My sister and I will be in Ireland Oct.22. We will take the train to Galway from Dublin. After staying in Galway for 1/2 day and a night, we want to make our way to Dingle. Any suggestions how to do that? We could take the bus, which takes most of the day, but we would also like to go to the Cliffs of Moher. If we take a tour bus to the cliffs, I would rather not go back to Galway. Would any local busses let us get off to visit the cliffs, then get on another bus to continue the trip? If so, what would we do about our luggage? Any ideas would be appreciated. thank you, Kathleen
Posted by
North Georgia, USA
1097 posts
Someone else can tell you public transportation options, but we have done this trip twice by rental car. Avoid driving in cities by renting when you're ready to leave Galway and head to the countryside. We actually drove the whole time, in cities and in the country, but my husband is a pretty confident driver (even did it in a standard transmission car - a little tiny one :D).
Posted by
Sunnyside, New York, United States
439 posts
You could do a tour from Galway to the cliffs. Not sure of the public transportation.
Posted by
TN, USA
2115 posts
Or, just hire a private driver who can take you where you want to go, allow you time to see what you want, and then move on to your next stop. Driver takes care of luggage (so you don't have to worry about it while you are touring).
Yes, definitely more expensive then taking a bus or train, but it would add to the quality of your trip. Makes it a pleasant day instead of a ugh day.
We can recommend:
Tony McGann
Doolin Taxi
If he has another commitment that day, he can recommend other drivers.
He's excellent.
Posted by
Atlanta, GA, USA
211 posts
I just returned from my trip to Ireland and I flew into Dublin and out of Shannon. I decided to go directly to Galway so I took the great CityLink bus from the airport and bought my tickets on line. But the train is great if you are visiting Dublin.
I spent 5 nights in Galway and loved it as a home base and took day tours from Galway. Saw the cliffs one day, then Connemara on a second day, explored Galway and the next day went to the Aran Islands. I was so lucky that the sun came out at the Cliffs. But I was planning that if it did not, I would take a local bus from Ennis to see the Cliffs. So you can do via bus from Galway but I liked my tours they Galway Tours and Michael Faherty to see the Aran Islands.
From Galway, I booked the local bus to Galway with 2 changes and it was very easy to get to Dingle. About 5 hours but got to see Adare and other places on the bus but I had the time.
Then I love Dingle and spent 4 nights there and will be back. The people, land, sea and the pubs with music were amazing. Best hike ever from Celtic Nature Walks and Kevin O'Shea.
Then same bus back towards Shannon and stayed in Ennis where they are known for their music. Ennis is very close to the Cliffs.
Hope this helps.
Posted by
Washington, DC
180 posts
I highly recommend hiring a private drive. We used Coast-Line Tours. Owners are John and and Elaine O'Connor and totally worth the money. We left Dingle and went to Galway, Elaine was our tour guide, and she pointed out sights and facts along the way. Took us to Cliffs of Moher. So much easier then public transportation and saved us time.