Recently Viewed
Connemara Full-Day Tour: Discover Rugged Wilderness, Historic Treasures, and Local Charm from Galway
4.7
804 Ratings
Galway
Embark on a thrilling full-day tour from Galway City and explore the rugged wilderness, historic treasures, and local charm of Connemara. Visit Cong Village, Laugh Nafooey, Killary Fjord, and the iconic Kylemore Abbey. Immerse yourself in the stunning Irish scenery and make unforgettable memories.
Duration:
8 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
-
Kylemore Abbey & Victorian Walled Garden - Kylemore Abbey, a beautiful Connemara castle, offers much history of romance and tragedy, captivating visitors who step upon its threshold.
The Abbey is a beautiful, neo-gothic, building built-in 1868 by Mitchell Henry for his wife. It is now home to the Benedictine Nuns, and here you can enjoy their excellent home cooking while visiting the Abbey and the restored walled gardens. The grounds and surrounding mountains and lakes are steeped ina rich Irish history, and you can learn all about this on our Connemara & Cong Tour. The Abbey and estate are open all year round and include the Abbey, a Gothic Church, the walled gardens, a craft shop, pottery studio, restaurant and tea rooms, as well as the lake and woodland walks. Please note the Kylemore Abbey is closed every Tuesday and Wednesday on the dates 07.11.23-23.12.23 and 08.01.24-05.02.24. - Lough Corrib - Lough Corrib is the largest lake within the Republic of Ireland and the second largest on the island of Ireland (after Lough Neagh). ( It covers 176 km² )
- Killary Fjord - Killary Harbour is Ireland’s only true fjord and extends 16km (10 miles) in from the Atlantic .It’s extremely deep, over 45m at its centre. This offers a very safe, sheltered anchorage, because of the depth and the mountains to the south and north. It is a centre for shellfish farming, and strings of ropes used to grow mussels are visible for much of its length.
- Cong - Only an hour’s drive from Westport, Cong is a small village in south Mayo famous for its 12th century abbey, the lavish gold and silver processional Cross of Cong from 1123, the magnificent Ashford Castle, the village’s links with Oscar Wilde and, most popularly, its association with the John Wayne classic movie, The Quiet Man.
- Royal Abbey of Cong - A magnificent Augustinian Abbey dating back to the early 12th century
What's Included
- Professional Local Driver/Guide
- In-vehicle air conditioning
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Entrance Fee to Kylemore Abbey & Victorian Walled Garden
Additional Information
Embark on a complete-day excursion from Galway City, unveiling the spectacular allure of Connemara with its imposing wilderness, hospitable inhabitants, and historic marvels. Led by an expert guide, your journey encompasses the charming Cong Village, Laugh Nafooey, Killary Fjord, and the must-visit Kylemore Abbey. Please note, the tour price doesn’t cover entry into Kylemore Abbey & Gardens, and you may opt to pay an additional fee, (a concession entrance ticket is available for purchase from your driver on the tour day). Relish your free time exploring these Irish wonders and absorb the breathtaking landscapes during each stopover.
Location
Kinlay Hostel Galway
Merchants Road
Please check in the office 15-20 minutes prior to departure.
Please allow enough time to get to the departure point (if you travel by car ) due to a high traffic in Galway City. There is car parking available on Merchants Rd.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.7
(804 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Mary_a
Jun 5, 2024
Great tour, great guide! - Our driver and guide, Dave, took what would have been a very good tour and made it great! He was personable, friendly, knowledgeable and fun. The scenery is stunning and it was lovely to be able to walk through a km of it on an isolated road with spectacular views.
Review provided by Viator
Mmmkroon
Jun 3, 2024
A great trip with many photo opportunities. - Super nice driver/guide. Many great sights to see. It is an 8 hour tour, so I was a bit weary at the end. My second trip with Galway Tours- - -great folks.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Eileen_b
May 30, 2024
Tommy, our tour guide was... - Tommy, our tour guide was informative and humorous. We highly recommend this tour! Kylemore Abbey was spectacular. You don’t want to miss it. There were multiple stops along the way for photos. So happy we did this tour!!!
Review provided by Viator
S7519zrrichardf
May 29, 2024
Highly recommended tour - Really wonderful, scenic and fascinating tour. Our driver/tour guide, Tommy, was excellent, thoughtful and entertaining!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Penny
May 23, 2024
Enjoyable way to cover a lot of ground - Mike was a GREAT tour guide and driver. He entertained and informed us with lots of stories and history. The drive through Connemara was beautiful and the photo stops were appreciated.
Kylemore Abbey was spectacular, and lunch at the gardens was lovely.
The stop in Cong was nice. We enjoyed the shopping, a pint at the pub and a peek at the cemetery.
A very enjoyable day!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Colin_b
May 23, 2024
Great Tour, Great Driver/Guide - The tour was great with amazing sights and scenery. The driver/guide was very knowledgeable and gave us great background and interesting stories.
Review provided by Viator
Colinbg2839an
May 23, 2024
Great Tour, Fabulous Driver/Guide - We really enjoyed this tour, the sights and scenery were amazing. The driver gave us great background and told us many interesting stories.
I'd highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jose
May 21, 2024
Connemara tour - Excellent tour. The bus driver, Mike, was fantastic, funny and lots of knowledge and stories. I strongly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alexlcohen
May 26, 2024
Beautiful Countryside - Kylemore Abbey is a grand country estate set in perfectly manicured grounds deep in the Connemara hills. Equal to the estate are the rolling, impossibly green views of the countryside to and from the Abbey. The detour to Cong, notable for its setting of the film A Quiet Man, was underwhelming and unnecessary for all but the most ardent fan of the film. If you only have 1 day to take a tour, choose the Aran Islands and Cliffs of Moher over this one.
Review provided by Viator
Vaibhav
May 21, 2024
Covers a lot of things, prepare to be tired! - The driver was randomly funny on occasion but I wish the co passengers were a little more considerate and didn't cross talk on top of what the driver was saying. The scenery was beautiful and we were really lucky to get a sunny cloudy day. The village stop was a little confusing; I didn't understand exactly why we visited that and I what to do there therefore the lower rating. I wish we spent more time at Kylemore Abbey instead.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
More activities from this operator
