Connemara and Galway Bay Rail Tour from Dublin
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14 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English
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Overview
Swap Dublin for the wild beauty of western Ireland on this rail and coach day trip to County Galway and Connemara. After traveling by train to Galway city, take a scenic coach tour around Galway Bay and the unspoiled Connemara region. Drive through breathtaking mountain-and-lakes scenery and visit the pretty coastal towns of Clifden and Roundstone. See romantic Kylemore Abbey set on a Connemara lake, and pass remote Atlantic beaches, thatched villages and deserted coves before returning to Dublin by train. Round-trip rail and coach travel are included.
- Full-day rail and coach trip from Dublin to Connemara and Galway
- Scenic drive through Connemara's magnificent scenery
- Seafood lunch overlooking Roundstone Harbor
- Clifden, Connemara's capital
- Stunning Kylemore Abbey
- Hosted train travel
- Information pack
- Friendly, professional tour guide
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Hop aboard your train at Dublin’s Heuston Station in the early morning, and settle into your reserved seat. As you journey west, gaze out over Ireland’s lush countryside with its rolling hills and expansive peat boglands, and see the Shannon River as you cross it at Athlone. A light breakfast service is available on board the train.
Meet your expert driver-guide at Galway rail station, and take a seat in your comfortable, air-conditioned coach or minivan for your scenic journey around the county of Galway and Connemara.
Have your camera ready and listen to the informative commentary as you head into western Galway and trace parts of one of Europe’s most spectacular coastal routes. Pass by steep cliffs, untouched beaches and sleepy villages, and visit the picture-perfect coastal towns of Roundstone and Clifden.
Stop for a seafood lunch (own expense) overlooking Roundstone harbor and drive through magnificent scenery to Kylemore Abbey, a 19th-century lakeside Benedictine abbey in Connemara famous for its romantic location and walled garden.
Venture further into Connemara, a region of rugged mountains, dark lakes and thatched villages hemmed by a stunning coastline. Drive by deserted coves and bays washed by the Atlantic Sea; stop for photos of remote peaks and valleys, and hear fascinating facts about the ancient, unspoiled landscapes around from your driver-guide. Later, return to Galway station to travel by rail back to Dublin, where your day trip ends when you leave your train in the late evening.
Meet your expert driver-guide at Galway rail station, and take a seat in your comfortable, air-conditioned coach or minivan for your scenic journey around the county of Galway and Connemara.
Have your camera ready and listen to the informative commentary as you head into western Galway and trace parts of one of Europe’s most spectacular coastal routes. Pass by steep cliffs, untouched beaches and sleepy villages, and visit the picture-perfect coastal towns of Roundstone and Clifden.
Stop for a seafood lunch (own expense) overlooking Roundstone harbor and drive through magnificent scenery to Kylemore Abbey, a 19th-century lakeside Benedictine abbey in Connemara famous for its romantic location and walled garden.
Venture further into Connemara, a region of rugged mountains, dark lakes and thatched villages hemmed by a stunning coastline. Drive by deserted coves and bays washed by the Atlantic Sea; stop for photos of remote peaks and valleys, and hear fascinating facts about the ancient, unspoiled landscapes around from your driver-guide. Later, return to Galway station to travel by rail back to Dublin, where your day trip ends when you leave your train in the late evening.
Itinerary
We arrive in Galway at 10:05, off the train, and our conducted tour of Connemara (by tour bus) leaves Galway.
At Maam Cross, the Connemara "crossroads", there is a replica of the cottage used in the 1950s John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara film ‘The Quiet Man’, which was filmed here.
From Maam Cross our tour heads out to Leenane, Kylemore Abbey and Letterfrack, in the shadow of purple mountains rolling down to blue and green rocky valleys, reflecting the rich and varied colours of Connemara.
There is a lunch break at Kylemore Abbey, an 18th century castle now owned by the Benedictine nuns who run an excellent pottery, gift shop and restaurant.
Letterfrack is one of Ireland’s major national parks. The colourful town of Clifden has been one of Irelands leading holiday resorts for generations. It is an excellent touring centre beloved by the walker, the biker, the hiker or the fisherman.
On the road out of Clifden the Dan O'Hara pre-famine farm (circa 1840) is on your left, fronted by a replica of an ancient Irish Crannóg or lake dwelling.
Further on is the fully integrated Clifden Glen Holiday Village. Back at Maam Cross again and the road turns southwards now through the Screeb, Costello and Rossaveal.
Rossaveal is the departure point for ferryboats to the Aran Islands and is also a major fishing port. We are now in the Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area) of Connemara where Gaeilge or Irish is still the everyday spoken language of a bilingual people – we rarely use the term Gaelic and usually say ‘Irish’ when referring to our national language. (For operational reasons, on certain days we will not travel to Clifden – please check with your host/driver)
Our tour of Connemara heads homewards towards Galway City now, along the shores of Galway bay, through the Gaeltacht villages of Inverin and Spiddal and looking out across the blue waters of the Atlantic at the unique lime-stone of the Burren and the hills of Clare. In Spiddal there is a craft village and the Standun sweater shop. After your day's touring you will be returned to Galway Station.
Duration: 2 hours
Admission Ticket Included
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