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Galway & Clare Geography

Overview

Galway, a harbour city on the west coast of Ireland, is located where the River Corrib meets the Atlantic Ocean.  The charming city is centred around the 18th Century Eyre Square which is now a popular meeting spot and is surrounded by shops and traditional pubs that often offer live Irish folk music.

This itinerary allows you to go a bit further into County Clare to visit Ireland’s most popular tourist attraction, the Cliffs of Moher.  When you see their spectacular beauty, you’ll understand why they’re so popular!

You could combine this with a trip to Dublin – check out our Dublin itineraries for some ideas of different visits you could add!

Our Suggested Itinerary

  1. Day 1

    Flight to Dublin.

    Transfer to Galway and arrive and settle into your accommodation.

    Then get your bearings in the city with a Walking Tour of Galway, an entertaining and engaging way to explore the history and culture of Galway.

  2. Day 2

    Start your day by visiting the majestic Cliffs of Moher, Ireland’s top tourist attraction.  Located along the Wild Atlantic Way, they have impressively faced the Atlantic for over 350 million years.

    Then head to the Burren Centre, Ireland’s first Interactive Centre which gives a great introduction to the surrounding UNESCO Geopark.  The Centre is found in the heart of the historic village of Kilfenora, next to the ancient Kilfenora Cathedral.

    Afterwards, visit the Aillwee Cave, one of the oldest caves in Ireland.  It is a place full of wonder and beauty with bridged chasms, weird formations and a frozen waterfall!

  3. Day 3

    Begin your final day by visiting the Moycullen Bogs, a designated Natural Heritage Area.  With around a fifth of the country’s land surface covered in peat, Ireland has proportionally the third-largest number of peatlands in the world, after Canada and Finland.

    Before heading home, join a local fisherman on a Galway Bay Boat Tour where you’ll get views of the city and the Burren in County Clare.

    Return to Dublin and flight back to the UK.

School Trip Accommodation

Accommodation

For our Galway trips, our schools tend to stay at the Galway City Hostel. We use safe and secure accommodation especially suited to schools. Our accommodation is usually 2* or youth hostel standard and provides a perfect base for enjoying your tour. All accommodation we use is audited, and our auditing regime is verified by independent experts.