Travellers who want to cover a difficult route without hiring a car.
day trips IrelandMe tour notes
2-Day Cliffs of Moher, Connemara and Galway Bay Rail Tour from Dublin
An overnight rail and coach trip from Dublin through Connemara's lakes, mountains, stone walls and thatched cottages - with reserved train seats and breakfast included.
Duration48 hours
PriceFrom €508
Rating4.1 from 30 reviews
BookingSecurely via Viator
The IrelandMe take
What stands out about this one
Our practical read of the published itinerary, traveller feedback and local context—not the operator’s sales description.
If you want to see the west of Ireland properly, this two-day trip is a solid way to do it. You leave Dublin behind and head out by rail and coach through Connemara - peat bogs, mountain ranges, ancient stone walls and thatched cottages rolling past the window. It's genuinely beautiful countryside, and you have a qualified driver-guide on the coach to explain what you're looking at.
The trip covers Galway Bay and the landscapes of Connemara, with an overnight stay so you're not rushing to cram it all into one exhausting day.
At 48 hours, this is a long travel day. Book it for the complete route, not if you want an unhurried stop-by-stop pace.
One practical detail
Arriving into Galway: the train from Dublin pulls in about 2h 15m after leaving Heuston, and Galway city centre is a ten-minute walk from the station. Eyre Square is right there; Shop Street and Quay Street are two minutes beyond it. The medieval laneways between them are worth at least half an hour of wandering on your own before the group reconvenes. You can find a good coffee at Gourmet Tart Company on the square - counter seating, hand pies, and the queue moves fast.
What the price covers
- Qualified driver-guide on coaches
- Information pack
- Reserved seats on trains
- Host on trains
- Breakfast
- Overnight accommodation
- All travel by rail and coach from Dublin Heuston Station
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Food and drinks, unless specified
Local tips that make the day better
For dinner in Galway before the Connemara day: the reliable mid-range option on Quay Street is Ard Bia at Nimmo, which changes its menu with the market and keeps things local. The Quays pub, four storeys and right on the main drag, is the easiest place to land with no plan - ground floor is loud, upstairs is quieter and has a view. Sessions at Tigh Coili or Tig Mongáin start around nine or ten if you want to hear some trad. Neither venue is performing for the tourists - the players come because they want to play.
On the Connemara coach: the peat bogs and mountain ranges between Galway and Connemara change the light in a way that catches people off guard. The landscapes you're looking at are the same ones Synge wrote about and Paul Henry painted. Your driver-guide can tell you where you are in relation to the Twelve Bens if you ask. The road passes through Oughterard - the last proper village before Connemara opens up, where the N59 leaves the farming country behind and the bog starts. Beyond that, the coach tracks west toward Clifden, the planned town at the edge of Connemara with the Sky Road loop above it.
The Cliffs of Moher connection: if your itinerary brings you anywhere near the Clare coast, the back door to the Cliffs is through Liscannor - a working pier village where the Hag's Head cliff walk starts, eight kilometres south of the visitor centre. The walk north from Liscannor to the cliffs has no fee and no turnstile. Five kilometres up the coast, Doolin is where the trad music scene is centred - Gus O'Connor's pub has been running sessions since 1832, and the Aran Islands ferry leaves from the pier.
Practicality: the maximum group of 10 people means this is one of the quieter, more personal versions of the west-of-Ireland tour. Check in early at Heuston - the 6:40am departure is serious, and the yellow jackets are the landmark to find.
Good to know before booking
You check in 20 minutes before departure time (6:40am) at Dublin Heuston Station. Look for the yellow check-in stand near the Customer Service Desk - the Railtours Ireland representative will be in a bright yellow jacket. The tour returns to Heuston Station at the end of Day 2.
The group is a maximum of 10 people. Suitable for all fitness levels, and infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller. Public transport is nearby. Conducted in English.
If you're booking a double occupancy room, note your preference for a double or twin bed in the Special Requirements field when booking (subject to availability). There are stops along the route for photos and shopping.
Make more of the area
- Galway - a medieval city that doesn't quite believe it's a city: laneways, trad sessions from 9pm, and the Aran Islands a ferry ride west
- Clifden - the capital of Connemara, planned on bog in 1812 by John D'Arcy, with the Sky Road loop above it and Derrygimlagh bog to the south where Alcock and Brown landed in 1919
- Oughterard - the gateway village on Lough Corrib where the N59 turns west into Connemara, and Aughnanure Castle sits three kilometres out on the shore
- Doolin - three hamlets, four pubs, sessions at Gus O'Connor's most nights, and the ferry pier for the Aran Islands
- Liscannor - the working pier village at the back door of the Cliffs of Moher, where the Hag's Head cliff walk starts and Vaughan's Anchor Inn does seafood the way it should be done
Questions before you book
How long is 2-Day Cliffs of Moher, Connemara and Galway Bay Rail Tour from Dublin?
The published duration is 48 hours. Allow extra time to reach the meeting point and for your onward plans.
How much does 2-Day Cliffs of Moher, Connemara and Galway Bay Rail Tour from Dublin cost?
The listed starting price is From €508. Live prices can change by date, group size and availability.
What should I know before booking?
At 48 hours, this is a long travel day. Book it for the complete route, not if you want an unhurried stopbystop pace.
Ready to decide?
Check the live times before building the rest of your day.
From €508 · 48 hours Check dates & prices ↗
