Connemara is a region, not a single place, so the map is the first thing to settle. One road runs through it, and every day out follows part of it. Planning a Connemara tour from Galway? Here is where everything sits, and how far apart.
Connemara, County Galway
The N59
from Galway to Clifden, Letterfrack and Leenane
The N59 is the road you will spend your day on. It leaves Galway heading north-west, through Oughterard and Maam Cross, and crosses the bog to Recess. From there it runs west to Clifden, then north to Letterfrack, Kylemore and Leenane, and on to Westport in County Mayo.
Almost every stop you read about sits on it or just off it, and the Twelve Bens fill the view between Recess and Clifden.
Out of Galway you have two choices. The lake road is the N59 itself, past Lough Corrib and Aughnanure Castle near Oughterard. The coast road follows Galway Bay west through An Spidéal and the Gaeltacht villages.
The tours use both, and each day drives its own loop. Lally Tours goes out by Oughterard and Maam Cross to Leenane and returns by Spiddal. The choice days go out by Screeb to Clifden and the Sky Road, then come back through the Inagh Valley past Lough Inagh. The Cong day crosses into County Mayo by Lough Nafooey to finish in Cong.
The national park’s visitor centre is the one entrance you need. It sits on the N59 near Letterfrack. Coming from Leenane or Westport, drive about 200 m beyond the village. Coming from Clifden, the turn is signed on your right before you reach Letterfrack.
All four waymarked trails start at the visitor centre, and the car park is free. The summit of Diamond Hill rises straight behind it. From the top you look over the Twelve Bens, and down to Kylemore Abbey on its lough.
Kylemore Abbey stands on the N59 beyond Letterfrack, on the road to Leenane. The abbey gives its own distances: 5 km from Letterfrack, 20 km from Clifden, 51 km from Westport and 80 km from Galway city.
The abbey sits across its lough from the park. The two are neighbours, but no shared day from Galway gives you time at both.
In Galway city, the shared days leave from two kerbs a few minutes apart. Lally Tours leaves from outside the HYDE Hotel on Forster Street. Wild Atlantic Way Day Tours, Galway Tour Company and Ireland Wild Escapes leave from outside the Kinlay Hostel on Merchants Road, off Eyre Square. The private cars collect you where you stay.
Compare the days that leave from each kerb, with the long stop and the Kylemore ticket shown on every card.
Use this to judge the drive from wherever you are staying. The park’s figures are by road to the visitor centre.
| From the park entrance to | By road | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Kylemore Abbey | A few km on the N59 | The abbey: 5 km from Letterfrack |
| Clifden | About 15 km | The park |
| Leenane | About 20 km | The park |
| Westport | About 53 km | The park |
| Galway, by the Inagh Valley | About 82 km | The park |
| Galway, by Clifden | About 93 km | The park |
The roads and the buses in full are on getting to Connemara, and what to see at each stop is on things to do in Connemara.
Distances and directions come from Connemara National Park’s own pages and from Kylemore Abbey’s, read in 2026. The two routes come from Connemara’s tourism site. Each tour’s loop comes from its own itinerary.
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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A minivan day west by the Screebe waterfall to Clifden and the Sky Road, then three hours at the national park or Kylemore Abbey: you pick one on the day.
From $92 per person
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A minibus for up to fifteen from any Galway address: the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, Connemara and Kylemore on one ten-hour route you can change.
From $936 per group, up to 15
Check AvailabilityNext: plan the drive on getting to Connemara, pick your month on Connemara weather, or compare every day out on Connemara Tours.