You hear Galway before you see it. As soon as you turn the first streets, a guitar escapes from a pub, a violin answers at the next corner, and seagulls punctuate it all above the Corrib River, which rushes through the city to throw itself into the bay. Ships anchor in Galway Bay and land their passengers by tender at the port, minutes on foot from the centre; smaller vessels dock directly at the quay. The capital of the Irish west is explored entirely on foot, and it is explored with a smile on your face.

From the Port to Eyre Square

From the quays, a few streets bring you to Eyre Square, the great green space that serves as the urban living room of Galwegians. Students stretched out in the grass, workers on their lunch break, flags of the ancient merchant tribes snapping in the wind: the square sets the tone for a young and relaxed city. From there, the shopping street descends toward the river while changing names several times, from William Street to Shop Street, lined with painted façades and old-fashioned shopfronts. Street musicians follow one another from morning to evening, some of them real local celebrities.

The Latin Quarter

Past the Lynch house, a wealthy medieval mansion of one of the great merchant families, you enter the Latin Quarter, historic heart with cobbled alleyways. Traditional music pubs, jewellery shops where you can have a Claddagh ring engraved, bookstores and oyster bars share the colourful houses. The bay provides renowned oysters, celebrated each autumn by an international festival, and the quarter's tables serve them with a simple slice of brown bread and a glass of stout. The atmosphere builds as evening falls, when improvised traditional music sessions start in the back rooms.

The Spanish Arch and Maritime Memory

Following Quay Street down to the river, you reach the Spanish Arch, a remnant of 16th-century walls that once protected the quays where Spanish ships laden with wine and brandy unloaded. Just beside it, the municipal museum traces the city's history free of charge, from its fourteen merchant tribes to its traditional brown-sailed boats, the Galway hookers, a few examples of which still sail before the quays. Across the water once lay the Claddagh, an ancient fishing village that gave its name to the famous ring adorned with two hands holding a crowned heart.

Salthill Facing the Sea

Walkers willingly continue to the Salthill promenade, which runs along the bay for roughly two kilometres, about 30 minutes on foot from the centre. Facing the limestone hills of the Burren across the water, locals perpetuate a tenacious tradition: touch the wall at the end of the promenade before turning back, and for the bravest, dive from Blackrock diving platform, whatever the season. On clear days, the Aran Islands can be glimpsed on the horizon, guardians of the Irish language still heard regularly in the city's streets.

A Song That Lingers

The return to the ship is often reluctant, a melody in your head and salt wind in your clothes. Galway has no ancient cathedral or commanding castle, and this has never stopped anyone: its wealth lies in its living streets, its voices and its knack for turning every evening into an ordinary celebration. The Irish say the west holds the country's soul. After a few hours here, it is hard to argue.