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Itinerary
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Stop At: Kylemore Abbey & Victorian Walled Garden, Connemara On the N59 between Clifden and Westport, Kylemore Ireland

We arrive in Galway at 10:05, off the train, and our conducted tour of Connemara (by tour bus) leaves Galway.

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, an 18th century castle now owned by the Benedictine nuns who run an excellent pottery, gift shop and restaurant.

Letterfrack is one of Ireland’s major national parks. The colourful town of Clifden has been one of Irelands leading holiday resorts for generations. It is an excellent touring centre beloved by the walker, the biker, the hiker or the fisherman.

On the road out of Clifden the Dan O'Hara pre-famine farm (circa 1840) is on your left, fronted by a replica of an ancient Irish Crannóg or lake dwelling.

Further on is the fully integrated Clifden Glen Holiday Village. 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 (Irish-speaking area) of Connemara where Gaeilge or Irish is still the everyday spoken language of a bilingual people – we rarely use the term Gaelic and usually say ‘Irish’ when referring to our national language. (For operational reasons, on certain days we will not travel to Clifden – please check with your host/driver)

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 lime-stone of the Burren and the hills of Clare. In Spiddal there is a craft village and the Standun sweater shop. After your day's touring you will be returned to Galway Station.

Duration: 2 hours

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Included

Host on trains
Information pack
Reserved seats on trains
Qualified driver-guide on coaches
Visit Kylemore Abbey for a photo stop
All travel by rail and coach from Dublin Heuston Station
Entry/Admission - Kylemore Abbey & Victorian Walled Garden

Not included

Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Lunch

Additional

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
This tour offers stops en route for photographs, shopping, etc
Due to operational reasons it may, on occasion, be necessary to alter certain itineraries
For infants 4 years and under, a fee of EUR 15.00 per day is payable direct
Wheelchair accessibility: As long as the passenger has some mobility then this tour would be suitable. Trains in Ireland are wheelchair friendly however buses/coaches are not. The guest would have to be able to climb the steps onto the bus. Mobility Scooters cannot be accommodated on this tour.
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 53 travelers

Features

Tourism

85%

Cultural

50%

Reviews

4.0

43

C

Carol J

5 | 2019-09-23

Wonderful way to see the Countryside of Ireland and then bus tour of Connemara and Galway! Wonderful staff and lovely travel mates

C

Cathi H

4 | 2018-05-05

This rail tour was well worth the money. The RailTours staff were easy to locate in the train stations and were so helpful and friendly. My elderly mom traveled with us and she has some mobility issues. The staff were helpful and always made sure she was comfortable. The stops were really meaningful and its was a tremendous way to see the country side. The only downfall was the coach driver once we were out of RailTours hands wasnt very attentive to our coach seat reservations causing two of our traveling companions to not get to sit together even though our seats were reserved together. Overall a great way to see the west coast of Ireland which shouldnt be missed.

K

Kathleen M

4 | 2017-08-24

This was the best tour though I would have liked it better with actual time in Galway. It did get a little confusing with the return trip because of the races. We had to take a bus and the drivers seemed very confused bout loading up the train orphans and it got tense especially in the rain. But otherwise the trip was very nice. Least amount of on and off hassles.

D

Dr Peter J S

3 | 2016-06-14

The organisation of this tour, by Railtours Ireland, was immaculate. Meet the guide in the yellow fleece 20 minutes before the train departs, get reserved seats from Dublin to Galway with the guide offering commentary and advice. On the outbound rail journey, there were just six of us, of which we were the only two joining the Connemara tour. On arrival, the guide took us out into the station car park where our tour bus was waiting. It was here that the arrangements broke down or, rather, the coach did! Since there were insufficient takers for the tour, we were consolidated with the same tour, but by Lally's, a different company. A brand new Volvo luxury coach - looked good, but the sensors that confirm the main passenger door is locked failed. So the furthest we went for 75 minutes was round the corner, to await another bus to come from the depot. OK, no one can legislate for such mechanical/electronic problems, but what an initial waste of the morning. When we got going, we did cover the same ground - hills and mountains, dark brooding lakes, rhodedendron covered hillsides, Kylemore Abbey with its Victorian gardens, lakes, etc. But by then the edge was taken off the day. The second part of the drive was more of the same, then rocky coastline, views of the Arran Islands, and a drive along Galway Bay. It even seemed the driver's attention had been upset by the ealier difficulties because the commentary was factual but not over-informative. Then we had about an hour in Galway for a very good ice cream, and back on the train to Dublin. This time there were so many Railtours' guests we had a complete coach reserved for us, and were entertained to a small taster 'nip' of one of Ireland's whiskeys.

L

Louis N

5 | 2016-04-23

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!

J

Joan W

4 | 2015-05-01

Very organized and the guides were knowledgeable and friendly. The description said a photo stop at the Abbey but we were there for 2.5 hours.

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