From Galway: Guided tour of Connemara with 3 hour stop at Connemara National Pk.
Description
Our Connemara Day Tour from Galway offers a choice of 3 hour main stop: Option 1. - 3 hours in the Connemara National Park. Option 2. - 3 hours in the Kylemore Abbey and Victorian Walled Garden.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Tour vehicle departs Merchants Road, Galway, outside the Kinlay Hostel at 09:30. Please present 15 minutes prior to departure.
Turning left into the Claddagh, St. Marys Church on your right, has been a Dominican Church for nearly 500 years. A romantic legacy of the former Claddagh fishing village is the Claddagh Ring, the traditional wedding ring of the villagers and ideal Galway gift or reminder of your visit to Galway.
Salthill is a vibrant area overlooking Galway Bay, the breathtaking backdrop and stunning scenery includes the famous 4km long Galway Promenade offering views of Galway Bay and the Clare Hills with several small beaches separated by rocky outcrops along its length. A local ritual is to ‘kick the wall’ at the promenades end to signify completion of your prom walk.
Set between timeless moorlands and the blue Atlantic Ocean, the coast road meanders westward through the picturesque villages of Barna and Furbo to the cheerful Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) village of Spiddal (An Spideal).
The village of Spiddal (An Spideal) on the shores of Galway Bay is a picturesque Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) village. It is home to many traditional thatched roof homes, scenic coastlines, beautiful beaches and has a charming traditional appeal. Spiddal is an area which still manages to value the culture and traditions of Gaeltacht heritage.
Once home to Bruce Ismay, CEO of White Star Lines and Titanic survivor.
The Connemara landscape along with the Wild Atlantic coastline has inspired many writers and musicians including French singer / songwriter, Michel Sandou’s popular hit ‘Les lacs du Connemara.’
Derryclare Lough is a freshwater lake at the entrance to the Inagh valley. This is a popular viewpoint for visitors to Connemara and a great place for photo opportunities of Pine Island.
Connemara stretches from Galway Bay in the south to Killary Harbour in the north, taking in the rugged peaks of the Twelve Bens, the gentle waters of Lough Corrib and the wild beauty of the Inagh Valley. Connemara is home to some of Irelands’ finest beaches with wide stretches of pure white sand lapped by the Atlantic Ocean.
The unofficial residential and commercial capital of Connemara and the axis on which everything in the region turns. Founded in 1812, Clifden is positioned between the mountains and ocean and has historic links to Marconi, Alcock and Brown.
This ruined manor house was built in early 19th century by John D'Arcy, founder of Clifden.
The Sky Road is one of the Discovery Points on the Wild Atlantic Way. A 16km circular route that starts in Clifden and rises high above the Atlantic Ocean, offering spectacular panoramic views. On a clear day the view from here has to be seen to be believed.
On todays tour you have a choice of main stop. Either 3 hours in the Connemara National Park or 3 hours at the Kylemore Abbey. Free, accessible and richly rewarding, the Connemara National Park is a gateway to a deeper level of intimacy with this unique landscape. The Diamond Hill trails are an idyllic hiking experience, one that climbs through wild uplands before rewarding you with jaw-dropping views across the region.
For those of you who don’t wish to explore the Connemara National Park, your alternative main stop option is one of Ireland’s most iconic sights, Kylemore Abbey. Discounted admission available. Few buildings in Ireland or the world have such a dramatic setting or history as Kylemore Abbey. Built in the 1860’s by Mitchell Henry as a wedding gift to his wife Margaret, the magnificent castle at Kylemore is a must-see in Connemara. Your driver / guide will be able to source entry tickets at a discounted rate – cash only.
The Inagh valley is one of the most scenic valleys not just in Connemara but in the whole of Ireland. This romantic valley offers breathtaking views of peatlands, mountains, lakes and glorious countryside where sheep graze freely.
The tiny village of Recess (Sraith Salach – riverside meadow of willows) is situated on the edge of the beautiful fishing lake of Glendalough and is home to the Connemara Giant or Con MacNamara, a statue overlooking the village car park.
The Quiet Man is a 1952 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by John Ford. It Stars John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. The film is notable for its lush photography of the Irish countryside and a long climatic semi-comic fist fight.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
Reviews(591)
This is the trip to book! This trip has it all — a medium sized van (24 people), a knowledgeable and funny driver who adds information and humor when possible, a beautiful scenic drive with stops to stretch, walk and take photos, a 30-min grocery/townbreak, and a three hour stop at the abbey or national park. The hike was challenging in the heat wave, but so worth the rocky climb. Amazing views all around. We did it in 2.5 hours and had 30 minutes for ice cream, vistors center and enjoying the view. The ride back had a stop for sheep, but made it back into Galway around 6pm (but I wouldn’t make dinner reservations just in case!) Our driver, Pavel, was incredibly safe even on the treacherous roads. The commentary, facts and jokes really made the trip! We learned some Gaelic, history of the area and culture facts. We even took Pavel’s dinner and pub recommendations and met up with several other people from our tour afterwards! Thank you Pavel, looking forward to having you for tea on the sheep farm in the future! For more reviews on this tour, the Google reviews for Wild Atlantic Way Tours is who this trip is with!
Thank you.
We had a fantastic day thanks to our guide Vincent! The journey was magnificent with barely believable landscapes! This day will remain a very beautiful memory of our stay in Ireland. The value for money is excellent, just like the organization, and the time spent with our guide was rich in anecdotes and educational. Vincent is a charming and calm guide. We highly recommend this excursion if you are not familiar with this region. The multiple stops are superb and the 3 hours of free time in Connemara allowed us to climb Diamond Hill without any issues + the guide allowed us to stop for 10 minutes at Kylemore Abbey to take some photos. Connemara National Park offers several walks with different levels of difficulty, allowing everyone to enjoy the wonderful landscapes. It was perfect!
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The driver Mike was great! Detailed explanations throughout the trip. We chose to stop at the national park. Small regret for us… The park offers 3 hiking trails: 2h30, 1h00, 30 mins Since the time on site is 3 hours, we figured that doing the big loop is risky, especially given the indications given as "difficult trail." In the end, we completed the small loop in very little time, maybe 30 mins, and there is not much else to do nearby. Making a stop at the park and then at the abbey could be more sensible!
Thank you.
First of all, our driver, Mike was great! Full of information, humor but still low key. The drive was not as winding as I feared. I took a motion sickness pill before we went and I was fine. This is the only tour that gets to use the route we took!! It's exceptional! Mike called out history and information for all the villages,towns,lakes,etc we passed by. We had several photo stops. The landscape is gorgeous and ever changing. We had a 30 min stop in Clifden, which is a charming town. Beware! 30 minutes goes by faster than you think! Set an alarm for 25 min so you have time to get back to the bus! ( I admit, I was 1 and 3 min late back to the bus on both major stops, Mike was sweet about it, but a couple passengers threw daggers! Lol) I guess I was the Black Sheep of the bus! We went to Kylemore Abbey. It's a wonder! The view of the castle across the lake is the shot to beat! We had 3 hours there. Again, set your alarm for 2.5 hours to allow you time to get back to the bus. You are covering a lot of ground there! I'll keep details out so you can discover the beauty for yourself. All in all...this trip was well worth it! Highly recommend!!!
Thank you.
The history and back story of Ireland and specifically Commemara is fascinating and told through our guide, Paddy, was outstanding. Loved every bit of it! The stopovers were well timed and relevant
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I mainly booked this trip to go to the national park, but chose the abbey since it was incredibly cloudy. Of course it cleared up while at the abbey. That was a little disappointing. Having to make a decision between two great places can be stressful. I wish they could skip all of the small stops and just stick with the abbey and the NP. But all in all the abbey was absolutely gorgeous and had a beautiful history/story behind it. The bus we took was very tight. The men next to me kept falling asleep on me. As a solo female traveler that was a little uncomfortable. The tour guide Mike was very informative and nice.
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We thoroughly enjoyed all the stops especially the Connemara National Park. The sights were gorgeous.
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Awesome trip! Scenery was amazing. Strongly recommend (I chose national park). Vincent was a great guide & driver.
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We had a wonderful day touring Connemara with our excellent driver and narrator Vincent. The three of us in our group spent three hours at the national park where one of us climbed to the top of diamond Hill. The park offers two less challenging hikes. The medium difficulty hike still took you to a viewpoint of spectacular views. The sites, our driver, Vincent, cleanliness and quality of the bus were all exceptional. Thank you!
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The guide was fantastic;he provided great info on everything. He was very right and didactic. I recommend this man with reservations.
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