Connemara Galway
5
Day Itinerary •
Ireland
Five days in Connemara and Galway takes you through the most extraordinary wild landscape in Ireland. Connemara is the heartland of the Irish language, its extraordinary bog and mountain landscape, the remarkable Twelve Bens mountain range and the wild Atlantic coast with its extraordinary hidden beaches among the finest scenery in Western Europe. Galway city beside it is the most vibrant and musical city in Ireland. This route covers the complete Connemara and Galway experience. Galway's extraordinary Latin Quarter and the finest traditional music session culture in Ireland, the remarkable Aran Islands with their prehistoric stone forts, the extraordinary Sky Road above Clifden, the remarkable Connemara National Park, the Kylemore Abbey and the remarkable Killary fjord, Ireland's only true fjord.
Best Time To Visit
May to September
Getting There
Fly into Galway (GWY) or train from Dublin Heuston
Getting Around
Rental car essential for Connemara
Budget Per Day
Approx 100 to 170 EUR per person per day
Difficulity
Easy to moderate, some coastal and bog walking
DAY 1
GALWAY CITY
MORNING
GALWAY LATIN QUARTER AND THE SPANISH ARCH
Galway's Latin Quarter is the most extraordinary small city centre in Ireland, its remarkable medieval lanes, the extraordinary Collegiate Church of St Nicholas where Columbus reputedly prayed before sailing west, the colourful shop fronts and the remarkable busking culture making it unlike any other Irish city. The Spanish Arch, a remnant of the 16th-century city walls, overlooks the spot where Spanish trading ships once unloaded. The extraordinary Long Walk waterfront is remarkable. Free. Drive: 15 min walk
MIDDAY
SALTHILL PROMENADE AND GALWAY BAY
The Salthill promenade stretching 2km along the shore of Galway Bay is the finest seaside walk in the west of Ireland. The extraordinary tradition of kicking the wall at the end of the prom before turning back is taken seriously by Galwegians. The remarkable views across Galway Bay to the Burren limestone plateau of County Clare and the Aran Islands on the horizon are outstanding. The extraordinary sunset over Galway Bay from Salthill is the finest in Connacht. Free. Drive: 15 min walk
AFTERNOON
TRADITIONAL MUSIC IN THE PUBS
TRADITIONAL MUSIC IN THE PUBS Evening Galway has the finest traditional music session culture in Ireland. The Crane Bar on Sea Road has the best authentic sessions from Thursday to Sunday. Tigh Coili on Mainguard Street and Taffes on Shop Street both have extraordinary daily sessions. The remarkable mixture of fiddle, flute, uilleann pipes and bodhrán in a proper pub session is the finest Irish experience. The Latin Quarter on a weekend night in summer fills with spontaneous street music. Free to listen.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Claddagh village, the ancient fishing community immediately west of the Spanish Arch where the original Claddagh ring was created, has the most remarkable thatched fishermen's cottages in Connacht. The extraordinary Dominican Church with its remarkable medieval stonework is 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, Spanish Arch Outstanding Irish food beside the medieval arch. Book ahead. | Dinner: The Crane Bar, Sea Road The finest traditional music pub in Galway. Great food before the session.
DAY 2
ARAN ISLANDS
MORNING
ARAN ISLANDS: INIS MOR FERRY
across Galway Bay. Hire a bicycle at the pier and cycle to Dun Aonghasa, the most remarkable prehistoric fort in Europe, its extraordinary dry-stone walls perched on the edge of 90-metre Atlantic cliffs. The view from the cliff edge into the churning sea below is the finest in Ireland. Entry Dun Aonghasa approx 5 EUR. Drive: Ferry from Rossaveal
MIDDAY
THE INIS MOR CLIFF WALK
The cliff walk from Dun Aonghasa south along the Atlantic coast of Inis Mor passes extraordinary sea stacks, the remarkable Poll na bPeist wormhole natural swimming pool and the extraordinary Seven Churches monastic site at the western end of the island. The whole island is a remarkable landscape of grey limestone karst, dry-stone walls and wildflowers with the Atlantic on all sides. The extraordinary views from the southern cliffs are outstanding. Free. Drive: 20 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 extraordinary evening in the Latin Quarter. The islands leave a remarkable impression and the craic in the Galway pubs after a day on Inis Mor is the finest combination in the west of Ireland. The extraordinary sunset over Galway Bay as the ferry returns is remarkable. End the evening in the Crane Bar for the finest traditional session in Connacht.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Poll na bPeist, the wormhole natural pool carved by Atlantic waves in the limestone of Inis Mor, is a perfect rectangle of water open to the sea below. The world cliff diving championships are held here. Free. A remarkable natural feature unlike anything else in Ireland.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Galway hotel Early start for the Rossaveal ferry. Leave by 8am. | Lunch: Man of Aran restaurant, Inis Mor Traditional island food: chowder, brown bread and smoked salmon. | Dinner: Galway Latin Quarter pub dinner Return to the city. The extraordinary craic of a Galway pub evening.
DAY 3
KYLEMORE, KILLARY FJORD AND LEENANE
MORNING
KYLEMORE ABBEY AND THE CONNEMARA LANDSCAPE
Kylemore Abbey, the extraordinary neo-Gothic castle and Benedictine monastery on the shores of Lough Pollacapall with the Twelve Bens mountains behind, is the most photographed building in Connemara. Built in 1868 by a wealthy Manchester merchant for his wife, the extraordinary castle, the remarkable walled Victorian garden and the extraordinary Gothic church all in one estate on the lakeshore are outstanding. Entry approx 15 EUR. Drive: 1 hour drive
MIDDAY
KILLARY FJORD, IRELAND'S ONLY TRUE FJORD
Killary Harbour is a 16km sea inlet carved by glaciers that is the only true fjord in Ireland. The extraordinary narrow fjord, with the Mweelrea and Muilrea mountains rising directly from the water, is the most dramatic coastal landscape in Connacht. The oyster and mussel farms on the fjord produce some of the finest shellfish in Ireland. The Killary Fjord cruise takes 90 minutes and gives the finest view of the fjord walls. Cruise approx 25 EUR. Drive: 20 min drive
AFTERNOON
LEENANE VILLAGE AND THE DELPHI VALLEY
Leenane, a small village at the head of Killary Fjord, is the most dramatically sited village in Ireland, its extraordinary setting at the junction of three mountain valleys with the fjord behind making it remarkable. The Delphi valley north of Leenane, where a remarkable salmon and sea trout fishery has operated since the 18th century, is the finest glacial valley in Connacht. The drive from Leenane to Clifden over the bog road is outstanding. Free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Diamond Hill in the Connemara National Park, 2km from Letterfrack, gives the finest view of the Connemara bog, the Twelve Bens and the Atlantic coast from a single summit at 445 metres. The walk takes about 2 hours return. Free.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Galway hotel Good breakfast before the drive to Connemara. | Lunch: Kylemore Abbey tearoom Simple lunch after the extraordinary abbey and gardens. | Dinner: Clifden first night Arrive in the capital of Connemara. Outstanding seafood and music.
DAY 4
SKY ROAD AND ROUNDSTONE
MORNING
CLIFDEN TOWN AND THE CONNEMARA CAPITAL
Clifden is the finest small town in the west of Ireland, its extraordinary setting below the Twelve Bens with Clifden Bay and the Atlantic beyond making it remarkable at any time of year. The town has the best independent shops, the finest seafood restaurants and the most extraordinary pub music scene in Connemara. The Alcock and Brown monument on the bog above the town marks where the first transatlantic flight landed in 1919. Free to walk. Drive: 15 min drive
MIDDAY
THE SKY ROAD
drive The Sky Road is the finest coastal loop drive in Ireland, its extraordinary 12km circuit above Clifden Bay giving the most remarkable combination of Atlantic views, bog landscape and the extraordinary hidden beaches and inlets of the Connemara coast. Drive anticlockwise from Clifden for the finest views at every turn. The Sky Road in the morning light with mist on the Twelve Bens is the finest sight in Connemara. Free. Drive: 20 min drive
AFTERNOON
ROUNDSTONE AND DOG'S BAY
Roundstone is the most beautiful village in Connemara, its extraordinary harbour and the Errisbeg hill behind it making it remarkable. Malachy Kearns' bodhrán workshop on the harbour is the finest place to see the Irish drum being made. Dog's Bay beach south of Roundstone, made entirely of tiny shell fragments rather than sand and curving in an extraordinary double arc, is the finest beach in Connemara. Entry free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Omey Island, accessible on foot across the tidal strand from Claddaghduff near Clifden at low tide, has remarkable early Christian ruins, wild horses on the beach and the finest sense of Atlantic island remoteness within easy reach of Clifden. Free. Check tide times.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Clifden hotel or E.J. Kings The finest breakfast pub in Connemara. | Lunch: Foyle's Hotel or picnic Simple Clifden lunch before the Sky Road drive. | Dinner: Roundstone Seafood Restaurant Extraordinary Connemara seafood in the most beautiful village.
DAY 5
CONNEMARA NATIONAL PARK AND RETURN
MORNING
CONNEMARA NATIONAL PARK DIAMOND HILL WALK
The Diamond Hill walk in the Connemara National Park starts from the Letterfrack visitor centre and climbs to the remarkable 445-metre summit in about 90 minutes. The extraordinary panoramic view from the summit over the Twelve Bens, the Atlantic coast with its extraordinary islands and inlets, and the remarkable Connemara bog stretching to the horizon is the finest in the west of Ireland. The extraordinary park visitor centre has excellent displays. Entry park free. Drive: 20 min drive
MIDDAY
LETTERFRACK AND THE RENVYLE PENINSULA
The Renvyle Peninsula west of Letterfrack has the most extraordinary combination of bog, mountains and Atlantic coast in Connemara. The remarkable Renvyle Hotel, owned by the poet Oliver St John Gogarty in the 1920s and visited by W.B. Yeats and the literary circle, is at the end of the peninsula with extraordinary ocean views. The Renvyle beach and the extraordinary rock pools at the peninsula tip are remarkable. Free. Drive: 30 min drive
AFTERNOON
THE CONNEMARA BOG AND RETURN TO GALWAY
The drive from Clifden back to Galway across the extraordinary Connemara bog via the N59 passes through the heart of the finest blanket bog landscape in Ireland. The extraordinary Lough Inagh valley with the Twelve Bens and Maumturks rising on either side, the remarkable Maam Cross and the extraordinary roadside bog cottages make the 90-minute drive one of the finest in Connacht. The purple heather in September is outstanding. Free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Omey Island accessible at low tide from Claddaghduff is the finest hidden gem in Connemara. The wild horses, the early Christian graves and the remarkable Atlantic light give it a quality unlike any other place in the west of Ireland. Free.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Letterfrack cafe Simple breakfast before the Diamond Hill walk. | Lunch: Renvyle Beach picnic or hotel Lunch at the tip of the extraordinary Renvyle Peninsula. | Dinner: Galway return dinner Back in the city. The Quays for a final Galway evening of music and seafood.
Where To Stay
Galway city, Nights 1 to 2 Stay in the Latin Quarter. Approx 100 to 180 EUR per night. Clifden, Nights 3 to 5 The finest small town in Connemara. Approx 80 to 150 EUR per night. Connemara tip Book ahead in summer. Clifden is the main base and books out fast in July and August.
Top Tips
1. The best traditional music sessions in Galway are at Tigh Coili, Taaffes and The Crane Bar.
2. Book the Aran Islands ferry well ahead in July and August. Crossings are limited.
3. Drive the Sky Road circuit anticlockwise 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. The Connemara bog at dawn with mist on the Twelve Bens is the finest sight in the west of Ireland.
6. Galway's Latin Quarter on a Saturday night in summer is among the finest street sessions in Ireland.
Total Budget
155 to 290 EUR/day