Best time to visit Galway

Re-score for me — drag the dial — every chart on the page recolours live for your heat limit 27°C
I'm comfortable up to 27°C feels-like
22° heat-averse 30° heat-loving

Default 27 °C is the upper edge of the Holiday Climate Index "ideal comfort" band (Scott, Rutty, Amelung & Tang, 2016). Above this, most warm-tourism travellers report measurable discomfort.

Saved to this browser. Changes update the strips below.
Recent · 2020-2024
Interest Google Trends 2021-2025 searches, not arrivals (?)
Day · avg daily high (?)
Night · avg overnight low (?)
UV index · On a typical day around midday, UV is about this (?)
1234444311
On the sunniest 1 in 10 days, UV reaches this — and even higher
4664
PM2.5 air quality · on a typical day (?)
456665455556
On the worst 1 in 10 days, PM2.5 reaches this — and even higher
7991199589789
September 6/10 feels 16°C (+2°C vs 1991-2020) · HCI 56/100
Day 17° · Night 11° 75% humidity 21 km/h wind 15 rain days (185h) 159h sun
Thermal 6
Sky 6
Rain 4
Wind 10

Higher = better, including rain & wind (green = "doesn't hurt the score", not "lots of it").

How is this scored? HCI / Steadman / CCI gate — full methodology and citations below.

Compare with another destination

Add as many as you like — stacked below the main strips above. Each row is just the recent-window score strip and (for beach destinations) sea-temperature strip.

Tours in Galway

10 top-rated tours via Viator. Booking links earn this site a commission at no cost to you. Map locations are approximate (centred on Galway).

  1. 1The Irish Dance Experience in Galway, Ireland5.00★ (74)1h 30mfrom $37🔥 Selling fast
  2. 2Galway to Aran Islands Inisheer, Doolin, Cliffs of Moher Day Tour4.88★ (1,792)10h 30mfrom $94
  3. 3Galway to Cliffs of Moher, Aillwee Cave & Dunguaire Castle Tour4.92★ (3,352)8hfrom $77
  4. 4Galway to Aran Islands & Cliffs of Moher Day Tour & Cliffs Cruise4.80★ (2,581)10hfrom $99
  5. 5Cliffs of Moher & the Burren Tour from Galway4.86★ (2,020)8h 15mfrom $65
  6. 6The Welcome to Galway Walking Tour4.87★ (508)1h 15mfrom $18
  7. 712:00 Cliffs of Moher Tour4.90★ (741)7hfrom $65
  8. 8Galway Food Tours4.91★ (624)2h 30mfrom $106
  9. 9Cliffs of Moher & Burren Day Tour with a 2 hour stop at Cliffs4.81★ (553)8hfrom $69
  10. 10Caherconnell Fort & Sheepdog Demonstrations4.93★ (713)from $34

Last refreshed 2026-06-10.

Similar climatesLimerick95% · Glasgow93% · Cork92%

Other destinations with the most-alike year-round climate to Galway (apparent temperature, rain hours, sunshine — matched within the same trip-profile). The ±N chip compares each match's typical score for the current month against Galway's. Based on the 2020-2024 climatology, not this year's actual weather.

Month-by-month

Month Temp °C Feels °C Rain days Rain h Rain h/day Humidity Wind km/h Sun h UV Interest Score
Jan 4–8 5 14 187 13.4 83% 25 86 — Quiet 4
Feb 5–9 5 19 255 13.4 78% 30 93 1 Quiet 3
Mar 5–11 7 16 226 14.1 75% 25 133 2 Quiet 4
Apr 6–13 10 13 177 13.6 68% 21 190 3 Quiet 5
May 9–16 13 15 200 13.3 67% 21 237 4 Quiet 5
Jun 11–17 15 17 226 13.3 69% 21 203 4 Quiet 5
Jul 13–19 17 18 259 14.4 73% 19 203 4 Moderate 5
Aug 13–19 17 18 264 14.7 73% 22 209 4 Peak 5
Sep 11–17 16 15 185 12.3 75% 21 159 3 Moderate 6
Oct 9–14 11 20 270 13.5 79% 24 130 1 Quiet 3
Nov 7–11 8 17 209 12.3 83% 25 88 1 Busy 4
Dec 5–9 5 17 220 12.9 85% 26 73 — Quiet 3

UV Index in Galway by Month

UV index in Galway peaks at 4 (moderate) in June, dropping to 0 (low) in January.

Best months in detail

September

6/10

11–17°C (feels 16°C) · 15 rain days (185h) · 159 sun hours · 75% humidity · Moderate crowd · UV 3 (low) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 4 (moderate)

May

5/10

9–16°C (feels 13°C) · 15 rain days (200h) · 237 sun hours · 67% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 4 (moderate) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 6 (moderate)

June

5/10

11–17°C (feels 15°C) · 17 rain days (226h) · 203 sun hours · 69% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 4 (moderate) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 6 (moderate)

Every month

Show the other 9 months in detail

January

4/10

4–8°C (feels 5°C) · 14 rain days (187h) · 86 sun hours · 83% humidity · Quiet crowd

February

3/10

5–9°C (feels 5°C) · 19 rain days (255h) · 93 sun hours · 78% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 1 (low)

March

4/10

5–11°C (feels 7°C) · 16 rain days (226h) · 133 sun hours · 75% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 2 (low)

April

5/10

6–13°C (feels 10°C) · 13 rain days (177h) · 190 sun hours · 68% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 3 (low) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 4 (moderate)

July

5/10

13–19°C (feels 17°C) · 18 rain days (259h) · 203 sun hours · 73% humidity · Moderate crowd · UV 4 (moderate)

August

5/10

13–19°C (feels 17°C) · 18 rain days (264h) · 209 sun hours · 73% humidity · Peak crowd · UV 4 (moderate)

October

3/10

9–14°C (feels 11°C) · 20 rain days (270h) · 130 sun hours · 79% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 1 (low)

November

4/10

7–11°C (feels 8°C) · 17 rain days (209h) · 88 sun hours · 83% humidity · Busy crowd · UV 1 (low)

December

3/10

5–9°C (feels 5°C) · 17 rain days (220h) · 73 sun hours · 85% humidity · Quiet crowd

Frequently asked questions about visiting Galway

When is the best time to visit Galway?

September is the highest-scoring month (6/10 on the Holiday Climate Index). Typical conditions: 11–17°C (15 rainy days). The top three months by score are September, May, June.

What is the worst time to visit Galway?

February is the lowest-scoring month (3/10). Typical conditions: 5–9°C (19 rainy days).

When are crowds lowest in Galway?

Search-interest seasonality (Google Trends 2021-2025) is lowest in February and peaks in August. Interest tracks both in-trip visitors and lead-time planners, so treat it as a "destination is on people's minds" signal rather than literal arrivals.

What is the UV index in Galway by month?

UV peaks at 4 (moderate) in June and is lowest in January at 0 (low). Monthly peak values: Jan —, Feb 1, Mar 2, Apr 3, May 4, Jun 4, Jul 4, Aug 4, Sep 3, Oct 1, Nov 1, Dec —.

What is the UV index in Galway in June?

June is the peak UV month in Galway, with a daily-peak UV index of 4 (moderate). Standard sun protection — sunglasses and light SPF — is recommended.

How high can UV get in Galway on the sunniest days?

Most days look like the monthly average, but on the sunniest ~1 in 10 days UV climbs higher than the mean suggests. June is the worst case: typical days average UV 4 (moderate), but the top 10% of days reach UV 6 (moderate) — and even higher. Months where the sunniest days routinely exceed the typical reading: April, May, June, September. Plan sun protection for the worst case, not the average.