Connemara, Kylemore Abbey and Killary Fjord Day Trip from Dublin

Oughterard and Connemara National Park

Connemara is the wild Atlantic corner of County Galway, a landscape of rugged mountains, countless lakes, stone walls and wide brown bogs that change colour with every passing cloud. The tour enters it through Oughterard, a pretty village on the shores of Lough Corrib known as the gateway to Connemara. From here the road winds west between the Maumturk Mountains and the peaks of the Twelve Bens.

Connemara National Park protects a large area of mountain, heath and grassland around Letterfrack, and its scenery is among the most beautiful in Ireland. On this Connemara tour from Dublin you enjoy the views from the coach and during short stops, while your driver-guide tells stories of the region, its Irish-speaking communities and its hardy Connemara ponies. Be ready for long drives: Connemara is on the far side of the country from Dublin.

Killary Fjord

Killary Harbour, often called Ireland's only fjord, is a long, narrow inlet of the Atlantic that cuts deep into the mountains on the border of County Galway and County Mayo. It was carved by glaciers during the last Ice Age, and its calm, dark water is framed by steep slopes, with Mweelrea, the highest mountain in Connacht, rising on the northern shore. Rows of floats on the water mark the mussel farms for which the fjord is famous.

A boat trip on Killary Fjord is one of the highlights of the day and a summer favourite on this route. From the deck you see waterfalls running down the hillsides, sheep grazing on impossible slopes and, with luck, dolphins that sometimes follow the boats. Your guide explains how the fjord was formed and how people have lived from the sea here for generations. Bring a windproof jacket for the open deck.

Kylemore Abbey

Kylemore Abbey is one of the most photographed buildings in Ireland: a neo-Gothic castle of grey granite with turrets and battlements, reflected in a lake at the foot of a wooded mountain. It was built in the 1860s by a wealthy businessman as a romantic gift for his wife, and since 1920 it has housed a community of Benedictine nuns, who still live and work on the estate.

On this Kylemore Abbey day trip from Dublin you visit the grounds, with time for photos from the lakeshore and a lunch break at the estate cafés; lunch and entry to the interior are not included, as the visit focuses on the setting. The view of the abbey across the water, with the mountain behind it, is the picture most travellers remember from the whole tour, so have your camera ready.

Galway city

Galway, known as the City of Tribes after the merchant families, or tribes, who ruled it in the Middle Ages, is the cultural capital of the west of Ireland. Its compact centre is full of brightly painted shopfronts, cafés and street performers from around the world, and live music spills from the doorways of the Latin Quarter. Remains of the medieval town walls stand between shops selling Aran sweaters, handmade Claddagh rings and second-hand books.

During your free time you can stroll along Shop Street and Quay Street, visit the Spanish Arch by the River Corrib, or walk to Eyre Square, the green heart of the city. It is a great place to buy souvenirs or have an early dinner before the long drive back to Dublin, where the tour ends in the evening, about 13 hours after departure.