There are 8 of us arriving Saturday with full days Sunday-Monday-Tuesday in early September. Return to DUB Wednesday. Our lodging is a vrbo in Salthill, per Google maps a 20-minute walk to Eure Square and also close to bus route 401.
Saturday- arrive DUB @11:20 from SOU- CityLink bus to Galway. What time to book? We could take private transportation door to door but at a higher cost for sure. Seeking a Salthill pub with craic for that evening-where?
Sunday- Walking tour of Galway- any recommendations for a good one? Evening Trad on the Prom show
Monday- trip with Aran Island ferries to Inishmore. DH and I spent time on that island on our 1st trip to Ireland over 20 years ago, hiked and saw a music performance called Ragu. We are now looking for a less strenuous day and a great place for lunch-ideas?
Tuesday- small group or private tour to Burren and Cliffs of Moher. I know there are quite a few companies that offer a reasonably priced trip to these sites by coach; however, some of the busses hold up to 61 passengers! So far I've inquired to Corporate Cars, who've responded back, and Ireland West and Galway Shuttle, who've not. Are there others I might contact?
Wednesday- 8am Citylink bus with arrival at DUB 10:30am. Flight to US is 1:45 pm. Enough time, given we've global entry or should we go with the 7:30am bus?
Please offer critique, suggestions, etc. Thanks.
Posted by
Mountains of S. Oregon
745 posts
I can't offer much advice because we always have a rental car in Ireland. The most interesting stuff to us is out in between towns. That's especially true for Galway.
Ignoring that slight bias, O'Connor's Pub is right in Salt Hill and is the location of the web-famous video of Galway Girl by Ed Sheeran.
We always stay in the city and end up at The Crane Bar. Neither have TVs so people are talking or playing/listening to music.
We rented bicycles on Inishmore, which makes the island much less strenuous. I'm now at the age where an e-bike would be better.
I'd recommend spending the night, but it would mean going there first to avoid having two lodgings. Once the last day trip ferry leaves, the population plummets and the place changes.
We visited the Cliffs via boat rather than endure the crowds at the top. There are Inishmore boats that include the Cliffs, so maybe you could combine the two.
We've been to various places referred to as "the Burren", and they are all fantastic, at least if you like wildflowers. September might be a little less spectacular.
Posted by
Lincolnshire, UK
2285 posts
With eight people you could ask about a private tour to the Burren and Cliffs of Moher.Try Galway Tour Company. Looking at FAQs "For custom tours, please get in touch with us via email for quotes." With 8 of you it may not work out that much more expensive?
If you are aftr a guide for a walking tour of Galway City then have a look at the Tours by Locals Galway website. (some guides offer tours to Cliffs of Moher but not for 8 people unfortunately...)
Posted by
California USA
4102 posts
We were in Ireland from mid September to mid October of this year. We took a 3 night trip from Dublin to Galway by train then used Galway Tour Company, as mentioned above for day trips on two consecutive days. Since there were only 3 of us, we booked their regular tours, one north and one south of Galway. They were very easy to work with and I too recommend contacting them about a quote for your group of 8 to do a private tour.