Galway Food & Drink Tasting Tour: Gin, Cheese, Beer

Three venues, three tastings, one walk through Galway's oldest streets

A guided tasting tour through Galway starting at Eyre Square, visiting three venues where you taste gin and food, Irish cheeses with wine, and craft beers or whiskey in a historic pub. The guide introduces Galway's history using the square's monuments, then leads you past medieval tower houses, a 14th-century church, and the city market on the way to each stop. Maximum 12 people, around 2 hours.

Step-by-step itinerary

Galway city tasting and walking tour

• Meet guide at Eyre Square
• Learn Galway history at Eyre Square
• Visit modern bar for Gin & Tonic
• Walk through historic streets
• Visit local family business for cheese and wine
• Pass by 14th century church and city market
• Pass Ireland's first Irish/Gaelic theatre
• Walk through Eyre Square tribal banners
• Visit historic pub for craft beer tasting

The experience

The tour begins at Eyre Square with your guide pointing out the monuments and memorials that tell Galway's founding, the Irish language, and emigration. From there it's a short walk to the first venue: a modern bar where you taste a gin and tonic made from their own house gin, paired with food, and browse their collection of over 530 gins. The walk between stops takes you down streets whose layout has stayed the same for centuries, passing the doorways of old merchant tower houses and the Lynch family's intact tower, one of Galway's most powerful families.

The second stop is a family-run business just off the main street, shadowed by a church built in the 1800s. Here you taste a range of Irish-made cheeses, cured meats, and breads with a glass of wine, and hear about Galway's historical connection to the world wine trade. On the way you pass through the market square and a 14th-century church that still holds services (Christopher Columbus is among its famous visitors), and you'll see Ireland's first Gaelic-speaking theatre, founded in the late 1920s.

The final venue is one of Galway's oldest and most favoured pubs, located right on Eyre Square. Your guide shares the building's protected history before you settle into one of the bar's quiet snugs to taste local craft beers from nearby breweries, including their own house beer, or choose an Irish whiskey flight instead. The whole tour runs just over two hours, with a maximum of 12 people keeping the pace steady and the groups small enough to move easily between stops.

What’s included

• Tastings of gin and food at a craft distillery.
• Irish cheeses, cured meats and breads with wine at a family business.
• local craft beers from regional breweries or an Irish whiskey flight at a historic pub.
• a live guide in English who shares Galway's history at Eyre Square and along the walk between venues.

Before you book

Days and timesTuesday and FridayDeparts at 16:00

AgesAdult (18 and older) · Under 18: can't be booked

GroupUp to 12

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Tour & Taste Galway

Is this one for you?You walk the whole route and taste at each stop, so this suits anyone who wants to move through the city and try things rather than sit in one place. The small group size and steady pace work well if you prefer a guide who can answer questions and adapt to the group, rather than a large tour rushing through.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

What exactly do I taste on this Galway food tour?

You taste gin and food at the first venue, Irish cheeses with meats and breads plus a glass of wine at the second, and then local craft beers from regional breweries or an Irish whiskey flight at the final pub. The operator notes that vegetarian options are limited and vegan options are not available, so mention any dietary requirements when you book.

Where does the Galway tasting tour meet and how do I get there?

You meet at Eyre Square in the city centre. Public transportation options are available nearby, and all areas and surfaces on the tour are wheelchair accessible.

How long does the tour take and how many people go?

The tour runs just over two hours with a maximum of 12 people, keeping the group small enough to move comfortably between the three venues and hear the guide clearly.

What is the Lynch family tower house and why does the tour pass it?

The Lynch family tower house is the only fully intact tower house in Galway belonging to one of the city's most powerful old merchant families. The tour passes it and other historical doorways and buildings as you walk between tasting venues, using the city's medieval streetscape to tell Galway's story.

Can I do this tour if I have dietary restrictions?

Yes, let the operator know about any dietary requirements like coeliac, lactose, or nut allergies when you book. Vegetarian options are limited and vegan options are not available, so advance notice helps them prepare what they can.

What happens if the weather is bad?

The tour operates in all weather conditions unless there is an official orange or red weather warning in place from the Irish authorities.