Connemara and Galway City Day Tour from Dublin
Description
Connemara is truly the wilderness of Ireland, ravaged during the great potato famine of 1847-1851. This landscape was left barren; however, its true beauty remains intact. With fabulous lakes, romantic castles, stone walls, and deserted valleys, Connemara has been featured in many blockbuster movies such as The Quiet Man with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, and The Guard with Brendan Gleeson. Not only will you be introduced to this amazing part of Ireland during the during tour, but you will also visit Galway city for a 2-hour stop. There will be plenty of time to explore the highlights of this traditional, colorful, and beautiful tribal city.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We depart Dublin and make our way West for a great day Tour to Connemara.On our way across the midlands of Ireland we shall make a comfort stop for refreshments and a chance to stretch your legs.On arrival in Connemara, We will visit the picturesque village of Cong, this is a national Tidy-Town winner and the location for the Oscar winning Hollywood movie - The Quiet Man.
Enjoy a stop at Cong, Connemara. This traditional village was the film location for Quiet Man, the Hollywood classic starring Maureen O'Hara and John Wayne. Soak up the rural atmosphere and enjoy the shops and fresh air.
From Tuesday to Saturday between April 1st and October 31st the tour will visit the historic silver mines and show farm at Glengowla instead of Cong. Cong will still feature on Sundays / Mondays when Glengowla is closed.
We arrive in Galway, known as the city of tribes and once home to Christopher Columbus. The city is Ireland's traditional capital and home to some of our finest traditional musicians. Our 2 hour stop allows you to explore the city at your leisure. Explore highlights like the Spanish Arch, St. Nicholas Cathedral, the colourful Shop Street or maybe even sample some world famous Galway Bay oysters.
The tour will depart Galway at 17.00 to return to Dublin at approximately 7:30pm.
Enjoy a spectacular road trip with views of Joyce country and the mountains of Connemara. We continue our drive through the wilderness of Connemara with its unique landscape, beautiful lakes, valleys, and mountainous scenery. Ravaged by famine, and predominantly Gaelic the people here still strive to maintain the remanence of rural culture and the traditional Irish way of life. We head back to Galway via the Deserted Maam Valley, an area of scenic and unsurpassed beauty with the lakes of Connemara which unfold in among the twelve Bens mountains. We then travel back along the coast and Galway Bay through Spiddal, and enjoy magnificent views of the Atlantic Coastline to Galway and Aran Islands.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Bookings made through Viator will automatically be signed up for the pickup point and collection time specified in the booking.
- If you wish to change your reservation to one of the other pick-up locations offered by Paddywagon Tours, you will need to contact us by telephone or email not later than 17:00 the evening prior so that we can guarantee the change. Please note that changes are only guaranteed once confirmed in writing by us.
Reviews(106)
Do not take this tour, very disappointing; the indicated itinerary was not respected. Moreover, we left with 6 people who were going to stay in Galway, so we returned with just two. In other words, we were put on a tour that was actually a means of transportation to take people to their hotel. We did not see Connemara; the driver went so fast with no stops, just road. We never saw Galway, a city with little interest; no restaurant or bar stops, just road. We visited a mine; bravo, I am claustrophobic, so I did not visit. Really, do not waste your money; do another activity.
This is a huge company with poor customer service. They never sent a reminder email for the tour but sent a reminder email the day before to leave a review. I tried to cancel and they would only give us a credit. This was not a tour. It was transportation to a destination. When we got to the pick up 15 minutes early they told us the wrong bus. We did not get a great seat even though we were early because there were so many buses and employees everyone was running around not really sure what was going on. In the middle of the tour two drivers decided to consolidate due to scheduling so a bunch of people from our bus had to get their luggage and switch. We were on the bus a long time and not a lot of time at our destination. The driver spoke fast. I am an american from the south and I had trouble understanding sometimes. Take the train and pick up a tour when you get there. I do admit the sheep farm was an amazing stop but overall would not choose again.
The ad is misleading. We only cross the connemara by car (with tinted glass) in an hour with a 5-minute stop by the road to take a photo when the title of the ad suggested that we could walk there and we stayed there for two hours. If the discovery of a farm and a mine was nice this was not the original purpose of the excursion. The ad should be renamed because it is clearly misleading.
Ou trip was rich in new impressions and insights into the west of the country. The farm visit felt genuinely healing and deeply wholesome. I’m especially grateful to our guide, Declan, for the warmth, good humour, and authentic Irish spirit he shared with us throughout the day. This tour is not the most obvious tourist choice, but it's very authentic.
Pleasant day of discovery, too bad that we can not stop to enjoy the landscapes. Our guide Duncan was perfect; kind, considerate, funny, with excellent knowledge of his visit.
Very long trip and too little time on points of interest. We spend 5 hours in the bus for less time on site.
Beautiful scenery, fast paced, great side stops. Wear good shoes, bring an umbrella. Bring water. The weather changes fast. Be prepared for anything. JJ was the best guide ever. Informative and knowledgeable. Funny. He took the extra time to show us the beautiful coast and mountains. Thank you.
The trip was mostly enjoyable if I'm honest , Jimmy was a great guide and lovely man , this helped . Galway was beautiful and we really enjoyed our time here . Would have liked longer than 1.5 hours tbh . Great visit to SHOP STREET , Eyre square , the bay area and the Spanish arch . Next was Connemara which if I'm honest was lots of driving with a couple of scenery stops . The highlight was the visit to Cong village , especially if you are a John Wayne fan ! Go and you will see what I mean!! A good trip but don't go if you travel sick . Thanks again Paddywagon
Dear gazg805, thank you for choosing Paddywagon Tours and for your review! We're delighted to hear you enjoyed your Connemara and Galway tour including Shop Street and Cong village. We look forward to welcoming you as our guest again sometime!
Extremely disappointing day. It was raining and mist ....but we would still have liked more photo stoppages .... if only for these landscapes that were still beautiful. Comments on the guide were very limited and even more so in the Connemara part. A short stop in Cong but shorter than stops at motorway services. In short, many hours of driving for very little profit!
No stops at Lake Connemara — just a bus ride, which is very frustrating. Two stops at petrol stations before arriving in Galway. In the end, an excursion to escape. PRICE 75EUROS per person (of the flight).Very disappointed!!!!
