A Connemara Day Trip from Galway, Stop by Stop
A Connemara day trip from Galway is a loop of about eight hours: out on one road, back on another, with short stops at villages and viewpoints and one long stop in the middle. This guide follows the roads the Connemara tour from Galway days take, stop by stop, with the minutes each listing gives every stop.
Use it to see what a day covers before you book, or to plan the same loop in a hire car.
How does a Connemara day trip from Galway run?
Connemara starts just west of Galway City, and you enter it one of two ways. On the lake route you follow the signs for Clifden along the N59, past Lough Corrib and Oughterard. On the coastal route you follow the signs for An Spidéal, through the Irish-speaking Gaeltacht along Galway Bay.
Most days go out on one and come back on the other. Lally Tours goes out by Oughterard and Maam Cross and comes home through Spiddal. Wild Atlantic Way Day Tours and Ireland Wild Escapes go west by Screebe to Clifden first. Galway Tour Company runs north by the Inagh Valley and comes home by Cong.
You leave between 09:30 and 10:15, depending on the day you book, and you are back between about 17:15 and 18:30.
Oughterard, Aughnanure and Maam Cross
The N59 runs west from Galway along the edge of Lough Corrib to Oughterard. Aughnanure Castle stands 3.5 km from the town, off the N59, on a rock over the Drimneen River. It is the O'Flaherty tower house from the late 15th century, and admission is EUR 5 for an adult.
The shared days do not stop there, but Walk About Galway's private sheep-farm day gives it an hour. Lally Tours passes Oughterard, Maam Cross and the Twelve Bens on its way to Leenane.
Leenane and Killary Harbour
On Lally Tours' days you get 30 minutes in Leenane, a village at the head of the fjord, then 15 minutes by the water. Killary Harbour runs 16 km inland on the Galway-Mayo border, and Discover Ireland counts it as one of three glacial fjords in Ireland, with Lough Swilly and Carlingford Lough.
Across the water you see Mweelrea, 814 m and the highest mountain in Connacht, on the Mayo side. On Galway Tour Company's day you get a 10-minute photo stop here on the way to Cong.
Kylemore Abbey: two hours, or three
Kylemore Abbey stands on the N59 between Clifden and Westport, about 80 km from Galway City. On most days you get two hours there, and on the choice days three.
In two hours, take the shuttle bus to the six-acre Victorian Walled Garden first, then walk back to the restored ground-floor rooms and the Neo-Gothic Church. With three, add the lakeshore and woodland walks. The abbey suggests three to six hours for the whole estate.
In summer you can go in from 10:00 until last admission at 17:00, and the estate closes at 18:00. You do not need a ticket for the café, the shop or the car park, which sit outside the paid area. Nicole D., on the sheepdog day, liked the gardens even more than the abbey.
Letterfrack and the national park
The entrance to Connemara National Park is about 200 m beyond Letterfrack on the N59 coming from Leenane. Kylemore Abbey adjoins the park across the lough, about 5 km from the village.
Lally Tours' park day gives you two hours here, and the choice days three. You start every trail at the visitor centre: the 0.5 km Ellis Wood loop, the 1.5 km Sruffaunboy loop, and the lower and upper Diamond Hill loops of 3 km and 3.7 km. Since 1 July 2026 the visitor centre closes on Mondays and Tuesdays, while the trails stay open.
Four of the Twelve Bens stand inside the park: Benbaun, Bencullagh, Benbrack and Muckanaght. Benbaun, at 725 m, is the highest peak in County Galway. The trails do not climb them, but from the Diamond Hill summit you look straight across at the range.
Clifden and the Sky Road
On the three-hour days you get 30 to 45 minutes in Clifden. If you walk up to Market Square, you find the bronze statue of Alcock and Brown, which has stood there since 2020. Their transatlantic flight crash-landed in the bog at Derrygimla, just south of the town.
From Clifden the Sky Road makes a 16 km loop along the coast, and from it you look over Clifden Bay and its islands. You drive it on the choice days, and Connemara Chauffeurs' private half day gives you 20 minutes on it.
Screebe, Pines Island and the Inagh Valley
If your day goes west by Screebe, you stop at the waterfall there and at Pines Island, a small island of trees in Derryclare Lough. On the way back you come through the Inagh Valley by Lough Inagh and stop at the Connemara Giant.
Galway Tour Company takes the Inagh Valley on the way out instead, with a 10-minute photo stop. The park's own directions use the same valley: N59 to Recess, first right after Recess, then left at the end for Letterfrack.
Cong, across the county line
Galway Tour Company's day ends in Cong, in County Mayo. You take the Lough Nafooey road over from Killary, and you get 45 minutes in the village and at its abbey.
Cong's Quiet Man Bridge is named for the 1952 film The Quiet Man. Wild Atlantic Way Day Tours' private chauffeur day also finishes by Cong and the bridge, and Rabbie's 3-day tour from Dublin spends an hour there.
The coast road home: Spiddal and the Gaeltacht
On Lally Tours' days you come home along Galway Bay. You stop in Spiddal, An Spidéal in Irish, for 15 minutes on the Kylemore day and 30 on the park day, and the park day returns through Salthill.
You are now in the Connemara Gaeltacht, one of Ireland's largest, where you will hear Irish as the everyday language along the coast road.
How long is each stop?
These are the minutes each listing gives. "Drive-by" means the listing passes without stopping; "Not listed" means its itinerary does not name the stop.
| Stop | Lally Tours: Leenane day | Galway Tour Company: Cong day | Wild Atlantic Way Day Tours: choice day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leaves Galway | 09:45, HYDE Hotel | 10:00, Kinlay Hostel | 09:30, Kinlay Hostel |
| Leenane | 30 min | Not listed | Not listed |
| Killary | 15 min | 10 min | Not listed |
| Kylemore Abbey | 2 h, ticket paid | Up to 2 h, EUR 14 cash | 3 h, or the park |
| The national park | Drive-by | Not listed | 3 h, or Kylemore |
| Clifden and the Sky Road | Not listed | Not listed | 30 min, then the Sky Road |
| Inagh Valley | Not listed | 10 min | On the way back |
| Cong | Not listed | 45 min | Not listed |
| Spiddal | 15 min | Not listed | Not listed |
| Back in Galway | After 7 h 30 | About 18:00 | 18:30 |
Where do you eat on a day trip?
No day tour includes lunch, so plan it around the long stop. At Kylemore the café sits by the car park, outside the paid area. At the park, The Hungry Hiker café stays open even on the days the visitor centre is shut.
On the three-hour days, Clifden has the most choice before the long stop. Brian J., on the Lally day, found enough time at each stop to stretch, take pictures and eat. Carry water and a snack either way.
Can you drive the same loop yourself?
Yes. Take the N59 west through Oughterard and Maam Cross to Recess, turn right for the Inagh Valley, and follow it to Letterfrack: about 82 km to the park. Kylemore is a few kilometres on. Come back through Clifden and down the coast road through the Gaeltacht.
Parking is free at the park and at Kylemore. Start early, since you can then give the abbey and the trails two hours each, which no shared day does. The guide to Connemara without a tour covers the buses and the bike routes too.
Frequently asked questions
Do the tours visit the stops in the same order?
Where can you eat on a day trip?
How long is a day tour from Galway?
How far is the national park from Galway?
Does the Lally Tours Kylemore day stop in the national park?
Is Kylemore Abbey inside Connemara National Park?
Where do the tours leave from in Galway?
Where can I see a sheepdog demonstration?
Day trips that run these roads
From Galway: Guided tour of Connemara with 3 hour stop in Kylemore Abbey
Merchants Road at 09:30, the Pines Island viewpoint, Clifden and the Sky Road, then three hours at Kylemore or in the national park, back at 18:30.
From $58 per person
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From Galway: Connemara and Cong Full-Day Tour
The lowest fare from Galway: up to two hours at Kylemore, where the driver sells entry for EUR 14 in cash, then the Lough Nafooey road to Cong.
From $51 per person
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Small Group Kylemore Abbey, Sheepdog Demo & Connemara Tour
A coach capped at 25 from the HYDE Hotel, with two hours at Kylemore and a 70-minute sheepdog demonstration, both tickets in the fare.
From $134 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: Pick the day that matches your loop in the best Connemara tour guide, or compare every fare on Connemara Tours.