★★★★★
Connemara day from Galway · Leenane and Kylemore
Shane added a surprise stop to feed sheep and gave the group extra time at Kylemore, which it needs.
Andrew M. · Traveller · August 2026
Connemara Day Trip Including Leenane Village and Kylemore Abbey from Galway
Kylemore ticket includedFrom Galway
The Connemara day to book if you want the one paid stop settled before you set off. You meet the coach outside the HYDE Hotel at 09:45 and cross the region by Oughterard, Maam Cross and the Twelve Bens. You stop in Leenane and beside Killary, then spend two hours at Kylemore. Your ticket for the abbey and its walled garden is already in the fare.
Leenane, Killary and two hours at Kylemore
The ticket is paid
Entry to Kylemore Abbey and the Victorian Walled Garden is in your fare.
Two hours on the estate
Time for the ground-floor rooms, the church and the garden by shuttle bus.
Thirty minutes in Leenane
A proper break in the village at the head of the fjord.
Fifteen minutes at Killary
A stop on the long sea inlet that splits Galway from Mayo.
Home by the Irish-speaking coast
Fifteen minutes in Spiddal, then Salthill and back into Galway.
Hotel pickup on request
Ask Lally Tours at least 24 hours ahead and you are collected in Galway.
A Connemara day where the one paid stop is already paid
Connemara has no gate. You pay nothing to cross the bog, drive under the Twelve Bens or stand at the head of Killary. The one stop on this road that charges is Kylemore Abbey, and on this day the ticket is part of your fare. You step off the coach with nothing to buy and two hours to spend. From $76 per person you get the coach, a driver-guide and that ticket.
The ticket opens more than the house. It covers the restored ground-floor rooms, the Neo-Gothic Church, the Mausoleum, the woodland and lakeshore walks, and the Victorian Walled Garden, with a shuttle bus out and back. The upper floors stay closed, because the Benedictine nuns still live there. The café, the shop and the car park sit outside the paid area, so you can eat without leaving the grounds.
What the day gives you before and after the abbey
The drive is half the point. You leave Galway by Oughterard, near the shore of Lough Corrib, and cross the open bog at Maam Cross, with the Twelve Bens beyond it. Leenane is the first real stop: thirty minutes in the village where the fjord ends. Then comes a fifteen-minute stop beside Killary Harbour itself. Discover Ireland calls it one of just three glacial fjords in Ireland, and it is 16 km long.
After Kylemore the coach runs past Connemara National Park without stopping. It then turns for the south coast and a fifteen-minute break in Spiddal, where Irish is the everyday language. You come home along the promenade at Salthill. Before you choose, set this day beside every other Connemara tour from Galway: it is the one that keeps the ticket out of your pocket.
Two hours at Kylemore: how to spend them
Two hours feels short to some travellers and right to others. On one day a guide gave the group extra time at the abbey; one traveller on the same day, sold on another platform, wished for more. If you want to see it all, take the shuttle to the walled garden first. Then walk back to the house and on to the church, and finish with lunch at the café by the car park. The abbey itself suggests three to six hours for the whole estate, so pick the parts you want before you arrive.
How the seven and a half hours run
- 09:45, outside the HYDE Hotel. Meet the Lally Tours team in blue jackets on Forster Street; the listed start is 10:00.
- Across Connemara. Past Oughterard, over Maam Cross and under the Twelve Bens, without stopping.
- Leenane, 30 minutes. A break in the village at the head of Killary Harbour.
- Killary Fjord, 15 minutes. A stop beside the inlet for photographs.
- Kylemore Abbey, 2 hours. The abbey, the church and the Victorian Walled Garden, with your ticket paid.
- Past the national park. The coach passes Connemara National Park and its visitor centre.
- Spiddal, 15 minutes. A break in the seaside village, then Salthill and back to the HYDE Hotel.
Who this suits: first-timers who want the ticket sorted
Book this if
It is your first time in Connemara and you want the simplest day: one kerb in Galway, one fare, and Kylemore paid for. It suits couples, families who bring a seat for any child under five, and anyone happy on a full-size coach.
Choose something else instead if
You would rather walk than tour a house: the national park day trip from Galway gives you three hours on the trails. If 61 seats is too many, Lally's own small-group sheepdog day caps the coach at 25 and keeps the ticket in the fare. If you want your own car, look at the private half day from Galway.
What the fare covers
In the fare
- Hotel pickup (request from the operator at least 24 hours ahead)
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Driver-guide
- Entrance fee to Kylemore Abbey and Victorian Walled Garden
Not in the fare
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks
Where the coach leaves: the HYDE Hotel on Forster Street
Meet outside the HYDE Hotel, Forster Street, Galway (H91 PY7E), at 09:45. Look for the Lally Tours team in blue jackets. The day ends back at the same spot, a short street off Eyre Square.
Staying outside the centre? Hotel pickup is in the fare, but you must ask Lally Tours for it at least 24 hours before the tour. Getting to Connemara compares the two Galway kerbs the coaches use, and the Connemara map shows the road the day follows.
Know before you go
- Bring lunch money. Food is not in the fare; the café at Kylemore sits outside the paid area.
- It is a big coach. Up to 61 travellers, so expect a full-size coach and board with time to spare.
- Bring a child seat for under-fives. Infants under 5 need one, and Lally Tours does not supply it.
- Minimum numbers apply. If too few book, you are offered another date or a full refund.
- Not wheelchair accessible. Strollers are fine; the coach itself is not suitable for wheelchairs.
- Dress for rain. The walks between the abbey, the church and the garden are all outdoors.
What travellers said about the Leenane day
★★★★★
Connemara day from Galway · Leenane and Kylemore
Brian was patient with a child who felt car-sick on the bends, and the abbey and its grounds were lovely.
Lisa C. · Family · Traveller · August 2026
★★★★★
Connemara day from Galway · Leenane and Kylemore
Plenty of time at each stop to stretch, take pictures and eat, and a good way out of the city for a day.
Brian J. · Traveller · August 2026
Frequently asked questions
Is the Kylemore Abbey ticket included?
Yes. The entrance fee for Kylemore Abbey and the Victorian Walled Garden is in the fare, so you have nothing to pay at the gate. Food and tips are extra.
Does it stop in Connemara National Park?
No. The coach passes the park and its visitor centre without stopping. For time on the trails, the national park day trip from Galway gives you three hours there.
How long do we get at Kylemore?
Two hours. Take the shuttle to the walled garden first, then walk back to the abbey and the church, and you will see the main parts of the estate.
Is there a smaller group?
Yes. Lally Tours also runs a small-group day capped at 25, with a sheepdog demonstration and the Kylemore ticket both in the fare. It leaves the same hotel at 10:15.
Do you pick up from hotels?
Yes, on request. Contact Lally Tours at least 24 hours before your tour; otherwise meet the coach outside the HYDE Hotel at 09:45.
Other ways into Connemara from Galway
Ready for Leenane, Killary and Kylemore?
Check dates for the Connemara day with the Kylemore ticket in the fare, with free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
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