Galway and Inishmorw

There is one company that does both in a single day if you are pressed for time https://www.aranislandferries.com/day-tours/galway-city/cliffs-of-moher

I did a day trip from Galway and it was easy. The bus picks you up right downtown and drops you right at the ferry. I know there are ferries that go from Doolin, but I’m not sure if the trip is longer or shorter, or more weather dependant. The ferry I was on was a fast catamaran. You don’t say what time of the year you will be there. If you only have one day, and it turns out to be a bad weather day your ferry may not go. I think it makes more sense to stay in Galway for both nights instead of spending time changing locations and hotels. If you don’t have the time or interest to see anything else in Galway then maybe skip it and go straight to Doolin. But, I think there are more options to get to the islands from Galway, you could even fly.

If you spend 1 night in Doolin you should be able to see some of the Cliffs of Moher as well as visit Inishmore. There is an Aran Island boat trip option that inclludes a tour of the Cliffs from the water. Or, you could fit in some time for the Cliffs on land before or after Inishmore. Plus, there is great trad music nightly in Doolin.

I’ve booked 2 nights in Doolin with the intention of going to Inishmore on the full day we will be there, though I am second guessing using Doolin as a base because the ferry to Inishmore will take longer than taking the ferry from Rossaveal. We stayed in Galway in 2022 and flew to Inishmore from the Connemara airport. We arrived before the ferries did.

The ferry from Doolin to Inishmore is not only longer than Rossaveal, but more likely to be canceled by weather. We thought Kilronan changed dramatically when the last ferry left, so the idea of an overnight on the island is a good one.

Since it sounds like you're not hiring a car, you might be able to take the Rossavel ferry over and the Doolin ferry back, spending one night in each. After getting to Doolin, you could turn around and do the afternoon cliffs tour. Also, the Cliffs of Moher is a mass of tour buses, and seeing it by boat is a good alternative. We thought the Kerry Cliffs were more dramatic than Moher, and you might be doing the Kerry loop if you're staying in Killarney (which is also a pretty touristy).

We love both Galway and Doolin, and both have spectacular music. Both are also quite crowded with tourists, especially for the music. You may pickup that we are not big fans of fighting crowds.

There are 4 adults in our small group going to Ireland in late May. We will be in Galway and would like to fly to Inishmore but then take the ferry back close to Cliffs of Moher. Is there a tour bus which would take us from there through the Burren and back to Galway? Thanks for any assistance or suggestions.

The cliffs on Inis Mór are a far better experience than the more famous and better-marketed (and perfectly sanitized) Cliffs of Moher.

If you have significant mobility or balance issues (certainly if you have toddlers along who tend to wander off and disregard your admonitions), or if you are on a large tour bus, then the Cliffs of Moher are set up perfectly for you.

OTOH if you prefer your cliffs "in the raw" (unsanitized, without crowds or safety fences, in their natural, un-tamed state, with the chance of falling to your death still intact and entirely in your own hands), then skip the ADA-compliant Cliffs of Moher and walk a bit (across weird, unforgiving rocky surfaces) to the far, far better cliffs experience on Inis Mór (and probably a hundred other places around western Ireland that have not been set up to process thousands of cliff-loving tourists every hour).

I'd trade any day in Galway for another day on Inis Mór. Spend the night there if you can.

And take the plane, it's insane to take the ferry.

I will be based in Doolin for my time in Ireland in May. Interested in Inis Oírr (Inisheer).
So I am going,just need to decide, one night or two nights?