Last updated on February 7th, 2024 at 11:15 pm
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Taking a day trip to the Aran Islands was one of my favorite things that we did on our trip to Ireland. The Aran Islands are just off the western coast of Ireland, so they are the perfect day trip from Galway or other cities in the area. These islands are the picture of Ireland, with green rolling hills, pastures lined with limestone, dramatic cliffs, cute cottages, and ancient ruins. Make sure to add the Aran Islands to your Ireland itinerary to get your fill of Irish charm!
The Aran Islands
The Arans Islands consist of three islands about 30 miles off the western coast of Ireland, including Inishmore (Inis Mór), Inishmaan (Inis Meáin), and Inisheer (Inis Oírr). Inishmore is the largest and Inisheer is the smallest. Irish and English are spoken on the islands.
Best Time to Visit the Aran Islands
The peak season to visit the Aran Islands is July through August. The shoulder seasons, May, June, September, and October, are also good times to visit but the weather might not be as good. We visited in early September and the weather was absolutely beautiful.
Which of the Aran Islands should you visit?
Inishmore is the biggest of the three islands and was the one that we decided to visit. It is about seven miles long and two miles wide. Explore the port town of Kiloran, bike around the island, and visit Dún Aonghasa or the Seven Churches.
Fun fact, parts of the Banshees of Inisherin, a 2022 film that won several awards, were filmed on Inishmore. It is a pretty strange movie, but the scenery is absolutely beautiful.
Inishmaan is the middle island and its name translates to “the middle one”. At the Inis Meáin Knitting Company, you can buy an Aran Island sweater (called a jumper in Ireland) for which the island is known. Proud of their heritage, Inishmaan is the most traditional of the Aran Islands. It is also the least visited island, so if you are looking to escape the crowds, this might be the island for you. On Inismaan, you can visit Dún Chonchúir, a stone fort, which offers great views of the island from its highest point.
Inisheer is less than two miles long and about one mile wide. Biking or walking are great ways to explore Inisheer because of its size. On Inisheer, you can check out the Plassey Shipwreck, An Loch Mór (the big lake), and plenty of ancient ruins including O’Brien’s Castle, a tower, and the Church of Seven Sisters.
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Where to Stay on Aran Islands
Next time I visit the Aran Islands, I plan to stay overnight in one of the cute B&Bs. There are a few different options for where to stay on the Aran Islands. On Inishmore, stay at the Seacrest B&B, centrally located to the ferry terminal, restaurants, and shops, with beachfront views. Another option is to stay in a sea-view chalet at the Aran Islands Hotel. You can also camp or glamp at Aran Islands Camping and Glamping.
For lodging on Inisheer, check out Inisheer Hotel (Óstán Inis Oírr), which is near the ferry, restaurants, and sites. On Inishmaan, the most untouched island, B&Bs are the only option for lodging. Check out Tig Congaile, which is near the beach and a traditional pub.
Ferry Options to the Aran Islands
Aran Island Ferries offers several options for visiting the Aran Islands. Departing from Rossaveel, which is about one hour outside of Galway, there are ferries to each island. There are several departure times each day. A round-trip ticket is $30 for adults.
Another option offered through Aran Island Ferries is to depart from Galway City. There is an Aran Island and Cliffs of Moher tour that leaves from Galway City where you are able to spend four and a half hours visiting Inishmore and then see the Cliffs of Moher via boat on the way back.
March through October you can also depart from Doolin in County Clare, which is near the Cliffs of Moher. The Doolin Ferry has options for day trips to the Aran islands and can optionally be combined with a trip to view the Cliffs of Moher. It takes about 15 to 35 minutes to reach the islands from Doolin, depending on which island you choose to visit. A round-trip ticket is about $30-40 for adults.
Ferry to Inishmore
We decided to take the ferry to Inishmore, departing from Rossaveel on Aran Island Ferries. We drove about 45 minutes from Galway to the port in Rossaveel, which is a beautiful coastal drive. There is a parking lot for Aran Island Ferries located at Ferry Crossroad, Rossaveel, Co. Galway, Ireland, where you can pay seven euros to park for the day.
We boarded the ferry, a very large boat with two levels and rows of seats inside. Most of the seats were inside and not very exciting but you could stand outside if you wanted. The outside got a bit crowded so if you want a good spot I recommend going outside as soon as possible. The ferry to Inishmore from Rossaveel is about twenty minutes.
Once the boat docks on Inishmore, you have time to explore the island on your own or by taking a guided tour until your return trip. We only had a few hours because our return trip was at 4 PM.
Renting Bikes on Inishmore
Once you deboard the boat, there is a bike rental shop to the right called Aran Bike Hire. To the left is Kilronan, a town with several shops and restaurants. We immediately headed to the right because we wanted to rent bikes and explore the island.
The bike rental shop, Aran Bike Hire, accepts cash or cards via online orders. Since we didn’t have any cash, we quickly filled out an online form and paid on the website. You can also do this ahead of time by visiting their website and it is a good idea to maximize your time. The bikes were $20 a person.
After this, we only had to show the confirmation email so we could get our bikes. They offer very basic mountain bikes or road bikes for rent. We got mountain bikes, which I would recommend because Inismore is hilly. They were not great quality but they got the job done. Helmets are optional and if you want one, there is a large bin with helmets of different sizes to pick from.
The employees at Aran Bike Hire fervently reminded us that in Ireland, they drive on the left side of the road. Biking on the left side of the road wasn’t too bad, but it did take some getting used to. Luckily, the roads on Inishmore are generally small and easy to follow so you don’t have to worry about any crazy European roundabouts or anything. You will encounter plenty of other bikes as well as vehicles and horses with carriages.
Aran Bike Hire also gave us some suggestions of which directions to go and different things we could see on the island, including the town of Kilronan, the seal colonies, churches, and ruins on the island.
Biking Inishmore
Finally, we were ready to start our biking adventure! We took off on the road heading north towards our first stop, the Seal Colony viewpoint.
It is about a fifteen-minute bike ride if you go straight to the seal colony. We were not paying a ton of attention to directions so I think we took a little bit longer to reach the seal colony. The first part of the bike ride was a pretty large incline, but it wasn’t too bad.
I was expecting a fair amount of seals to be considered a “colony,” but there were at most three seals that we could see from the viewpoint. They were also pretty far away, but you could walk down a bit to get closer. One seal was stretched out on a rock, tail perched in the air like a statue. The other one or two were swimming around and occasionally we could see their heads pop up above the surf.
The view was incredibly beautiful, with the bright blue ocean surrounding green pastures and short stone fences. It was the most beautiful day in September. There were barely any clouds and the temperature was a perfect 75 degrees. Perfect for biking.
We got back on our bikes are rode on, enjoying the picturesque views and serenity. I rarely feel as peaceful as I did that day, cruising around Inishmore, even when I am traveling.
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The next place we stopped was a cute little food truck just before Kilmurvey Beach, about an eight-minute ride away from the Seal Colony. It was an impromptu stop, as it had not been on the map, but we love a food truck moment. They were serving paninis and chips (This is Ireland, so that means fries. I constantly had to remind myself of that!) out of a food truck that looked like it was parked in someone’s backyard. I believe that the owners of the house might have been the owners of the food truck but that is a complete guess. It was very charming!
We ordered a panini and some curry chips. While we waited for our food, we watched other bikers pass by, many of whom also stopped to grab a snack, and Luke headed over to pet a few donkeys in the pasture across the street. A white spotted donkey was very loud and kept enthusiastically neighing, causing many of the newcomers to startle with surprise.
We ate our food at one of the few picnic tables and continued admiring the beautiful views. They were everywhere! The panini was okay, but the curry chips were pretty good. As we hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast, I would have needed food shortly anyway.
The next stop was Kilmurvey Beach, which we had been admiring while at the food truck. It was not far at all. We parked our bikes and took off our shoes so we could walk the beach. When I think of Ireland, I don’t think of beautiful, white sand beaches, but that was Kilmurvey Beach. It reminded me of the Caribbean. The sand was white and soft and the water was a bright turquoise. Once the waves washed over our feet, however, the realization that we were in Ireland came rushing back with a chill.
We hung out at the beach for a moment and watched a group of older ladies run, shrieking, into the water. Then it was back on the bike for our next destination.
Dún Aonghasa
Our next stop was the best part of the day and an absolute must-see if you are on Inishmore. Dún Aonghasa is a prehistoric stone wall fortification on cliffs overlooking the Atlantic. Three walls of defense were created using drystone masonry, meaning that the stones are stacked with no binding material. It is very impressive that old stones are still standing, especially without anything binding them. The structure is over 3,000 years old in places and was refortified in 700-800 AD. The fort goes from cliff to cliff and outside of the defensive walls are jagged, upright stones meant to further impede intruders.
Dún Aonghasa is about a 16-minute bike ride away from the beach. When you arrive at the visitor’s center, you will have to leave your bike outside. They provide plenty of bike racks. We didn’t have a bike lock, so we just left our bikes and luckily no one stole them. Entry to Dún Aonghasa is eight euros. The visitor’s center has bathrooms and provides the history of the cliffs and fortifications.
It is a 10 or 15-minute hike to get to the fortification from the visitor’s center. The ground is rough and rocky in places and contains large stone steps in other places.
The views on the way up are also beautiful.
When you get to the fortification, you can easily see how some of the walls are faring better than others. You step through an entrance in the wall and suddenly you can see green all the way to the cliffs, where the sea stretches out before you.
There are no railings or anything to protect you so proceed at your own risk. Some people took this very lightly and were dangling their legs over the side of the cliff. That is not for me and I don’t recommend it.
It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. I have never felt so unfettered, like a tiny speck in a giant universe. So minuscule and unimportant, but in such a freeing way. I felt like I was on the edge of the world.
We stayed for a while, just admiring the views and taking pictures. We talked to two lovely English ladies.
Finally, we knew we had to get going, as we only had a little more than an hour left before our return trip to Rossaveel. If you have time, you can also walk to the wormhole, which is a naturally occurring rectangular tide pool in the limestone cliffs. It has been used for cliff diving competitions.
We headed back to the visitors’ center and grabbed our bikes to head back to town. It took about 25-30 minutes to reach Kiloran.
Kiloran
With our last bit of time, we hurried to drop our bikes, a very quick process, and got a beer at one of the local pubs, The Bar. They also had a delicious chocolate orange cake that was the perfect snack after our bike ride.
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Other Things to Do on Inishmore
If you have more time on Inishmore, there are plenty of other things to do and ways to see all the sites. If you are scuba certified, consider going scuba diving to see coral reefs and maybe even dolphins or seals. The Aran Islands are known as one of the best places to dive in Europe.
Take a pony and trap tour to see the sites of Inishmore from the comfort of a carriage. This tour will take you to most of the island’s sites, including Dún Aonghasa, with a stop for lunch. Another comfortable way to see the island is to take a minibus tour around the island.
If you are a more adventurous traveler, go off-roading with Aran Off Road Experiences. You can see parts of the island by off-roading that you won’t be able to see in any other way. Learn about the history, culture, and language of the Aran Islands while exploring iconic landscapes in a jeep.
Bike Route
If you want to stop and see all the sites that we visited, view the map of our route below.
Returning to Galway
Our return ferry left at 4 PM and took about 20 minutes to return to Rossaveel. The return ferry ride was beautiful as evening set in.
Back at the parking lot, we hurried to grab our parking ticket and went to the booth to pay. It was seven euros and they accepted cash or credit cards. It was about a 45-minute drive back to Galway.
A day trip to the Aran Islands is a great addition to an Ireland road trip or a stay in Galway. Have you visited the Aran Islands?
This trip sounds wonderful- we totally missed these island when we visited Ireland and now I think we’ll have make sure we see them next time.we love your great descriptions of your travels!
Very interesting and informative, we will definitely add it to our list.