





Westport sits on Clew Bay, an hour and fifteen minutes north of Galway by car or three and a half hours direct by train from Dublin. It is known for its tree-lined Georgian Mall, its eighteenth-century planned streets, and traditional pub sessions. Westport is worth visiting if you want to cycle off-road trails, eat Clew Bay oysters, and hear dry, unamplified fiddle sessions. Look elsewhere if you need guaranteed dry weather, large museum complexes, or high-octane resort nightlife.
Last updated 3 Oct 2026
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Westport is laid out symmetrically along the Carrowbeg River, where lime trees and stone quays meet modest two-storey shopfronts. Days here split cleanly between the outdoors and the barstool. You spend the daylight out on the Mayo coastline or pedalling along the railway path, then return for steaming bowls of mussels and unpretentious conversation in low-ceilinged pubs.
Start with strong filter coffee on Shop Street, then walk the Mall down to Westport House gardens. Take lunch at Westport Quay for roasted hake. In the afternoon, climb the lower trails of Croagh Patrick, five miles west, before settling into Matt Molloy's by eight for the music. Select 1 Day above to see it.
Dedicate your second morning to cycling the Greenway out towards Newport and Mulranny, catching views across the drumlin islands of Clew Bay. Return to town for pan-roasted salmon and soda bread on Bridge Street, then explore the quieter stone pubs around the Octagon. Choose 2 Days to expand the plan.
A third day allows the thirty-minute drive to Roonagh Pier for the passenger ferry to Clare Island, or a circuit south past Doolough Pass into Connemara. Finish back at the quay with a bowl of Killary mussels and a pint as the Atlantic mist rolls in.
Slurp briny native Clew Bay oysters and pan-fried black sole landed at the quay, paired with brown soda bread and stout.
Ride the forty-two kilometre Great Western Greenway along the old railway line from the town centre all the way to Achill Island.
Squeeze into the back room at Matt Molloy's or McGing's on High Street for nightly unamplified flute, fiddle, and bodhran sessions.
Scramble up the quartzite scree of Croagh Patrick, a seven-hundred-and-sixty-four-metre pilgrimage peak overlooking Clew Bay.
Tour Westport House, built in 1730 by Richard Cassels, with its dungeons, original oak woodwork, and parklands by the Carrowbeg.
Stroll Westport Quay, two kilometres west of town, lined with stone warehouses, the customs house, and boat slipways.
Walk the tree-lined Mall and stone bridges designed by William Leeson and James Wyatt around the canalised Carrowbeg River.
Take the Roonagh Pier ferry across to Clare Island, the sixteenth-century stronghold of the pirate queen Grace O'Malley.
Drive south through the dramatic Louisburgh coastal road and along the glacial fjord at Killary Harbour in northern Connemara.
Stand at the narrow counters of Hoban's or Toby's on the Octagon, where pints are poured slowly without television screens.
Browse the Thursday country market at the Octagon for local sheep cheeses, rhubarb tarts, and honey from the Nephin mountains.
Pick up hand-woven woollen knitwear and tweeds cut from local fleece along Bridge Street and Shop Street.