Discover the countryside beyond Galway City with this full-day tour of Connemara. Skip the hassle of navigating and board a comfortable coach for a tour of scenic villages and the Wild Atlantic Way. Explore the historic Kylemore Abbey including its walled Victorian Garden at your leisure. Maximize time in Connemara with a tour that features popular locations including the village of Roundstone, the scenic Sky Road, and landmarks like Clifden Castle.

Explore beyond the city with a full-day countryside tour
Discover the beauty of the Wild Atlantic Way
Visit Kylemore Abbey and its walled Victorian Garden
Maximize time in Connemara with a comprehensive tour

What's Included

Air-conditioned vehicle
Local Driver / Guide
Live commentary onboard

Gratuities
Entry to Kylemore Abbey - tickets can be purchased from the driver at discounted rates.
Lunch
Hotel Pickup

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Merchants Road
Merchants Rd, Galway, Ireland
Tour departs Merchants Road, Galway outside the Kinlay Hostel at 09:30 daily. Please present 15 minutes prior to departure.

Start time

09:30 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

The Claddagh (Pass By)

Salthill Promenade (Pass By)

Barna (Pass By)

Spiddal (Pass By)

Costelloe (Pass By)

Screebe

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Connemara (Pass By)

Clifden (Pass By)

Clifden Castle (Pass By)

Sky Road

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Connemara National Park & Visitor Centre (Pass By)

Kylemore Abbey & Victorian Walled Garden

3 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

Quiet Man Bridge

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation

Infants must sit on laps
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 37 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Cynthia_S

Our tour guide was very friendly, welcoming, and knowledgeable. We enjoyed the day and would definitely recommend it.

Reviews

5.0

80 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 80 reviews

Great!

taralavin, Apr 2023

The drive there is wonderful—the scenery is wild and more than I expected! Lots of great short stops along the way at scenic overlooks :) really enjoyed our time at the Abby. Was just the right amount of time to check out the garden, grab lunch, and walk through the Abby and chapel :)

Wonderful tour of Kylemore Abbey

Nicole_C, Apr 2023

While staying in Galway, Ireland, we took a day tour out to Connemara National Park and Kylemore Abbey. The day started with rain and strong winds. The wind was so intense that our stop in Connemara was canceled as it wasn’t safe to hike there. It was blowing the water up off the lakes and even forcing gusts of water upward off the waterfalls on the mountains. It all worked out nicely though as the rain let up just as we arrived at Kylemore castle and there was plenty to keep us busy there. Built in 1868 by Mitchell Henry for his wife, the castle later became a Benedictine monastery for nuns who fled Belgium in World War I. The nuns still reside there and craft beautiful chocolates, scarves, and other items for visitors to purchase. We walked up to the neo-gothic church that Henry built in his wife’s memory and got to look inside at the beautiful restoration. We ended with a nice lunch at the cafe on the grounds before heading back to Galway. Our guide, Mike, was great and shared so many interesting facts and stories. He stopped at a few great locations for photo opportunities, which was much appreciated.

Great day!

Cynthia_S, Apr 2023

Our tour guide was very friendly, welcoming, and knowledgeable. We enjoyed the day and would definitely recommend it.

Delightful, just delightful

Jennifer_R, Oct 2022

What an absolutely lovely tour. So much to see, such lovely bit of info shared by the guide, with a lovely temperament. Wonderful photo stops along the way, including a few unexpected ones, - and the end destination was absolutely breathtaking. Definitely worth every cent and highly recommended.

Great tour.

Gordon_R, Sep 2022

Courteous, professional driver/guide. The Connemara countryside beautiful and rugged. The Abbey was very impressive. The grounds and gardens were wonderful.

Lovely tour through the beautiful Connemara area

Carol_M, Sep 2022

We loved this tour. Our guide/driver shared his vast knowledge of Ireland and the Connemara area with us throughout the trip. It was also nice to have free time at Kylemore Abby so that we could do what we wanted to do.

Thanks a Million!

krankin, Aug 2022

We 4 American seniors have been driving Ireland for a week but would never have seen the beautiful sights of Connemara and Kylemore but for our driver Cathel. We were completely at ease with his skillful driving as he navigated unusual highlights and provided interesting information along the way. A very worthwhile and memorable trip!

Must do/see for a short stay in Galway

Anne_L, Aug 2022

Well organized and timed tour. Guide was knowledgeable and very nice and accommodating. Would have loved to spend a bit more time for shopping at end of visits.

Very fun!!

Josephine_L, Apr 2022

This tour was fantastic! Our guide Mike was the best. Very knowledgeable, funny, and kind. Kylemore Abbey is gorgeous, a bit smaller in person than you would think but it’s stunning! The tour is priced very fair and it is 100% worth it if you want to explore more of Ireland during your stay. We didn’t have the best weather but regardless it was very fun :)

Worth every minute to go...

amyjohick, Mar 2022

Worth every minute to go see Kylemoore Abbey and our tour guide Gerry was fantastic! Just the right combination of history and comedy!

Lifetime trip

Pat_M, Nov 2021

I've been around connemara several times, but our guide, Gerry, brought the whole trip to life, with his knowledge of the area down to the smallest detail. An incredible history of the area. Thanks Gerry

The tour guide was...

Abby_K, Nov 2021

The tour guide was lovely! He tried to make the experience memorable. He was funny and knew a lot about the area. The Connemara area was beautiful. We would highly recommend.

Response from Host, Nov 2021

Thank you for taking the time to review our Connemara & Kylemore Abbey Day Tour. Delighted to read that you enjoyed your day with us.

Lovely!

Casey_H, Oct 2021

Great tour with Mike! He was very kind and insightful. We got to stop often for photos and he gave us plenty of time to spend exploring Kylemore Abbey

Great tour!

Amy_B, Sep 2021

An amazing day traveling through Connemara with our tour guide John. He has so many great things to share and Kylemore Abbey was breathtaking!! We would definitely recommend this tour!

Response from Host, Sep 2021

Thank you for taking the time to review our Connemara and Kylemore Abbey Day Tour. All our guides, including John are all locals and their passion and pride for their area is evident on their tours. Glad you enjoyed the day.

Nice Connemara landscape

Rosario_G, Aug 2021

The panorama of Connemara was very beautiful. The visit at Kylemore Abbey was also very good except that it was raining. Very good also the cafè-restaurant present at the site. Very satisfied with the tour.

Beautiful

linh_l, Aug 2021

We ended up on this tour about a week into our 2 week stay in Ireland. What an amazing experience with someone who is knowledgeable! We felt covid safe and learned so much history and got to see some many amazing sites. What an experience that our kids will also have for the rest of their lives. Would highly recommend.

Great Kylemore and Connemara tour

EjP, Aug 2021

The driver (Jeff was his name I think) was very informative, and he was good craic. Despite the bad weather we managed to enjoy the tour.

Response from Host, Aug 2021

Thank you for your review. I'm delighted to read that despite the bad weather you still enjoyed the day in Connemara.

Excellent tour

Sarah_P, Jul 2021

Great tour. Our tour guide was excellent and very knowledgeable about Connemara and surrounding areas. Would highly recommend.

Response from Host, Jul 2021

Thank you Sarah, for reviewing our Connemara & Kylemore Abbey Day Tour. I'm delighted to read that you enjoyed our tour and our new and extended 3 hour stop at the Kylemore Abbey.

Superb

DebbieJane_E, Jun 2021

i really enjoyed the trip yesterday! a long drive but definitely was worth it. Kylemore Abbey is a place you wish to comeback to. Gerry is also a good craic! very knowledgeable and fun! Kudos

Très bien.

Gunalle_R, Nov 2022

Très bonne organisation. Paysages magnifiques et guide très sympathique (Peter). Un audio guide avec qqs explications pourrait être appréciable.

Très bien organisé. Très...

viviane_l, Jul 2022

Très bien organisé. Très beau. Le chauffeur était très sympa. Par contre tout est en Anglais. Idéal pour ceux qui n'ont qu'une journée pour visiter.