Barnacles is located on pedestrianised Quay Street in the centre of Galway, and offers free Wi-Fi, free tour booking and free linen amid Galway's shops, cafes and bars.
Barnacles Quay Street House has friendly, helpful staff and excellent hostel facilities. There are clean rooms, a TV lounge, a kitchen, laundry service and Wi-Fi access.
Guests can make use of free maps, as well as regular organised events, music, and film nights.
The hostel is a 5-minute walk from the train and bus stations.
Score from 336 reviews
Exceptional
8.3/10
Rooms: 22
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Address: 10 Quay Street, Galway 
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Barnacles Quay Street House - Photos
What people say
Good location, nightlife and shopping around. The entire staff is extremely friendly and always available and ready to help. Unfortunately I can not remember the name of the lovely girl with blond hair and blue eyes who always welcomes everyone with a sincere smile, simpatia, good conversation, usefull tips and help where needed.
It's a hostel, so do not expect for much comfort. However, the kitchen is well equipped and the common areas are clean and well organized with good leisure options. Ni. all reviews »
I really enjoyed interacting with the staff. The staff are very, very helpful and accommadating. Many of the people staying at Barnacles were open and nice. It was very easy to make friends. Quay Street is a great location with many pubs and shops up and down the street. There is free music everynight in many of the pubs and some feature Irish/folk/dancing in them.
Great location, very friendly. We got a free upgrade from a 12 bed mixed room to a more private 4 bed ensuite which made. Staff was very helpful and VERY interested in making us feel at home. WiFi was free and always connected. Kitchen was clean and having a free breakfast/coffee was great. As far as hostels go, Barnacles is top notch.
The staff were very friendly and were great at giving us tips on what to visit in Galway. The location of the hostel is excellent - Quay Street was an amazing place to be, especially with the fantastic weather while we were there! We would definitely return.
We booked a private room for my wife and I. They overbooked us, so we
were upgraded to a private apartment around the corner. Very nice,
clean, and quiet. We enjoyed our stay at the apartment very much.
The room was really clean, quiet and more like something you would expect to get in a hotel than a hostel. The staff were really helpful and friendly and the location was excellent.
The location really close to everything in the main street of the nightlife. The atmosphere that you can breathe in the hostel especially in the kitchen area during breakfast.
The location, the staff very friendly,the beds were quite comfortable,the breakfast included. And also the cheap parking in Merchants road, very close to the B&B.
The position is great, reception open 24/7 (check-in within 0:00am). The discount price for the car parking if you have your park receipt stamped at the reception.
The staff is amazing and very friendly, especially Veronica and the other receptionist I don't know her name, thnx a lot for making this hostel a nice place.
the staff was amazing! they did everything they could to make sure you were comfortable. If you are travelling to Galway you should definitely stay here.
Location
The guy at the reception was lovely. ( efficient and professional).
cheap, grand breakfast, friendly staff, relaxed atmosphere, nice guests.
Friendly staff & easy going atmosphere. City center location.
the location is just amazing and the hostel is very clean.
I thought the staff was very helpful and friendly.
pub crawl
ease of access and location.
Staff were great, and helpful.
All of it was very nice.
great location.
position.
position.
location is great.
The city.
Depending on the room, might be a bit noisy at night due to proximity to the nightlife. However, nothing comes to bother too much. This is the price for the good location. The solution: Join the fun (or the craic !!!) and forget the bed. After some pints, you can sleep as a baby !!!.
I don't like that hot and cold taps for the sinks are seperated. It's annoying. Watch your budget! It's easy to spend more than you anticipate in a pub.
Our shower was leaky which made for a very damp bathroom experience. Rooms were also either extremely hot or cold. Wish there had been a way to turn off the heat.
We booked a private double room and it was quite small and not as nice as in the picture.
It is very loud, but that is the nature of the location.
There was nothing I didn't like.
The bathroom and toilets were not cleaned so we did not take shower.
Guests are typically young and noisy, so you hear people coming and going in the corridors. Rooms are really small.
Bad communication between the staff. Booking issue
I had to reply to their emails several times in order to avoid to get my booking cancelled.
(They said that my card was not valid. I rang, I talked to a girl,It was a mistake on their side. Then, different member of Barnacles staff tried to contact me by email even if the issue was fixed. A bit stressful and time consuming.)
Radiator was off. ( couldn't switch it on).
Lack of blinds on windows in dorm, this needs to be sorted!.
no towels in private en suite room
House cleaning were knocking on door at 10.30 am..€3 charge to sleep in until 12 (on the button!).
the receptionist wasn't very friendly.
I thought the room was going to be bigger.
squeakiness of door in dormitories and bathroom
dustiness in dormitories
difficult to use lockers under bed.
The fact two payments of 57 euro came out pf my account as im struggling at the moment, still waiting for the 57 to go back into my account, not the staffs fault, other than that one thing I would give a 10/10.
Nothing.
why the need to start painting the hallways in the morning prior to guest checkout?!.
noise in the street.
kitchen was not that great.
Too loud.
