Originally written in August 2017.
At the end of an incredible week in the countryside near Galway, my boyfriend and I decided to head a few hours south to see the Cliffs of Moher. The Cliffs are one of the most famous tourist attractions in Ireland, and it seems like one of those things you just have to do while visiting. I had seen plenty of pictures of them, but that didn’t fully prepare me for how wonderful the experience would be.
On Saturday, the first day of our journey, we left Galway just after noon with the goal of getting to the Cliffs sometime after 4pm – which, according to their website, is the best time to beat the crowds. I’m not sure how true that is, but the weather was reporting relatively clear skies around that time, and we wanted to take advantage (I had spent all week obsessing over the 10 day forecast, hoping not to be disappointed by Ireland’s typical dark clouds and rain).
On our way south from Galway we were recommended to stop for lunch at Moran’s Oyster Cottage near Clarenbridge, which had a very nice ambiance and covered outdoor seating facing a river. There were lots of seafood options to pick from, as well as nice sandwiches and a cheese plate that I packed up to save for breakfast the next morning.
Before heading to the Cliffs we checked into our Airbnb, which was a 10 minute drive north of Doolin. If you have a car I would suggest staying a bit off the grid, as that ended up being one of the best parts of the experience. The drive down winding roads to the Airbnb and our uninterrupted ocean view was spectacular – not to mention only $85 a night.
If you’re looking for a quiet place to spend a few days I definitely recommend John’s house. If you’re seeking a hostel, I noticed one called Rainbow Hostel in the town, which looked really charming.
Finally, around 6 pm, we drove to the Cliffs.
The drive was less than half an hour and breathtakingly beautiful. Along the roads we saw castle-like towers, rolling green hills, ocean, and more cows and sheep than anyone could possibly count – even a few donkeys! I’ve seen a lot of beautiful landscapes in my travels, but what I particularly loved were the iconic stone walls and beautiful plants (tall purple ones, bright orange flowers, etc) that defined the scenery.
Entry to visit the Cliffs is 6 Euro per adult, and that included our parking, which we paid for with a credit card at the gate (I’m always complaining about how no one takes cards in Ireland, so I appreciated this). From there we met up with friends and began our walk, which lasted an hour or so.
The short hike was better than I had imagined going in. Sure, you could just walk up to a view point, shoot a few great photos and leave, but walking along the edge and getting different perspectives on the view was so much fun.
That night we all went back to the town to enjoy a pub dinner at Fitzpatrick’s Bar. It was a 45 minute wait for a table inside, so we sat outside and got served right away. It was cold, but the food was excellent (I got the curry – surprisingly flavorful!) and we even saw a rainbow.
On day 2 of our weekend we tentatively planned on visiting the Aran Islands, which is an easy ferry ride from the town. We woke up pretty late and didn’t end up getting on a ferry til 2:30, with tickets purchased at the Doolin Tourist Information shop (30 Euro per person for roundtrip, including a tour around the cliffs and caves on the return leg). That meant only an hour and a half to spend on the first and smallest island, Inis Oírr, but that was fine with us as the weather was pretty dark and we were just keen to check them out, even briefly.
The thirty minute ferry ride was rough, to say the least – not for the faint of heart or easily seasick. But we made it and met up with our friends, deciding first and foremost to grab food from one of the food stalls.
Everything on the island is cash only, so once we procured cash and then food (curry chips) we weren’t left with much time to explore, but what did see was lovely. We walked along the beach toward a shipwreck, which we saw from a distance, then turned around to check out a graveyard on a hill. It was in this quiet graveyard that we found an excellent surprise – an old church or some kind of structure dug into the earth! After that we walked down to grab some fudge at the Man of Aran Fudge stand before taking the 4:45pm boat back. I would have loved to spend more time there, as the Aran Islands are known to be incredibly beautiful and an incredible cultural site. Maybe another day and in better weather (we did get the Cliffs on a good day – you can’t have it all).
Dinner that night was at the Riverside Bistro back in Doolin, where I had chicken wrapped in bacon, filled with stuffing and sitting on a pile of mashed potatoes (o m g). We then went next door to McGann’s Pub, where we heard one could find some “good craic.” It was a great place to relax and wind down for the day, and at around 9 or 10pm there was live Irish music.
Day 3 of the trip was perhaps my favorite, waking up early to check out and basically winging it as we slowly made the drive back to Dublin.
We started at Doolin Cafe for breakfast, where we shared a full Irish breakfast, porridge, coffees (they had good filtered coffee!), and a slice of red berry cheesecake. The cafe itself was so colorful, I couldn’t resist stopping in.
Afterward, we drove down the coast and ended up pulling off to do another, "less touristy” walk around the Cliffs (the weather was beautiful, so why not?). It was just 5 Euro for us to park this time, with no entry fee, and a mere five minute walk from our car to the highest point for views of the Cliffs. We ended up doing another 1-2 hour walk along the coast, getting even more perspectives on the iconic destination.
When we were done it was around 1pm and time to start heading back in earnest. Our last stop in the area was Moher Cottage for coffee and views – apparently they were voted the best coffee in Ireland in 2017 (but had no filtered coffee, alas). It was a great place to sit and relax before the drive, with lots of cool art, souvenirs, and a back patio with panoramic countryside views.
The drive back to Dublin took about 3 hours, and the whole time we kept talking about what a great weekend it was. I highly recommend a weekend in Doolin to anyone visiting Ireland, especially because Dublin can be somewhat lacking when it comes to the quintessential Irish travel experience.
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