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Burren + Cliffs of Moher in 1 day

I'm travelling around Ireland in early September with my 71-year old father. This will be his 1st time outside of the US. I'd really appreciate your advice if this day trip is possible. We're staying in Galway (hotel is already booked) for a few days and have activities planned while in Galway. I'll have a rental car.

  • Early AM depart Galway hotel and drive to the Burren (approx. 1 1/2 hour drive)
  • Stop somewhere along the drive to grab a quick breakfast to go
  • Visit the Burren on our own for an hour
  • Drive to Cliffs of Moher (1/2 hour drive) and stay 2-3 hours. Unfortunately, this would be peak time to visit
  • Drive from Cliffs of Moher to Ballyseede Castle in Tralee, where we'll stay for the night. Our hotel already booked. (approx 2 1/2 hours drive time)

I'd like to arrive to the hotel in the late afternoon so that can enjoy the castle grounds. Is it too much to visit the Burren for such a quick stop? Should we consider visiting the Doolin Cave instead of the Burren? I definitely want to see the Cliffs of Moher.

Thank you in advance for your help!

Posted by
2159 posts

Unless you do a lot of hiking thru The Burren, I think it will be a very do-able day.
We visited in late August a few years ago, and we did not find it very crowded at all. There were fellow tourists, but nothing like we had experienced in other European locations (even in shoulder season).

Posted by
25 posts

Thank you @Maggie! We don't plan to do much hiking, since time is limited.

Posted by
290 posts

You probably won’t need a full three hours at the Cliffs. They are beautiful and you can walk a bit both ways but two hours will probably be sufficient.

Posted by
771 posts

I also think it is do-able. The Burren is a large area, so you can choose what you want to see, especially if you do a little research ahead of time. But it is mostly looking at scenery, so you can control that.