The influential US magazine recognized the Irish city alongside the likes of Cairo and the Peruvian Amazon in its annual comprehensive travel report featuring 28 of the most exciting destinations for 2019.
National Geographic judges noted that this year will be a brilliant time to visit the city on the Wild Atlantic Way, as it marks the run-up to Galway’s time as the European Capital of Culture 2020.
“Galway may sit at the far western edge of Europe,” the magazine states, “but lately the ‘City of Tribes’ has been the center of attention. Named a 2018 European Region of Gastronomy, Ireland’s fourth largest city (population 80,000) is gearing up for the next big thing: Galway 2020, European Capital of Culture.”
The publication also cites new community heritage and arts projects “such as pop-up culture cafes and funambulism (tightrope walking) workshops” that throughout 2019 “will be rolling out in conventional and unexpected venues (beaches, fields, remote villages and rivers) across Galway city and county.”
Galway is one of Ireland’s most engaging cities. Cultured, artsy and bohemian, its brightly painted pubs pulse with traditional and live music.
Michelin-starred restaurants and cozy cafes dot the city center, melding with a lively farmer’s market and craft shops. Bridges arch over the River Corrib and a long promenade leads to the suburb of Salthill on Galway Bay.
In the spring, St Patrick’s Day (17 March) and the Cúirt International Festival of Literature, one of the oldest and most recognized literature festivals in Europe (8 – 14 April), are fine times to go.
Summer and autumn also see the artistic, creative and fun qualities Galway is renowned for come to life in a blaze of superb international festivals ranging from the arts and food to film and horse racing.
Alongside the festivals, shows and events there is a thriving gastronomic scene to check out. Galway is especially known for its oysters and Ireland’s longest running and greatest gourmet extravaganza – the Galway International Oyster and Seafood Festival.
There is much more to uncover around County Galway, where the hills of Connemara, all sorts of sights and activities on the wild Atlantic coastline or the rustic lifestyle of the Aran Islands are among the attractions that make the area one of the world’s best.
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