AT THIS point it just seems unfair for other Irish cities to be competing against Galway.
In what has proven to be an incredible couple of months for Ireland's Capital of the West, Galway has yet again been recognised by a global travel company as one of the best places in the world to visit this year.
Having previously been announced as one of the top 10 places to visit in 2020 by Ryanair, Buzzfeed and CNN Travel, the best destination for 'foodies' by BBC Good Food Magazine, one of the best holiday destinations for 2020 by Conde Nast, and as one of the very best cities in the world by Lonely Planet, Galway just can't stop winning-- and now Europe's 2020 cultural capital has been recognised again.
National Geographic have released their annual and highly-anticipated 'Cool List', which celebrates the reasons to travel by selecting 20 of the very best places around the world for adventurers to explore.
(Credit: Instagram: ThisIsGalway)Galway has appeared alongside popular holiday destination such as Salt Lake City, Brisbane, Los Angeles and Rio de Janeiro in the wide-ranging list which even includes whole countries such as Slovenia and Wales.
Illustrating the reason for their selection, National Geographic cites Galway's ability to "effortlessly squeeze big-city sensibility and college craic into small-town streets".
"Galway feels at once like a global cultural crossroads and an intimate after-party," the author writes.
Aerial image of Galway city in Ireland"It’s a perfect fit for European Capital of Culture 2020, with a year-long programme designed to sync with old Celtic calendar dates like Bealtaine (May Day) and Samhain (Halloween). Events range across city and county, from a modern version of one of the world’s oldest stories, Gilgamesh, to a rock and dance festival at Galway Airport and a Lumiere Galway finale lighting up the city."
Citing Galway's constant line-up of unique events celebrating Irish art, film, theatre and food events, National Geographic recommended to their army of readers that this is the year to "get a big of Galway running through your veins".
Galway's annual Macnas festival celebrates the ancient myths and legends of the country (Macnas Parade)Count us in!
To see the full list, you can visit the National Geographic website here.
To find out exactly what the city has in store for this year, you can visit Galway 2020's website here.
See More: Galway, National Geographic
