Galway and Connemara in 4 days
Easy-going Galway and the wild country of Connemara: bogland, the Twelve Bens, Kylemore Abbey, the Aran Islands and Killary Harbour, often called Ireland's only fjord. This is the Atlantic west at its most Irish.
The plan, day by day
Day 1
- Morning
Galway and the Latin Quarterfree · about 1 hNarrow streets of pubs, shops and buskers around Shop Street and Quay Street, down to the Spanish Arch and the River Corrib.
- Afternoon
Kylemore Abbey2 to 3 hA 19th-century castle by a lake below the mountains, home to Benedictine nuns since 1920, with a Gothic church and a walled Victorian garden.
Day 2
- Morning
Connemara National Parkfree · half a dayBog, heath and mountain near Letterfrack, with a trail up Diamond Hill for views over the coast and the Twelve Bens.
Day 3
- All day
The Aran Islandsa full dayThree limestone islands reached by ferry, where Irish is still spoken and the stone fort of Dún Aonghasa sits on a sheer cliff edge.
Day 4
- Morning
The Cliffs of Moherhalf a daySheer cliffs rising more than 200 metres above the Atlantic in County Clare, about an hour and a half's drive south of Galway.
Where to sleep in Galway and Connemara
- Maldron Hotel Oranmore Galway · €110 a night
- Galway City Hostel · €45 a night
- Victoria Hotel · €120 a night
- Park House Hotel · €170 a night
- Leonardo Hotel Galway · €130 a night
- The Hardiman · €160 a night
- Glenlo Abbey Hotel · €300 a night
- Galway Bay Hotel · €190 a night
- The Twelve Hotel · €190 a night
Plan this trip
Hotel prices per room per night, checked when written. Some links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.