After leaving Dublin, my plan was to stop in Galway for a few hours, perhaps stop by a local beach if weather permitted then head to Doolin, where we would spend the night ahead of a visit to the Cliffs of Moher early the next morning. However, the weather was great on this Monday so our plans changed a bit as the day developed.

The drive to Galway from Dublin was fairly easy as it was mostly on the motorway. I had found a parking garage near the historic center of town and directed us there via Waze. It was a tight squeeze for the rental car, but we got into the garage and found a spot.

Galway is a very old town with lots of historic buildings and a nice pedestrianized shopping and dining area. We enjoyed browsing the shops, bought a few souvenirs and stopped for an outdoor lunch at a local pub.

After lunch, we retrieved the car and drove a short distance to Salthill Road and parked by Palmers Beach. My wife looked for shells and the rest of us hiked out on the rocks/pier to enjoy the views.

After an hour or so on the beach, we decided to adjust our plans. It turned out that the Cliffs of Moher parking lot was open until 7pm and it was only around 3:30pm at this point. Given the nice weather, we decided to drive directly to the Cliffs and enjoy sunset there. I quickly bought a ticket for the Cliffs of Moher Experience online as it was 3 Euros cheaper that way. Basically, this includes parking and access to the Cliffs via a direct pathway from the parking lot vs. a long hike from Doolin.

We drove over to the Cliffs (about 90 minutes) and parked in the lot. The tour buses were all gone by this point so it was nice and empty up on the Cliffs. We explored the “castle” and walked along the Cliff paths.

As the sun began to set, we waited for the golden hour. It got a bit chilly, but the views were worth it.

As it was cloudy and raining the next morning, I was really glad we decided to visit the Cliffs of Moher in the evening. From the Cliffs, we drove the short distance to Doolin and spent the night at a cute B&B walking distance to Gus O’Connors Pub, where we had dinner & drinks and listened to some Irish music.

Up Next: Doolin to Dingle via the Conor Pass

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