Heading to Galway next Feb/Mar for 5 days and wondering where else we should visit. Earlier this year we spent 5 days in/around Dublin (and loved it) so we've seen the east coast, now wondering about the west coast. A few obvious places are Cliffs of Moher and personally Lynch's castle (spouse maiden name) but what else? Trying to not rent a car but not totally ruling it out.
I guess the main question is - is 5 days too many? Could we get away with just a long weekend? (Coming from east coast of US so easy overnight flight)
Only other crazy thought was to fly into to Dublin to see some things we missed aka Jameson Factory and then take train to Galway maybe stopping at different places along the way and then explore in/around Galway at the end.
Any advice is appreciated!
Posted by
RIchmond, BC,Canada
1079 posts
Without a car you may have difficulty getting to some locations. I did several guided tours that went to Cliffs of Moher and Burren area, Kylemore Abbey and Connemara, and a day trip to Inishmore, but you are there in the off season, and the tours likely aren’t running. You may be able to get to Inishmore on your own, but if the seas are rough the boat may not go. You might look into flying there. Another option might be to hire a driver for a day.
Posted by
Bellingham, WA
1433 posts
Do you intend to fly into and out of Shannon? I see that Paddywagon has a day trip to Cliffs of Moher from Limerick. It doesn't go every day in February, but more than once per week. That might be an option for you. They also run tours out of Killarney, which is more of a tourist center. You can take a bus to Killarney from Shannon.
Here's the info: https://www.paddywagontours.com/tours
Posted by
California USA
4310 posts
As part of a 4 week stay in Ireland in the fall of 2024 weeks spent 4 days in Galway without a car and relied on this company to take us out of town for tours up and down the coast. I see that their year round tours are listed as Jan-Dec. They were very reasonable and well run. We stayed at a hotel across the street from their meeting place. We would walk to dinner and then music sessions each evening.
https://wildatlanticwaydaytours.com/all-tours/
The Victoria Hotel was also around the corner from the train/bus station. We appreciated these locations on our chilly, rainy stay.
Posted by
NC
68 posts
We just returned from a 3 week trip to Ireland, our 3rd trip there but 1st time in Galway. We found traveling by train and bus to be fairly easy, affordable, and less stressful than renting a car. There are public buses from Galway to Doolin, and to the Cliffs of Moher. We also took a day tour to Connemara with Galway Tour Co., and it was delightful. We also took a bus up to Westport and enjoyed that very much.
I wrote a trip report https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/across-ireland-via-public-transportation.