The Cliffs of Moher. The MUST SEE sight in Ireland. Apparently. I disagree and I’m here to tell you why.
I’ll start here by saying the Cliffs of Moher are very impressive, from both the visitors centre and from below. However, my experience at the visitor centre was lackluster, annoying, over touristy, and a bit underwhelming. Before you comment, yes, I had good visibility. For my fellow Canadians, the Cliffs of Moher visitor centre is giving Lake Louise shoreline…. If you know, you know.
We were lucky enough to be on a bus tour during our visit, in part because the parking situation seemed incredibly annoying. It seems virtually impossible to just pay for parking and avoiding spending 15 euros per adult (nearly $50 CAD for two adults) on admission to the lackluster visitor centre. In fact, we are not sure that it is even possible at all. Comments that we found online while planning our trip were mixed and often dated with some expressing frustration over not being able to figure out how to park without buying admission to the visitor centre. As a result of this, the convenience and ease of a tour, the amount you can see in a day and the sky high gas prices in Ireland (relative to North America), the bus becomes a bargain that allows you to see other sites. We paid $264.08 CAD through Trip Advisor for two adults in October 2025 for a full day tour that included a bus for Galway with commentary from a very knowledgeable guide, ferry trips to one of the Aran Islands and the base of the Cliffs of Moher (which I describe further, below), a visit to a traditional Irish pub in Doolin and a visit to the top of the cliffs.
Anyways, the downside of this bus tour, and in fact the worst part of our day, was that we couldn’t leave after the first 15 minutes, because that is all the time we needed to see what was open. The vast majority of the walk alongside the Cliffs of Moher was closed for refurbishment following fatalities that occurred on the trail back in 2024. This leaves a fairly small area to walk around and the visitor centre. The visitor centre itself is an over heated, basic, interpretive centre. It did not spark our interest and I am doubtful that it would spark the interest of most visitors, including families with young children.
Note that because most of the trail is closed, the most striking views from the top of the cliffs will not be as easily accessible from a lot of the free or more affordable parking spots near the cliffs mentioned in older commentary. When we planned our trip, it looked like the only option to see the “main” part of the cliffs from the top was to park or take a tour to the visitor centre parking lot.
If you still decide to visit the Cliffs of Moher via the visitors centre, or if you end up there on a tour, here is my advice.
When I went they had all the trails closed, so you couldn’t leave the area around the centre. If that is the case when you arrive, here is what I recommend. Once you get out of your car or bus, go immediately left up to the top. Views are good there and if you’re on a bus, you will avoid the mob of people heading right up to the tower. Once you’re done there go to the tower, then head as far north as you can. The tower is worth going up, just make sure you assert yourself on the stairs. A lot of people wait around, but there is space for two people to pass on the stairs. After that, do your quick lap of the visitor centre. Once you have done all that drop me a line and tell me if you agree it isn’t worth it.
Once you leave the centre you will have a chance to check out the shops. Do not buy anything here, there are so many good shops in Ireland and none of them are here.
Alright, so that’s my rant on the cliffs and pitch for the bus tour. Now, what should you do instead? I’ve included five options below, but there are so many other options as well. I highly recommend exploring on Google maps and see what you can find. Ireland is an absolutely amazing place and you really can find a lot just by being curious.
Catch a ferry at the Doolin Pier
There is a town very close to the Cliffs of Moher called Doolin. The town itself is well known and quite famous for its music. There is a pier close by, the Doolin Pier. From this pier you can catch a ferry to the Aran Islands. I highly recommend doing this. We went to the smallest of the three islands, Insheer. This was a wonderful place with amazing people living on it. There are two other, larger, islands to visit as well. All of them are well worth the visit.
Ferry’s run regularly to all three islands, as well as a dedicated Cliffs of Moher viewing run. You can find the sailing times by following this link: https://doolinferry.com/aran-islands-ferry-sailing-times/. If you, like we were, are very jet legged when you plan to visit the Cliffs of Moher or otherwise don’t wish to be bothered with trying to time the ferries alongside visiting whatever else you wish to see in the area, we recommend taking a tour instead. They are surprisingly affordable with the added benefit of providing welcome respite from driving a rental car on the “wrong” side of the road on Ireland’s narrow road. Unless you are used to all that.
Fortunately, our tour included a ferry trip both to Inisheer and the base of the Cliffs of Moher. To the best of my knowledge, the majority of the tours that go to one of the Aran islands and the Cliffs of Moher will include a trip by boat to the base, weather permitting. Seeing the cliffs from the bottom provides you with a unique perspective that helps to fully understand the magnitude of this feature. The view from the bottom is better. Fight me. Be warned – if you are prone to sea and/or motion sickness AT ALL, you will have problems. If it is a rough day on the ocean and others on the boat are prone to sea sickness, I have read that you will also have problems. I will spare you from the graphic details of those problems….
Ballybunion West Cliff Walk
As with many of my experiences in Ireland, I was simply browsing around on Google Maps and stumbled upon this gem of a place. Ballybunion is a small town with a population of about 1600 people. It isn’t a whole lot different from other towns in Ireland, but for the Ballybunion cliffs and beach. These places are free to visit and its natural beauty rivals that of any other cliff in Ireland. You might be saying to yourself “how can it rival massive cliffs like Moher and the Giants Causeway?!” What you need to realize is that Ireland in its entirety is an absolutely beautiful country. Stunning. Even if a cliff isn’t as grand or tall as another, it still stuns you with its surreal beauty.
The Ballybunion cliffs boast a stunning cliff walk with excellent views, some ruins, and a gentle loop showing you more of the town and lots of the cliffs. The best part? This is completely free. The only hard part is parking, but that is a constant in Ireland. We were lucky as we went in October, so the beach was empty, and so was the parking at the trail head. Even so, it was a clear day and we got stunning views. Overall, this was a much better experience than the Cliffs of Moher. We were not rushed, it wasn’t crowed, the landscape was absolutely beautiful, and it just felt like we had it all to ourselves.
Beyond the cliff walk, you can visit the beach. I am certain this would be a much better experience in the summer. That being said, even in October it was quite lovely to walk along the deserted beach and view the cliffs from below. The beach butts right up to the edge of the main west cliff complex. A warning, while you could walk right up to the cliffs, do not do this. There is extreme risk of rock fall and it isn’t worth it just to see rock up close.
Visit Carrigogunnell Castle
This is literally just a random castle in the middle of nowhere. I am not kidding. If you visit this castle you will understand what I mean.
It is a bit hard to get here as it requires driving on narrow national roads as well as some even narrower farmers roads. You must have a confident driver to reach this location, do not attempt this one if you are nervous or lack adequate driving skill. Do not drive to the end of the farmers road if you are not a good driver. It requires you to turn your car around at the dead end of an extremely narrow road with ditches on both sides.
At the end of your driving journey you will be met with an ancient ruin crumbling over the weight of time and gravity. At first look, it might seem to overgrown to enter, but fear not. Follow the muddy trail and you will end up in the centre of a site with generations of history. Notice the worn down stone, crumbling archways, and trash littered around. This is quite obviously somewhere popular with the local youth to come for a cheeky hang out. Away from the watchful eyes of their parents.
Photo right: Carrigogunnell Castle
Explore the town of Westport
Alright, County Mayo is amazing. I’m not going to claim Westport is guaranteed the best place in the county, because I simply don’t know for sure. I haven’t explored the county enough. If you ask someone like Garron Music you will probably hear loud yelling about Ballina being the best town in Mayo. Sorry Garron, but I haven’t been there yet so I am going with Westport.
Why Westport? Well the town has an endless number of locally owned shops. This is largely because the town does not allow chain stores to operate in the downtown core. The town centre provides a quality but busy shopping experience. It will certainly satisfy your tourist shopping needs. We arrived early in the day and many stores were open and there were excellent cafes available. That being said, if having a pint is important for you plan to stay the day or come later.
Let’s talk about parking. This is always important in Ireland. Westport is a tight town with tight parking. If you are nervous about parking I highly recommend arriving into town early and trying to find a spot in the town square. There are good parking spots here and it is free. If you arrive later and don’t like street parking, find a parking lot and walk into the centre.
My favorite stores in Westport
- Christy’s Harvest: a quaint little cafe.
- Harvest Breeze West Port: a lavender shop.
- Ash-ling Gifts: Great gifts and souvenirs.
Go for hike up Diamond Hill
Specifically, Upper Diamond Hill in Connemara National Park. If you are looking for some outdoor activity, perhaps to burn off the Guinness you drank the night before, Diamond Hill is a great option. It is not very technical so it is fairly accessible for the average fit person with decent cardio. That being said, it can be quite slippery and the last 500 meters or so is fairly steep, so be prepared for that.
If you are not, in fact, prepared for that, the area boasts easier loops that do not take you right to the top of Diamond Hill including a much shorter and less steep Lower Diamond Hill Loop.
For the love of God and the safety of your fellow hikers, do the loops as intended. Please do not bail most of the way up the steep portion. The path is narrow, steep and often slippery. Two-way traffic is not safe or intended. The trail is one way, so make sure you are committed to completing the trek before starting. Going down the other side of the mountain once you come up is significantly easier than heading back down the way you came. I strongly encourage you not to turn back as doing so puts you and others at risk.
The views at the top of the hike are absolutely amazing. On a clear day you are presented with a vast expanse of farmers fields and the national park surrounding the mountain. You can even get a good view of Kylemore Abby from the peak of the mountain. If you hike up a good camera you could get some wonderful shots of the Abbey from the peak.
This hike is a far more rewarding experience than visiting the Cliffs of Moher. You get to see so much on your journey up the mountain, plus you get to burn off a lot of calories while doing it.
Photo left: Kylemore Abby as seen from the peak of Diamond Hill
As always, I have to mention parking. In this case, parking is excellent! There is a big lot with plenty of room to park. The park itself is not hard to get to, you just drive on highways the entire way and the road into the park provides plenty of space.
Final thoughts
If after all this you still want to visit the Cliffs of Moher Visitors Centre and see the view from the top, then do it! In our view, the bus tour is the best way to do it at present. There are so many great places to see, amazing people to meet, and great food to eat in Ireland. However, I’d recommend doing everything I mentioned here anyway, it is well worth it. That is what I did.
I hope you enjoyed reading this. Stay healthy. Stay happy. Cheers.
The Venture Club 
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