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Galway or Doolin?

Posted by on

My husband and I will soon be traveling to Ireland for the first time for our honeymoon. We have 7 nights and are stuck on whether to spend a night sleeping in Galway or Doolin. Our itinerary is such:

3 nights in Dublin (March 15-17 to celebrate St. Patrick's Day)
1 night in either Galway or Doolin (hoping to get out on the Aran Islands)
2 nights in Dingle
1 night in Ennis (or somewhere close to Shannon as that is where we fly out of early the next morning)

Any suggestions/opinions are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Posted by
404 posts

There are pros and cons to both Galway and Doolin. I, for one, would rather stay in Doolin. Make sure you see the Cliffs of Moher. But read up on Galway and Doolin, and see which piques your interest more.

Posted by
9371 posts

I would agree with Doolin and the Cliffs of Moher. You can't do Galway justice just spending a night there, and you can take a ferry from Doolin just as well. I would also suggest that you spend your last night in the Bunratty area. It is only six miles from the airport, and you could see the castle and folk park there. Plenty of B&Bs on the road behind the castle, too.

Posted by
7937 posts

Doolin's the most convenient for getting to the Aran Islands, as the boat dock is a short distance out of town. Flights from Galway actually leave 19 miles west of town, and the ferry (which we took, but it required a substantial bicycle ride in the rain) is even farther, although you can reach it by shuttle bus.

We flew home out of Shannon with a fairly early flight, and stayed at a B&B in Sixmilebridge.

Posted by
923 posts

We stayed at Avarest B&B before flying home from Shannon. Wonderful hosts, great breakfast; would stay again in a heartbeat!
http://www.avarest.ie/ Visited both Doolin and Galway, although we didn't stay overnight in either. My vote would be to stay in Doolin.
Have a great honeymoon!

Posted by
186 posts

Outside of Doolin is The Burren......beautiful in springtime with flowers of every sort peeking through the limestone slabs. Happy Honeymoon!

Posted by
2 posts

I am interested that many are replying to go to Aran islands from Doolin rather than Galway - Rick Steeves book seems to recommend Galway instead. Anyone know why?

Posted by
552 posts

The ferry from Galway leaves from Rossaveal, a more reliable port. But it's well to the west of the city.

Doolin boats can only go out when the winds are suitable.

If you hate disappointment but enjoy a choppy boat ride, always plan to use the 'Galway' method to get on the islands.

P.S. - If Dublin and Dingle are the two priority destinations with that short a time to enjoy the country, I would urge going directly to County Kerry and saving the sea voyages for a more leisurely-paced visit.

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