Things to do in Westport
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Westport
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best overall: long days, boats and Greenway running, lively but not at August pressure.
Peak season: everything open and warmest sea, with highest prices, fullest hotels and busiest Croagh Patrick cone.
Shoulder bargains in a clear spell, with some seasonal activities reduced, so check cruise and adventure schedules.
Quiet Atlantic winter: trad by the fire and cheap beds, but weather can close the mountain for days.
What's on
- Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival Usually early June
Ireland's leading bluegrass festival, with pub gigs, concerts, workshops and sessions across town.
- Reek Sunday last Sunday in July
Tens of thousands of pilgrims climb Croagh Patrick, many barefoot. Witness it, but do not plan your own summit that day.
- Westport Sea2Summit November
An adventure race over the Reek and around the bay that fills town with a sporty crowd.
Best things to do in Westport
Westport House & Gardens
A Palladian estate on Grace O'Malley ground, with woodland, lake and gardens to explore at the edge of town.
Matt Molloy's
The famous trad pub owned by the Chieftains flautist, where the back room session is Westport's best free evening.
The Porterhouse
An award winning music pub with nightly live sets, pub food and a heated beer garden, next door to Matt Molloy's.
Clew Bay Heritage Centre
A small Quay museum that tells the Grace O'Malley, Georgian town and Famine stories behind everything you will see.
The Octagon
The eight sided heart of a planned Georgian town, the start of the Bridge Street, High Street and Mall walk.
Bertra Beach
A long Blue Flag sand spit into Clew Bay with shallow water, Reek views and room to walk for an hour.
National Famine Memorial
John Behan's Coffin Ship at Murrisk, a harrowing bronze memorial across from the Croagh Patrick car park.
Town Hall Theatre Westport
The town theatre on the Octagon for plays, gigs and comedy, the best non pub evening in Westport.
Where to stay in Westport
Town Centre
first trip, pubs and restaurants on foot
The Octagon, Bridge Street and Castlebar Street put every pub and dinner within a five minute walk.
Knockranny
luxury, views and quiet
The hill above town trades a short uphill walk for Croagh Patrick and Clew Bay views and a full spa.
The Quay
couples, longer stays and quieter nights
The old harbour quarter has warehouse stays, waterside pubs, the heritage centre, the cruise boats and bay sunsets.
Think twice about
- Bridge Street and the Octagon frontage on summer weekends
Not unsafe, but loud until around 2am from the hen and stag trade. Light sleepers should base at the Quay or Knockranny.
- Castlebar as a base
The inland county town is 18 km away. Basing there spends the saving on taxis and loses the walk home from the session.
Best restaurants in Westport
An Port Mór Restaurant
Frankie Mallon's fine dining room for Clew Bay seafood and pig's cheeks, Westport's splurge dinner in a cosy lane.
Sage Restaurant
A family run seafood kitchen on High Street famed for crab and prawn ravioli and lemon sole with crayfish tails.
The Tavern Bar & Restaurant
The seafood pub restaurant at the foot of Croagh Patrick, the canonical post climb dinner for Clew Bay oysters.
Cronin's Sheebeen
A sheebeen style pub restaurant on the Quay road, with turf fire cosiness, proper Irish cooking and a famous pint.
Friends Bistro
A tiny Bridge Street bistro whose steaks, lamb and curries draw the highest praise in town at fair prices.
The Gallery Wine & Tapas Bar
Ireland's first natural wine bar, with grazing boards, vinyl on a record player and a peace garden out back.
J.J. O'Malley's Bar & Restaurant
The big reliable Bridge Street table for steaks and seafood, able to seat a group of ten happily on a Saturday.
Christy's Harvest
A family cafe and organic shop serving breakfast boxty, scones and a famous hot chocolate until mid afternoon.
Outdoor things to do in Westport
Croagh Patrick
Ireland's holy mountain, a three stage climb to a chapel summit and, on a clear day, the great Clew Bay view.
Great Western Greenway
A 42 km off road former railway to Achill Sound, best ridden one way back to Westport with a shuttle and an e-bike.
Clew Bay Cruise
A 90 minute boat trip among Clew Bay's islands and seals, with Croagh Patrick behind you and stories all the way.
Westport Golf Club
A championship parkland course on Clew Bay where the bay side back nine is the stretch golfers remember.
Westport Adventure
Ireland's largest net park plus giant swing, zipline and aerial trekking in a quarry inside Westport Estate.
Achill Island
Ireland's largest island, an hour west, for Keem Bay, Keel Beach and the haunting Deserted Village at Slievemore.
Kylemore Abbey
The romantic lakeside abbey in Connemara, paired with a Killary Fjord drive for Westport's great southern day out.
Summer SUP
Two hour kayak and paddleboard sessions at sheltered Old Head, the water level way to meet Clew Bay and its seals.
Best hotels in Westport
Knockranny House Hotel & Spa
The luxury hilltop house above town, with Spa Salveo, La Fougere dining and the best Croagh Patrick views in Westport.
Westport Plaza Hotel
The best all round central hotel, with Spa Sula, a pool, Coveys Gastrobar and a breakfast guests rave about.
The Castlecourt Hotel
The warm family run four star by the Plaza, with a big leisure centre and a gift for families and groups.
The Wyatt Hotel
A boutique three star right on the Octagon, with its own brasserie, bar sessions and the town at your door.
The Mariner Westport
A modern 34 room boutique hotel in the centre, with rainfall showers and cooked to order breakfasts at Curious Fish.
Clew Bay Hotel
A family run three star in the historic centre, with a big breakfast, Maddens downstairs and free leisure access.
Old Mill Holiday Hostel
The town's budget base in a converted mill yard, with dorms, private rooms and a kitchen for Greenway riders.
Is Westport expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €70 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €140 a person |
| Splurge | €280 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Town Hall Theatre Westport: weeks ahead
- Holy Trinity Church: a few days ahead
- Great Western Greenway: a few days ahead
- Clew Bay Cruise: a few days ahead
- Westport Golf Club: weeks ahead
- Westport Adventure: a few days ahead
- Summer SUP: a few days ahead
- Knockranny House Hotel & Spa: weeks ahead
- Central hotels and hostel private rooms go six to ten weeks out for July, August and festival weekends.
- Book An Port Mor and Sage a week or more ahead for a weekend, and the Tavern at weekends too.
- Book Greenway bikes, the Clew Bay Cruise, adventure park slots and weekend golf tee times ahead in season.
Is Westport safe?
- On Croagh Patrick wear boots with ankle support, carry layers, rain gear, food and water, and check the Met Eireann forecast.
- The summit is seven to eight degrees colder than the car park. Start in the morning and take the descent slowly.
- No dogs are allowed on Croagh Patrick and there are no facilities on the mountain. Call 112 or 999 for Mountain Rescue.
- Swim at Blue Flag beaches with care. The Atlantic here is cold and tidal even on a calm day.
Westport travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- A Bridge Street room on a bank holiday weekend will be loud. That is knowable before you book.
- Do not assume the Westport House interior is open. Check the restoration closure before you go.
- Ride the Greenway one way with the shuttle rather than out and back in a day.
Getting around Westport: public transport and more
- Walk the centre: the Quay is 15 minutes west and Westport House ten minutes from the Octagon.
- Bus Eireann 450 reaches the Croagh Patrick car park in about 20 minutes.
- Greenway hire firms shuttle you to Achill so you cycle one way back to Westport.
- The train to Dublin takes about three and a half hours, so a car free trip works with tours for day trips.
Who Westport suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Great |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Great |
Make Westport your trip
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