# Galway and the Cliffs of Moher Galway, with its Latin Quarter and its pubs, is the base for the Cliffs of Moher and the Aran Islands. A little over two hours by train from Dublin. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/ireland/galway · Revisado: 2026-11-12 Galway is the city of Ireland's west coast: small, full of students, with a pedestrian centre of colourful streets, street musicians and pubs with music sessions. From here you go to what many people travel to Ireland to see: the Cliffs of Moher, on the Clare coast, and the Aran Islands, with stone forts at the edge of the sea. ## Can you do it in a day from Dublin? Yes, but it is a long day. Coach tours leave Dublin before 7:00 and return after 19:30: two hours at Moher, two in Galway and the rest on the road. Wild Rover Tours charges €75 with entry to the cliffs included, and Paddywagon Tours has another from €75 (see the tour). If you have time, stay two nights in Galway: one day for Moher and the Burren, another for Inis Mór, and the evenings for the Latin Quarter. ## How do you get there? By train. Irish Rail Intercity from Dublin Heuston to Ceannt station, next to Eyre Square, in a little over two hours, with departures from 5:45. By car. About two and a half hours on the M6 motorway, from Dublin airport or from the city. Remember that you drive on the left. ## How do you see the Cliffs of Moher? The official site has a visitor centre and 3.5 km of safe paths; the ticket is valid for two hours from the booked time. Book online: it is cheaper, especially before 11:00 and after 16:00; at the ticket desk you pay €15 per adult. Under-12s go free with their parents. From Galway it takes around an hour and a half by car along the Burren coast. All the practical details are on the page for the Cliffs of Moher. ## And the Aran Islands? Inis Mór, the largest, is 40 minutes by ferry from Rossaveel, in Connemara; a bus takes you to the port from the centre of Galway. Return, €34 for the boat and €10 for the bus. On the island, take a bike or a minibus to the fort of Dún Aonghasa. ## What to see in Galway Walk down from Eyre Square along Shop Street and Quay Street to the Spanish Arch and the River Corrib, step into the city museum, which is free, and have fish and chips at McDonagh's, on Quay Street since 1902. ## Dónde está - Zonas: Irish pubs, Harry Potter filming locations - Cerca: Rock of Cashel (a 114.9 km) ## Qué hacer - **Cliffs of Moher and O'Brien's Tower** (2 h · All ages; fenced areas, accessible with a pushchair · At the ticket desk adult €15, students and over-60s €12, family €30 · online, cheaper outside peak hours · under-12s free with their parents (up to 4)): The Cliffs of Moher drop sheer into the Atlantic along the Clare coast, and at their highest point, next to O'Brien's Tower, built in 1835 as a viewing point, they reach 214 metres. The official site, the Cliffs of Moher Experience, has a visitor centre dug into the hillside and 3.5 km of safe paths with a low wall along the edge. Allow two hours. Tickets. Your ticket is valid for two hours from the time you book. Online is cheaper, especially at off-peak times (before 11:00 and after 16:00); at the ticket desk, without a booking, you pay the full price: €15 per adult. Under-12s do not pay when with their parents. When to go. Before 11:00 or late in the day: between 11:00 and 16:00 the coaches arrive. Sunset, if the sky is clear, is the best time. From Galway it takes around an hour and a half by car through the Burren; from Dublin, the practical options are a day tour or sleeping in Galway. - **Day trip from Dublin to Moher, the Burren and Galway** (12 h 40 · Adults and teenagers; a very long day for small children · Desde 75 € adult): The cliffs are at the other end of the country, about three hours by road from Dublin, but day tours make them possible without driving. Wild Rover Tours leaves at 6:55 from O'Connell Street and returns at 19:45: two hours at Moher with entry included, the road through the Burren, Clare's limestone landscape, and two hours in Galway. It costs €75 (students, €70). Paddywagon Tours has a similar trip from €75. It is a twelve- or thirteen-hour day, almost half of it on a coach. If you can, it is better to sleep one or two nights in Galway and go to Moher from there. - **A day on Inis Mór, the largest of the Aran Islands** (8 h · All ages · Return boat adult €34, child €17 · bus from Galway adult €10, child €7): The Aran Islands close off Galway Bay, and the biggest, Inis Mór, can be done in a day from the city. Aran Island Ferries sails all year round from Rossaveel, on the Connemara coast, and takes about 40 minutes; a shuttle bus takes you from Victoria Place, in the centre of Galway. Return boat fare, €34 per adult; bus, €10 extra. On the island, the usual thing is to hire a bike at the harbour or take a minibus up to Dún Aonghasa, a prehistoric stone fort at the edge of a dizzying cliff. Bring warm clothes: the wind always blows on the island. - **The Latin Quarter, Quay Street and the Spanish Arch** (1 h 30 · All ages · Free): Galway's centre is small and almost entirely pedestrianised. From Eyre Square runs one street that keeps changing its name (Shop Street, High Street, Quay Street) through the Latin Quarter, with colourful façades, old pubs such as Tigh Neachtain and musicians playing in the street at any hour. At the end is the Spanish Arch, a remnant of the old city wall beside the mouth of the River Corrib, where people sit and watch the water go by. Across the river lies the Claddagh district, home of the rings. A stroll of an hour and a half covers it all, with a stop at the city museum, which is right next to the arch. - **Galway City Museum** (1 h · All ages · Free; suggested donation €5): Next to the Spanish Arch, on Spanish Parade, the city museum tells the story of the town in a few rooms: the Claddagh, the fishing district across the river; Gaelic Galway between 1200 and 1600; and the years of the revolution, from 1913 to 1923. It is free (they ask for a €5 donation) and makes a good refuge on a rainy day. It is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 17:00; on Sunday, only from Easter to mid-September, in the afternoon. It is closed on Monday. ## Dónde comer - **McDonagh's** (Restaurant, Galway, €€). Qué pedir: the fish and chips from the counter, or the seafood of the day in the restaurant. - **Tigh Neachtain** (Bar, Galway, €€). Qué pedir: the lunch of the day, from 12:00 to 16:00, and a pint in the afternoon. ## By plane: Fly to Dublin and take the train to the west coast For Galway and Moher, the usual way from Spain is to fly to Dublin, with direct flights from many cities, and cross the country by train (a little over two hours from Heuston) or by hire car (about two and a half hours on the M6 motorway). If you only have one day, the coach tour from Dublin does Moher and Galway and returns in the evening. ### Dónde dormir if you're flying - **The House Hotel** (Hotel): In the Latin Quarter, next to the Spanish Arch The House Hotel is a four-star boutique hotel on Spanish Parade, a few steps from the Spanish Arch and the city museum. Quay Street, the pubs with music and the Corrib quay are on your doorstep. It has 48 rooms; check-in from 15:00 and check-out until 11:30. Eating and drinking It has a café-bar and takeaway breakfast. For dinner, its sister hotel, The Hardiman, five minutes' walk away, has The Oyster Room restaurant and MacNeill's pub. If you come by car It has no car park of its own: guests get a discount at the Hynes Yard car park, a short distance away. Without a car, it is about ten minutes' walk from the train station. - **Kinlay Hostel Galway** (Hostel): Next to Eyre Square and the station The Kinlay is on Merchants Road, a step from Eyre Square, Galway's main square, very close to Ceannt train station. It is the most practical place to stay if you arrive by train from Dublin and are going to be heading out on day trips: the shuttle bus for the Aran Islands ferry leaves from Victoria Place, just around the corner. What it offers Hostel rooms with free breakfast. The website does not publish room types or check-in times: check when you book. - **The G Hotel & Spa** (Spa hotel): Design and spa on the outskirts The G is a design hotel in Wellpark, on the old Dublin road, a few minutes by car from the centre. It is the option for a couples' break: it has a thermal spa with a circuit and treatments, the GEO restaurant and the Grand Salon, where afternoon tea is served. Who it is for For anyone arriving by car who wants to rest between the Moher trip and the Aran Islands trip. Without a car it is a little far from the Latin Quarter: you will need a taxi or a bus in the evening. ### Servicios - **Galway Ceannt station and the train from Dublin**: Irish Rail Intercity from Dublin Heuston in about 2 h 10 to 2 h 30, with departures from 5:45 until the evening. The station is next to Eyre Square. ## Car-free: Train to Galway and day trips from there Galway can be done without a car: train from Dublin Heuston in a little over two hours, the centre on foot, and from there a ferry to the Aran Islands and tours or a bus to the Cliffs of Moher. If you only have one day, the coach tour from Dublin takes you to Moher and Galway and brings you back in the evening. Presupuesto orientativo: 100–180 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir without a car - **The House Hotel** (Hotel): In the Latin Quarter, next to the Spanish Arch The House Hotel is a four-star boutique hotel on Spanish Parade, a few steps from the Spanish Arch and the city museum. Quay Street, the pubs with music and the Corrib quay are on your doorstep. It has 48 rooms; check-in from 15:00 and check-out until 11:30. Eating and drinking It has a café-bar and takeaway breakfast. For dinner, its sister hotel, The Hardiman, five minutes' walk away, has The Oyster Room restaurant and MacNeill's pub. If you come by car It has no car park of its own: guests get a discount at the Hynes Yard car park, a short distance away. Without a car, it is about ten minutes' walk from the train station. - **Kinlay Hostel Galway** (Hostel): Next to Eyre Square and the station The Kinlay is on Merchants Road, a step from Eyre Square, Galway's main square, very close to Ceannt train station. It is the most practical place to stay if you arrive by train from Dublin and are going to be heading out on day trips: the shuttle bus for the Aran Islands ferry leaves from Victoria Place, just around the corner. What it offers Hostel rooms with free breakfast. The website does not publish room types or check-in times: check when you book. ### Servicios - **Galway Ceannt station and the train from Dublin**: Irish Rail Intercity from Dublin Heuston in about 2 h 10 to 2 h 30, with departures from 5:45 until the evening. The station is next to Eyre Square. ## As a family: Cliffs with a low wall, a boat and fish and chips Galway and Moher work for families if you sleep there rather than doing it as a day trip from Dublin. The cliffs have fenced paths suitable for pushchairs, the boat to the Aran Islands is a 40-minute adventure, and everything in the centre is pedestrianised. ### What works best Cliffs of Moher, free for under-12s with their parents Inis Mór, by bike or minibus up to the fort Latin Quarter, with musicians in the street City museum, free ### Where to sleep The House Hotel, in the centre The G Hotel, if you are travelling by car ### Where to eat McDonagh's, fish and chips for everyone ### Worth knowing The day trip from Dublin is 12 or 13 hours At Moher, children should always stay inside the fenced area The ferry depends on the sea: have a plan B ### Qué hacer as a family - Cliffs of Moher and O'Brien's Tower - A day on Inis Mór, the largest of the Aran Islands - The Latin Quarter, Quay Street and the Spanish Arch - Galway City Museum ## With teenagers: The edge of Europe and a city with music in the street Galway is Ireland's young city, with a university, musicians on every corner and pubs with music sessions. The Cliffs of Moher and the fort of Dún Aonghasa, at the edge of the abyss on Inis Mór, are the kind of places you remember. ### What works best Cliffs of Moher, best at sunset Inis Mór by bike Latin Quarter and Quay Street Day trip from Dublin, if time is tight ### Where to sleep Kinlay Hostel, next to the station The House Hotel ### Where to eat McDonagh's Tigh Neachtain at lunchtime ### Worth knowing In pubs, in the evening, under-18s must be with an adult Wind and rain change fast on the coast ### Qué hacer with teenagers - Cliffs of Moher and O'Brien's Tower - Day trip from Dublin to Moher, the Burren and Galway - A day on Inis Mór, the largest of the Aran Islands - The Latin Quarter, Quay Street and the Spanish Arch - Galway City Museum ## Consejos ### Visit Moher off-peak Before 11:00 or after 16:00: cheaper online and fewer people. ### Check the sea before going to Aran Ferries are cancelled in stormy weather. ### Stay in Galway The day trip from Dublin spends more hours on the coach than at the cliffs. ### Bring a windproof jacket It is always windy at Moher and on the islands, even in summer. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How much does it cost to enter the Cliffs of Moher? At the ticket desk, €15 per adult, €12 students and seniors, €30 for a family. Online is cheaper, especially at off-peak times. Under-12s go free with their parents. ### How long does it take to get from Dublin to Galway? A little over two hours on the Intercity train from Heuston, and about two and a half hours by car. ### Can you see the Cliffs of Moher in a day from Dublin? Yes, on a coach tour of 12 or 13 hours, from €75. ### How do I get to the Aran Islands? By ferry from Rossaveel, about 40 minutes to Inis Mór, with a bus from the centre of Galway. ### How many days do I need? Two nights in Galway: one day for Moher and another for Inis Mór.