Galway is taking away its parking meters, so don't count on finding one. On the council kerb you pay €2.50 an hour by app, web, phone or at a Payzone shop, against your number plate, and most streets stop you at two hours. There's no ticket to display.
How I'd park: straight into a council long-stay car park at Dyke Road or the Cathedral, €10 for the day, then walk ten minutes into the Latin Quarter.
Parking in Galway: Your plate is the ticket on Galway's kerb
1. Install the Galway City Parking app first
The council switched to digital-only payment, and in January 2026 it was still printing help packs. You pay in the Galway City Parking app, at GalwayCityParking.ie, on 091 894 300, or with cash or card at a Payzone shop. You register the plate and display nothing. You can extend from a café, and that alone beats any meter.
2. Read the hours: Sunday starts at 13:00
Charges run Monday to Saturday 08:30–18:30 and Sunday 13:00–18:00. The hourly rate went from €2.00 to €2.50 on 1 January 2026. Two hours on the kerb is €5, and on most streets that's the limit.
3. Park all day for €10, not €25
The council's long-stay car parks, Dyke Road by the Black Box Theatre and the Cathedral car park, charge €10 a day with no maximum stay. Short-stay Mill Street and Bowling Green charge the kerb rate, €2.50 an hour, so eight hours there is €20. City Park's Coach Station car park and Market Street are €3.20 an hour, capped at €25. The Port of Galway car park is €15 for 24 hours.
4. Don't expect a price at Q-Park
Q-Park Hynes Yard (650 spaces, 2.10 m) and Q-Park Eyre Square (444 spaces, 2.00 m) are central and open 24/7. Neither publishes a tariff online. The only public numbers are hotel deals: €12 for 24 hours at Hynes Yard for guests of The Hardiman, €18 at Eyre Square for the Eyre Square Hotel. If you're staying at one of those, take the voucher.
5. Keep left, and budget €2.30 for the M6
Ireland drives on the left. From Dublin, the M6 has one toll plaza between junctions 15 and 16: €2.30 for a car, cards taken in every lane except Express. That's €4.60 there and back. Galway has no low-emission zone, so a foreign car needs no sticker.
My pick for a day trip is Dyke Road: €10, a flat walk, no clock running.
Car parks worth knowing
| Car park | Price | Height | EV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dyke Road and Cathedral (council, long stay)Dyke Road by the Black Box Theatre, and beside Galway Cathedral; zone codes GDRC and GCTH | €10 a day, no maximum stay. Monthly pass €100. Charges Mon–Sat 08:30–18:30, Sun 13:00–18:00. Pay by app, web, phone or Payzone; don't count on a machine. | not published | Not published. |
| Mill Street and Bowling Green (council, short stay)Mill Street beside the Garda station, and Bowling Green; zone codes GMCP and GBGC | €2.50 an hour, the kerb rate, but no maximum stay. Same charging hours as the street. | not published | Not published. |
| Q-Park Hynes YardMerchants Road, H91 XA6P, between Eyre Square and the docks; open 24/7 | Q-Park publishes no tariff online. 650 spaces, height 2.10 m. The Hardiman hotel offers its guests a €12 24-hour rate here. | not published | 8 × 22 kW on level 1, pay as you go by QR code. |
| Q-Park Eyre SquareMerchants Road, H91 F38Y, under the Eyre Square Centre; open 24/7 | No tariff online. 444 spaces, height 2.00 m. The Eyre Square Hotel quotes its guests €18 for 24 hours. | not published | 4 × 22 kW on level 1, pay by QR code. |
| City Park: Coach Station and Market StreetCoach Station car park on Fairgreen Road (168 bays, height 1.9 m); Market Street (83 bays, 2.2 m); both 24/7 | €3.20 an hour, €25 daily maximum, €12 overnight 18:00–09:00. City Park's third site, 'Galway City Centre', has 410 bays at the same price. | 1.9 m | Not published. |
| Port of GalwayNew Docks, by the harbour office; 155 outdoor and 102 covered spaces | €2.90 an hour, €15 for 24 hours. Cash and cards at the barrier. On the port's own street spaces an expired ticket means an €85 clamp. | not published | Not published. |
The cheapest way to park, by how long you stay
| If you stay | Cheapest | Cost | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 hours in the centre | Mill Street and Bowling Green (council, short stay) | €5 | No daily cap published |
| …and the kerb, for comparison | Council kerb (2 hours maximum in most streets) | €5 | €2.50 an hour since 1 January 2026. Most streets stop at two hours; pay by app, web, phone (091 894 300) or at a Payzone shop. A €40 fine if you overstay. |
| A full day (10 h) | Dyke Road and Cathedral (council, long stay) | €10 | €10 for the charging day; free outside charging hours |
| 24 hours | Dyke Road and Cathedral (council, long stay) | €10 | €10 for the charging day; free outside charging hours |
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Towed in Galway: Galway writes tickets, it doesn't tow
1. Expect a €40 fine, not a clamp
Galway has 12 wardens, and they wrote 5,300 fines in 2025. The council's pages describe no clamping or towing service, and in 2006 it voted to stop clamping in public car parks and paid areas. Most offences are €40; footpath, bus lane or verge €80; a disabled bay €150.
2. Pay within 28 days
After 28 days every fine goes up by half: €40 becomes €60. After 56 days the council goes to court. Pay online or at the cash desk in City Hall, College Road, weekdays 09:00–16:00. The Traffic Section is on 091 536 400.
3. Watch for private clampers at the port
Private land plays by other rules. On the Port of Galway's own street spaces an expired ticket means an €85 clamp; the national cap for clamping on private land is €125.
The classic mistake is staying a third hour on a two-hour street. Extend in the app before you order dessert.
If your car has disappeared
- Who took it
- Galway City Council's traffic and community wardens enforce by fixed-charge fines. The council's parking and fines pages describe no clamping or towing service; in 2006 it voted to stop clamping in public car parks and pay areas
- Phone
- Traffic Section, Galway City Council (fines, appeals): 091 536 400
Galway City Parking helpline (paying for parking), Mon–Fri 09:00–18:00, Sat 09:00–17:30: 091 894 300
Port of Galway (its own car parks and street spaces): 091 561 874 - Collect it at
- No council car pound is published. Fines are paid online or at the cash desk in City Hall, College Road, 09:00–16:00 on weekdays.
- Hours
- City Hall cash desk Mon–Fri 09:00–16:00. Pay a fine within 28 days; court proceedings start after 56 days.
- What it costs
- €40 for most offences, €60 after 28 days. Footpath, bus lane or verge €80; disabled bay €150. Private land clamping is capped at €125 nationally; the port charges €85.
- Bring
- For a fine you need the notice number and the plate. For a hire car, tell the rental company: the notice goes to the registered keeper.
EV charging in Galway: Twelve plugs under Merchants Road
1. Charge at Hynes Yard
Q-Park Hynes Yard has eight 22 kW chargers on level 1, and Q-Park Eyre Square another four. You scan the QR code on the screen and pay as you go. The price per kWh isn't published, so read the screen before you plug in.
2. Know the ESB price and the overstay fee
The national ESB network charges €0.60 a kWh on AC and €0.72 on DC since 1 July 2026, a cent more by contactless. Leave a car on a fast charger past 45 minutes and you pay €0.50 a minute, up to €22.50.
3. Charge where you eat in Knocknacarra
The Clybaun Hotel has EZO chargers open to diners as well as guests, paid in the EZO app. Count and price aren't published.
I'd plug in at Hynes Yard: it's two minutes from Eyre Square and has the most plugs I could confirm.
Where to charge
- Q-Park Hynes Yard — 8 × 22 kW — Q-Park Hynes Yard, level 1. Pay as you go: scan the QR code on the charger. Neither the kWh price nor the parking tariff is published online
- Q-Park Eyre Square — 4 × 22 kW — Q-Park Eyre Square, level 1, height 2.00 m. Same Q-Park Recharge system and QR payment; price not published
- ESB ecars — €0.60 AC, €0.72 DC — The national public network, in Galway and along the M6. Pay-as-you-go from 1 July 2026: €0.60 per kWh AC, €0.72 DC; contactless €0.61 and €0.73. Overstay €0.50 a minute after 45 minutes on fast chargers or 10 hours on AC, up to €22.50
- Clybaun Hotel, Knocknacarra — Clybaun Hotel, west of Salthill. EZO chargers open to diners as well as guests, paid in the EZO app; number and price not published
Free parking in Galway: Sunday mornings and the Salthill seafront
1. Park on Sunday before 13:00
The council charges nothing before 13:00 on Sunday or after 18:30 on other days, and the two-hour limit only applies while it charges. A Sunday morning on Quay Street costs nothing.
2. Shop for two free hours on Headford Road
Galway Shopping Centre gives up to two hours free. Good for a supermarket run, not for a day in town.
3. Sleep where the car park is free
Two hotels say so on their own sites. The Clybaun Hotel in Knocknacarra: complimentary for all guests and visitors. The Salthill Hotel: free if you book direct, €5 a night through a third party. Salthill's seafront car parks aren't on the council's paid list, and The Irish Road Trip calls the two by the promenade free; read the sign on the day.
Every price on this page was checked on the council's or operator's own site on 6 October 2026.
Free or nearly-free spots
Sunday mornings and evenings on the council kerb
Council charges run Mon–Sat 08:30–18:30 and Sunday 13:00–18:00. Outside those hours the kerb and the council car parks cost nothing; the two-hour limit only applies while charges apply.
Two free hours at Galway Shopping Centre
The centre on Headford Road gives up to two hours free in its car park. Fine for a supermarket stop, too short and too far out for a day in town.
Salthill's seafront car parks
The council's list of paid car parks doesn't include Salthill, and The Irish Road Trip describes the car park at the end of the promenade and the one by the aquarium as free. Read the sign on the day.
Christmas park and ride (dates for 2026 not out)
In December 2025 the council ran free parking 08:00–22:00 at ATU on the Old Dublin Road and University of Galway's Upper Newcastle car park, with normal city bus fares. The racecourse site was not used.
Hotels with free parking
- The Clybaun Hotel — Clybaun Road, Knocknacarra, Galway H91 F62V Map. Its own parking page: complimentary for all guests and visitors, surface and underground, with bays for buses. EZO chargers on site
- Salthill Hotel — Rockbarton West, Salthill, Galway H91 DD4V Map. Its FAQ: free for residents who book directly. Booked through a third party it's €5 a night; others pay €3 an hour, €15 a day
⚠ The small print on 'free' parking
- Ireland drives on the left, and Galway has no low-emission zone: a foreign car needs no sticker or registration to enter.
- The pay-and-display machines are being withdrawn, so don't count on one. You pay with the plate in the Galway City Parking app, at GalwayCityParking.ie, on 091 894 300 or at a Payzone shop, and you display nothing.
- From Dublin on the M6 there is a toll plaza between junctions 15 and 16: €2.30 for a car, and cards are accepted in every lane except Express. The M50 around Dublin is barrier-free: €3.80 for a car with no account, paid on eflow.ie by 20:00 the next day.
- Q-Park publishes no prices for Eyre Square or Hynes Yard. Only the hotels' discounted rates are public: €12 for 24 hours at Hynes Yard (The Hardiman), €18 at Eyre Square (Eyre Square Hotel).
- On 1 October 2026 the Connacht Tribune reported a council committee backing a trial that would make the Salmon Weir Bridge bus-only 07:00–19:00. No start date yet; for now cars still cross.
- Q-Park Eyre Square is 2.00 m and the City Park coach station car park 1.9 m. A roof box or a van belongs at Hynes Yard (2.10 m) or Market Street (2.2 m).
Take these places with you
Every place on this page as a file you can keep — car parks with their prices, the free and park-and-ride spots, the chargers and the pound.