Latin Quarter, Galway

The Latin Quarter is the pedestrianised heart of medieval Galway - Shop Street, High Street, Quay Street and Cross Street, running from Eyre Square down to the Spanish Arch and the Corrib. The name is a modern branding exercise rather than a historical designation, but the street pattern is genuinely medieval and several buildings within it are: Lynch's Castle, a fifteenth-century town house of the Lynch family now a bank, with carved stonework on its facade, and the Hall of the Red Earl, the thirteenth-century remains of the de Burgo administration building, excavated in the 1990s and displayed under a modern structure, free to enter. Busking here is close to continuous in summer and the standard is high; Galway's street performance scene is a genuine thing rather than a tourist add-on. The shopfronts are painted in the strong colours the city is known for. It is small - the whole quarter takes ten minutes to walk end to end.

What you actually see

• Lynch's Castle - a fifteenth-century carved town house, now a bank.
• The Hall of the Red Earl - thirteenth-century remains, free and under cover.
• The busking - continuous in summer, and genuinely good.
• The painted shopfronts - the colour Galway is photographed for.

When to go

April to September for the street life; the quarter is busiest and best in summer evenings and during the July festivals. Winter is quiet and many of the outdoor tables disappear.

Honest expectations

Small - the whole quarter is a few short streets. Extremely crowded on summer evenings and during festivals. Prices in the pedestrian streets are tourist prices. The name is modern marketing.

Nearby

The Spanish Arch and the Corrib are at the lower end; Eyre Square is at the top.