Travel West By Train
Day Tour Plus - Connemara & Galway Bay
FREE 48hr Dublin Bus Hop-on-Hop-off City Sightseeing Tour tickets.
Enjoy a late start to the day with an afternoon departure. Overnight in Galway City and take in the vibrancy of this bustling Irish city.
An overnight tour to the glorious West of Ireland, including an overnight stay in the City Centre of Galway, also known as the City of the Tribes.
You will have the evening free to experience this most exciting city, full of fantastic pubs and restaurants, many with traditional Irish music. Listen out for the Irish language - Gaeilge - being spoken by some locals and take in the many and varied cultural experiences awaiting you.
The next morning, after a full Irish breakfast, you will be brought on a wonderful tour of one of Ireland's most scenic regions - Connemara.
- Return Rail Travel.
- Reserved Seats on the train.
- Railtours Ireland Host Throughout.
- Visitor Attraction Admissions.
- Escorted Coach.
- 1 Night Galway in 3*/4* Hotel.
- Full Irish Breakfast in Galway.
$367pps
"Big amazing shout out to your tour guide"
Sep 2019 by Michelle Heath
"Big amazing shout out to your tour guide for going above and beyond to help us novices pick out a bodhran! What an phenomenal guy. All we did was mention we wanted one and he was only too happy to help. He not only told us the music stores to go to... he brought us there personally, and gave us a demo on how to play. Anthony from the Galway tour with Railtours Ireland.... THANK YOU. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 5-star service!"
"This was a great trip from Dublin across the beautiful Ireland countryside to Connemara."
Jun 2016 by John E
This was a great trip from Dublin across the beautiful Ireland countryside to Connemara. It was a wonderful experience and our guides made the trip memorable. It was a great way to see the beauty and experience the flavor of Ireland if you are limited on time. We only had two days to spend in Ireland and this trip was definitely worth the effort.
"Well, I absolutely loved this tour. Everything went extremely smoothly..."
Apr 2016 by Louis N, Canada
Well, I absolutely loved this tour. Everything went extremely smoothly from the early rail trip to Galway to the return to Dublin in the evening. The tour guides were phenomenal Jim O'Keefe, Peter, and the stupendous driver of the coach, Martin. The guides had lots of interesting information to impart and struck a perfect balance of humour, information, and silence. Well done! The scenery was breathtaking. Quite unbelievable. I strongly recommend this tour...it very much surpassed my expectations!
Visitor Attraction Admissions included: Kylemore Abbey and Gardens.
- Return Rail Travel.
- Reserved Seats on the train.
- Railtours Ireland Host Throughout.
- Visitor Attraction Admissions.
- Escorted Coach.
- 1 Night Galway in 3*/4* Hotel.
- Full Irish Breakfast in Galway.
1
Dublin to Galway
Galway City Centre
Check-in is 20 minutes prior to Train Departure Time.
Check-in beside the Customer Service Desk at Heuston Station where our representative will be waiting for you in their yellow jacket!
11:25 Depart Dublin Heuston Station to Galway
13:45 Arrive Galway Station
Transfer to your city centre hotel where you will have the evening free to explore the city.
2
Connemara and Kylemore Abbey & Gardens
Enjoy your full Irish breakfast before checking out of your hotel.
Our tour of Connemara departs from Galway Train Station.
From Galway, we head towards the village of Moycullen. From Moycullen the road rises and falls towards the lovely village of Oughterard on the shores of Lough Corrib, traditionally regarded as Ireland’s premier angling centre. Now the gateway to Connemara opens and the breathtaking colours of this unspoilt countryside are revealed in all their natural splendour.
At Maam Cross, the Connemara "crossroads", there is a replica of the cottage used in the 1950s John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara film The Quiet Man, which was filmed here. From Maam Cross, our tour heads out to Leenane, Kylemore Abbey and Letterfrack, in the shadow of purple mountains rolling down to blue and green rocky valleys, reflecting the rich and varied colours of Connemara.
There is a lunch break at Kylemore Abbey and Gardens, an eighteenth-century castle now owned by the Benedictine nuns, who run an excellent pottery, gift shop and restaurant here. Letterfrack is one of Ireland’s major national parks.
The colourful town of Clifden has been one of Ireland's leading holiday resorts for generations. It is an excellent touring centre beloved by the walker, the biker, the hiker or the fisherman. It was here too, at Derrygimlagh Bog, near Clifden that aviation history was made when Alcock and Brown crash landed after their historic transatlantic flight in 1919.
Back at Maam Cross again and the road turns southwards now through the Screeb, Costello and Rossaveal. Rossaveal is the departure point for ferryboats to the Aran Islands and is also a major fishing port. We are now in the Gaeltacht or Irish speaking area of Connemara where Gaeilge or Irish is still the everyday spoken language of a bilingual people.
Our tour of Connemara heads homewards towards Galway City now, along the shores of Galway bay, through the Gaeltacht villages of Inverin and Spiddal and looking out across the blue waters of the Atlantic at the unique limestone of the Burren and the hills of Clare. After your day's touring you will be returned to Galway Station for your return journey to Dublin.
Returning to Dublin Heuston at 21:45hrs.