Connemara, Cong & Kylemore Abbey Tour from Galway

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. Kylemore Abbey, a beautiful Connemara castle, offers much history of romance and tragedy, captivating visitors who step upon its threshold. The Abbey is a beautiful, neo-gothic, building built-in 1868 by Mitchell Henry for his wife. It is now home to the Benedictine Nuns, and here you can enjoy their excellent home cooking while visiting the Abbey and the restored walled gardens. The grounds and surrounding mountains and lakes are steeped in rich Irish history, and you can learn all about this on our Connemara & Cong Tour. The Abbey and estate are open all year round and include the Abbey, a Gothic Church, the walled gardens, a craft shop, pottery studio, restaurant and tea rooms, as well as the lake and woodland walks.

   2 h

2. Lough Corrib is the largest lake within the Republic of Ireland and the second largest on the island of Ireland (after Lough Neagh). ( It covers 176 km² )

   5 min

3. Killary Harbour is Ireland’s only true fjord and extends 16km (10 miles) in from the Atlantic .It's extremely deep, over 45m at its centre. This offers a very safe, sheltered anchorage, because of the depth and the mountains to the south and north. It is a centre for shellfish farming, and strings of ropes used to grow mussels are visible for much of its length.

   15 min

4. Only an hour’s drive from Westport, Cong is a small village in south Mayo famous for its 12th century abbey, the lavish gold and silver processional Cross of Cong from 1123, the magnificent Ashford Castle, the village’s links with Oscar Wilde and, most popularly, its association with the John Wayne classic movie, The Quiet Man.

   30 min

5. A magnificent Augustinian Abbey dating back to the early 12th century

   15 min

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 1,144 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Showing reviews written in English.

• 5Wonderful experience!

  We had a wonderful day on our tour! Mike was fantastic! We loved the stories. I would highly recommend to anyone who wants to get out of the big cities.

  Lindsey_GOctober 2026via Viator

• 5Connemara and Kylemore Abby will take your breath away

  First, Mike our tour guide and driver was FANTASTIC, knowledgeable, funny, patient and a good driver. Mike stopped periodically at stops with amazing views which was unexpected and much appreciated. Kylemore Abbey was a wonderful destination, it is even better looking in person than the travel brochures. Connemara was breathtakingly beautiful. This is a must do for anyone who loves nature and photography. The only, very minor, criticism is the front windshield should have been cleaned before departure.

  Molly_MOctober 2026via Viator

• 5Amazing Experience!!

  I got engaged during this experience, the bus driver made us feel extremely comfortable and he was hilarious. He knew so much about everything and he was so kind and supportive with our big day!! He even took some pictures of us!! Absolutely amazing experience!!

  Sam_FOctober 2026via Viator

• 5Great tour for visit to Galway

  Mike was an excellent tour guide. We had a lovely day exploring Kylemore Abbey, Cong and seeing Connemara.

  jennifermF4739XNOctober 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Connemara

  Francis was a great guide and showed us even more than was listed on the tour

  johnsW8740LXOctober 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Loved our day in Connemara, Kylemore and Cong

  We loved our trip to Connemara, Kylemore Abbey and Cong with Mike. He was an excellent guide, telling us lots of stories and background about where we were heading. I loved that he let us out of the bus occasionally to walk and to enjoy the nature as well. The countryside in Connemara is beautiful, Kylemore and its gardens are amazing and we were happy to go to Cong as well. A lovely way to spend the day!!

  margaretwW1038MLOctober 2026via Tripadvisor

Know before you go

How it compares in Galway

• Its from-price is 77% below the median of the 63 day trips we list in Galway.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• By number of reviews it ranks 6 of 63.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Galway

Galway is a harbour city on Ireland's west coast, with a pedestrian old centre, traditional music, a seaside promenade and Connemara just to the west.

Galway stands where the River Corrib meets Galway Bay, and in the Middle Ages it was ruled by fourteen merchant families known as the Tribes, who built its stone houses and quays. The Spanish Arch recalls the trade with Spain, and Eyre Square, the Latin Quarter around Shop Street and Quay Street, and the Claddagh, a former fishing village that gave its name to the Claddagh ring, form the centre. The cathedral, consecrated in 1965, stands by the river.

Top-ranked sights in Galway: Cliffs of Moher, The Burren, Galway Bay.

See all 303 experiences in Galway