Driving to Cliffs of Moher - Ireland

When discussing destinations for our Europe + Ireland trip, we decided to visit Dublin, jokingly to get in touch with Husband's roots, since he's part Irish (some red shows up in his facial hair, but other than that you'd never be able to tell). I really wanted to see the Irish countryside, particularly the Cliffs of Moher, which is what this post is about!

If you're interested in planning a similar itinerary, below are more details and logistics of the trip!

Driving to the Cliffs of Moher

While there are plenty of tour busses from Dublin to the Cliffs of Moher, we wanted autonomy when traveling, so we decided to rent a car. We flew from Copenhagen to Dublin, picked up our rental car at the airport, drove 4 hours to Galway, and stayed overnight at Harbour Hotel. The next morning, we drove 2 hours from Galway to the Cliffs of Moher.

Things to know about driving in Ireland:

1. You don't need an international drivers license.
2. Car rentals are rather inexpensive if you get a manual. Automatic vehicles are less common and pricier.
3. If you're from a country that drives with right-hand traffic (like the United States), you'll have to get used to left-hand traffic -- so, driving on the opposite side of the road, sitting in the opposite side of the car, and basically everything being reversed.
4. The roads from Dublin to the Cliffs of Moher are paved but extremely narrow with little to no shoulder.
5. Carry euros with you for tolls.

Driving manual on the opposite side of a very narrow road sometimes got stressful! We just embraced it as an adventure, and honestly, it's so worth it for views of the incredibly beautiful and lush Irish countryside.

Hiking the Cliffs of Moher

The Cliffs of Moher are jawdroppingly stunning. The cliffs in their enormity (look at those people! They look like ants in comparison) steeply plunge into the glistening Atlantic Ocean and sprawl endlessly toward the horizon. No wonder loads of movies, including parts of Harry Potter ("The Half Blood Prince"), was filmed here!

Things to know about hiking to the Cliffs of Moher:

1. An admission ticket is 6 euros per adult (parking included).
2. The "hike" is flat and about 5 miles. I wore Nike Flyknit sneakers and they were totally fine, but we also lucked out on a sunny day. The trail would definitely get muddy if rainy.
3. You can hike beyond the fences and walk up to the very edge of the cliffs. (Be careful, obviously.)

After the Cliffs of Moher, we drove to a nearby town, Doolin, for lunch and soft serve. There are lots of towns, castles, and pitstops along the way, so pull over and enjoy Ireland!