Parking at Cliffs of Moher

Monthly Opening Hours
January 09:00 – 17:00
February 09:00 – 17:00
March 08:00 – 19:00
April 08:00 – 19.00
May to August 08:00 – 21:00
September 08:00 – 19:00
October 08:00 – 19:00
November 09:00 – 17:00
December 09:00 – 17:00

Parking is available during opening hours. We didn't find that crowds thinned out much in the hour before closing time.

Consider walking from Doolin or doing it by boat.

Hag's Head is another alternative. It is a bit more difficult to get too but you won't have the same level of crowds. You also get better views along the length of the cliffs.

As an addendum to jjgurley's post, you do not have to pay for parking if you walk to the Cliffs of Moher from Doolin.

In 1993, when I first visited the cliffs, there was no charge. When I returned in 1997, a fee had been instituted.

One more tidbit: The Ceide Fields (https://heritageireland.ie/places-to-visit/ceide-fields-neolithic-site-visitor-centre/) in northern County Mayo have more dramatic views than the Cliffs of Moher if you visit there, I believe. Each site is worth visiting.

Where is Doolin and how far is the town from the Cliffs?

e_goos

@e_goos Doolin is approximately 4 to 5 miles north of the Cliffs of Moher.

Here is a Cliffs of Moher Coastal Walk: https://www.cliffsofmoher.ie/your-visit/beyond-the-cliffs-places-to-see/cliffs-of-moher-coastal-walk/ If you click on trail map button, it shows where the cliffs on are (B) in relation to Doolin (C).

The entire walk one way is some 12 miles including the start from a place called Moher Sports Field.

Look up Pat Sweeney's cliff walk. Rick references it in his Ireland guidebook. We did that in March this year. It is 8km (about 5 miles) and he includes history, tells stories, stops for photos along the way. It took about 3.5 hours and then a van/cab takes you back to Doolin. http://www.doolincliffwalk.com/
That way you could park in Doolin and have a late lunch afterward.
He charges 25 euro - 20 for the guided walk through private land and 5 for the cab ride back. We saw a couple people walking on their own, so I assume they walked round trip. If the weather is bad - too windy blowing the wrong way or too rainy - then he will cancel for safety reasons.
FYI - There are a couple spots where the hike is within about 18 inches of the edge. My husband is not a fan of heights but was loving the views so much that he didn't think about it as much. Our views were amazing and better than what we could see from the visitor center area

Thanks for all the responses! I should have explained first that I'm traveling with m sister whose fitness level precludes her from walking more than a couple kilometers so a walk from Doolin is out. So, we're just looking at walking out along the cliffs for a short ways and hoping to do it in the evening when there are fewer crowds.
I'd love to hear opinions on which direction (north or south of the parking/visitor center) would be best for taking a short walk. Thanks!

Google Guerin's Path; you'll get a short walk, decent price for parking and very good views without the Visitor Center hordes ;)

@douglass44, that sounds perfect! Thanks so much!

You don’t need to walk at all. There are large parking lots a very short distance from the visitor center which has a restaurant and a great viewing area. My daughter was married there a year ago and had a reception in Doolin. I still tear up.

We ended up parking at the Visitor’s Center after all. We got there at 4:30pm (on April 26) and the parking area wasn’t too busy. The woman at the car park booth said Guerin s Path is closed. I didn’t ask why or if it’s permanently closed, but I checked just now on Google maps and it still says closed.
On my last visit to the CofM (in 1987!) it was cloudy- this time we had amazing weather!!