Travel to and from Galway
The nearest international airport to Galway is Shannon, which has good bus and road connections to Galway and offers direct flights to/from airports in Europe and North America.
Dublin airport is further away, but has direct flights to a wider range of destinations, and also has good bus and road connections to Galway.
Ferries operate from various ports in Britain and France to Dublin and Rosslare, both of which are connected by bus and rail services to Galway.
- Travel via Shannon Aiport
- Travel via Dublin Aiport
- Travel from Britain or France by Ferry
Travel via Shannon Aiport
Flight connections:
- Canada
- Toronto (Air Canada)
- Germany
- Frankfurt (Lufthansa)
- Lithuania
- Kaunas (Ryanair)
- Poland
- Krakow (Ryanair)
- Warsaw (Ryanair)
- Wroclaw (Ryanair)
- Portugal
- Faro (Aer Lingus / Ryanair)
- Spain
- Alicante (Ryanair)
- Barcelona-Reus (Ryanair / Tui)
- Fuerteventura (Ryanair)
- Lanzarote (Aer Lingus / Ryanair / Tui)
- Malaga (Aer Lingus / Ryanair)
- Palma (Ryanair / Tui)
- Tenerife (Ryanair)
- United Kingdom
- Birmingham (Aer Lingus)
- Bristol (Ryanair)
- Edinburgh (Aer Lingus)
- Liverpool (Ryanair)
- London (Aer Lingus / Ryanair)
- Manchester (Ryanair)
- United States
- Boston (Aer Lingus)
- Newark (United Airlines)
- New York (Aer Lingus / Delta / Norwegian)
- Philadelphia (American Airlines)
- Providence Rhode Island (Norwegian)
Travel between Shannon Airport and the conference venue
- By Bus
- Bus Eireann runs an Expressway service (Route 51) from the Arrivals Hall at Shannon Airport to Galway Bus Station at roughly hourly intervals. The journey takes just under two hours and costs around €10 in each direction. Galway Bus Station is a short walk from the Galmont Hotel. Please note that this service is not suitable for wheelchair-users.
- By Road
- Galway can be reached by car from Shannon in around 1.5 hours. The distance is about 85kM (53 miles), and most of the route is along motorways. Cars can be hired at Shannon Airport.
For details of accessible facilities and other services available at Shannon Airport, see the pages for Passengers with Reduced Mobility and Passengers with Autism and Special Needs.
Travel via Dublin Aiport
Flight connections:
- Austria
- Vienna (Aer Lingus)
- Belgium
- Brussels (Aer Lingus / Ryanair)
- Brussels South (Ryanair)
- Bulgaria
- Bourgas (Aer Lingus)
- Sofia (Ryanair)
- Canada
- Toronto YYZ (Aer Lingus / Air Canada Aca / Air Transat / Westjet Airlines)
- Croatia
- Dubrovnik (Aer Lingus / Cello Aviation)
- Zadar (Ryanair)
- Zagreb (Croatia Airlines)
- Czech Republic
- Prague (Aer Lingus / Ryanair)
- Denmark
- Copenhagen (Norwegian / Ryanair / SAS)
- Estonia
- Tallinn (Ryanair)
- Ethiopia
- Addis Ababa (Ethiopian Airlines)
- Finland
- Helsinki (Finnair Oy)
- France
- Bordeaux (Aer Lingus)
- Luxembourg (Luxair)
- Lyon-Saint Exupery (Aer Lingus)
- Marseille (Aer Lingus)
- Nice (Aer Lingus / Ryanair)
- Paris-BVA (Ryanair)
- Paris-CDG (Aer Lingus)
- Paris-Orly (Transavia)
- Toulouse (Aer Lingus)
- Germany
- Berlin (Aer Lingus / Ryanair)
- Cologne/Bonn (Eurowings / Ryanair)
- Dusseldorf (Aer Lingus / Eurowings)
- Frankfurt (Aer Lingus / Lufthansa)
- Hamburg (Aer Lingus / Ryanair)
- Memmingen (Ryanair)
- Munich (Aer Lingus / Lufthansa / Ryanair)
- Stuttgart (Aer Lingus / Ryanair)
- Greece
- Athens (Ryanair)
- Chania-Souda (Ryanair)
- Corfu (Aer Lingus)
- Hungary
- Budapest (Aer Lingus / Ryanair)
- Iceland
- Keflavik (Icelandair / Wow Airlines)
- Italy
- Bologna (Aer Lingus)
- Girona (Ryanair)
- Milan (Aer Lingus)
- Milan-BGY (Ryanair)
- Naples (Aer Lingus / Ryanair)
- Palermo (Ryanair)
- Pisa (Aer Lingus)
- Rome (Aer Lingus / Ryanair)
- Venice (Aer Lingus)
- Verona (Aer Lingus)
- Latvia
- Riga (Ryanair)
- Lithuania
- Kaunas (Ryanair)
- Netherlands
- Amsterdam (Aer Lingus / KLM)
- Eindhoven (Ryanair)
- Norway
- Oslo (Norwegian / SAS)
- Poland
- Krakow (Ryanair)
- Lodz (Ryanair)
- Lublin (Ryanair)
- Poznan (Ryanair)
- Warsaw (Ryanair)
- Wroclaw (Ryanair)
- Portugal
- Faro (Aer Lingus / Ryanair)
- Lisbon (Aer Lingus / Ryanair)
- Porto (Ryanair)
- Qatar
- Doha (Qatar Airways)
- Romania
- Bucharest (Blue Air / Ryanair)
- CLJ (Blue Air)
- Slovakia
- Bratislava (Ryanair)
- Spain
- Alicante (Aer Lingus / Ryanair)
- Barcelona (Aer Lingus / Ryanair / Vueling)
- Gran Canaria (Aer Lingus)
- Lanzarote (Aer Lingus / Ryanair)
- Madrid (Aer Lingus / Iberia Express / Ryanair)
- Malaga (Aer Lingus / Ryanair)
- Murcia (Aer Lingus / Ryanair)
- Nantes (Aer Lingus)
- Palma (Aer Lingus / Ryanair)
- Reus (Ryanair)
- Santander (Ryanair)
- Tenerife (Aer Lingus / Ryanair)
- Valencia (Ryanair)
- Sweden
- Stockholm (SAS)
- Switzerland
- Geneva (Aer Lingus / Ryanair / Swiss)
- Zurich (Aer Lingus / Swiss)
- Turkey
- Istanbul (Turkish Airlines)
- Larnaca (Cobalt Air)
- UK
- Aberdeen (Aer Lingus)
- Birmingham (Aer Lingus / Ryanair)
- Bristol (Aer Lingus / Ryanair)
- Cardiff (Flybe)
- Doncaster (Flybe)
- East Midlands (Ryanair)
- Edinburgh (Aer Lingus / Ryanair)
- Exeter (Flybe)
- Glasgow (Aer Lingus / Ryanair)
- Inverness (Loganair)
- Leeds Bradford (Aer Lingus / Ryanair)
- Liverpool (Ryanair)
- London - LCY (British Airways / Cityjet)
- London - SEN (Flybe)
- London-LGW (Aer Lingus / Ryanair)
- London-LHR (Aer Lingus / British Airways)
- London-LTN (Ryanair)
- London-STN (Ryanair)
- Manchester (Aer Lingus / Ryanair)
- Newcastle (Aer Lingus / Ryanair)
- Newquay (Aer Lingus)
- United Arab Emirates
- Abu Dhabi (Etihad Airways)
- Dubai (Emirates)
- USA
- Atlanta (Delta Air Lines)
- Boston (Aer Lingus)
- Charlotte (American Airlines)
- Chicago (Aer Lingus / American Airlines / United Airlines)
- Hartford (Aer Lingus)
- Los Angeles (Aer Lingus / Ethiopian Airlines)
- New York (Aer Lingus / American Airlines / Delta Air Lines)
- Newark (Aer Lingus / United Airlines)
- Orlando (Aer Lingus)
- Philadelphia (Aer Lingus / American Airlines)
- San Francisco (Aer Lingus)
- Washington (Aer Lingus / United Airlines)
Travel between Dublin Airport and the conference venue
- By Bus
- Bus Eireann runs an Expressway service (Route X20) from various pick-up points at Dublin Airport to Galway Bus Station. The service typically runs every 1-2 hours and the journey takes around three hours. The cost is around €15 in each direction. Galway Bus Station is a short walk from the Galmont Hotel. Bus Eireann operates wheelchair-accessible vehicles on this route provided places are booked at least 24 hours in advance by telephone. Further details can be found on the Bus Eireann Accessibility page.
- Citylink runs services from Zone 13 at Dublin Airport to Galway New Bus Station. The service typically runs every hour and takes either 2.5 or 3 hours. The cost is €19 if tickes are purchased online. Wheelchair spaces are available on this service at certain times of the day - please contact Citylink for details. Galway New Bus Station is a short walk from the Galmont Hotel.
- GoBus runs services from Zone 13 at Dublin Airport to Galway New Bus Station. The service runs at approximately hourly intervals and takes around 3 hours. The cost is €18 if tickes are purchased online. Galway New Bus Station is a short walk from the Galmont Hotel. Please note that this service is not suitable for wheelchair-users.
- By Train
- Iarnród Éireann runs a train service from Dublin City Centre (Heuston Station) to Galway. However, there is no rail link between the City Centre and Dublin Airport, so if you plan to travel by train you will have to take a bus or taxi between Heuston Station and the airport. However, train travel may be worth considering if you plan to visit Dublin City Centre. All Iarnrod Eireann trains include a limited number of wheelchair accessible spaces, and these can be booked in advance. For more information see the Iarnród Éireann page regarding Accessibility on Trains. Bus services between the airport and Heuston Station include Bus Eireann route 4 and Dublin Bus route 747, both of which are wheelchair-accessible.
- By Road
- Galway can be reached by car from Dublin in around 2.5-3 hours. The distance is about 215kM (134 miles), and most of the route is along motorways. Cars can be hired at Dublin Airport.
For details of accessible facilities and other services available at Dublin Airport, see the page on Special Assistance.
Travel from Britain or France by Ferry
Connections from Britain
- Fishguard to Rosslare
- Stena Line - 14 sailings per week, crossing time 3 hours 15 minutes
- Holyhead to Dublin
- Irish Ferries - 5 sailings per day, crossing time 1 hours
- Stena Line - 4 sailings per day, crossing time 3 hours 15 minutes
- Liverpool to Dublin
- P&O Ferries - 1-3 sailings per day, crossing time 8-8.5 hours
- Pembroke to Rosslare
- Irish Ferries - 2 sailings per day, crossing time 4 hours
Connections from France
- Cherbourg to Rosslare
- Irish Ferries - several sailings per week, crossing time 19 hours
- Stena line - 3 Sailings per week, crossing time 18-19.5 hours
- Cherbourg to Dublin
- Irish Ferries - several sailings per week, crossing time 20 hours
- Roscoff to Rosslare
- Irish Ferries - several sailings per week, crossing time 19 hours
Note that travel times, number of sailings per day/week, and crossing times may vary - particularly for routes between France and Ireland. Please check with ferry operators for up-to-date information. The degree of support provided to wheelchair-users varies depending upon the type of vessel and the facilities available at each port. For more information see the Accessibility page of the relevant ferry operator.
Travel between Dublin Port and the conference venue
- By Tram
- There is a Luas (tram) stop opposite the entrance to the Dublin Port complex (The Point, on the Red Luas line). Approximate walking times and distances between this stop and the ferry terminals are:
- Terminal 1 (Irish Ferries) - 46 min walk (3.7km)
- Terminal 2 (Stena Line) – 39 min walk (3.2km)
- Terminal 3 (P&O Ferries) – 9 min walk (750m)
The Luas Red Line stops at Dublin Heuston railway station, from where there is a direct Iarnród Éireann
(Irish Rail) service to Galway. All Luas trains and stops are wheelchair accessible. For further information see the Luas Accessibility Page and also the Citizens Information page relating to the Luas. All Iarnród Éireann trains include a limited number of wheelchair accessible spaces, and these can be booked in advance. For more information see the Iarnród Éireann page regarding Accessibility on Trains.
- There is a Luas (tram) stop opposite the entrance to the Dublin Port complex (The Point, on the Red Luas line). Approximate walking times and distances between this stop and the ferry terminals are:
- By Bus
- Dublin Bus route 53 runs from Terminal Road South, close to the main ferry terminals, to Talbot Street in Dublin City Centre. This service may be appropriate if you wish to explore the city centre before continuing. However, note that travelling to Dublin Heuston railway station by bus involves a number changes. This service is wheelchair accessible.
Travel between Rosslare Europort and the conference venue
- By Train
- There is no direct train service from Rosslare Europort to Galway. Anyone wishing to travel by train should take the Iarnród Éireann service from Rosslare Europort to Dublin Connolly station, then the Luas (tram) to Dublin Heuston station, and finally the Iarnród Éireann service to Galway. All Iarnród Éireann trains include a limited number of wheelchair accessible spaces, and these can be booked in advance. For more information see the Iarnród Éireann page regarding Accessibility on Trains. All Luas trains and stops are wheelchair accessible. For further information see the Luas Accessibility Page and also the Citizens Information page relating to the Luas.
- By Bus
- There is no direct bus service from Rosslare Europort to Galway. The journey can be completed in around 7 hours by taking Bus Éireann Expressway service 40 from Rosslare to Waterford, service 55 from Waterford to Limerick, and service X51 from Limerick to Galway. These services are not wheelchair accessible.
Travelling from Britain by Rail and Ferry
- A number of companies offer combined rail and ferry travel packages from various railway stations in Britain to destinations in Ireland, including Galway. These include: Note that these packages typically involve services provided by several companies, and provision for wheelchair-users may vary for different stages of the journey. It is advisable to check separately with each company involved before purchase.