Best way to get to Inishmore

The crossing by ferry can be a rough ride depending on the sea state. An alternative would be to fly with Aer Aerann Islands near Galway - gets you over there in about 10 minutes and adds a scenic flight into the mix. And it's not that much more expensive than the ferry.
Upon arrival at the airfield on Inishmore they'll transport you by van over to the town of Kilronan where there a number of options for touring the island: van tours, pony traps, bikes, etc.

We did what Robert suggested as I am prone to seasickness. It was a 7 minute flight and after taking the shuttle from the airport into town we walked to the bike rental location to pick up the E-bikes I had reserved. I was very happy I chose to get those instead of regular bikes because Inishmore is quite hilly. There are also mini tour buses and horse and carriage tours if you would prefer one of those.

The ferry from Rossaveel is larger than the Doolin ferries and should add a noticeable degree of comfort to the ride.

This is a very timely question. We will be in Galway in May, and we are currently thinking of taking the ferry from Galway to Inishmore. Is that a larger ferry than the one from Doolin? I am prone to seasickness, but I will take motion sickness medication beforehand and will use the motion sickness wrist bands. I am aware of the flight, but we would like to take the ferry to see the Cliffs of Moher from the sea.

Great stuff! So, are the cliffs of moher visible from the plane? And looking at a map, would the Cliffs of Moher only be visible from a ferry from Doolin?

The fastest AND most reliable way is to go on the Aer Arann airplane. We’ve been to Inishmore twice, and took ferries the first time, and the plane the second time. If we ever go a third time, it’ll be by plane, no question.

On our first trip (in June), we were touring with bicycles, which wouldn’t have fit into the hold of the small plane. Suitcases will fit, but our bikes would’ve been too much. The sailing from Rossaveal to Inishmore went fine - not that many other passengers, our bikes stood up on the deck with no problem, and the crossing was pretty smooth. But it rained heavily overnight, and started raining again the next morning, when we were scheduled to go back to the mainland. Because the ferries don’t go if the seas are too rough, the morning ferry didn’t leave Inishmore. The waters didn’t look too rough from Inishmore, but they must’ve been more severe out in the crossing. Then the second scheduled boat time didn’t depart, either. Just past noon, a smaller ferry did depart, and we were able to get on it, although the bikes just barely fit into its hold, and the deck was full of passengers. The other thing - it sailed to Doolin, not back to Rossaveal, but that worked out, as it saved us a long pedal back through Galway to continue our bike tour. The ferry also made a brief stop at Inisheer, so we got to see some of that island, too.

On our second trip (September), we had a rental car, and drove to the tiny airport, which is closer trip from Galway than is the longer trip out to Rossaveal. It’s such a small airport that check-in and Security were super easy and fast, and we got to the airport way earlier than necessary. We left our rental car in the parking lot while we went to Inishmore for a night and two days. The flight is quick and easy. Then the rain came this trip, too, which kept all ferries from departing the next day. People who were planning a short daytrip to Inishmore couldn’t get there, and people who had spent the night but were due to return to the mainland by ferry couldn’t leave Inishmore. Our plane flew, no problem, and we were able to continue our trip on the mainland.

As long as you can get to the Connemara Airport, the Aer Arann plane is the way to go.

Thanks, Cyn. We got stuck on an Island in Sicily when the ferries couldn't go. Never again! If we take the plane and leave the luggage in our car, is the parking letter relatively secure?

I don’t recall seeing the Cliffs of Moher, at least in much detail, from the plane. It’s small, and when seats are full, the windows aren’t exactly ideal for sightseeing. One passenger did get to sit up front with the pilot, which probably gave the best views possible.

We did see cliffs from the Doolin ferry as we approached the mainland, but the visitor center for the Cliffs of Moher was the best way to appreciate them, and worthwhile.

I suppose it would be possible, if you didn’t park a vehicle at the Connemara Airport, to fly to Inishmore, then go by ferry to Doolin. We actually stayed up the hill from Doolin, in Lisdoonvarna, and I’d highly recommend staying there for at least a night or two.

With a car, stash your baggage in the trunk, if you can. Our stuff was perfectly safe, as it turned out, but any car at the airport, when it’s closed, is obviously going to be there for the night, with nobody around. There don’t seem to be Irish criminals around there. I know of that Rick Steves (and others) warn about leaving cars unattended in some other places in Europe.

We've taken the ferry from Doolin and it was great. You do see the cliffs from the water going and coming. I love a good ferry ride, so that would be my vote. However, if you are prone to seasickness, the plane may be a better option.

When we flew I did not see the Cliffs of Moher. I was sitting up front next to the pilot and had a great view of everything.

Are there certain times of year the ocean is rougher? If we go to ferry in the morning do they have an idea if there will be issues in the afternoon? We do not have time in the itinerary to stay overnight.

So, I'm left to determine if I want to take a teeny tiny plane (I have some claustophobia) or a potentially rough ferry ride (I do get some sea sickness).

I did just do a four hour boat trip in Kauai and survived with some Dramamine. For Kauai we were told that on average the ocean is calmer in the morning.

The ferry doesn't sell out so you'll be able to check the weather and sea-state forecast up to a day in advance before committing.
The boats do rock and roll a bit even on relatively calm days.
There's a Seasonal Ferry departing from Galway that includes a drive-by of the cliffs on the way over to Inishmore. It runs until Sept. 27th per their website.

@Robert, thanks for the additional info

For those interested, I've collected the following information on the 3 options to get to Inishmore from Galway area. Forgive my musings below, I don't typically have problems making decisions. . .

Fly from Connemara Airport (1 hour drive from Galway)
70euro round trip
free car park
15 euro round trip bus ride to Kilronan (?)
Morning Departures are 8:30am and 10am
Afternoon departures from Inishmore 4:15

Ferry from Rossaveel, early departure yields 5 hours island time (drive from Galway about 70 minutes)
Adult 34 euro round trip
Senior 29 euro
Car park 8 euro
Departures 10:30 and 1pm (40 minute ferry ride)
Return 5pm

Seasonal Ferry from Galway that stop at Cliffs of Moher, I think this provides 4.5 hours on the island, I believe there is a 15 minute stop at Cliffs of Moher
Adult 55 euro round trip
Senior 50 euro
Parking 15 euro at Galway docks
9:30am departure, arrives Galway at 6pm

Still not sure what I want to do. I think the early morning flight yields the longest time on Inishmore. I'm guessing no one offers tours from the airfield because the numbers are too small. The early morning flight is, early, and the airport is about an hour from Galway and I'm not seeing lodging very close to the airport.

I think I'm leaning towards the seasonal ferry. The times work best for me and seeing the Cliffs of Moher from the sea is appealing. The amount of time on Inishmore concerns me.

Re. Cliffs of Moher, I'm guessing that I may want to still visit the Cliffs of Moher area, even if we see them from the sea??

I just want to point out that the plane arrives before the ferry so you do get some time on the island with less people.

Andrea, is that the 8:30 tour or the 10, or both? I'm guessing the bus ride is 10 minutes, or so.

We took the earliest flight, both to beat the crowd coming on the first ferry and to give us extra time before out flight back.