Ireland’s #1 tourist attraction – beautiful green seaside cliffs on the west coast of Ireland.
Come see why so many tourists flock here. It’s beautiful and honestly not THAT many tourists, not crazy crowded like say the Eiffel Tower in Paris. This guide will help you to get to the cliffs smoothly and get the most of the whole experience. Since many of you don’t know, along the way to the cliffs is several other interesting things to see!
Different ways to get here:
- Tour – this is the best and smartest way. Everything thought out for you. The price you pay is IMO cheap for what you get. Everything is so convenient and hassle free. I also wondered if I wanted to blow a whole day on the tour but quickly realized it was so much more time-efficient on a tour bus as well. So in short…tours are cost-efficient AND time-efficient. Do it this way if you don’t know what you’re doing!
- Car – I imagine this is the second best way. Gives you full freedom to come and go as you please. And can easily let you stop at any of the other beautiful places along the way. There are castles and limestone parks, etc. But if you don’t have a car, a rental one can be expensive or even worse (not available). A big bonus here of going on your own is that you can go really early or really late and get different photos from what everybody else gets.
- Public bus – many people think of doing this because they want to save money. I can guarantee that you won’t save much money AND will probably lose time as well. The public transportation buses often run late and don’t hit the schedule exactly. Making it possible for you to spend so much more time or even miss your bus entirely (what a nightmare). Also the cost might be nearly as much as the tour while not doing all the extra stops that the tour does, so it’s not a clever idea at all.
Going by tour:
- Galway Tour Company – I took this one and loved it. I did the Cliffs of Moher and Burren tour.
Going by car:
- You can do stops along the way.
- They charge money to park (by person). If you pay online, it’s cheaper. Another clever idea is stop the car earlier and let people out of the car so you pay less.
Going by bus:
- I don’t know much about this route.
Other tips:
- Time to go – I think the best time is around mid or late afternoon. I feel that’s when the clouds clear up. Mornings can be especially cloudy. But all depends on the weather, right?
- Don’t waste time – don’t waste time at the visitor center. Especially if you’re there during a bad weather day. Try to get all your photos as the weather can suddenly turn rainy or foggy and you lose the photo ops.
- Hiking trail – I hear there’s a nice hiking trail near the cliffs with great views. Called the Doolin Coastal Trail.
- Climbing over the safety fence – don’t do it near the main entrance. Do it further to the left…you’ll see, where it looks much safer. Of course, don’t be an idiot standing/sitting on the edge where you risk falling and dying like some people already have.
- Alternative cliffs in Ireland – in case you want something less touristy or less people. Also check out Donegal Cliffs.
Other references: