spend two days in doolin ireland

doolin is on the west coast of ireland and is a great little town with classic irish culture and close to some major attractions. we spent two days in doolin exploring the area and the amazing natural wonders in this part of ireland during in our 10 day ireland trip.

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galway is another larger town in this area that is a great home base to expore from as well. we didn’t get a chance to see galway during our time in ireland, but heard it has a great bar and nightlife scene for those looking for something more lively.

we drove to doolin from dublin our third day in ireland. my gps tried to take us on a shortcut the last few hours of the trip on very narrow and winding roads. it was my first day driving in ireland and these roads really took a toll on me. for the rest of the trip we made sure that the “shortcuts” weren’t actually really small roads that ended up taking us longer.

the good thing is that even though the scenic drive took us longer than we had planned, we got to see some cool sights. we came across this cemetery and ruins we got to explore.

cliffs of moher

the major attraction that brings people to the doolin area are the world famous cliffs of moher. we got to the cliffs for sunset on our first night in doolin. the sunset on the west coast of ireland was absolutely beautiful and a sight i will never forget.

there is a visitor center there as well, but it was closed by the time we were done enjoying the view. there are patsh to walk to see the cliffs from multiple angles. there are a lot of signs about the danger of the cliffs so please be careful and respect the natural beauty in the area by staying on the designated paths.

aran islands

off the west coast of ireland there are 3 islands collectively known as the aran islands. these islands are very small and are known for prehistoric structures. inishmore is the largest of the 3 islands and there is a ferry available daily to visit the island from doolin. once on the island you can rent a bike or horse drawn carriage to explore before catching the ferry ride back.

we had a trip to inishmore planned, but unfortunately the weather had other ideas. a large storm was blowing in the day we were supposed to go and they cancelled the ferry rides. i tend to get motion sick, so while i was disappointed to miss the island, i was grateful i didn’t have to be sea sick!

doolin peir-too windy for our aran islands ferry

in my research the different ferry companies were all the same price, so we booked with doolin ferries. this was nice because we went through their website all we had to do was email that our ride was cancelled because of the weather and we got our money back.

the burren

due to our last minute change of plans because of the weather we were able to spend more time in the burren national park. this area of ireland is about 30 minutes from doolin and the landscape is very different from the rest of ireland.

the ground is covered in large relatively flat rocks for as far as the eye can see. there are a few walking paths through the burren that you can take as well. it’s a stark contrast to the green fields you expect when you think of the irish countryside.

it was a windy day and it seemed like we had the whole area to ourselves. we only came across a few other people so we really got to enjoy the serenity of the burren.

this area of ireland also has a lot of these stone walls separating fields that we thought were really cool. it’s not something you see in the united states and we really liked them.

the burren perfumery

in the burren there is a perfumery that uses flowers and plants found in the burren. they have an educational short video about the plants that grow there and offer tours. since we were there in october there wasn’t much alive, but it looks to be a beautiful place in the spring as well. i was surprised with all the rocks how much grows there. they make a lot of products including soaps, teas, lotions, and of course perfumes. their items would make a unique souvenir or gift.

poulnabrone

another stop we made on our drive around the burren was at poulnabrone which is a portal tomb. this was a free and relatively quick stop and it had informational signs on the short walk out to the tomb. the engineer in me couldn’t help but wonder how in the world they got that huge stone up there and how it has stood for so long.

doolin

doolin is a very small town, but there are a few pubs and shops. Each pub we visited had good food, friendly people, and live music each night we were there. we stopped in o’connors after our ferry was cancelled and had a hot whiskey before walking to the shops on the same road. aran wool (from the aran islands) is very popular and i got a hat to keep my ears warm which was a great purchase! one night at o’connors we got to watch a group sing old irish songs. the whole pub was silent to listen to an older man and woman sing a few songs and only chimed in for the chorus. it was a real irish experience.

from our b&b we were able to walk to two other pubs which was very convenient. walking back in the dark you are quickly reminded of just how dark it gets at night in the country because there were no streetlights and very little light pollution. we got to see the stars like we never do in our daily city lives and it was beautiful.

summary

the cliffs of moher are a very popular tourist destination while in ireland and it is no surprise why. they are truly beautiful and standing at the edge is a great experience. i would recommend at least two days to spend in the doolin area because the cliffs aren’t the only attraction you should have on your list. there are many little towns in the area where you could stay to explore, but doolin gave us a great taste of ireland and i would highly recommend it.

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