Galway has been named as the fourth best city on the planet to visit in 2020, according to Lonely Planet. Galway ranked ahead of global destiantions like Dubai and Vancouver.
The “brilliantly bohemian” city features as one of the Top 10 cities for travellers in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2020, an annual collection of travel destinations, trends and experiences for the year ahead.
Galway is “arguably Ireland’s most engaging city”, the guide says – a place “brimful of imagination” where “brightly painted pubs heave with live music” and “cafés offer front row seats to watch buskers perform.”
It singles out experiences like live trad music at Tig Cóilí, or Tigh Neachtain’s pub, “where timber walls frame a roaring fire and locals crack gentle jokes”.
“Groundbreaking flavour combos” are also tipped at chef Enda McEvoy’s Loam restaurant – which this month won the Michelin Guide UK & Ireland’s first ever Sustainability award.
Salzburg, Austria is the world’s No.1 city to visit in 2020, while Washington, DC, USA is ranked second, and Cairo, Egypt in third place.
Lonely Planet’s top 10 cities to visit in 2020
- Salzburg, Austria
- Washington DC, USA
- Cairo, Egypt
- Galway, Ireland
- Bonn, Germany
- La Paz, Bolivia
- Kochi, India
- Vancouver, Canada
- Dubai, UAE
- Denver, USA
Galway will also be a European Capital of Culture 2020, a “year-long, city-wide, arty party” Lonely Planet says will “supercharge” the visitor experience next year.
Patricia Philbin, CEO of Galway 2020, called the award “a fantastic endorsement of this incredible place on the western edge of Ireland and at the heart of Europe”.
The accolade follows the recent announcement of a new €10.2m city museum that Fáilte Ireland says will “transform the Spanish Arch district of Galway”.
