Galway 1.5hr Riverboat Cruise plus 1.5hr Historic City walk

We like to give our guests a West of Ireland welcome. As one of Ireland’s oldest cities, Galway is rich in history and stories. These shared tours take place between mid-April to mid-October and contain enjoyable mix of History, Culture on the City walk and sightseeing on scenic River Cruise of Galway and surrounding district.
This in-person combined tour is a great way to spend an afternoon exploring the city and the adjacent Corrib Lake. It’s presented by an Irish Tourism professional with on-board commentary on the river boat route.

We start with the walking tour and visit top city landmarks including the new Galway Cathedral, Courthouse Square, medieval Lynch’s Castle, St. Nicholas’ Church, the Latin Quarter and the Spanish Parade. where you will get an understanding of local culture.

The River cruise segment takes 1.5 hours and allows you explore the region’s Corrib waterways. Guests will have ‘free time’ to take photos on-board and enjoy beverages including Irish Coffee!

We start our tour here the main Square and give you a brief overview of Galway’s rich history. The guide will outline the city’s unlikely rise from a West Coast settlement to a wealthy and prosperous Walled city and the Anglo-Norman families, who became known as the ‘Tribes of Galway’.
We outline various Points of Interest around the Square including Iconic Buildings. The Historical aspects covered will include the medieval Browne Doorway, the Tribes of Galway Banners, the John F Kennedy memorial and the Quin-centenary Fountain.

Our tour group now progress down the main street artery along William Street and view the landmark and elegant Browne Thomas building dating back to 1870. We pause at the Oscar Wilde / Edward Wilde monument, a gift from Estonia to Ireland in 2004 !

The tour returns via Galway’s famous River Walk to the main city artery. We arrive at a two-street intersection and the iconic Lynch’s Castle building. This 4-story rectangular mansion is the oldest in the city and the finest surviving Town-Castle in Ireland. It was once the ancestral home of the powerful Lynch clan up until the mid-17th century. We explain the history of the building, its crests and roundels.

Our next stop will be the old Galway Pro-Cathedral building at the Middle Street / Lower Abbeygate Street junction which opened in 1821. This old building was in use for many centuries until it was deemed inadequate by Galway bishop, Dr Michael Browne.

The guide will explain that the Augustinian Order arrived in Galway in 1500 and setup an Abbey in the Forthill area of the city. Oliver Cromwell’s English army banished them for a period but they returned in 1760 and established this building.

From the Augustinian Church we divert into St Augustine’s Lane, now known as Buttermilk Lane. Daniel O’Connell is said to have addressed voters from the Oriel window which is seen at the top of the lane on the right.

Galway’s Latin Quarter is the Old town area and comprises of many small streets including High Street and Quay Street which has been the beating heart of Galway for many, many years.
Here we encounter the iconic King’s Head Pub. Legend has it that this pub site was gifted by Oliver Cromwell as payment to executioner of King Charles I.

Located in the heart of the Latin Quarter, Taaffe’s Pub is a classic Irish pub with a warm atmosphere. It’s a Traditional Music pub and has served customers since 1845, making it one of the oldest pubs in Galway City.

The King’s Head Pub is one of the most famous pubs in Galway with the history of the building streaching all the way back to King Charles I ! The building itself dates back over 800 years to the 13th Century. it’s a beautiful premises with lots of heritage features including a fireplace dated 1612 and quirky architectural lines!

Tig Neachtain is today one of Galway’s finest pubs. In former years it was the town-house of Richard Martin, a local Galway celebrity in his day! In his early years as a duellist, he earned the nickname ‘Hairtrigger Dick’.
In later years, he was elected as a Galway PM to the British Parliament and introduced animal rights laws, which earned him the name ‘Humanity Dick’. These laws led to the setting up of the SPCA. Martin was also landlord of a substantial area of Connemara.

As we enter Quay street, we now stand in front of Dillon’s Jewellers, the original manufacturers of the famous Claddagh Ring from the 1830’s. It takes its name from the former Claddagh fishing village nearby.

From our Wolfe Tone Bridge vantage point, we can see the Claddagh Village across the River Corrib. This old Gaelic settlement was located outside the walled city of Galway. It was regarded as a fishing village with about 3000 people living here. The fishermen fished Galway Bay aboard the old Galway Hooker boats while the women-folk later sold the fish on the Spanish Parade area. Of course, the Claddagh area gave its name to the famous Claddagh Ring!

Quay Street has been at the center of Galway life since the city was founded almost 600 years ago. Today its a busy focal-point thoroughfare with several pubs, restaurants, cafes and lots of music. Also located here is a medieval castle and the Claddagh Ring Museum.
Still on Quay Street, your Tour guide will tell you all about Blake’s Castle, the imposing building on the right-hand side. Once owned by the Blake merchant family, it was confiscated by the Cromwellians and served as a jail for a number of decades.

We now arrive at the Spanish Parade, which is an open area that was filled in when the old Trading port closed. It later served as a fish-market for Claddagh fisher-men.

This open-space area, known as the Spanish Parade formally contained the old Galway port. Up until about 1660, there was a brisk foreign trade between Galway, France , Spain and Portugal. Old Galley ships frequented here with goods including wines and spices for local merchant families. Adjacent to here the medieval Spanish Arch is located on the banks of the River Corrib.

• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
• Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
• Wheelchair accessible
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• Most travellers can participate and this combined Tour is child and animal-friendly
• This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled by the Supplier due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
• NOTE: Guests with mobility issues are welcome to check out our Private City tour, 400766P1 where smaller groups are catered for.

• Merged City Tour+River Cruise
  Add
  Tour Guiding and Sightseeing
  Duration: 3 hours: Total duration of combined Tour is 3hrs. approx. – 1 Hour 15 mins for walking segment plus 90 minutes for the river cruise.
  Purchase Beverages: Guests can purchase Snacks & Irish Coffee on-board Corrib Princess river boat
  Walk route to Old Town
  River Cruise part aboard Boat

• Admission Ticket for Corrib Princess River Cruise
• As it’s a shared Sightseeing cruise & Walking Tour, visitors from another group may join.
• Photography
• Combined tour experience and entertaining stories of Galway’s history.
• We can meet you at Lobby of your Hotel or Browne Doorway monument in central Square.
• Irish Professional Tourist guides provide commentary

• Tea/Coffees Snacks not included but buy on-board Cruise boat for small fee.
• Hourly Charge if you wish to extend tour over 3.5 hours

Trending Galway Nearby Tours Likely To Sell Out

Please note you need to bring your Mobile or printed Ticket along with you so we can confirm Tour booking.

Please be advised..

• This Tour is Provided by Western Tours and Tales.
• Tour Timezone & Starts at Europe/Dublin.
• Mobile or paper ticket accepted.
• For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
• This Tour is Rated 5 Stars based on 1 valid reviews on VIATOR.
• Minimum 1 Travelers is required to book.
• Maximum 15 Travelers is accepted for booking.