★★★★★
Seeing the Cliffs of Moher from the water was astonishing, even in mist. Then we got the view from the top as well. Two completely different days in one.
Kim L. · Couple · June 2025
Galway to Aran Islands & Cliffs of Moher Day Tour & Cliffs Cruise
Cliff top and a cruise below1 hour at the cliffsCliffs ticket includedMax 53 travellers
Ten hours that show you the same wall of rock from underneath and from on top. The ferry gives two hours on Inis Oírr, the return sails along the base of the cliffs, and the day finishes with an hour up there and the Visitor Centre entry already in the fare. The cruise sails only when the sea allows it, and that is written into the fare itself.
What this day actually gives you
The cliffs from the water
An hour under a 214-metre wall, which is the one view the cliff top cannot give you.
Two hours on Inis Oírr
The smallest of the Aran Islands, fifteen minutes out of Doolin by express ferry.
An hour on the cliff top
With entry to the Visitor Centre inside the fare.
The return ferry in the fare
Doolin to Inis Oírr and back, rather than bought separately at the pier.
Dunguaire, Kinvara and the Burren by road
The coastal route south is part of the day rather than a transfer.
Fanore and Black Head on the way home
The coast road north rather than the direct run inland.
There is a line travellers here keep repeating and it is the best argument for this day: from the cliffs you see the sea, and from the sea you see the cliffs. Standing on top of a two-hundred-metre wall, the one thing you cannot see is the wall. This day solves that by putting you under it for an hour.
The shape is a loop. South from Merchants Road at nine, through Kinvara and Ballyvaughan and the Burren to Doolin Pier. The ferry crosses to Inis Oírr and gives you two hours ashore, which is enough for the sunken church, O'Brien's Castle on the high ground and the Plassey wreck. The return sailing runs along the base of the cliffs rather than straight back.
Then you drive up to the top of what you have just sailed under, with an hour there and the entry paid. It is a fuller day than a straight Clare run and an hour shorter on the cliff top, and which of those matters more is genuinely a matter of taste.
How the day runs
- Depart Merchants Road, Galway at 9:00am
- Past Dunguaire Castle, Kinvara and Ballyvaughan into the Burren
- Doolin Pier — board the ferry
- Inis Oírr — 2 hours on the island
- Cliffs of Moher cruise along the base, weather permitting
- Cliffs of Moher — 1 hour on top, entry included
- Fanore Beach and Black Head Lighthouse on the road back
- 9:00am. Depart Merchants Road, outside Kinlay Hostel.
- Morning. South past Dunguaire Castle, Kinvara and Ballyvaughan into the Burren.
- Late morning. Doolin Pier, and the ferry across.
- Midday. Two hours on Inis Oírr — the island is small enough to walk, and bikes and pony traps are for hire at the pier.
- Afternoon. The cruise along the base of the cliffs, weather permitting.
- Late afternoon. An hour on the cliff top, with Visitor Centre entry paid.
- 7:00pm. Back on Merchants Road, via Fanore Beach and Black Head Lighthouse.
Who this suits, and who should look elsewhere
It suits people who want more than one thing out of the day, and it suits anyone who has already stood on the cliff top and wants the other half of the view. Photographers get two completely different sets of frames from it. It also suits families reasonably well — it is stroller accessible and infants travel on laps.
Who should book something else. If you are unsure at sea, a Cliffs of Moher tour from Galway that stays on the road costs less and cannot be cancelled by a swell. If your whole purpose is the cliff top, an hour is short and a straight Clare day gives you ninety minutes or two hours instead. And if you want the island without the coach, the day trips out of Doolin start at the pier.
What the fare covers
In the fare
- Local Driver / Guide
- Live commentary on board
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Return ferry - Doolin to Inisheer
- Entry to the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Centre
- Cliffs of Moher Cruise - subject to weather conditions
Not in the fare
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Hotel Pickup
Where it leaves from
Merchants Road in Galway, outside Kinlay Hostel, H91 F2KT. The coach departs at 9:00am and returns at 7:00pm, and you should present fifteen minutes before departure. The vehicle carries Wild Atlantic Way Day Tours branding, which is how you pick it out from the other coaches loading on the same street.
There is no hotel pick-up on this one — it is named as excluded — so plan to be on Merchants Road yourself.
Know before you go
- The cruise depends on the sea. It is named in the fare as subject to weather, and a swell can take it.
- Bring a windproof layer. The deck is where the view is, whatever the month.
- Something for motion sickness. Two boat legs, and the Atlantic does not always cooperate.
- Food and drink are not in the fare. There are cafés and pubs on Inis Oírr and in Doolin.
- Island extras are yours. Bikes and pony traps are hired at the pier and sit outside the fare.
- Stroller accessible, not wheelchair accessible. Infants sit on laps and children must be accompanied.
What travellers said about this day
★★★★★
Taking the ferry from Doolin makes complete sense, and the views of the cliffs on the way back were superb.
Joe S. · Couple · August 2026
★★★★☆
The perspective from the boat is completely different and gives you a real sense of the scale of the place.
Isobel G. · Solo traveller · August 2026
Frequently asked questions
Does this tour go up to the cliff top as well?
Yes. After the cruise you drive up for an hour on the cliff top, with Visitor Centre entry inside the fare. Not every boat day here does that, so it is worth checking on any tour you compare it with.
What happens if the cruise is cancelled?
The rest of the day runs and the operator decides on the morning. Free cancellation up to twenty-four hours ahead is the protection if the forecast turns first — the weather page sets out what can be cancelled and what cannot.
Which island does the ferry go to?
Inis Oírr, the smallest of the Aran Islands, about fifteen minutes out of Doolin. The Aran Islands tours page compares the island days.
Is the ferry included?
Yes, both ways, and so is the cruise and the cliff-top entry. Lunch, drinks and anything you hire on the island are not.
Is two hours enough on Inis Oírr?
It is enough to walk to the sunken church and the wreck, or to cycle most of the island. It is not enough to do both slowly. If the island is not the point for you, the Burren day spends the time on the cliff top instead.
Other ways to spend the day
A straight run down the Clare coast and a long day out of the capital are the two other shapes on offer, and both trade the water for time on the cliff top.
The same cliffs, from underneath and from on top
The ferry, the cruise and the cliff-top admission are all inside one fare, and cancellation is free up to twenty-four hours ahead.
Check availability