West Ireland tour: Galway Bay & Cliffs of Moher

Where better to start your Ireland vacation than Dublin, the country’s lively capital? Our local tourist guide will meet you in the hotel early afternoon to welcome you all. Then you’ll hop on our small coach for a private guided afternoon tour of Dublin, first visiting the award-winning EPIC Irish emigration museum, one of Europe’s leading visitor attractions. This is the place to visit if you’re interested in exploring whether you have any Irish ancestors.

Then we’ll hop back on the private bus for a tour of the city, including O’Connell St, St Stephens Green and Parliament Building. 

If you arrive a day earlier – and we highly recommend you do – take the opportunity to see The Book of Kells, an exquisite Early Christian illuminated manuscript, and walk in the footsteps of Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde at Trinity College. There’s also Dublin Castle and a plethora of free museums to explore. 

We’ll be back at the hotel late afternoon. Time to relax in your room before we head out to a nearby restaurant for a group dinner within walking distance of the hotel.

• Hotel: The Wilder Townhouse, Central Dublin
• Choose to eat out in Dublin or have a snack in the hotel

Begin the day with a visit to Loughshinny, a quiet coastal village where striking cliffs and layered rock formations reveal stories written in stone. This peaceful shoreline offers a glimpse into Ireland’s geological past, as well as its maritime heritage.

In the afternoon, journey inland to the extraordinary Newgrange, a Neolithic passage tomb older than Stonehenge, where ancient engineering meets celestial wonder. As you step inside its sacred chamber, imagine the people who once aligned this monument with the rising sun over 5,000 years ago.

• Hotel: Ashford Castle hotel, Cong
• Group dinner at Ashford Castle

After a night at Ashford Castle, begin the day exploring the nearby village of Cong, where quiet streets and forested paths surround one of Ireland’s most iconic castles. From there, travel through the scenic landscapes of Clonbur, Cornamona, and Maam, small villages nestled between lakes and hills before arriving at Leenane and the deep waters of Killary Harbour, Ireland’s only fjord.

On the return to Galway, take in the views at Kylemore Abbey, stop at Recess to learn about Connemara marble, and pass through Maam Cross, a crossroads rich in Connemara history.

• Hotel: Ashford Castle hotel, Cong
• Group dinner in local pub

Today you’re off to explore The Burren & Cliffs of Moher Global Geopark, one of Ireland’s most jaw-dropping landscapes: 530 square kms of twisted limestone pavements, wild flowers and Atlantic-pounded cliffs, all underpinned by a vast cave system.  

It’s extraordinary to look at and the stories behind it are just as mind-boggling. Your Tour Leader, Professor John Walsh, a leading structural geologist from University College Dublin. Who better to unravel the secrets of the processes that crafted this distinctive terrain over the millennia? 

• Hotel: Sheedy’s Hotel & Restaurant, Lisdoonvarna
• Group dinner in the hotel

Today, we set sail for Inishmore, the largest of the three Aran Islands. It once nurtured a significant Iron Age population, and it’s still the most populated of the islands. 

Its rocky surface is home to structures roughly the same age as Stonehenge. It was also a filming location for the snortingly funny TV series, Father Ted; fans of the show might recognise Inishmore as Craggy Island…  

Much as we love iconic 90s sitcoms, we’re here to see Dún Aonghasa. Set at the very edge of an 87-metre-tall sea cliff, the hill fort’s imposing stone walls and jagged defences tell the story of the people who once lived here. 

• Hotel: Sheedy’s Hotel & Restaurant, Lisdoonvarna
• Group dinner in local pub

Movie goers and geology buffs alike will relish the adventures planned for today.  

We’ll start with one of Ireland’s most dramatic natural landmarks: the towering Cliffs of Moher. Get ready to feel awe. Reaching 214m (702 ft) in height, the cliff face is strikingly vertical. They look impenetrable. You might recognise them films such as The Princess Bride and Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince. 

As well as looking incredible, the Cliffs of Moher have plenty of geological points of interest. For starters, as well as being a great hiding place for a horcrux (that’s one for the Potterheads!), they’re an excellent example of sedimentation and ancient delta formation. 

Afterwards, you’ll visit the geologically impressive coastal features of the Bridges of Ross and Loop Head, and examine the world-renowned deep-water turbidite sequences of the Clare Basin. 

• Hotel: Sheedy’s Hotel & Restaurant, Lisdoonvarna
• Group dinner in the hotel

On the last day of your Ireland tour, you’ll top and tail The Burren, travelling from its hidden depths to its heights.  

After breakfast, we explore the underworld of The Burren, in Doolin Cave, discovered by chance in the 1950s, As you adapt to the steady 11C temperature, you’ll spot a church organ-like column hanging overhead – Europe’s largest stalactite. 

Back above ground we’ll ascend Mullaghmore, one of the highest points in the Geopark. At 180 metres (590ft) above sea level, it’s not exactly a towering peak but it’s still the spot for incredible views. Do look down too – the mountain itself is made up of irregular sequences of folded limestone. It’s the perfect place to say goodbye to County Clare, before we travel back to Dublin. 

• Hotel: The Wilder Townhouse, central Dublin
• Free evening

Enjoy a final Irish breakfast before departing Dublin – or extend you stay to explore more of the city. Whenever you head home, you’ll take with you unforgettable memories of Ireland’s wildest landscapes, ancient history, and warm hospitality.