Delve into the rugged wilderness of Connemara, an Irish county thronged with historic monuments and natural splendor, on a full-day tour from Galway City. Gaze at the tranquil surfaces of Lough Carrib and Loch NaFooey and discover the elaborate walled gardens of Kylemore Abbey. Enjoy a pleasant balance of guided tours and independent exploration during this enriching excursion.

Full day trip to Connemara from Galway city with an expert guide
Spend time at leisure in Cong village, where 'The Quiet Man' was filmed in the 1950s
Visit Kylemore Abbey and admire its Victorian walled gardens (entry at your own expense)
Transport by luxury coach

What's Included

Professional Local Driver/Guide
Air-conditioned vehicle

Food and drinks
Entrance Fee to Kylemore Abbey & Victorian Walled Garden

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Kinlay Hostel Galway
Merchants Rd, Eyre Square, Galway, H91 F2KT, Ireland
Please check in at the Galway Tour Company Office located on a ground floor of the Kinlay Hostel

Start time

10:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Depart from the Kinlay Hostel in a luxury, air-conditioned coach and admire stunning natural panoramas as you travel through the Irish countryside towards Headford, home to the ancient Ross Errilly Friary. Receive an insightful introduction to the sacred structure from your expert guide and then set out to explore the medieval tombs and atmospheric cloisters that beg to be discovered.

After thorough exploration, travel onward to Cong village to delight in the quaintness of the setting for John Wayne epic movie, The Quiet Man. Stroll the cobbled streets during some leisurely free time, perhaps ambling over to Cong Woods to see the 11th-century Ashford Castle.

Head next to County Connemara, home to the unspoiled glacier lake, Loch Na Fooey, and absorb sweeping countryside vistas. Listen to tales of Connemara’s rich culture and learn about the time-honored Irish traditions that are still preserved in the region.

Next, venture to Kylemore Abbey and immerse yourself in the sacred ambience of an ancient Benedictine abbey shrouded in history. Hear legends surrounding the construction of the abbey and enter the abbey at your own expense. Spend ample time inside the Irish national treasure, opting to enjoy lunch at your own expense if you wish.

On the return journey to Galway, meander through the incredible tableau of Connemara’s Inagh Valley and the Mamm Turks Mountains and then bid your guide and group farewell on arrival at Kinlay Hostel.

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.

2 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

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 )

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation

Infants must sit on laps
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 50 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

about cancellations.

Frequently Asked Questions

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.

Filter by:

Q:What is the pick up location?

A:We offer pick ups from most hotels in Galway City. Let us know where you are staying in the 'Special Requirements' box in the Traveler Details section during checkout. Or you can let us know after booking by visiting 'Manage my Booking' and emailing us there.

Jul 2019

Q:Where is the meeting point?

A:The meeting point for this tour will be at Kinlay Hostel Galway.

Nov 2022

Q:What is the meeting time?

A:Please be at our departure point by 09:45 AM.

Jul 2019

Q:What is the policy on sanitization during Connemara Day Trip from Galway: Cong and the Kylemore Abbey ?

A:The policies on sanitization are:

Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized

Traveler Photos

Traveler Tips

There were several places to take pictures and a great souvenir/gift shop.30 minutes was not enough time to do it all.

A must visit for anyone on the West coast of Ireland.

Reviews

4.5

552 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 552 reviews

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Great small group tour. Kylemore is worth seeing! But too many stops.

Deborah_M, Oct 2022

The small group size for this tour was great! Much better than the huge groups. I liked the Cong stop...cute little town, nice walk on the secret road to see across to Ashford Castle from afar. There were many stops on the way, TOO MANY. Kylemore abbey was fantastic and if I could have done a half day tour straight there, I would have preferred it. What I didn't like about this tour were all the extra stops for photo ops. Every stopped looked the same as every other. This driver literally stopped 5 times for a lake/hill view. I found this to be very unnecessary and annoying. I'd rather have cut an hour off the tour and stopped three times...Cong, a lake/hill stop and Kylemore Abbey. Kylemore is worth seeing! It's amazing. Walk down the trail in front that goes to the chapel and mausoleum, both our beautiful out in the woods. Great tour, but too many stops for no reason.

Explore Ireland's Wilderness

Joshua_W, Sep 2022

First off, we absolutely loved our tour guide/driver Mike, he was fantastic and a pleasure. This tour is a bit different, you really get to see a lot of the wilderness and mountains of Ireland going into Connemara and the beautiful Kylemore Abbey, both of which are very picturesque. Traveling through some small roads to get into Cong Village was also very cool and for fans of "The Quiet Man," going through Cong Village is extra special, but is fun regardless of being a fan or not. I would definitely recommend the tour and especially recommend our guide/driver.

Breathtaking views

Ashley_F, Jul 2022

This tour was amazing! Our guide was a great storyteller and photos don’t do the views justice. I would recommend this tour to anyone visiting the Galway area!

If in Galway, take this tour (with this guide)

Andrei_K, Jul 2022

Great. Tour! Abbey and the gardens are amazing with a lot of history and artifacts. Views are beautiful. It is THE tour for those who like to take pictures. The tour is provided by Galway Tours. Our driver and guide Mike was just amazing - a real professional driver and guide with a lot of experience. He was entertaining, funny, informative, patient and catering to everyone’s needs. The tour to take while in Galway.

1 traveler found this review helpful

Lovely time

Kari_H, Jul 2022

Wonderful way to see so many sites in one day, and get so much information along the way. Our guide was wonderful and took great care of us.

Easy Tour Ride

Mariana_F, Jun 2022

The bus ride was very easy going, and the driver was full of fun historical facts about The towns and of Ireland over all! We made a few stops along the way to the Kylemore Abbey to see some villages. We spent about two hours total at the abbey, but I would have enjoyed having another whole hour to really take my time at the abbey. All in all, it was a lovely experience!

Wonderful and safe trip

Kestrel_T, Jun 2022

We are a small group of single girls traveling from Galway to Connemara. We loved the history and beautiful views! Our guide was very kind and knowledgeable!

Mike deserves a rise!

Elsa_G, May 2022

We just came back from the Kylemore abbey tour from Galway and loved it! Mike, the tour guide, is an authentic national treasure. He gave lots of information, details and excellent jokes, and with him the tour was a true pleasure. He solved all our doubts and questions. Please give him a rise! He deserves it :)

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Hello again Elsa and thank you for your lovely review of Mike and our tour. Mike is indeed a national treasure and it is wonderful to hear that you had an informative and enjoyable day out with him in Connemara. I cannot promise anything, but I will definitely put your suggestion for a raise through to our boss. Thank you again and be sure to come back if you start to miss us, or Mike!

Outstanding Landscapes

Tiago_C, Apr 2022

Our driver/guide was extremely funny and put a smile on everyone in the group. The stops were perfect and very well timed. The landscapes of this tour are a must see. You have more than enough time to see everything.

Response from Host, Apr 2022

Thank you very much Tiago. It's great to hear that you enjoyed the landscapes and our guide. Best of luck in the future. We hope to see you back in Galway soon.

Beautiful trip and our...

Franca_C, Jan 2022

Beautiful trip and our guide Eamonn was very nice and professional. I'm sure that if I'll come back to Galway I'll do again

Response from Host, Jan 2022

Thank you Franca, for your positive review. We appreciate your compliments about Eamonn and will be only delighted to seeing you on our tours again ;-)

Don’t miss this!!! Breathtaking views and lovely experience

Zoe_C, Oct 2021

This tour was the highlight of my trip— Mike was fantastic, I can’t say enough good things about him and the tour. I went solo and met a friend who ended up being on the same tour as me the next day (also with Galway tours.) It’s perfect for solo travel or groups, you really get to see the country side. Connemara is breathtaking. I almost missed this trip because of some of the other reviews, I’m happy I did not listen to some of the negative reviews. It was wonderful, if your hesitant, book it! I also would recommend Connemara + Cong tour over Cliffs of Moher, (see both if you can, but if you can only do one, I would say do this one.)

Response from Host, Oct 2021

Hi Zoe, We are so pleased you enjoyed your experience on our Connemara Day Trip and thank you for taking the time to write a fantastic review about us and Mike. It really means a lot to us these kind words you have said as it is the best way to let people know our impeccable service we have to offer. Kind regards from all of us here at the Galway Tour Company team.

The trip was lovely and...

Madison_S, Nov 2021

The trip was lovely and Mike was a fantastic tour guide! We got to see all of the highlights and learn a lot along the way.

Response from Host, Dec 2021

Thank you for leaving us a favourable review. We are glad you were satisfied with our services and our guide Mike. We are hoping you will travel with us again soon.

One of my best trips

Ander_C, Sep 2021

Everything perfect!!! And Mick driver-guide was amazing, he is a gem in your business, in Galway and Ireland. Many thanks!!!

Response from Host, Sep 2021

Hi Ander, We are delighted to hear that our Mike made the trip memorable for you and the day fulfilled your expectations.Thank you so much for your review. We look forward to seeing you soon on our tours again.

lovely landscape amazing garden

Daiana_B, Sep 2021

Amazing trip I had a good trip to Cannemara. Beautiful landscapes on the road the drive stopped the bus for us took a pictures. The time is enough to visit everything. The drive have a good knowledge about the history.

Response from Host, Sep 2021

We are very happy to hear you had a nice day touring on our Connemara Day Trip and thank you very much for your generous review. We always welcome our customers to share the photos they took while travelling with us. Please spread the word ;-)

Amazing

Soane_C, Aug 2021

This trip is a must have whenever you’re in Galway. The places are absolutely stunning and Mike was delightful as a driver, explaining everything as we went. Definitely recommend and would do it again.

Response from Host, Sep 2021

Thank you for your remarkable review. It makes us very proud when we know that people are having a great time when touring with us and sure Mike is doing his very best to make it come through.Thanks again and we hope to meet you on our tours again.

Connemara

Bernice_M, Jul 2021

Mike brilliant, he made the tour , great crack, will book again when in Galway. Very enjoyable tour highly recommended. Value for money. Excellent tour company, nothing too much trouble for them. A pleasure to book with them. Bernice from Belfast

Response from Host, Aug 2021

Thank You,Bernice, for such positive feedback.It was a pleasure to have you on our tour.Hope we will see you again in the nearest future.

I prefer to drive and tour in our car...

Iain B, Oct 2013

I prefer to drive and tour in our car, however, this was definitely the best way to see Connemara from Galway. I could not possibly have seen the wonderful sights in both Galway and Mayo that I saw from our comfortable coach- even if it rained at times! The main difference from doing your own thing is to have a very experienced, amusing and extremely knowledgeable driver/guide such as Michael O'Malley! How he negotiated some of these narrow roads was amazing as the attached photos show. We were worried that an 8 hour trip would be too much but actually time flew by and I did not fall asleep once. Great value for money!

We booked this day tour in order to...

Roger G, Oct 2017

We booked this day tour in order to cover lots of ground in the time we had in Galway, and it certainly filled the bill. Our driver/guide, Michael, was funny, informative, and easy to understand - not always the case with Irish accents. Not only did we see Kylemore Abbey, the Ross Errilly Friary, and Cobh village, but we also drove through part of The Burren, saw peat bogs, and a whole lot of beautiful scenery. If I could change anything about this tour, it would be to extend it by a half hour so that the time at Kylemore Abbey wouldn't be so rushed. We had two hours there, and in that time we had to see the lovely Abbey gardens and head gardener's cottage, which involved waiting for a shuttle to and from, tour the Abbey house itself, visit the great gift shop, and oh yes, eat lunch. The line into the lunch room was very long so I elected to skip it and eat a chocolate bar in order to make it to the other three. You shouldn't have to make that choice. The time in Cobh was OK since I haven't seen The Quiet Man it didn't do a lot for me. The visit to the Friary was very interesting. Yes, it's a ruin, but a little historical background from Michael brought it alive in my imagination. Maybe the best thing about the tour were the tidbits of information shared by Michael as we passed by famine cottages and various other scenic points of interest. I would recommend it, but I really do hope tour planners increase the time by a bit to make it a less harried at Kylemore.

If you want to see Connemara, DO...

Sarah B, Oct 2017

If you want to see Connemara, DO THIS TOUR. In addition to the regular stops, we were taken down back roads that no other tour takes, and got to see beautiful scenery and truly experience the vastness of the Connemara region. The time spent at Kylemore was perfect, and we were treated to the regular stops at the fjord, the glacier lake and more. The friary was a nice treat to end the day. Galway Tours is a fantastic company, and you want to take this version!

My wife and I went on three day...

pjswainiac88, Apr 2015

My wife and I went on three day trips while visiting Ireland and this trip was by long and far the best and the most inexpensive! If you picture Ireland as vast rolling green fields, small villages, super friendly people, good food, and picturesque lakes/castles then this is the tour for you! The other two tours where day tours to the Cliffs of Moher this trip was also quite excellent only a bit more generic and to the Giants Causeway and Belfast this tour was rather terrible simply because out tour guide was more interested in meeting ladies than giving a tour. Connemara ended up going from being an interesting time filler to the best day we spent in Ireland. BE SURE to clarify the means of hotel pick up when you call the company to confirm pick up on the phone. We are not sure exactly who or what was going to pick us up but we waited outside our hotel for 30 minutes. We were led to believe a taxi or bus would be picking us up however it appears that it may have actually been an individual that went into the hotel to the lobby, gathered all of the people waiting only those in the hotel, not those outside and walked them to the bus station. Either way, we ran into a different company employee 5 minutes passed the deadline kindly located the driver and got us on the tour just fine! Our Galway Tour Company guide, Mike D there are three Mikes that drive gave 120 and was perhaps the most fun and good hearted Irishman we met, ask for him if you can! Make sure that you actually want to see and pay 7 extra euros per adult Kylemore Abbey for two reasons: 1 It is incredibly beautiful and very interesting 2 because it is 2 hours almost not enough time! of your trip and one of the best highlights for sure. Also if you are looking for unique gifts to bring home as Dublin and Galway are both rather commercialized when it comes to shopping there are some very cool craft shops at Cong village where you stop close to the end of the trip.

...

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Product code: 5750CONNEMARA

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Connemara Day Trip from Galway: Cong and the Kylemore Abbey

From $37.51

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Overview

What's Included

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Start time

End point

What To Expect

Additional Info

Cancellation Policy

Frequently Asked Questions

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