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Connemara Tours & Travel Packages 2024/2025
Our 33 most popular Connemara trips. Compare tour itineraries from 30 tour companies. 73 reviews. 4.7/5 avg rating.
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Top Connemara Attractions & Experiences
Top Connemara Experiences
- Riding a beautiful, white Connemara pony through the endless Irish landscape, with summer winds whipping through your hair.
- Going on a hike of the Twelve Bens, and summiting the tallest point for a once-in-a-lifetime view of the Irish wilderness.
- Going birdwatching for incredible and rare wetland birds in Connemara National Park.
- Cycling along the section of the Ring of Kerry that runs through Connemara.
- Exploring the gorgeous and desolate beaches of the region, finding hidden coves and spotting all kinds of sea life along the way.
- Learning about traditional Irish farming techniques, like using sheepdogs, while visiting family farms like the one at Glengowla Mines.
- Admiring the incredible architecture and items in Kylemore Abbey, as well as the impressive Victorian Gardens before sitting down for a traditional afternoon tea.
Connemara Tours & Travel Guide
Connemara Attractions & Landmarks Guide
Things to Do in Connemara
Horseback Riding: Connemara is famous for the pony breed that takes the region as its namesake, and there are dozens of local farms that offer pony treks and tours through the region. The Connemara pony is perfectly adapted to the rugged terrain in this beautiful part of Ireland, and riding one is a fun way to see Connemara off the beaten path.
Scuba Diving: While scuba diving may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Ireland, it is actually a popular activity in Connemara. The beautifully clear water makes it one of the best places to dive in the Atlantic, an ocean typically known for its poor visibility. While you will have to wear a dry suit, there are plenty of opportunities to dive along Ireland’s west coast, and see a completely different and untouched ocean landscape.
Hiking: with all of the different types of terrain and open land in Connemara, the region is easily one of the best places to go hiking in Ireland. One particularly popular hike is the trail the leads over the Twelve Bens (also known as the Twelve Pens), a series of peaks which are some of the tallest in Ireland. It is recommended that you tackle these mountains with a guide,
Fishing: Connemara is also one of the premier fishing destinations in Ireland, and not just for surf-casting or ocean fishing. Instead, it’s a great place to go fly fishing, especially if you want to be surrounded by one of the most beautiful and barren landscapes on Earth. You can not only traditionally fly fish in rivers, but also learn the Irish techniques of lough drift fishing and dapping, both created to specifically tackle the Irish wind.
Birdwatching: Connemara National Park is sometimes referred to as a bird watching paradise, and not just for its puffin colonies and great populations of coastal birds. With mountains, marshes, valley, lake, and sea, there is a great deal of habitat diversity in a small area, meaning there are dozens of species to target on a bird watching tour.
Cultural Immersion: For those seeking to visit the last of vestiges of Gaelic culture, Connemara is one of the best places to visit. All of the Gaelic (or Irish) speaking communities are located on the country’s west coast, and the largest population of Gaelic speakers is in Connemara. If you want to hear Gaelic being spoken, visit the main pub in Connemara, An Christin, and just wait.
Best Attractions Connemara
- Clifden Castle: Built in 1810, this was lavish residence is now in ruins, though it remains beautiful. Clifden Castle has a magnificent view of Clifden Bay and is completely free to visit, so once you’re done exploring the architecture, you can picnic narby and enjoy the views.
- Glengowla Mines: The Glengowla Mines are now inactive, and have become an underground mine museum to the practices of 19th century mining, which is when Glengowla was last in use. The mines used to produce silver and lead, but is today better known for the beautiful quartz and fluorite crystals inside.
- Kylemore Abbey: This beautiful estate is located in Connemara National Park, and was built by a wealthy London doctor to demonstrate how beautiful the Connemara region could be. Today, the building is run by a group of Benedictine nuns, who preserve the incredible grounds and the original Victorian walled garden.
- Agrotourism: Connemara is home to dozens of small farms and “hill farms”, all of which are active and practice traditional agriculture techniques. If you are interested in how one trains and uses sheep dogs, or how you cut turf and create peat, consider not only staying at an Irish farm as your accomodation -- but also getting a tour to learn these things!
Connemara Pony Festival
Whether or not you knew that Connemara was a place in Ireland, you may be familiar with the Connemara Pony. If you happen to visit Connemara (or better, plan to!) in the middle of August, one must-do event is the annual Connemara Pony Festival. The Connemara pony is a small, hardy, and typically white-colored horse. They were first brought to the Western coast of Ireland in 795 AD by the vikings, and over hundreds of years have developed into a completely unique breed. Nowadays, the Connemara is popular worldwide for its gentle demeanor, physical attractiveness, and versatile form of athleticism.
During the Connemara Pony Festival, the entire community celebrates the distinctive breed, and the festival attracts visitors from the entire world. The celebration is about a lot more than just horses, however. The pony is only a part of the identity of Connemara, and there is also a dog show, arts fair, and an Irish Dancing competition that occur during the festival.
To make sure that you don't miss this festival, or any other important Irish cultural celebrations, be sure to look through festival tours in Connemara.
Connemara Reviews & Ratings
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Castles and Manors
The tour was very well laid out
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Castles and Manors
Loved the castles and manor tour.
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Castles and Manors
Length of time on a bus between stops
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Castles and Manors
We wish there was more time in Killarney but we can always return to see it again. Some local gems felt rushed but every local guide answered questions and added gre...
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Castles and Manors
Locations, Locations< Locations!
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