How to See the Cliffs of Moher from Galway Without a Car & For Free

If you’re visiting Ireland, you’ll likely want to visit the Cliffs of Moher. And you’re right to want that; they’re gorgeous! If like me you arrived to nearby Galway without a car, rest assured you can still see the Cliffs of Moher without a tour—and I’ll be showing you how to do it for free!

In fact, I personally think it’s better to take the bus to see the Cliffs of Moher than to go by car, as it’s the best way to see the entire length of the cliffs for free.

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You can take a tour bus to the Cliffs of Moher if you’d prefer for ease, but if you’re willing to explore on your own, keep reading!

Here is my guide on how to take the bus from Galway to the Cliffs of Moher and how to hike the cliffs for free.

How to get a bus from Galway to Cliffs of Moher?

Easy. Head to the bus station in Galway (located near Eyre Square). From there, take the 350 bus either to Doolin, from where you’ll hike and get cliff access for free, or to Cliffs of Moher Visitor Center, where you’ll get instant access but have to pay an entrance fee.

The first 350 bus from Galway to the Cliffs of Moher is at 8:05 a.m., then at 10 a.m. The next bus will be at 1 p.m., which I think is cutting it short for a day trip from Galway to the Cliffs of Moher if you want to hike the whole thing.

How to get a bus ticket from Galway to the Cliffs of Moher?

This is info that I wish I had. I tried to buy a bus ticket from a ticket machine inside the station the night before. But neither Doolin nor Cliffs of Moher were stop options. I freaked out a bit, wondering if Google Maps was wrong and there wasn’t a bus from Galway to the Cliffs of Moher.

Not only that, but I couldn’t figure out how to buy a ticket online. For some reason, the website wasn’t working for me.

But no need to freak out. You can buy a ticket on the bus!

Best to arrive a bit early, but I’ve found that buses in Ireland tend not to leave right on the dot.

How much does a ticket from Galway to the Cliffs of Moher cost?

As of 2022, it is 13.50 euros one way.

If you’re going to do the same thing I did (hike from Doolin to the Cliffs of Moher and take the bus back to Galway from there), I’d recommend buying one way. That way, you can get off at Doolin and then bus back from the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Center stop.

More on this later.

To save money, it’s 20 euros roundtrip. See fares on the Bus Eireann website.

Where to get off the bus to see Cliffs of Moher?

You have two choices.

First, you can get off right in front of the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Center. Here you’ll have to pay an entrance fee and you won’t have to walk much to see the cliffs. It’s a great option for those of you who don’t want hike the path for long, or if you don’t have much time to spend at the Cliffs of Moher.

Second, you can get off at Doolin. From this little town, you can easily access a path that will take you all the way to the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Center.

How long does it take to hike from Doolin to Cliffs of Moher?

Well, it depends on what you would consider the Cliffs of Moher. The Visitor Center is what most people think of. But that’s only a tiny bit of the Cliffs of Moher; they stretch for 14 kilometers in total.

From Doolin to the Visitor Center it’s 8 kilometers. I kept a fast pace but stopped to take pictures. Lots of them.

It took me a bit less than two hours to hike from Doolin to the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Center.

And once you get to the Visitor Center, you can hike even further to Hags Head. That takes a bit more than 5 kilometers.

If you do what I did, this is the one bit that you’ll have to walk twice. That’s because you’ll need to double back to catch the bus at the Visitor Center, so allow for around two hours to complete the 10ish kilometers road trip.

But if you’re like me, you won’t mind; I think the path from the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Center to Hags Head is the most beautiful.

If you’re really into the cliffs, you could do the whole path roundtrip, starting in Doolin and ending in Doolin. I originally planned to do this but my phone died, and so I’d estimate around six hours to go from Doolin to Hags Head to Doolin.

How to get a bus from Cliffs of Moher to Galway?

Get the 350 bus back to Galway from either Doolin or Cliffs of Moher, depending on where you finish.

I ended at the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Center, and I took the 3:20 p.m. bus back (I arrived in Doolin on the 8:05 a.m. bus). If you want to stay longer, there’s another bus at 6:20 p.m.

If you’d like to do the path roundtrip back to Doolin and have dinner there (my original plan before my phone died), the bus back to Galway is scheduled at 6:36 p.m.

A word about buses in Ireland: they’re almost always late, in my experience. Don’t count on it, but do keep it in mind!

Is it worth going to the Cliffs of Moher without a car?

Oh yeah. I think it’s even better to go from Galway to the Cliffs of Moher without a car:

1. You don’t have to deal with getting a shuttle bus to your car if you do the entire path one way.
2. You don’t have to worry about parking.
3. You can fully enjoy the beautiful views as you pass The Burren instead of focusing on driving.

Once in Doolin or the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Center, you can access the cliffs or the cliff walk easily without a car.

Hiking from Doolin to the Cliffs of Moher

I’ll share what I did when taking a day trip from Galway to the Cliffs of Moher without a tour or car. It was a perfect day, so feel free to steal my itinerary!

I started with the 350 bus from Galway. It leaves at 8:05 a.m. and arrived in Doolin at around 10 a.m. After picking up snacks and lunch to go from the cute local shops in Doolin, I set off for the Cliffs of Moher Coastal Path at the edge of town.

It was a beautiful path from the start, even before reaching the Cliffs of Moher, and I loved seeing the cliffs grow taller and more dramatic as I got closer.

About two hours later, I reached the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Center. It was more crowded here, but there’s the benefit of toilets and a café where you can get lunch. (I personally didn’t go in since I brought my own lunch, but I heard good things about it.)

After a rest here, I hiked the rest of the cliffside to Hags Head. This was one of the best parts of the Cliffs of Moher for me, although there were more people than on the path from Doolin to the visitor center.

From Hags Head I walked back to the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Center, and from there I boarded the 3:20 p.m. bus back to Galway with 1% battery on my phone, so that was stressful. Make sure to always carry a portable charger, just in case.

Oh yeah, but USB charging on the bus!

I arrived back in Galway at around 5:30 p.m. (a bit later since the bus was running late.

A summary of my day trip from Galway to the Cliffs of Moher without a car

1. Bus from Galway to Doolin (8:05 a.m.)
2. Walk from Doolin to Cliffs of Moher Visitor Center
3. Relax at the Visitor Center, then walk on to Hags Head
4. Walk back to Cliffs of Moher Visitor Center
5. Bus from Cliffs of Moher Visitor Center (3:20 p.m.) back to Galway (5:30 p.m.)

Sound too complicated and willing to pay a bit more to get a tour bus? You can book your tour here if you’d prefer. The great things about this tour is that you’ll also get to see The Burren region up close, which has very diverse and rich plant growth and known for its abundance of Irish native flora, as well as ancient Irish monuments. You’ll see it on the local bus but won’t be able to get out to explore it.

Alternatively, you can see the Cliffs of Moher by boat from the water. I did this the second day and it offers a different appreciation for the beauty of the cliffs. The cruise I did also made a stop at the Aran Islands, which are stunning. If you have a whole day to spare, I’d recommend getting a boat tour going to both the Cliffs of Moher and the Aran Islands.