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Beaches
Galway City Council considers our beaches to be one of the most valuable recreational facilities available to residents of and visitors to Galway City.
There are four main beaches in the Galway City area:
· Salthill
· Sliverstrand
· Ballyloughane
· Grattan
Salthill beach
The beach at Salthill is actually several small beaches separated by outcrops. Some of the beaches are sandy and some pebbly. It is located in Galway city and on Galway Bay, a Special Area of Conservation. The beach is lifeguarded from mid-May to the end of September from 11 am to 7 pm. Salthill beach has been a blue flag beach since 2006 and bathing water quality information is available here.
Directions: When in the city, follow the signs for Salthill. Buses regularly frequent the beach.
Silverstrand beach
Silverstrand has a safe, shallow, sandy beach of approximately 0.25km bounded on one side by a cliff and the other by rocks. It is particularly popular with and suitable for young families. It faces directly into Galway Bay giving spectacular views. There is a promenade with parking capacity for about 60 vehicles. It is suitable for swimming at low tide but the beach is largely covered during high tides. It is lifeguarded daily from mid-May to end of September from 11 am to 7pm. Silverstrand beach has been a blue flag beach since 2006 and bathing water quality information is available here.
Directions: From Galway city, head west on the R336. you will be barely on outskirts of Galway city when you will see a sign for Trá na gCeann, this is the Irish name for Silverstrand.
Ballyloughane beach
Ballyloughane is one of Galway’s most exciting beaches for observing seashore life. At low tide large amounts of the shore are exposed and can be explored safely. Visitors can identify animals that live in sandy, rocky and tidal areas all on one stretch of shoreline. It is an important nursery area for juvenile flat fish such as plaice and flounder, as well as providing a home for brown shrimp (otherwise known as crangons), sand hoppers, seaweeds and crabs. Ballyloughane beach received a green coast award in 2008.
Grattan beach
Grattan beach is in Salthill and was awarded a Green Coast award in 2008. The intertidal areas between the beach and nearby Mutton Island and Nimmo’s pier hold the highest densities of wintering birds in the immediate vicinity of Galway City. In addition, the beach is home to a variety of sea life and is an ideal location for a fun family day out hunting for crabs under rocks while admiring the views of Galway Bay.