail menu, and the same views across Galway Bay that make the hotel’s position so distinctive. See all dining options at the hotel.

Planning a Christmas Break in Galway?

Salthill Hotel is one of the best bases for a Christmas visit to Galway. The combination of a seafront location on the Promenade, the Ocean Fitness leisure centre (complimentary for all guests), three dining venues, and easy access to the city by bus or on foot makes it particularly well suited to the festive season.

The hotel is a 20-minute walk from Eyre Square and the Christmas Market, a 5-minute walk from Leisureland and the Atlantaquaria, and directly on the Promenade for Christmas morning walks and swims. Free on-site parking is available for direct bookers, which is a significant advantage during the busy festive period.

Christmas packages and special festive offers are available at various points through the season — check current availability and packages or get in touch with the reservations team to discuss what is available for your dates. Our FAQ covers the most common questions for planning a stay.

Galway at Christmas is worth it. The market, the music, the Prom, the food, the Atlantic air — it adds up to something that is genuinely hard to replicate anywhere else. Come and find out for yourself.