Places to Explore In County Clare, Galway, and the Aran Islands

Ballyvaughan

A pretty little waterside village and a good base for exploring the Burren, Ballyvaughan attracts walkers and artists who enjoy the views of Galway Bay...

• 3 Restaurants
• 3 Hotels
• 2 Things To Do

Bunratty Castle

Bunratty was a thriving village until its population was decimated by the great famine in the middle of the 19th century. A hundred years later...

• 3 Restaurants
• 2 Hotels
• 5 Things To Do

Coole Park

This nature reserve attracts William Butler Yeats fans and those seeking pleasant and easy walking trails...

• 1 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 3 Things To Do

Corofin

• 0 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 0 Things To Do

Craggaunowen Project

This archeological open-air museum and castle is a great way to get to grips with Ireland's Celtic past...

• 0 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 0 Things To Do

Doolin

Once an enchanting backwater of colorful fishermen’s cottages, this tiny village—set at the point where the Cliffs of Moher flatten out and disappear into the...

• 1 Restaurants
• 1 Hotels
• 5 Things To Do

Ennis

Clare’s main town, Ennis, has a medieval layout that follows the River Fergus with a network of narrow lanes and a one-way road system. Offload...

• 4 Restaurants
• 1 Hotels
• 14 Things To Do

Galway City

Galway is often said to be a state of mind as much as it is a specific place. The largest city in the West today...

• 11 Restaurants
• 7 Hotels
• 44 Things To Do

Gort

• 0 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 0 Things To Do

Inis Meain (Inishmaan)

The middle island in both size and location, Inis Meáin has a population of about 300 and its empty beaches and breathtaking scenery can be...

• 0 Restaurants
• 1 Hotels
• 1 Things To Do

Inis Mor (Inishmore)

Dún Aengus Hillfort is the main draw to Inis Mór, the largest and most populated of Aran's three islands. Stretching more than 16 km (10...

• 0 Restaurants
• 3 Hotels
• 4 Things To Do

Inis Oirr (Inisheer)

Inis Oírr, the smallest island, can be explored on foot in an afternoon, though if the weather is fine you may be tempted to linger...

• 1 Restaurants
• 1 Hotels
• 3 Things To Do

Kilkee

Kilkee is the access point to Loop Head and the only major town on the peninsula. Its faded Victorian allure is still recognizable behind the...

• 2 Restaurants
• 2 Hotels
• 4 Things To Do

Killaloe

Killaloe is separated from its sister town Ballina by an impressive 13-arch bridge across the River Shannon and a county border; a trek across the...

• 2 Restaurants
• 1 Hotels
• 1 Things To Do

Kinvara

Kinvara, with its pretty harbor and iconic ocean-edge tower house, makes for a leisurely break along the busy tourist trek between the Cliffs of Moher...

• 2 Restaurants
• 1 Hotels
• 1 Things To Do

Knappogue

Knappogue is a beautiful 15th-century tower-house castle, just a short drive from Bunratty...

• 0 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 0 Things To Do

Lahinch

Lahinch's promenade is milling with a mix of locals and visitors out to inhale the fresh Atlantic air at all times of year. Its golf...

• 2 Restaurants
• 1 Hotels
• 3 Things To Do

Mountshannon

• 0 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 0 Things To Do

Newmarket-on-Fergus

A small town in County Clare, Newmarket-on-Fergus is chiefly remarkable as the village nearest the famed hotel of Dromoland Castle, formerly the home of Lord...

• 0 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 0 Things To Do

Quin

Quin Village has retained the essence of old Ireland despite the fact that it is only a 20-minute drive from Shannon Airport and less than...

• 0 Restaurants
• 2 Hotels
• 4 Things To Do

The Burren

As you travel north toward Ballyvaughan, the landscape becomes rockier and stranger. Instead of the seemingly ubiquitous Irish green, gray becomes the prevailing color. You're...

• 2 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 8 Things To Do

The Cliffs of Moher

One of Ireland's most breathtaking natural sights, the majestic Cliffs of Moher rise vertically out of the sea in a wall that stretches over a...

• 0 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 1 Things To Do

Thoor Ballylee

• 0 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 0 Things To Do