Aran Islands

Thanks for the tip. We are actually staying in Galway, and just wanted to do a day trip.

Hi Kathy, from Galway you buy a boat ticket and they bus you up Noth to a town called Russaveill. The big island Inish Mor is the most active but the small island , Inish Orr is nice too. I would reserve a B and B ahead of time...I stay at one called Sea Crest... A very very short walk from the center of town....wait until you see how small the center is!!!! pray for nice weather so you bike around the island or take a pony and trap ride cheers
Laura

We were staying in Clifden. We drove to Rossaveal and took the ferry to Inish Moor (the biggest island). Vans meet the ferries, you pick one, negotiate the price, and the driver drives you around the island. The main stops are the Aengus Hill fort which is a huge Celtic or Pictish ruin on the edge of a very high cliff and a set of ruined churches on the other side of the island. Our driver told us all sorts of stories about the island while he drove us around. I don't remember where we got lunch but it was quite simple - might have been a cafe at the foot of the path leading up to Dun Aengus.....The island struck us as economically quite impoverished, but very rich in its culture....I think the link below will lead you to the information you need. http://www.aranislandferries.com/times_mor.php

Kathy, One point to add, is that the boat trip across can be a bit "rough" so if you're prone to being seasick, you might want to pack along appropriate med's. As I recall, boat trips can be cancelled if the seas are very rough. If you want to visit Dun Aengus, it's about a 20 minute easy uphill hike from the parking area. Be VERY careful if you look over the edge, as it's a LONG way down! There is one restaurant (Nan Phaddy's House of Good Food & Refreshments) and as I recall a souvenir shop at the base of Dun Aengus. Also, there's an incredible Sweater shop near the dock area in Inis Mór. I've been told that it's the largest sweater shop in Europe, but not sure if that's true? As the others have mentioned, one of the Van tours is a good option (there are Pony Carts too). The narration from the Driver will undoubtedly be extremely interesting! Happy travels!

Thank you Cynthia and ken for the tips about hiring a local.

I had a bad time on the boat, got sick the entire ride over. So bring the sea sick pills! Once off the boat we were met by plenty of people offering tours, bicycles, jaunting cars, mini vans. I went with the mini van. Your mode of touring is up to you. We didn't need to book ahead. This was a few years ago, so not sure if things have changed.

You may want to consider flying. in the overall cost of a trip to Ireland, the extra cost was worth it for us. We were on the Island in about 7 minutes. When we go back we will take that for sure.