Connemara Day Tours from Galway
Hours, prices and access verified by the Connemara Tours team — last checked 2026-09-18.
Connemara day tours from Galway leave the city centre in the morning and spend their one long stop at Kylemore Abbey, on the national park trails, or at the one you choose on the day. Every fare is per seat, and none includes lunch.
Connemara day tours from Galway
Badge of Excellence
★★★★★ 4.8 (1,258 reviews · 7 hours 30 minutes)
Kylemore ticket includedFrom Galway
Lally Tours leaves the HYDE Hotel at 09:45 for Leenane and a stop by the fjord at Killary. You then get two hours at Kylemore with the abbey and walled garden paid, and a break in Spiddal on the way home.
From $76 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 4.7 (1,287 reviews · 7 hours 30 minutes)
Kylemore ticket includedFrom Galway
Lally Tours' Kylemore day from outside the HYDE Hotel, where the team wears blue jackets. Thirty minutes in Leenane, a photo stop at Killary, two hours at the abbey and gardens with entry paid, then a Spiddal break.
From $74 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 4.7 (2,266 reviews · 8 hours)
Kylemore ticket extraFrom Galway
The lowest fare from Galway. The coach leaves the Kinlay Hostel at 10:00 and gives you up to two hours at Kylemore, where the driver sells entry for EUR 14 in cash. Then 45 minutes in Cong.
From $51 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Badge of Excellence
★★★★★ 4.7 (196 reviews · 9 hours)
Kylemore or national parkFrom Galway
Nine hours from Merchants Road at 09:30, by Screeb Lough, Clifden and the Sky Road. Your three-hour stop is Kylemore or the national park, your call on the day, and the driver sells abbey tickets for cash.
From $58 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 4.7 (712 reviews · 9 hours)
Kylemore or national parkFrom Galway
Three hours on the national park trails, or at Kylemore for an extra fee, after Pines Island, Clifden and the Sky Road. Lough Inagh comes on the way back to the Kinlay Hostel.
From $57 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Badge of Excellence
★★★★★ 4.9 (17 reviews · 1 day)
Kylemore or national parkFrom Galway
A minivan for up to 30, out by the Screebe waterfall to Clifden for 45 minutes and the Sky Road. You then spend three hours at the park or Kylemore, and a buggy can come along.
From $92 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Badge of Excellence
★★★★★ 4.9 (214 reviews · 7 hours 30 minutes)
Kylemore ticket includedFrom GalwayMax 25 guests
A coach capped at 25 that leaves the HYDE Hotel at 10:15. Two hours at Kylemore, then 70 minutes watching Joyce Country Sheepdogs work, with both admissions in the fare and hotel pickup on request.
From $134 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Badge of Excellence
★★★★★ 4.8 (202 reviews · 7 hours 30 minutes)
National park stopFrom Galway
Lally Tours' park day skips Kylemore. From the HYDE Hotel at 09:45 you stop in Leenane and at Killary, walk the trails for two hours, and take 30 minutes in Spiddal before Salthill.
From $64 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Two hours at Kylemore, with the ticket paid
Lally Tours' Leenane day leaves the HYDE Hotel at 09:45, stops at Leenane and Killary, and puts your entry to the abbey and garden in the fare.
Check availability
What a Connemara day tour from Galway is
It is a full day on a shared coach or minivan. You leave Galway city centre in the morning,
cross into Connemara on the N59 or the coast road, and come back in the early evening. You buy
a seat, not a vehicle, so one traveller pays the same fare per head as a family of four.
Most of the day is driving, with short stops at villages and viewpoints. What decides the
day is its one long stop. On Lally Tours' Kylemore days it is two hours at Kylemore Abbey with
the ticket paid. On Lally Tours' park day it is two hours on the Connemara National Park trails.
On the three-hour days you pick the abbey or the park when you get there.
No shared day does both, and none includes lunch. The driver or a guide gives the commentary
on the road, then leaves you free at the long stop.
Why choose a day tour from Galway
You pay per seat
Fares run from $51 to $134 per person. For one or two people that is a fraction
of a private car, which starts at $643 for the vehicle.
Nobody in your party drives the N59
The road west is narrow in places, and it is where you want to be looking out of the window.
The driver handles the bends and the parking while you watch the Twelve Bens go by.
You choose where the long stop goes
Kylemore with the ticket in the fare, the park trails, or the choice on the day. That one
decision is most of the difference between the days, and each is sold separately.
You start from the city centre
Lally Tours leaves from Forster Street, and the others from Merchants Road, off Eyre Square.
Lally Tours can also collect you from your hotel if you ask the operator at least 24 hours
ahead.
You see stops you would not find alone
Leenane and the fjord at Killary, the Screebe waterfall, Pines Island, Cong, or a working
sheepdog farm, depending on the day you book.
Day tours from Galway vs driving yourself
The real alternative to a seat on a coach is a hire car. Here is how the two compare. The
tour figures are each listing's own; the car costs depend on your hire.
| A day tour from Galway | Driving yourself |
|---|
| Price basis | Per person, $51 to $134 | The hire car and fuel, shared by your party |
| Who drives | The driver-guide | You, on the N59 and the mountain roads |
| Start | A city-centre kerb, 09:30 to 10:15 | When you like |
| The long stop | Two or three hours, set by the day | As long as you want |
| Kylemore and the park | One or the other | Both, if you start early |
| Kylemore ticket | In the fare on Lally Tours' Kylemore days | Bought at the estate |
| Parking | Not your problem | Free at the park and at Kylemore |
| Best for | Solo travellers, couples, non-drivers | Hikers, photographers, families with a car |
Check availability from $76
For one or two people without a car, the coach is the simpler buy. If you want the abbey and
the park in one day, or more than three hours on Diamond Hill, drive yourself or book one of the
private Connemara tours.
What you get, and what you don't
- Included on every day: the coach or minivan, the driver-guide and the
commentary.
- Included on some: the Kylemore Abbey ticket on Lally Tours' Kylemore days,
and the sheepdog demonstration on its small-group day.
- Paid on the day: the Kylemore ticket on Galway Tour Company's day, EUR 14
cash to the driver, and Wild Atlantic Way Day Tours' driver sells it for cash.
- Free anyway: the national park, with no entry fee, on the days that stop
there.
- Not included on any day: lunch. The café at Kylemore sits outside the paid
area, and the park has The Hungry Hiker café.
The lowest fare, with Cong on the way home
Galway Tour Company's day leaves the Kinlay Hostel at 10:00, gives you up to two hours at Kylemore, and ends with 45 minutes in Cong.
Check availability
Planning a day tour from Galway
- Budget: $51 to $134 per person for the seat. Add the Kylemore
ticket where it is extra, lunch, and a tip if you want to leave one.
- Book a few days out in summer: each day refunds in full if you cancel at
least 24 hours before it starts.
- Be early: Galway Tour Company asks you to check in from 09:40 for its 10:00
start. Lally Tours' team wears blue jackets outside the HYDE Hotel.
- Check the park days: since 1 July 2026 the park's visitor centre closes on
Mondays and Tuesdays. The trails and the café stay open.
- Carry euro in cash if your driver sells the Kylemore ticket.
- Dress for rain: the long stop is outdoors in every month.
Connemara weather has the figures by month.
Who should choose something else
- If you want Kylemore and the park on one day. No shared day does both. A
private car can plan both, and Rabbie's 3-day tour from Dublin stops at each.
- If you want a proper hike. Three hours is the most a shared day gives you.
The guided hike on the Connemara hiking tours page leads your group on the trails.
- If anyone in your party uses a wheelchair. The day tours that say either way
are marked not wheelchair accessible. Walk About Galway's private sheep-farm day is the one that is.
- If you travel with a child under five. Lally Tours asks for a child seat and
does not supply one. Connemara Chauffeurs' private car lists infant seats.
- If you are coming from Dublin for the day. These start in Galway, and no
Connemara day trip runs from Dublin. See Connemara tours from Dublin instead.
Frequently asked questions
Where do the day tours leave from?
From two city-centre kerbs. Lally Tours leaves from outside the HYDE Hotel on Forster Street. Galway Tour Company, Wild Atlantic Way Day Tours and Ireland Wild Escapes leave from outside the Kinlay Hostel on Merchants Road, off Eyre Square.
Is the Kylemore Abbey ticket in the tour price?
On some tours. Lally Tours' Kylemore days, its small-group sheepdog day and Overland's 10-day tour put the estate ticket in the fare. Galway Tour Company's and Wild Atlantic Way Day Tours' drivers sell it for cash, and the private cars leave it to you at the gate.
What is a choose-one day?
A day with one three-hour block that you spend either at Kylemore Abbey or in Connemara National Park, decided on the day. Kylemore costs extra on those days, and the park is free.
Do I need cash on a day tour?
Only if your day leaves the Kylemore ticket out and you want to go in. Galway Tour Company's driver takes EUR 14 per person, and Wild Atlantic Way Day Tours' driver sells tickets for cash. Lally Tours' Kylemore days already include it.
What time do the day tours get back to Galway?
In the early evening. Galway Tour Company gives about 18:00 and Wild Atlantic Way Day Tours 18:30. The Lally Tours days run seven and a half hours from a 09:45 or 10:15 start.
How big are the groups?
It depends on the day. Lally Tours' Leenane coach takes up to 61 and its park day 53, Wild Atlantic Way Day Tours 37 and Ireland Wild Escapes' minivan 30. The small-group sheepdog day stops at 25.
Does the Lally Tours Kylemore day stop in the national park?
No. Its route passes the park without stopping and spends two hours at Kylemore Abbey instead. For the trails, choose Lally Tours' national park day or a three-hour park day.
What is the cancellation policy?
Most day tours refund in full if you cancel at least 24 hours ahead. The Rabbie's tours from Dublin need 21 days' notice, and Overland's 10-day tour and the private chauffeur day are non-refundable.
Compare the day tours with the private cars, the hikes and the Dublin tours on Connemara Tours.