Whether you’re a massive Game of Thrones or The Princess Bride fan or just a massive nature lover, you won’t want to miss visiting one of Ireland’s most scenic tourist spots. The Cliffs of Moher is an imposing natural beauty that serves as a sturdy view deck for looking out onto the Atlantic Ocean.
Going to the Cliffs of Moher is a MUST for any visitor to Ireland, and that’s not an exaggeration. With more than a million guests each year, it truly is the most popular tourist attraction in the nation. Nonetheless, you won’t have to worry about overcrowding because there’s a lot of space to go around for everyone.
Its visitor center was created on the hillside to ensure that people can enjoy the view without obstructions. Make sure to follow the place’s guidelines for you and others’ safety. If you’re interested in going on a day trip from Dublin to the Cliffs of Moher, here are your options:
Join a Tour Group
Joining a tour group is one of the best ways to experience the best of West Ireland. You just have to sign up with an agency, and they’ll do all the planning on your behalf. It’s a no-stress arrangement, although you do have to pay a little extra for the convenience.
Nonetheless, if you’re looking to fully immerse in the scenery, you’d do well to splurge on the traveling process. With this, you won’t have to think about anything else on the way to the site.
Aside from the tour company taking care of planning the itinerary, these are the advantages of joining a tour group to the Cliffs of Moher:
- Logistics Ease – Looking for transportation is one of the challenges that you won’t have to face when you join a tour. Most businesses have their own buses to carry clients to and from the site. Others partner with transportation companies for exclusive vehicles.
- Meet New People – Another aspect that’ll make going to the Cliffs of Moher more enjoyable is making new friends within your tour group. It’s a great way to expand your network and get to know people who are from different places.
- Gain More Knowledge – Most tours come with guides that provide additional insight to the place, like its history and other relevant information. You’ll be hitting two birds with one stone by learning more about the Cliffs of Moher while being on-site to bask at its magnificence.
Travel by Car
You can hire a rental car from Dublin and go on a road trip. Travel time is estimated to be approximately three hours. You have to be prepared for winding and steep roads, though. Moreover, you should be aware that most rental cars in Ireland have manual transmissions and, remember, they drive on the left side of the road.
To drive from Dublin to the Cliffs of Moher, you must take the R148 road and then go to N4. From there, continue past M6 and watch out for signs to Galway. Prepare some cash to pay for the toll gates, too.
The journey becomes trickier once you’ve gotten off the highway, so you must ensure that you rent a car with GPS. Make sure to include going to the local rent-a-car service provider in your Dublin itinerary.
Go by Public Transportation
If you want a fully immersive experience in Ireland, you can do as the locals do and take the bus or train to visit the Cliffs of Moher. It may take longer since you’ll be making lots of stops and transfers. Allocate about five hours for the entire journey. However, this option is the cheapest among the alternatives.
If you’re considering this mode of transport, ride the 300 bus from Dublin’s South, Burgh Quay station that goes to Dunnes, Friars Walk, which is located in Ennis. Then, you have to ride another bus that’s going to Galway, which is the 350 route, and disembark at the Cliffs of Moher stop.
Again, the roads to the cliffs are winding and steep, so you must prepare medicine for your motion sickness if you’re prone to that illness.
Conclusion
The Cliffs of Moher has been featured in various films and TV shows, especially in The Game of Thrones series. Even before the show aired, it has always been a popular tourist destination in Ireland.
There are three ways that you can get to the Cliffs of Moher. You can join a tour, which is the most convenient and hassle-free option. The second is to rent a car in Dublin and drive to the site. Lastly, you can take public transportation, which is the cheapest but longest route.
Anca B.
Anca is a travel writer and the founder of One Day Itinerary - the biggest collection of travel itineraries for those who are time-limited or just want to maximize their time while traveling. Although she easily becomes homesick for Croatia, she thinks travel is essential to her happiness. She has traveled to more countries than she is years old and doesn’t plan on changing that fact. In her travel guides she aims to inspire people to travel whenever they have a spare day (or two).
Hi there. As a Clare person (Co. Clare is the county the cliffs of Moher are in, by the way) it’s insanely frustrating that so many people make a day trip from Dublin to see the cliffs and then go back to Dublin – I can’t see how people find a minimum 6 hour round trip to be an enjoyable way to spend a day of a holiday! There is so much more to see around here, and a huge variety and high standard of accommodation, restaurants, tourist experiences and giftware. It’s also a lot cheaper than Dublin. You can fly to Shannon airport which is less than an hour from the cliffs. I would love if American visitors could be encouraged to stay HERE, and do their day trip to Dublin instead – and if this could be presented as an option, maybe?!!
Hi, thank you very much for your comment. We’ll definitely add this as an option 🙂