Galway and Cliffs of Moher | The Perfect Weekend Trip in Ireland

THE ITINERARY

Since we were staying in Belfast, NI, we opted to rent a car and drive to Galway on a Saturday. The plan was this:

SATURDAY:

• 7:00am - Take the bus to Belfast airport to get our rental car.
• 8:00am - Drive ~4 hours to Galway.
• 12:00pm - Park the car at the hostel and start exploring Galway.
• 3:00pm - Check into the hostel, regroup, and head out again for the night.

SUNDAY:

• 9:00am - Get breakfast at the hostel and pack.
• 10:00am - Start driving to the Cliffs of Moher.
• 12:00pm - Arrive at the Cliffs and explore.
• 1:30-2:00pm - Drive ~5 hours back to Belfast.

Naturally, the itinerary did not stick exactly to what we had planned, but this is the general idea that I’d suggest if you’re wanting to make the same trip! Obviously if you’re staying in Dublin or any other major city there are different options and routes to get to Galway that you’ll need to look into, like direct trains or car rentals (it’s only about 2.5 hours). You could even stop at the Cliffs of Moher on your way to Galway depending on where you’re coming from (like Limerick or Cork) and how much time you have–but we enjoyed spreading the two destinations out over a full weekend to give us more time to enjoy them both.

GETTING TO GALWAY

Okay, I have to be up front about our rental car situation: it was horrible. I don’t know what the miscommunication was, or what sort of bad luck was in the universe, but we were given three separate cars before we actually landed on one that was drivable. We got to the airport around 8:00am, right on time, but didn’t leave for Galway until at least 10:00am. The first car we were given was a manual, which none of us could drive and was clearly stated not to give us on our rental agreement. Then, we got a second car that didn’t have working heat… in the middle of January. So after two trips back and forth to the back parking lot, and a very apologetic representative, we finally got a working (and upgraded) car two hours later. I’m not saying this is typical, but definitely prepare yourself for some mishaps if renting a car for your own trip.

Once we were on the road, it was a pretty decent drive. It was mostly tons of narrow, winding back roads with less highways than we expected, so it was a little nerve-racking, especially being on the opposite side of the road. Overall, though, the roughly 5 hours flew by! We ended up in Galway around check-in time at the hostel, too, so the delay wasn’t all bad–we got to just drop off our bags first thing upon arrival and head out to get some lunch right away.

WHAT TO DO IN GALWAY

Once we got ourselves situated and were ready to take on Galway, there was lots to do! Here are some ideas (most of which we did ourselves):

TAKE A SELF-GUIDED WALKING TOUR

I love exploring new places by foot, and in a city as small as Galway, you can walk around its entirety in just a couple hours! Many locals and experts create self-guided walking tours that you can follow as you adventure through the city, visiting famous buildings and landmarks while learning about the area’s history. Just skim Google for a bit to find one you want to complete.

WANDER AROUND THE LATIN QUARTER

The Latin Quarter is the lively heart of Galway city. Right at the intersection of Quay Street and High Street, this area is sure to be tourist-filled, but rightly so! You’ll find buskers and performers in pubs, string lights and colorful buildings, tiny shops and cafes, and an incredible energy that’ll be hard to leave. Come back here for dinner and drinks and soak up the incredible nightlife!

GO SHOPPING FOR CLADDAGH RINGS

If you’re in the market for a truly authentic claddagh ring, you have to head to Thomas Dillons in the Latin Quarter. They’re the original makers of the claddagh ring–since 1750! It’s a lovely little shop that’ll make a wonderful memory from your trip.

WALK DOWN BY THE HARBOR

If you walk down to the waterfront, you’re in for a treat. It’s a beautiful area with pretty houses and buildings lined up in front of the water and green space to sit and enjoy the scenery. It was super windy when we visited (and extremely cold), so the water was really choppy and looked pretty wild. Regardless of the weather, it’s a neat spot to check out.

GO PUB HOPPING

This one is obvious–you’re in Ireland, so it’d be a crime not to go pub hopping for a considerable amount of time during your visit. There’s definitely no shortage of great pubs in Galway, and they all sell Guinness–what more could you need? Make a list of the ones you want to stop at during your initial walk around the city, and then knock them off one by one as the night goes on.

LISTEN TO LIVE MUSIC

Pretty much everywhere you turn in Galway, someone is singing a song and playing a guitar within earshot. Whether you find yourself stopped on the street by someone’s voice, or drinking more than you should in a bar because you don’t want to leave the atmosphere just yet, I guarantee you’ll hear some impressive performers while in Galway (and you’ll hear a local song or two!).

MY GALWAY FAVORITES

Now I have to call out my favorite parts of our Galway trip because our night here was genuinely one of the best nights of our entire three-month traveling stint this year. That fact was definitely helped by the copious amounts of alcohol we drank, but I truly believe we’d have had the same amount of fun with zero drinking involved. Here were some of our favorite spots:

O’Connell’s Bar

This is a must if you’re in Galway! On first glance it looks like a small, traditional Irish pub, but if you walk through the back, you’ll find a huge open space with different bars and a walk-up pizza counter. We spent most of our time here throwing back baby Guinness shots before we left to go get pizza (which I mention further down), and the vibes were incredible. It was busy but not overwhelming, and the pornstar martinis were amazing, too. Definitely a little pricey, but when you’re that many drinks in, does it really matter until the morning?

The Quays Bar and Restaurant

We found the absolute best live music at The Quays right in the Latin Quarter–it’s not bad anywhere, but the singer there was just so energetic and talented, and everyone was singing along, which is the absolute most fun you can have in a pub! The pornstars were great here too–probably the best of the night. I didn’t realize until last year how popular this specific cocktail is in the UK and Ireland, and they’ve become my go-to drink every time I’m there now. Anyway, great vibes here, regardless if there’s live music or not!

The Dough Boys

This spot wins the award for best pizza I’ve ever had outside of Italy! The absolute yummiest drunk food on the planet, and paired with a bottle of wine, it made for the perfect end to our night. They have a counter inside O’Connell’s (mentioned above), but we walked over to their actual store location and it was lovely! Friendly staff, cool environment, and outstanding pizza.

Kinlay Hostel

My first hostel stay was in Galway, and I feel a bit spoiled since it was such a good one. We were lucky to find a quad room to ourselves, and the whole hostel felt more like a hotel or dorm building, which was really nice. It was super roomy and clean, and both Liv and Nijal told me that it was not their typical hostel experience, so big points to Kinlay for being so impressive! It was in a great location, had free breakfast in the morning, super nice staff, and was all around a great experience.

GETTING TO THE CLIFFS OF MOHER

After some much-needed rest and a free breakfast at the hostel, we headed straight to the Cliffs of Moher around 10:00am. It’s just under a 2 hour drive from Galway, so we got there around noon and were able to explore for about an hour and a half. Make sure you’re prepared to pay for admission and parking if you’re going right to the main visitor’s parking lot! There are free parking areas and spots to walk to the Cliffs if you don’t want to pay to enter through the visitor’s area, but we didn’t want to figure all of that out on our own and risk not getting a good view of the Cliffs, so we opted for the touristy route and felt we got our money’s worth.

I enjoy overcast days because they’re better for photos, but it was pretty windy and chilly since we were there at the end of January, so be prepared for cold weather if you’re going outside of spring or summer! You’re on the edge of a cliff, so expect high winds, ocean spray, and potential rain. It cleared up just in time for our visit, but rained before and after we got there, so keep that in mind no matter the time of year. You really only need about an hour here to explore the Cliffs, but there is a visitor’s center with some interactive activities, as well as a cafe/restaurant and gift shops, so you could plan for an extra hour or so accordingly.