Connemara Galway
3
Day Itinerary •
Ireland
Three days in Connemara and Galway covers the essential experience of the wild west of Ireland. Galway's extraordinary Latin Quarter and the finest traditional music sessions in Ireland, the Aran Islands with their prehistoric cliff fort above the Atlantic, and the Connemara landscape of bog, mountain and hidden beach that has inspired poets and writers for centuries. This route gives one full day in Galway city, a day on the extraordinary Aran Islands and a day in the heart of Connemara exploring the Sky Road above Clifden and the remarkable Kylemore Abbey. Three days that leave the west of Ireland impossible to forget.
Best Time To Visit
May to September
Getting There
Fly into Galway (GWY) or train from Dublin Heuston
Getting Around
Rental car essential for Day 3
Budget Per Day
Approx 100 to 170 EUR per person per day
Difficulity
Easy, coastal and bog walking
DAY 1
GALWAY CITY
MORNING
GALWAY LATIN QUARTER AND SPANISH ARCH
Galway's Latin Quarter is the finest medieval city centre in the west of Ireland. The extraordinary lanes of Shop Street, the remarkable Collegiate Church of St Nicholas where Columbus prayed before sailing west, and the extraordinary Spanish Arch overlooking the Claddagh give the city a unique atmosphere unlike anywhere else in Ireland. The Long Walk waterfront with the extraordinary coloured terrace houses reflected in the Corrib is the finest view in Galway. Free. Drive: 15 min walk
MIDDAY
SALTHILL PROMENADE AND GALWAY BAY
The Salthill prom stretching 2km along Galway Bay is the finest coastal walk in Connacht. The extraordinary tradition of kicking the wall at the end of the prom is taken seriously by every Galwegian. The remarkable views across Galway Bay to the Burren limestone of County Clare and the Aran Islands on the horizon are outstanding. The sunset over Galway Bay from Salthill is the finest in the west of Ireland. Free. Drive: 20 min walk
AFTERNOON
TRADITIONAL MUSIC SESSIONS
TRADITIONAL MUSIC SESSIONS Evening Galway has the finest traditional music session culture in Ireland. Tigh Coili on Mainguard Street has sessions daily and the extraordinary mixture of fiddle, flute, uilleann pipes and bodhrán in a proper Galway pub session is unlike anything else in the world. The Crane Bar on Sea Road has the finest sessions from Thursday to Sunday. The Latin Quarter on a weekend evening fills with extraordinary spontaneous street music. Free to listen.
đź’Ž HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Claddagh village immediately west of the Spanish Arch, where the original Claddagh ring was created and the ancient fishing community lived until the 1930s, has the most remarkable sense of old Galway. The Dominican Church and the extraordinary thatched cottage ruins are outstanding. Free.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Goya's, Kirwan's Lane The finest pastries and coffee in Galway in the most beautiful lane. | Lunch: Ard Bia at Nimmos Outstanding modern Irish food beside the Spanish Arch. Book ahead. | Dinner: The Crane Bar, Sea Road The finest traditional music pub in Galway. Great food too.
DAY 2
ARAN ISLANDS
MORNING
INIS MOR FERRY AND DUN AONGHASA
to Inis Mor. Hire a bicycle at the pier and cycle 8km to Dun Aonghasa, the most remarkable prehistoric stone fort in Europe, its extraordinary concentric walls perched on the edge of 90-metre cliffs above the Atlantic. The view from the cliff edge, looking straight down into the churning ocean below, is the most extraordinary in Ireland. The remarkable chevaux de frise, a field of sharp stone spikes surrounding the fort, is outstanding. Entry approx 5 EUR. Drive: Ferry from Rossaveal
MIDDAY
THE INIS MOR CLIFF WALK AND POLL NA BPEIST
The cliff walk south from Dun Aonghasa follows the extraordinary Atlantic coast of Inis Mor to the Poll na bPeist, the remarkable natural wormhole carved in the limestone by the ocean as a perfect rectangle open to the sea. The world cliff diving championships are held here. The extraordinary Seven Churches monastic site further south has remarkable early Christian ruins in the most atmospheric island setting. All free. Drive: 30 min cycle
AFTERNOON
RETURN FERRY AND GALWAY EVENING
RETURN FERRY AND GALWAY EVENING Evening Return ferry to Rossaveal and drive back to Galway for a final evening in the Latin Quarter. The Aran Islands experience is unlike anything else in Ireland and the craic in Galway after a day on Inis Mor is the finest combination in Connacht. The Quays Bar on Quay Street is the finest large traditional pub in Galway for an evening of music and Irish stout. The extraordinary island experience makes Galway feel very alive.
đź’Ž HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Poll na bPeist wormhole on Inis Mor, a perfect natural rectangle of rock open to the Atlantic below, is the most remarkable geological feature in the Aran Islands. Free. The world cliff diving championships are held here annually.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Galway hotel Early start for the Rossaveal ferry. Leave by 8.30am. | Lunch: Man of Aran restaurant, Inis Mor Traditional island food: chowder, brown bread and smoked salmon. | Dinner: The Quays Bar, Galway Large traditional pub with excellent music and solid Irish food.
DAY 3
CONNEMARA
MORNING
KYLEMORE ABBEY
Kylemore Abbey, the extraordinary neo-Gothic castle and Benedictine monastery reflected in Lough Pollacapall with the Twelve Bens behind, is the most photographed building in Connemara. Built in 1868 by a Manchester merchant for his wife, the remarkable castle, the extraordinary Gothic church and the outstanding Victorian walled garden are all on the lakeshore in the most extraordinary Connemara setting. Entry approx 15 EUR. Drive: 1 hour drive
MIDDAY
THE SKY ROAD ABOVE CLIFDEN
drive The Sky Road is the finest coastal loop drive in Ireland, its extraordinary 12km circuit above Clifden Bay giving the most remarkable Atlantic views, bog landscape and hidden beaches of any coastal drive in the west. Drive anticlockwise from Clifden town for the finest views at every turn. Dog's Bay beach near Roundstone, made entirely of shell fragments in an extraordinary double curve, is the finest beach in Connemara. Both free. Drive: 20 min drive
AFTERNOON
KILLARY FJORD AND RETURN TO GALWAY
Killary Harbour, Ireland's only true fjord, is a 16km sea inlet with the Mweelrea and Muilrea mountains rising directly from the water. The extraordinary narrow fjord seen from the road above Leenane is the most dramatic coastal view in Connacht. The Killary Fjord cruise takes 90 minutes for the finest view of the fjord walls. Return to Galway through the extraordinary Connemara bog landscape. Cruise approx 25 EUR.
đź’Ž HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Omey Island, accessible at low tide on foot across the tidal strand from Claddaghduff near Clifden, has wild horses, early Christian graves and the finest Atlantic island atmosphere within easy reach. Free. Check tide times before visiting.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Galway hotel or cafe on route Early start for the drive to Kylemore. | Lunch: Clifden town cafe Simple lunch in the capital of Connemara before the Sky Road. | Dinner: Final dinner, Galway Return to the city. Ard Bia or Aniar for a final extraordinary Irish meal.
DAY 4
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
đź’Ž HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
DAY 5
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
đź’Ž HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Where To Stay
Galway city centre, all 3 nights Stay in the Latin Quarter. Approx 100 to 180 EUR per night. Booking ahead Book at least 2 months ahead in summer. Galway fills fast in July and August. Connemara option Consider moving to Clifden for night 3 to be closer to the bog and mountains.
Top Tips
1. The best traditional music sessions in Galway are Tigh Coili, Taaffes and The Crane Bar.
2. Book the Aran Islands ferry well ahead in July and August. Crossings book out very fast.
3. Drive the Sky Road anticlockwise from Clifden for the finest views at every turn.
4. Dog's Bay beach near Roundstone is made of shell fragments, not sand. Extraordinary and free.
5. Hire a bicycle on Inis Mor at the pier. You cannot properly see the island on foot in one day.
6. Galway's Latin Quarter on a Saturday evening in summer is among the finest nights in Ireland.
Total Budget
175 to 290 EUR/day