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Private Tour from Dublin to Cliffs of Moher and Galway
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From €685 per person
You’ll leave your hotel at 9am and settle into a luxury Mercedes V class for the journey west. The day covers a lot of ground in the best possible way - a photo stop at a 15th-century castle, two hours at the Cliffs of Moher, time to wander Galway city, and a stop at one of Ireland’s most famous pubs on the way home.
It’s a private tour, so the vehicle is yours and you travel at your own pace.
Dublin pickup and journey west - 4 hours
Your driver picks you up from any address in Dublin - your hotel, the airport, the port, or wherever suits. Sit back, connect to the WiFi, and watch the Irish countryside roll past on the journey to the west coast.
Bunratty Castle photo stop - en route
You’ll make a short stop at Bunratty Castle, a large medieval castle built in the 15th century by the Earl of Thomond. It’s a great photo opportunity before you press on toward the coast.
Cliffs of Moher - 2 hours (admission not included)
The cliffs rise to 214 metres (702 ft) at their highest point and stretch along the Atlantic coast. They’re home to puffins, gannets, and guillemots, and you might recognise them from films like Harry Potter, The Princess Bride, and Leap Year. You’ll have two hours to explore at your own pace.
Galway city - 90 minutes (free to enter)
After passing through Doolin, you’ll arrive in Galway and have an hour and a half to explore. The 18th-century Eyre Square is the natural starting point - it’s a popular gathering spot surrounded by shops and traditional pubs. From there it’s a short walk to the Spanish Arch and the Latin Quarter, which still holds sections of the medieval city walls.
Return to Dublin via Athlone - 3 hours
On the way back, you’ll stop at Sean’s Bar in Athlone, which claims the title of the world’s oldest pub. Then it’s a comfortable ride back to Dublin to finish off the day.
Bunratty is best before the coach tours arrive. The castle was restored from a roofless ruin in the 1950s and is now the best-restored tower house in Ireland. A photo stop here is ideal in the morning - if you pass through early, before the bus groups from Shannon Airport, you’ll have the forecourt to yourself. The Folk Park behind the castle is a separate 30-acre experience worth a dedicated visit another day, but even a quick look at the castle exterior and Durty Nelly’s pub across the road gives you a sense of the place.
At the Cliffs of Moher, the walk beats the car park view. You have two hours at the cliffs, which is enough to walk a good stretch of the coastal path in each direction from the visitor centre. The further you walk from the main viewing platform, the fewer people there are and the more honestly the Atlantic presents itself. The puffin colonies on the rock stacks are visible in May and June with a bit of patience.
In Galway, turn left off Eyre Square. The 90 minutes goes quickly, but the medieval laneways just off Shop Street are where the real city is. The Spanish Arch is a five-minute walk from Eyre Square along the Corrib - what remains of the 16th-century city wall used to load Spanish merchant ships at the quayside. From there it’s another five minutes to the Claddagh neighbourhood, where the ring originated. If you want a drink, Tigh Coili on Mainguard Street runs trad sessions from around nine - you’ll be long gone by then, but it’s worth knowing what you’re leaving behind.
Doolin is on the route between the Cliffs and Galway. The tour passes through Doolin after the cliffs, and even from the road you’ll see the scatter of hamlets that make up this famous music village. If your driver can slow down near Fisher Street, Gus O’Connor’s pub - open since 1832 and the heart of the Doolin trad session - is visible from the road. For the pubs and the music, you’d need to stay a night, but the geography clicks into place when you see it in passing.