Cottages on the Aran Islands

For a dose of pure Irish craic, Galway city is the real McCoy. Western Europe's fastest growing city, it has a young and dynamic population of about 65,000 people and attracts a steady stream of students and backpackers.

The compact town centre is a maze of narrow cobbled streets crammed with medieval buildings, shops and restaurants, as well as pubs that swing every evening with live Irish music. The Saturday crafts and produce market is arguably the best in the country, and the Galway Arts Festival and Galway Races - both held in July - pull phenomenal crowds.

Galway also makes a good base for exploring the tiny seaside town and traditional music hub of Doolin as well as the iconic Cliffs of Moher and the stark and remote Aran Islands.