6 best day trips from Galway

Day trips compared

The day trips

75 km · About 1 hour 30 minutes by car or tour coach

1.Cliffs of Moher and the Burren

The Cliffs of Moher rise about 214 metres above the Atlantic along about 14 km of County Clare coast. Tours from Galway usually cross the Burren's limestone pavements, stopping at Poulnabrone dolmen and the village of Doolin.

Getting there

Day tour coach or car via the Burren

Best for

First-timers, Couples, Families

50 km · About 1 hour 30 minutes by coach and ferry

2.Inis Mór, Aran Islands

The largest Aran Island has stone-walled fields, Irish-speaking villages and the prehistoric cliff-edge fort of Dún Aonghasa. Hire a bike or take a minibus tour from the harbour at Kilronan.

Getting there

Connecting coach to Rossaveal, then ferry to Kilronan

Best for

Couples, Quiet stays, Culture, First-timers

80 km · About 1 hour 30 minutes by car

3.Connemara and Kylemore Abbey

Connemara's bogs, lakes and the Twelve Bens mountains lead to Kylemore Abbey, a castellated 19th-century house on a lake with a Victorian walled garden. Connemara National Park at Letterfrack has marked trails up Diamond Hill.

Getting there

Car or day tour coach via Oughterard and Recess

Best for

Couples, Families, Quiet stays

80 km · About 1 hour 30 minutes by car or coach

4.Clifden and the Sky Road

Connemara's main town is the start of the Sky Road, a loop with high views over Clifden Bay and the Atlantic islands. The town has pubs, seafood restaurants and craft shops.

Getting there

Car or regional coach from Galway

Best for

Couples, Quiet stays

45 km · About 50 minutes by car

5.Cong and Ashford Castle

The village of Cong between Lough Corrib and Lough Mask, where the film The Quiet Man was shot, has a ruined Augustinian abbey and woodland walks into the grounds of Ashford Castle, now a luxury hotel.

Getting there

Car or day tour

Best for

Couples, Families, Quiet stays

30 km · About 35 minutes by car

6.Kinvara and Dunguaire Castle

The harbour village of Kinvara on the south shore of Galway Bay sits beside Dunguaire Castle, a 16th-century tower house on the water's edge. It makes an easy half-day with lunch, or a stop on the way to the Burren.

Getting there

Car or local bus

Best for

Couples, Quiet stays, Families

Day-trip tips

• Leave early: most trips are more relaxed with a morning departure and a return before dinner.
• Take the bus to Salthill if the weather turns; the walk back along the shore is the better direction.
• Irish Rail trains from Ceannt Station beside Eyre Square run to Dublin Heuston in about 2 hours 20 minutes and to Athenry and Limerick.
• For trips over about 150 km, an overnight stay or an organised tour saves a lot of travelling.

Questions travellers ask