Galway

Connemara Day Trip from Galway: Cong and the Kylemore Abbey

Badge of ExcellenceGalway, Ireland
Connemara Day Trip from Galway Kylemore Abbey and Ross Errilly Friary
  • 8 hours (approx.)
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

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Overview

Delve into the rugged wilderness of Connemara, an Irish county thronged with historic monuments and natural splendor, on a full-day tour from Galway City. Gaze at the tranquil surfaces of Lough Carrib and Loch NaFooey and discover the elaborate walled gardens of Kylemore Abbey. Enjoy a pleasant balance of guided tours and independent exploration during this enriching excursion.
  • Full day trip to Connemara from Galway city with an expert guide
  • Spend time at leisure in Cong village, where 'The Quiet Man' was filmed in the 1950s
  • Visit Kylemore Abbey and admire its Victorian walled gardens (entry at your own expense)
  • Transport by spacious, air-conditioned coach

What's Included

  • Professional Local Driver/Guide
  • Air-conditioned vehicle
  • Food and drinks
  • Entrance Fee to Kylemore Abbey & Victorian Walled Garden

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

  • Kinlay Hostel
    Merchants Rd, Eyre Square, Galway, H91 F2KT, Ireland

    Please check in the office 15-20 minutes prior to departure. Please allow enough time to get to the departure point (if you travel by car ) due to a high traffic in Galway City. There is car parking available on Merchants Rd.

Start time

10:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Depart from the Kinlay Hostel in a luxury, air-conditioned coach and admire stunning natural panoramas as you travel through the Irish countryside towards Cong village to delight in the quaintness of the setting for John Wayne's epic movie, "The Quiet Man." Stroll the cobbled streets during some leisurely free time, perhaps ambling over to Cong Woods to see the 11th-century Ashford Castle. 

Head next to County Connemara, home to the unspoiled glacier lake, Loch Na Fooey, and absorb sweeping countryside vistas. Listen to tales of Connemara’s rich culture and learn about the time-honored Irish traditions that are still preserved in the region. 

Next, venture to Kylemore Abbey and immerse yourself in the sacred ambiance of an ancient Benedictine abbey shrouded in history. Hear legends surrounding the construction of the abbey and enter the abbey at your own expense. Spend ample time inside the Irish national treasure, opting to enjoy lunch at your own expense if you wish. 

On the return journey to Galway, meander through the incredible tableau of Connemara’s Inagh Valley and the Mamm Turks Mountains and then bid your guide and group farewell on arrival at Kinlay Hostel.

Kylemore Abbey & Victorian Walled Garden

2 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

Lough Corrib

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Killary Fjord

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Cong

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Royal Abbey of Cong

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Service animals allowed
  • Near public transportation
  • Infants must sit on laps
  • Most travelers can participate
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 50 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
  • This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Frequently Asked Questions

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.

Filter by:

Q:What is the pick up location?

A:We offer pick ups from most hotels in Galway City. Let us know where you are staying in the 'Special Requirements' box in the Traveler Details section during checkout. Or you can let us know after booking by visiting 'Manage my Booking' and emailing us there.

Jul 2019

Q:Where is the meeting point?

A:The meeting point for this tour will be at Kinlay Hostel Galway.

Nov 2022

Q:What is the meeting time?

A:Please be at our departure point by 09:45 AM.

Jul 2019

Traveler Photos

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Featured review
eric_s
Mike was excellent tour guide … Not only did he know history about destination point , He was very well versed about telling the story of people in west Ireland region past , present and future… He really is professional and passionate about being a tour guide and was very helpful. Good job Mike definitely recommend this tour and your company and Mike ! The Stall, Eric & Cherie👍👍🙏😎🍀

Reviews

4.5
787 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 787 reviews
The Best of Times, the Worst of Timez
Sylvie_K, May 2024
While we enjoyed the trip to Kylemore Abbey, our bus driver/tour guide (simultaneously) was cringeworthy. His off-color jokes (black Irish remark related to a biracial passenger, sexist remarks) were wholly unacceptable. The side trip to Cong was disappointing and simply added time to a long day. Consider another tour operator.
Great day trip to the Kylemore Abbey.. stunning beautiful!
Ram_M, May 2024
Must do day trip from Galway. Mike the guide and driver was really humorous, friendly and solely responsible for making the entire day trip a memorable experience.
Great Day!
Vic_C, May 2024
The sights were amazing, the driver was informative, funny and engaging and the pace was perfect... a truly grand day!!
Loved the history of...
Matthew_B, May 2024
Loved the history of Connemara and a great side trip in the countryside. Great guide/ driver. Couldn’t believe how beautiful the back country was.
Connamera in a Day
David_P, Apr 2024
Eight hours of Connemara immersion! Regional and Irish history presented by a very knowledgeable driver with stops long enough to enjoy Connamera and Cong. The region is beautiful filled with sheep, lambs and quaint stone fences and farms.
Breathtaking
BRENNA_C, Apr 2024
The scenery of the mountains, lakes, and Abbey are breath-taking. It's a shame a marathon screwed up our visit to Cong, but our driver stopped many times along the way for stretching our legs and admiring the scenery. We appreciate the pleasant driver and his friendly attitude.
Great tour and driver!!!
dschiz, Apr 2024
A slight change in the schedule but was communicated and we could change to a new day, we didn't. Mike was our driver and was funny and informative. Always available for questions. Weather was great tour was great!!
Our tour guide, Mike, was...
Carol_C, Apr 2024
Our tour guide, Mike, was full of interesting information about the area and provided entertaining stories throughout the tour.
Coach was clean, tour...
Lisa_L, Apr 2024
Coach was clean, tour guide Mike knowledgeable, safe driver, organized, kept our interest & had great stories about Ireland & the area. Scenery captivating.
Getting to know Galway
Jim_W, Mar 2024
A great day, very enjoyable. The weather was against us but it is March and as they say, it's not the bad weather it's the clothes we ware. Our guide was Mike and he was excellent from start to finish. Plenty of banter and interaction with everyone on the bus, as my wife said he earns his money ! Thoroughly enjoyed it and would go again.
Connemara is AMAZING
MicahShea_M, Mar 2024
The tour guide (Tommy) was fantastic. The scenery was gorgeous. We will revisit Connemara 100%. The village of Cong is cute and the ruined Abbey there was lovely.
Wonderful Tour Company and Place to Visit
Susan_C, Mar 2024
The tour company was awesome. We enjoyed our visit to Cong and Kylemore Abbey. The Aran sweater shop in Cong had the best prices on sweaters! Great little town to explore for a brief time. I wish we found the area by the statue of John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara sooner. The ruins and park were so pretty in that area.
Connemara Country
Helen_B, Feb 2024
Kylemore Abby & the Connemara country was breathtaking! Bus trip was great & Mike was entertaining! Hearing the history of Ireland was educational.
Stunning trip
Isabell_N, Feb 2024
This trio is gorgeous and even with rain totally enjoyable. I would recommend this to everyone. The tole we got to spend at Kylemore was enough to see a lot there.
Wonderful Tour
Sandra_P, Feb 2024
Mike was a great tour guide! His commentary was both very informative and entertaining throughout the tour. I highly recommend this tour to see the Connemara area and Kylemore Abbey. Plenty of time to visit in each stop with beautiful scenery all around!
Breathtaking views of the Irish countryside
Juwn_B, Jan 2024
The tour guide was well informed and very entertaining on the bus, with fascinating local knowledge and stories. The tour had beautiful views of nature, views that can't be done justice by photgraphs.
Beautiful Trip
wendi_j, Dec 2023
This was a wonderful trip despite the weather. It was rainy and windy but was well worth the trip anyway. Our tour guide/ driver was the best. Anthony was funny, very skilled and kind. My husband and I enjoyed his company. Despite the weather delays we were able to make it to Cong which was important for my husband. Again, that was because of Anthony. Thank you for a memorable day.
Great day in beautiful Connemara
Jaye_W, Nov 2023
Kylemore Abbey was closed on the day of our trip. But our driver, Ray, knew some other great spots to take us to! We stopped at Ross Errilly Friary, which was fascinating, especially with Ray to guide us. He was so knowledgeable. He also took us up some back roads to some beautiful locations and perfect photo spots. He also made sure we at least got close enough to take a photo of Kylemore.
Great and Beautiful Trip
Paula_A, Nov 2023
Thanks! This was a great tour. I loved that Kylemore Abbey was set up for Christmas. The landscape is just beautiful in this part of the country.
Massive waste of time!
William_F, Nov 2023
When I was about eight years old, I went to a birthday party where we were promised a clown.  Instead of being a presence at the party, we all gathered outside at an appointed time to watch a sad looking hobo clown drive by in his car and wave.  Over three decades later, I have become that clown, passing by a destination I was promised to visit at a high speed.  We booked this tour, of which the centerpiece is Kylemore Abbey.  When I checked my email yesterday afternoon, I saw that there was an email from this tour company saying that the abbey was closed.   This came conveniently about two hours after the free cancelation window.  We were disappointed, but the email also said: "While we can not enter Kylemore Abbey on these days (Tuesday and Wednesday), we will make a photo stop there."  We took them at their word and went on the tour anyway.  This was a big mistake.  Upon getting on the bus we were told by the driver after asking that we would not be stopping at the abbey, but we'll drive by and we may be able to take a photo or two if we're quick.  As this tour went on, it became abundantly clear that without the main destination of the trip, we were in for a pointless 8 hours.  Instead of offering a refund or being honest, I received a condescending email when i emailed back to ask why we were mislead, signed by Paola, basically quoting their terms and conditions saying they can change the itinerary whenever they please.  She also said that the stop they added of a decrepit ruin of a monastery was "equally enjoyable".  After this, we visited the village of Cong, where almost nothing was open.  But apparently they filmed a John Wayne movie that nobody had ever heard of there, so if you want to walk in the footsteps of a dead racist, go right ahead.  We had enough time to get a cup of coffee, then it was back on the bus.  We then drive by some nice vistas, but only stopped for a minute or two to take photos.  After lunch we made another stop in the village of Clifden, which was obviously hastily added to the trip to kill time.  Almost nothing was open, and as we were leaving, our guide casually mentioned that most places there are closed for the season since it's a summer town.  So why did we stop?  I understand that things happen and maybe they didn't know the abbey was closed, but the way the tour company handled things was atrocious.  If the main destination is closed, offer a refund on the tour.  Or don't, and at least be honest with your customers.  We would have been fine losing the tour money and we would have been able to enjoy our last day in Galway, which is more valuable than the cost of the tour.  As of this writing, you can still book this tour on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, even though the tour company knows the abbey is closed these days.  This seems extremely deceptive to me.  Avoid the Galway Tour Company at all costs.
Response from Host, Nov 2023
After reading this review you left for the Connemara, Cong and the Kylemore Abbey Tour I would like to spend a few words to clarify our side of the events that lead to it We received notice from the Kylemore Abbey about the closing only the day prior the tour departed, We feel is a bit too far fetched to state that "This came conveniently about two hours after the free cancellation window" As we do not have any control on the time a third party decides to make us aware of their plans, we never planned for our message to be timed this way for our convenience, but we sent the notice as soon as we knew We do indeed confirm that we announced a photo stop, however, as the Abbey was completely inaccessible, we deemed not safe to come to a full stop on the road with oncoming traffic, because we value above all the safety of our guests, in addition road works were being carried out nearby and traffic was fairly busy, we can only apologize for the way the concept was phrased, but we never offered anything more than a photo in front of the Kylemore Abbey and never promised the possibility to explore the surroundings, I feel it is a bit childish to expect anything more than what in fact the driver was able to offer on the day We do agree that the Abbey is a substantial part of the tour but it is not by chance that this location is the last to be named, we visit Connemara and Cong and, despite the negative impression you had of the Ross Errilly Friary, I can assure you, after talking to the driver, that the rest of the guests were absolutely delighted with the experience, the rich history of the location and the meticulous commentary given, believe it or not, this is a very sought after location by many people and the rare opportunity to visit it is always welcome We do strive to give the best experience to our guests, but sometimes things go a different direction and I feel strongly that it is unfair to blame us for an event out of our control and for going above and beyond to still visit historically significant locations in lieu of the missed visit, You were aware of the alternative itinerary well in advance, you could have decided to not go and advocate for a refund/cancellation, given the special circumstances of the very short notice, we would have been able to offer a refund, Nevertheless you decided to go and did not mention even once before departure you issues, the great desire you had to visit the Kylemore Abbey and that this was the main focus for you or we would have acted differently and accordingly It is not deceptive to offer an alternative tour, clearly stating the differences between the two itineraries, it is instead giving the option to make an informed decision, we would be deceptive if we kept this a secret! I wish you the best in your future travels With the hope you will be able to appreciate that an unexpected change of plans can have the potential to be a pleasant diversion Paola
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up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

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