Cliffs of Moher, Giant's causeway, and Dún Aonghasa

Posted by Raj-aka (Canada/Amsterdam ) on 05/15/24 09:51 AM

I was looking at a day tour from Galway to Cliffs of Moher and a sperate one to Inis Mor to see Dún Aonghasa. However, whenever I look up Inis Mor tours, they always seem to add cliffs of Moher. This tour for example: https://www.getyourguide.com/galway-l804/from-galway-aran-islands-cliffs-of-moher-day-cruise-t399279?partner_id=7MM7MPK&utm_medium=online_publisher&placement=content-top&cmp=Ireland-itineraries&_pc=1,2&_pc=3,1&_pc=4,1&date_from=2024-08-16

So my questions are

1) Can you actually see the Cliffs of Moher from a tour like this? It seems like it's just a ferry ride, not a dedicated boat to the cliffs.

2) How is Dun Aonghasa for kids? It says no railing for the cliffs, but I can keep a bit back with my kids. I am unclear if there is a railing for stairs? Or if the stairs are wide? I just don't want to slip off a 100 meter stair case or have my kids slip off on a rainy day. I apologize if that sounds strange, but the descriptions of the place aren't clear to me.
3) If I am going to see the cliffs of moher on this ferry, then that would potentially reduce one day I need to stay in Galway. We are going to Belfast and I could add a day to that to see the Giant's Causeway. Does that make sense, or is dedicated trip to cliffs of moher that much better than a trip to giants causeway?

Posted by wasleys

Lincolnshire, UK

05/15/24 10:13 AM

2288 posts

The cliffs of Moher are much moire impressive from a boat rather than from the top. They are always very busy and apart from doing a walk along the top there isn't a lot else to do... However I must admit I'm not a great fan of the Cliffs and always feel they are much over rated.

Given the choice I would add a day to see Giant's Causeway along with the ruined Dunluce Castle and Carrick a Rede rope bridge on the way to Belfast.

Dún Aonghasa

How old are the kids? There was this reply to a similar question a few years ago. May be your best bet is to email them and ask.

Posted by Raj-aka OP

Canada/Amsterdam

05/15/24 10:19 AM

7 posts

Thank you for the response--that was helpful. Yeah, I am looking at the paddywagon tour that includes all the sites you mentioned for a Giant's causeway tour--good to know it covers the bases. The kids are 4 and 7. I actually had found that discussion on trip advisor about Dun Aonghasa before posting here, but was still a bit confused by the description of the steps. I think I may just be being a bit paranoid. I will email them, good suggestion.

Posted by Anita

RIchmond, BC,Canada

05/15/24 03:51 PM

933 posts

The actual hill fort of Dún Aonghasa is about one kilometre from the gate where you enter. It’s steadily uphill through a rocky field, and might be challenging for small children. There is no railing at the site. That side of the cliff sheered off and fell into the sea long ago so it’s a good idea to keep your distance from the edge. Google photos for the site, there are some good aerial ones that will give you a good idea of the terrain, and help you decide if your kids can manage the walk up.

Posted by KimberlySEA

Seattle, WA & Bordeaux, France

05/15/24 04:03 PM

319 posts

Both the cliffs of Moher and Dún Aonghasa are worth a visit in my opinion. Inishmore we took the whole day to explore via bike. It was magical! And, as another poster mentioned, there are no railings at Dún Aonghasa. Same with Cliffs of Moher--no railings. For the cliffs, we took a local's advice and hiked the trail around 5pm (we were there the beginning of July so sunset was quite late.) All the tour busses had left and the trail was practically empty of people--even the visitor centre. And the light at that time was just perfect for pictures. We only hiked around for about 3 hrs on the cliffs so it's easily done as a half day adventure from Galway. We did see the cliffs from both the water (ferry ride from Doolin to Inishmore) and on the land. I think they are equally beautiful, just different perspectives.

Posted by Vince P

Oregon

05/22/24 05:57 PM

14 posts

We just returned last week from seeing everything you mentioned.

The Giant's Causeway is much different from the Cliffs of Moher. Look online for some images of the hexagonal shaped rocks. Thousands of those are the main feature, not sheer cliffs. Be prepared to walk. It's half a mile each way. Also: it's possible to park a bit farther away and walk the Giant's Causeway free, accessing one of its coastal walk entry points. We learned this -after- paying for entry gets close up parking, access to a Visitor Center with restrooms and snacks and a modest exhibit.

Cliffs of Moher: These were impressive and we happened to have great sunny weather to walk. The view is a bit more impressive from the O'Brien's Tower side. It's about a 1/4 mile walk each way. The main area of this walk is on well designed sidewalks with tall stone-lined walls that act as railings/safety barriers. However farther down the coastal walk there are no such barriers and someone fell to their death one week before we were there when they moved off trail to pose for a photo.

Cliffs of Moher from a boat: also a great way to see them, and it's included if you do the ferry from Galway to Inis Mor on the Aran Islands, which is where you go to see Dun Aonghasa.

Dun Aonghasa: There are no railings anywhere. You walk almost 3/4 of a mile each way from the entry house uphill to the fort. The view of cliffs from Dun Aonghasa are even more impressive than the Cliffs of Moher - and much more dangerous due to lack of any railings or barriers. We saw two young men flatten on their stomachs and inch up to the very edge of the cliff to peer straight down. Then they inched back. From an American perspective, this is a very dangerous place for anyone without common sense. It can be very windy here too; another reason to stay WAY back from the edge. Children must be under your immediate control the whole time your inside the ring of the fort, which circles like a "U" right up to the cliff face the drops into the Atlantic Ocean.