Dublin to Bunratty Castle, Cliffs of Moher, Burren Galway by Rail
Description
Explore Ireland's west coast highlights on a coach and rail day trip from Dublin to the wild Cliffs of Moher, the Burren and picturesque Galway Bay.
Tour Options
Itinerary
After arriving to Limerick, we head out to Bunratty Castle. The castle was completed in 1425 and, after many years of neglect, has been restored to its former glory. There is a folk park here and many of the buildings – including the village – were dismantled at various locations in the region and rebuilt, brick by brick, at their present location.
Enjoy some free time at the Cliffs of Moher - among some of the highest sea cliffs in Europe.
From the Cliffs of Moher, we take the coast road for much of the way to Galway, with time for photos along The Burren. This is a national park and the word Burren comes from the Irish Language and means ‘rocky place’. It is a unique lunar landscape of limestone. Today the Burren is noted for its diverse flora with few parallels elsewhere in Ireland or, indeed, Europe. As time permits, we will make a short stop here for photographs.
Traffic dependent, there will be some free time upon your arrival in Galway to get some dinner and look at some shops, etc.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Check in at 6:40AM! Train departs at 7am & it does not wait. Our yellow check-in stand is located close to the Customer Service Desk at Heuston Station where our representative will be waiting for you in their BRIGHT yellow jacket!
- Due to operational reasons it may, on occasion, be necessary to alter certain itineraries.
- Children U16 cannot book independently. They must be accompanied by a parent/guardian at all times.
- WHEELCHAIR POLICY: Railtours Ireland First Class ltd very successfully offers hosted railtours for the independent traveller. Our tours are a combination of train and luxury coach and include a moderate level of physical activity, such as short walks to meeting points etc. Unfortunately even the most modern luxury coaches (buses) are not wheelchair friendly, thus our tours are not suitable for those with mobility issues, and regretfully walkers, wheelchairs and mobility scooters cannot be accommodated on our tours.
- This tour offers stops en route for photographs, shopping, etc.
Reviews(1,218)
Great experience with an exceptional staff.
We just had the most fantastic day travelling about. The cliffs were amazing the story teller was fantastic. Highly recommend this tour if you want to see a bit of everything and learn a lot from your guide. Scott, Melissa and mikka ... Thank you so much.
I enjoyed traveling by train (vs bus) to the west coast of Ireland, but sadly, we were blessed with fog making the Cliffs completely out of view. While not the fault of the tour, was a huge disappointment. While it was a good way to spend a day, I could have skipped the castle. Be prepared for a very long day! Paul and Mike were both great.
We left Dublin by train with our guide and got on a coach in Linerick. Everything was well timed and we spend a good time. Cliffs of Moher are very spectacular but a fire alarm canceled our visit to the gift shop. We got back after a 16 hour ride somewhat long and had to get a Uber back to the hotel as no more taxis deserved adubkin Station. Maybe the visit to Galway is too long butvrekated tobthe train departure. This trip is a must if youvdon’t have a car an know to drive left.
Good connections and tour guides. Paul was entertaining and attentive as we covered lots of territory on a long day trip from Dublin.
This is well worth the money - the train journey was soooo lovely, to just watch the beautiful countryside go by and the coach journey was fantastic too. The whole trip was made by John, who was our guide. So knowledgeable about everything we went past with a fantastic sense of humour and just made everyone feel so well looked after. We even had a rainy Cliffs of Moher but nothing could dampen the overall 10/10 experience!! Would 100% recommend:) thanks John and our amazing driver, love Catherine and Ann x
Dear Catherine, Thank you for your lovely review! We are absolutely delighted to hear you had a great experience on our Cliffs of Moher, Bunratty Castle, The Burren & Galway Bay tour. Your kind words about John are very much appreciated and have been passed on. We hope we have the pleasure of welcoming you back on tour with us soon! If you book two or more full-day tours directly with us through www.railtoursireland.com or via call or email, you’ll enjoy • Cheapest prices • Free tickets for the 24-hours Dublin City Hop On/Hop Off tour per adult, valued at Euro 37 each. Should you choose to book an extended tour directly with us through www.railtoursireland.com or via call or email, you'll enjoy: • Cheapest prices • Free upgrade to a 4* hotel in Killarney. (if applicable and subject to availability) • Free tickets for the 48-hours Dublin City Hop On/Hop Off tour per adult, valued at Euro 39 each. Kind regards, The Railtours Ireland Team
Really enjoyed the trip and the guide (Paul) and driver (Michael) did a great job. Bunratty castle guided tour was interesting and the folk park was nice to walk around. The Cliffs of Moher are amazing and we lucked out with great weather. Walking up was not strenuous for someone in decent shape. They did offer a cart for those needing mobility assistance (not sure if there was a fee). The stop in Galway allowed time for dinner and a little walk around before boarding the train back, but not a significant amount of time for sight-seeing. If you really want to spend time in Galway you might want to do the option to stay overnight at a Galway hotel and come back the next day (I didn’t do that so not reviewing that). My one complaint/warning is definitely to not rely on train food on the way from Dublin to Limerick. The description said breakfast was offered on the train, but it was just a snack cart with packaged food, not many options. The train station had coffee/food available and you would definitely have a better meal from the train station (Heusten) than from the cart on the train. Overall I would recommend this for a great experience.
Dear 492fayec, Thank you very much for your glowing review! We are so glad to hear you enjoyed the tour, and that Paul and Michael were excellent hosts. Thank you very much for your feedback. We hope to welcome you back some day soon! Kind regards, The Railtours Ireland Team
A long day to be sure, but Paul kept it on pace, on time, and on humor. The combo of train and small coach was just right to get a feel for another part of this beautiful country and its people. Spending a few hours in Galway was a good way to experience another Irish city. Very impressed with the amount of Irish history I absorbed on this excursion. And, it was, in my opinion a value for the amount of activities and duration of the trip.
John is a great tour guide. Very kind. Keeps people engaged. Taking the train out to the countryside is great. It's the main reason I chose this tour over others. I knew the day was going to be long, but I wonder if there's any way to make it shorter. Going to Galway didn't seem worth it to me. I'd rather do the castle, then cliffs, then journey back to Dublin without detours. Overall, it was a long, but nice day.
Dear Adam, Thanks for your 4* review. Our tours are designed to be a highlights experience, allowing visits to multiple destinations in one day which is of a huge benefit to the majority of our customers who may only have a limited time in Ireland to tick off their bucket lists. Nevertheless, we appreciate your kind words about John and will pass them on! Thanks again! The Railtours Ireland Team
We loved it! Beautiful from start to finish, and our guide Paul was very attentive and kind at all times! Thank you, Paul
Dear 274consueloh, Thank you for your lovely review! We are so glad you enjoyed our Cliffs of Moher, Bunratty Castle, The Burren & Galway Bay tour and that Paul was an excellent host. We hope we have the pleasure of welcoming you back on tour with us soon! Kind regards, The Railtours Ireland Team
