Connemara National Park Hiking Day Trip from Galway

Your tour begins at Foster Street, Galway

Meet your guide in Galway City Centre on Foster Street, just outside the Hyde Hotel. Arrive at least 15 minutes early, then settle into your seat as you leave this lively Atlantic-side city for the open landscapes of Connemara in western Ireland.

Drive past River Corrib and into Connemara’s lake country

Travel through Oughterard, a small village on the edge of Lough Corrib, a vast lake fed by the River Corrib, one of Galway’s main waterways. The scenery quickly shifts from town streets to peat bogs, stone walls, and wide valleys that feel miles from the modern world.

Pass Maam Cross and climb into the Twelve Bens region

Continue through Maam Cross, a rural crossroads that locals use as a gateway into Connemara’s uplands. From here, you start seeing the Twelve Bens, a jagged line of quartzite peaks that define this part of County Galway and give Connemara its rugged, mountainous skyline.

Spot Connemara film locations made famous worldwide

Roll through landscapes featured in classic films like The Quiet Man, plus films such as The Field and Marley & Me. Your guide points out the backdrops so they become easy to recognize and remember.

Explore Leenane Village on the edge of Killary Fjord

Stop in Leenane, a tiny village tucked between steep hills at the head of Killary Fjord, Ireland’s only fjord, carved by glaciers and opening toward the Atlantic. Walk toward the water for photos, or use the short break to grab something small to eat before continuing.