Connemara Full-Day Tour: Discover Rugged Wilderness, Historic Treasures, and Local Charm from Galway

Embark on a thrilling full-day tour from Galway City and explore the rugged wilderness, historic treasures, and local charm of Connemara. Visit Cong Village, Laugh Nafooey, Killary Fjord, and the iconic Kylemore Abbey. Immerse yourself in the stunning Irish scenery and make unforgettable memories.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Kylemore Abbey & Victorian Walled Garden - Kylemore Abbey, a beautiful Connemara castle, offers much history of romance and tragedy, captivating visitors who step upon its threshold.
    The Abbey is a beautiful, neo-gothic, building built-in 1868 by Mitchell Henry for his wife. It is now home to the Benedictine Nuns, and here you can enjoy their excellent home cooking while visiting the Abbey and the restored walled gardens. The grounds and surrounding mountains and lakes are steeped ina rich Irish history, and you can learn all about this on our Connemara & Cong Tour. The Abbey and estate are open all year round and include the Abbey, a Gothic Church, the walled gardens, a craft shop, pottery studio, restaurant and tea rooms, as well as the lake and woodland walks. Please note the Kylemore Abbey is closed every Tuesday and Wednesday on the dates 07.11.23-23.12.23 and 08.01.24-05.02.24.
  • Lough Corrib - Lough Corrib is the largest lake within the Republic of Ireland and the second largest on the island of Ireland (after Lough Neagh). ( It covers 176 km² )
  • Killary Fjord - Killary Harbour is Ireland’s only true fjord and extends 16km (10 miles) in from the Atlantic .It’s extremely deep, over 45m at its centre. This offers a very safe, sheltered anchorage, because of the depth and the mountains to the south and north. It is a centre for shellfish farming, and strings of ropes used to grow mussels are visible for much of its length.
  • Cong - Only an hour’s drive from Westport, Cong is a small village in south Mayo famous for its 12th century abbey, the lavish gold and silver processional Cross of Cong from 1123, the magnificent Ashford Castle, the village’s links with Oscar Wilde and, most popularly, its association with the John Wayne classic movie, The Quiet Man.
  • Royal Abbey of Cong - A magnificent Augustinian Abbey dating back to the early 12th century
What's Included
  • Professional Local Driver/Guide
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
  • Entrance Fee to Kylemore Abbey & Victorian Walled Garden
Additional Information

Embark on a complete-day excursion from Galway City, unveiling the spectacular allure of Connemara with its imposing wilderness, hospitable inhabitants, and historic marvels. Led by an expert guide, your journey encompasses the charming Cong Village, Laugh Nafooey, Killary Fjord, and the must-visit Kylemore Abbey. Please note, the tour price doesn’t cover entry into Kylemore Abbey & Gardens, and you may opt to pay an additional fee, (a concession entrance ticket is available for purchase from your driver on the tour day). Relish your free time exploring these Irish wonders and absorb the breathtaking landscapes during each stopover.

Location
Kinlay Hostel Galway
Merchants Road
Please check in the office 15-20 minutes prior to departure. Please allow enough time to get to the departure point (if you travel by car ) due to a high traffic in Galway City. There is car parking available on Merchants Rd.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.7
(835 Ratings)
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Isabella
Aug 9, 2024
A must do tour - This is the fourth time I take this tour with Galway Tour Company. It is the one tour I make sure to take my friends when they come visit me as it’s always so beautiful and entertaining. It was raining hard enough that my clothes soaked through even with a rain jacket and an umbrella, and it was still a wonderful day - from that you can imagine how much I loved it. Kylemore Abbey is beautiful, but my favorite part is Cong (that park/forest is goooorgeous) and a stop on a high point to see one of the lakes - it’s a tiny road and apparently only Galway Tour Company makes that path, and it’s the most beautiful moment in my opinion. Kudos to the driver as well, who keeps us entertained the whole way through with lovely stories and jokes, he’s wonderful.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Meander35169273732
Aug 8, 2024
Always wanted to visit the film location ofthe quite man - Wonderful trip to cong and connemara with Tommy (the bus Driver)absolutely wonderful host on the trip very knowledgeable and funny great with everyone
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Christina_s
Aug 7, 2024
Exactly what we were looking for - A great way to get out of city centre for the day and see some beautiful scenery. Tour guide Tommy was great and accommodating. The entire experience was convenient and well organized. Would definitely recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Christinasu3086ma
Aug 7, 2024
Just what we were looking for - A great way to get out of city centre for the day and see some beautiful scenery. Tour guide Tommy was great and accommodating. The entire experience was convenient and well organized. Would definitely recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
E6319phlaureng
Jul 24, 2024
Great day! - This was a great day trip! We appreciated the bus driver's driving throughout this area along with the local information that he shared. Definitely worth it!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
T6579icrosav
Jul 24, 2024
Great tour - would recommend it! - Our tour guide was great! He clearly knew a lot about Galway and its surroundings with his years of experience. Great sense of humour too. The tour was good with well chosen stops. Would definitely recommend it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kathleene505
Jul 23, 2024
Unforgettable Beauty - What an amazing tour!! Seeing the beautiful Connemara countryside, Kylemore Abbey, and the village of Cong was an unforgettable experience. Our driver Mike was so informative and entertaining. It felt like we were part of the community on this tour. I would highly recommend this to to others wanting to experience the beauty of Ireland. Remember to bring cash/Euros on this tour! The driver of your tour gets a discounted rate for you to see Kylemore Abbey, that is NOT included in your ticket. It is definitely worth it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
David626
Jul 21, 2024
The Connemara and Cong day tour was probably the best day tour we went on in Ireland - The Connemara and Cong day tour was probably the best day tour we went on out of the four day tours we took during our three week long trip. This was due to the beauty of the landscape, the exceptional service and commentary Mike provided us with and the fact that we had beautiful weather throughout the day. Mike was very attentive and ordered a wheelchair for us to use at Kylemore Abbey which we were grateful for. He was funny and entertaining the entire trip. Mike seems to know everyone personally who lives along the road he travels on, including humans, sheep, horses or dogs. *HONK*. Mike, you’re a legend. Please don’t ever change - you were a highlight of our time in Ireland. Mike is unforgettable. Kylemore Abbey has attached gardens, and they were vast. There were some Connemara ponies adjacent to the grounds that were fed periodically. There were also two happy pigs that also deserve a visit. Mike also tried his best to keep on schedule, but some people who went on the tour were late without being very apologetic about it. Don’t do this guys, if you go on a guided day tour, be on time and also hold your tongue while the guide is actually doing his job when he tells regional history and local anecdotes. Just make up your mind beforehand whether the tour suits your preferences and habits. Don’t disturb the other people on the bus, they paid the exact same price as you did. We brought our own lunch but there is a cafe at Kylemore Abbey. The city of Congh was surprisingly cute. Note: the colour on the backs of the sheep are no indicator of their religion. This is private information and you should not ask the sheep about it. That's just rude. Oh and make sure that a female sits behind Mike’s seat. If he gets into a fatal accident, his biggest fear is the headline “bus driver dies in the lap of a man”. Respect the guy, people. Cheers.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kyraaaaa
Jul 20, 2024
Best of Ireland! - Best tour guide/driver ever, it was clear he loved his job! The scenery is breathtaking. I’d highly recommend this tour, you won’t regret it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
E_ramlosa
Aug 5, 2024
Nice experience - Mike was a fantastic Guide/Driver and the scenery/environment very nice. The food at the restaurant at Kylemore Abbey was good and affordable!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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September 2024
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