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Connemara and Galway City Day Tour from Dublin: Explore Barren Landscapes and Beautiful Tribal City
3.2
90 Ratings
34 O'Connell Street Lower
Embark on a day tour from Dublin to Connemara and Galway City. Discover the barren landscapes and untouched beauty of Connemara, featured in famous movies. Explore the traditional and colorful tribal city of Galway. Book now!
Embark on a day tour from Dublin to Connemara and Galway City. Discover the barren landscapes and untouched beauty of Connemara, featured in famous movies. Explore the traditional and colorful tribal city of Galway. Book now!
Duration:
12 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Paddywagon Tours - We depart Dublin and make our way West for a great day Tour to Connemara.On our way across the midlands of Ireland we shall make a comfort stop for refreshments and a chance to stretch your legs.On arrival in Connemara, We will visit the picturesque village of Cong, this is a national Tidy-Town winner and the location for the…
- Paddywagon Tours - We depart Dublin and make our way West for a great day Tour to Connemara.On our way across the midlands of Ireland we shall make a comfort stop for refreshments and a chance to stretch your legs.On arrival in Connemara, We will visit the picturesque village of Cong, this is a national Tidy-Town winner and the location for the Oscar winning Hollywood movie - The Quiet Man.
- Glengowla Mines & Family Farm Experience - Enjoy a stop at the family farm experience and historic underground mine at Glengowla. Beneath the surface the show mines are atmospheric while above ground learn about traditional farming methods including turf cutting and sheepdog demonstrations.
-
Connemara - Enjoy a spectacular road trip with views of Joyce country and the mountains of Connemara.
We continue our drive through the wilderness of Connemara with its unique landscape, beautiful lakes, valleys, and mountainous scenery. Ravaged by famine, and predominantly Gaelic the people here still strive to maintain the remanence of rural culture and the traditional Irish way of life.
We head back to Galway via the Deserted Maam Valley, an area of scenic and unsurpassed beauty with the lakes of Connemara which unfold in among the twelve Bens mountains. We then travel back along the coast and Galway Bay through Spiddal, and enjoy magnificent views of the Atlantic Coastline to Galway and Aran Islands. - Galway Bay - We arrive in Galway, known as the city of tribes and once home to Christopher Columbus. The city is Ireland’s traditional capital and home to some of our finest traditional musicians. Our 2 hour stop allows you to explore the city at your leisure. Explore highlights like the Spanish Arch, St. Nicholas Cathedral, the colourful Shop Street or maybe even sample some world famous Galway Bay oysters.
- Paddy’s Palace - The tour will depart Galway at 17.00 to return to Dublin at approximately 7:30pm.
What's Included
- On-board WiFi
- Professional guide
- All taxes, fees and handling charges included
- USB ports at every seat
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Live commentary on board
- On-board WiFi
- Professional guide
- All taxes, fees and handling charges included
- USB ports at every seat
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Live commentary on board
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Food and Drink
- Gratuities
- Food and Drink
Additional Information
Connemara is genuinely the untouched realm of Ireland, deeply affected during the catastrophic potato famine of 1847-1851. Despite its desolate appearance, it maintains its inherent allure.Â
Its stunning lakes, picturesque castles, stone barriers, and abandoned valleys have made it a popular setting for several big-screen productions, including The Quiet…
Connemara is genuinely the untouched realm of Ireland, deeply affected during the catastrophic potato famine of 1847-1851. Despite its desolate appearance, it maintains its inherent allure.Â
Its stunning lakes, picturesque castles, stone barriers, and abandoned valleys have made it a popular setting for several big-screen productions, including The Quiet Man starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, and The Guard featuring Brendan Gleeson.Â
The tour not only acquaints you with this spectacular Irish region but also includes a two-hour stopover in Galway city. This provides ample opportunity to discover the key features of this conventional, vibrant, and stunning indigenous metropolis.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Bookings made through Viator will automatically be signed up for the pickup point and collection time specified in the booking.
- If you wish to change your reservation to one of the other pick-up locations offered by Paddywagon Tours, you will need to contact us by telephone or email not later than 17:00 the evening prior so that we can guarantee the change. Please note that changes are only guaranteed once confirmed in writing by us.
Location
34 O'Connell Street Lower
O'Connell Street Lower
Meet at Paddywagon Office at The Spire - 34 O'Connell Street Lower, Dublin 1.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
3.2
(90 Ratings)
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136franklinr
May 19, 2024
Fantastic Connemara and Galway Trip with Driver Ian - I recently took a trip withmy partner to Connemara and Galway, and it was an unforgettable experience, largely thanks to our driver, Ian. The journey was not only scenic and beautiful but also incredibly fun and informative.
Ian's knowledge of the area is impressive, and he shared fascinating stories and historical insights throughout the trip. His humor kept us all entertained, making the long drives between stops feel short and enjoyable.
From the stunning landscapes of Connemara to the vibrant atmosphere of Galway, every part of the trip was well-planned and enriching. Ian's passion for the region truly shone through, adding a personal touch to the tour.
I highly recommend this trip to anyone looking to explore this beautiful part of Ireland. And if you’re lucky enough to have Ian as your driver, you’re in for a fantastic time!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Camille_a
Jul 8, 2024
Very good I'll do it again - Very good lake and the chauffeur was really nice , he didn't talk to much and not not enough so it was perfect
Review provided by Viator
William_b
Oct 5, 2024
the tour guide Tom was awesome but he ride was way more than i expected and the mine tour was so boring - seeing the sheep was the highlight of the day and the dog was so excited for us to be together and we owner was very proud of him
Review provided by Viator
Robinbn7912zc
Sep 23, 2024
No Connemara on Sundays! - We took the trip on a Sunday. On Sunday, the tour skips Connemara, but there was no mention of this in the information on the Paddywagon site. We were disappointed & may not have chosen this tour if we had known.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jeanp_p
Apr 20, 2024
The stop at the... - The stop at the Lead/Silver mine and watching the sheep dog in action at this country property was very interesting. Galway was busy but maybe could have had more time to explore. Long time in the bus. Our tour guide, Dominic, was very good
Review provided by Viator
Kennedys968
Mar 20, 2025
Great tour staff, terrible administration - To start I would like to say that if my tour was exclusively about my tour guide Michael, and my driver Carl it would be a glowing 5 star review. Michael was incredibly knowledgeable and fun. We enjoyed hearing everything he knew about our many stops. Carl was an excellent driver even as this tour goes through scenic routes with more winding roads than other tours. We really enjoyed our experiences with them.
However, our day was seriously impacted by poor administrative decisions than affected Michael, Carl, and every other passenger on our day tour including my group.
I booked this specific tour because we liked how long it gave the passengers in Galway. There was a lot we wanted to see and do here, but a day tour was all we could fit into our schedule for the week. However, we ultimately lost an hour of this promised time.
At the beginning of the day, the importance of timeliness was rightfully emphasized to us. Dublin has very strict rules for bus/transit drivers about how far they can drive in a day, how many breaks they need based on distance/time travelled etc. it was made clear to us that any delays would ultimately impact the time we spend at each stop. Then, 20 minutes into our drive, our guide received a call that there were two passengers that the administrative team neglected to put on our guide’s passenger list that our van had to turn around and go pick up. This added nearly an hour of drive time, in addition to distance on our drivers monitor. I find it extremely hard to believe that our van turning around to get them was Paddywagons only option. It seems that this decision was made exclusively to save the company’s money, even knowing that it would DEFINITELY impact our schedule for the rest of the day. This time ended up being taken from the longest stop, Galway. The tour’s itinerary states and 2.5 hour stop here. We got 1.5 hours.
Ultimately I find this decision unfair to myself, the other passengers, and to our driver and guide who were discussing if they could even make it to the bus garage with the remaining time and distance our driver had. This decision did not consider AT ALL the money that the passengers on the bus spent for the day, or the comfort of passengers. It is already a long day in the van and we had nearly an hour added to that time for no good reason.
I did reach out to the company for some form of compensation, and all they offered was 10% off another tour. We were no longer even in the country by the time this offer was sent.
If my review was down exclusively to the administrative actions of the company it would be 1 star. However, the incredible services Michael and Carl rendered despite the frustrating corner they were backed into by their employers saved one star.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lesley
Dec 16, 2024
Very Disappointed customer. - We travelled with Brian twice Galway/connemara and afternoon the following day to Wicklow mountains. In Galway he drove like a madman speeding over road humps literally throwing us up in the air off our seat, in the most heavy rain really a dangerous driver. He told us the silver mines were closed, we were left in the pouring rain at Colm,where we were taken instead nothing open except a gift shop and spar. We didn't stop for even 5mins in connemara ( the reason I chose this day trip). No wild Atlantic way straight to Galway for two hrs. A waisted journey and money also a unpleasant attitude from Brian all the way. The next day we got Brian again ( we had already spoken to the staff in shop and they reimbursed the entry fee for the mines, which we appreciated). His attitude was much worse he threatened a full coach of language students from Italy " to be quite"when he was speaking he was very rude and told the coach if anybody returned after 4:20pm they would have to find there own way back to Dublin. He made no effort to explain any history and just drove the coach like a bus driver. The man was beyond disappointing and i will never use this company again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Robert_b
Nov 26, 2024
Not a Tour I would Recommend to anyone!! - This is not a tour you should take unless you like spending %80 on the bus. We had 30 mins Cong and 2hrs in Galway, the rest of the time on the bus. Several items mentioned in the tour that we didn't do. The Quiet Man in Cong was good, but the museum was closed. Very unhappy with this tour, I've taken quite a few tours with Viator and never has an experience as bad as this one. These are the items that were advertised that we didn't do: Glengowla Mines & Family Farm Experience, I feel the right thing to do would be to refund my tour since it wasn't even close to being what it was advertised
Review provided by Viator
Abhishek_m
May 5, 2025
A very expensive bus ride to Galway - I have taken over 50 day tours in Europe and Asia and this was the most disappointing of all. There were just 2 stops: a 45 minute stop in cong and 2 hours in Galway. An underground mine tour was listed in the itinerary but was skipped and no explanation provided. The drive in connemara was good but only 2 give minute stops were given for photography. There could have been more stops for exploring connemara. Overall, it seemed a very expensive return bus ride to Galway.
Review provided by Viator
Odyssey41728230545
Dec 9, 2023
Waste of time and money - Waste of time - This isn’t day tour it’s merely A van tour where guide stops at Spar near Connemara and gives 40 mins time to shop and drink coffee and starts vehicle and shows stuff around in his Van.
And gives 3 hours time in Galway city to shop, which everyone usually does
I don’t recommend this tour it’s waste of time, money and you’ll be bored sitting in vehicle throughout the tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
