West Ireland tour: Galway Bay & Cliffs of Moher

The Temple Bar, Dublin

Where better to start your Ireland vacation than Dublin, the country’s lively capital? Meet our local tourist guide in the hotel in the early afternoon. After a warm welcome, 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 – it’s the place to find out more about your Irish ancestors.

Next, sit back in your private bus for a tour of the city, including O’Connell Street, St Stephen’s Green and Parliament Building. 

We’ll be back at the hotel late afternoon, with time to relax in your room before a free evening. Choose whether we head out for dinner in a nearby restaurant or choose from the hotel light snack menu.

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.

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

Loughshinny landscape

We begin the day with a visit to Loughshinny, a quiet coastal village approximately an hour north of Dublin. The striking cliffs and layered rock formations of this peaceful shoreline offer a glimpse into Ireland’s geological past, as well as its maritime heritage.

Newgrange world heritage site

In the afternoon, we’ll 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 5,200 years ago.

Then, we follow the setting sun across the country to our hotel for the next two nights – a country house hotel on the edge of a tranquil lough in the west of Ireland.

• Hotel: The Lodge at Ashford Castle
• Group dinner

Village of Clonbur

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, we travel into Galway via Clonbur, Cornamona, and Maam – small Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) villages nestled between lakes and hills – before arriving at Leenane, a pretty village at the head of Killary Harbour, Ireland’s only fjord.

Kylemore Abbey

On our return to our hotel, we’ll 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: The Lodge at Ashford Castle
• Group dinner in local pub

Burren Geopark

Today you’re off to explore The Burren & Cliffs of Moher Global Geopark, one of Ireland’s most jaw-dropping landscapes: 530 sq 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. Lucky for you that your tour guide is a leading structural geologist from University College Dublin – we can’t think of anyone better placed to unravel the secrets of the processes that crafted this distinctive terrain over the millennia!

• Hotel: Gregans Castle Hotel
• Group dinner in the hotel

Dun Aonghasa

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: Gregans Castle Hotel
• Group dinner in local pub

Cliffs of Moher

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: Gregans Castle Hotel
• Group dinner in the hotel

The Burren, Doolin Cave

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

Dublin city view

Enjoy a final Irish breakfast before departing Dublin – or extend your 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.