Dublin to Cliffs of MoherIrish Day Tours Cliffs of Moher: Pub Lunch Day Trip
The Irish Day Tours Cliffs of Moher day trip is the cheapest coach listing in this comparison at $80 per person, and the only one built around a sit-down pub lunch. The coach leaves the Molly Malone Statue at 6:50 AM, gives you 1 hour 30 minutes at the cliffs with admission included, then stops at O'Donohue's pub in Fanore, pauses 20 minutes in the Burren and finishes with 1 hour 20 minutes in Galway. The whole loop is a 13-hour day, and the drive from Dublin to the cliffs is roughly 3 hours each way. This page sets out what the price covers, how the day runs and who should book a different Dublin to Cliffs of Moher day trip. You can also compare Dublin to Cliffs of Moher tours on the homepage.
About This Tour
Irish Day Tours runs a shared coach day trip from central Dublin to County Clare with a driver-guide. It is the lowest-priced listing among the Dublin to Cliffs of Moher day trips compared on this site, and the only one with a sit-down lunch stop at a pub rather than a quick grab-and-go in a town. Infants are welcome if you bring your own infant seat at no extra fee.
$80 per person. Lunch, gratuities and hotel pickup are not included.
13 hours door to door, returning to the Molly Malone Statue in the evening. The end time depends on traffic.
6:50 AM at the Molly Malone Statue, Suffolk Street, Dublin 2. Arrive 10 minutes early.
1 hour 30 minutes, with Cliffs of Moher admission included.
Driver-guide, round-trip coach transport and cliff admission. No other entries are included and no lunch is provided.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
Check Dates and Availability
The coach departs from the Molly Malone Statue at 6:50 AM. Check live dates and seats for this trip using the widget below.
You'll confirm the exact date and time on the secure booking page.
Quick answer Price, stops and who it suits
The Irish Day Tours Cliffs of Moher day trip costs $80 per person and runs 13 hours from a 6:50 AM start at the Molly Malone Statue in Dublin. You get 1 hour 30 minutes at the cliffs with admission included, a 45-minute lunch stop at O'Donohue's pub in Fanore with food at your own cost, 20 minutes in the Burren and 1 hour 20 minutes in Galway. It carries a 4.6 rating from 2,952 reviews.
Key takeaways
- It is the cheapest listing in the comparison. The next closest is Finn McCools at $82 with 2 hours at the cliffs instead of 90 minutes.
- Want a proper sit-down meal midday? This is the only day trip with a pub lunch stop built in.
- Hate big coaches and long days? See the small-group Bunratty Castle tour instead.
- If you would rather skip the coach, the guides on Dublin to Cliffs of Moher cover driving, train and bus options too.
What the Price Covers
At $80 this is the lowest fare of the coach day trips compared here, and the money goes a long way. The table below sets out what is and is not included, based on the operator's own listing.
In the Price
Your $80 covers the round-trip coach from Dublin, a driver-guide, and Cliffs of Moher admission. That admission matters, because on your own it costs EUR 15 ($17.10) at the gate or from EUR 8 ($9.12) online. Groups arriving by coach book a group rate, so the fare already folds the ticket in.
Access includes the visitor centre exhibition, the paved clifftop paths and O'Brien's Tower, which has no separate fee.
| Item | In the price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Round-trip coach from Dublin | Yes | Shared coach, Molly Malone Statue to Molly Malone Statue |
| Driver-guide | Yes | English commentary through the day |
| Cliffs of Moher admission | Yes | Includes visitor centre, paths and O'Brien's Tower |
| Lunch at O'Donohue's pub in Fanore | No | 45-minute stop, food at your own cost |
| Gratuities | No | Not stated in the listing as included |
| Hotel pickup and drop-off | No | You make your own way to Suffolk Street |
The Honest Note on the Length
This is a 12-15 hour style day compressed into a stated 13 hours, and the Dublin to Cliffs road is about 3 hours each way. The official visitor site puts the drive at about 4 hours via Limerick, and a routing engine gives 261.5 km and 3 h 21 min with no traffic. You will spend long stretches on the coach with about 2 hours between stops, so if that sounds hard, motion-sickness tablets help, and the Burren roads twist.
The fix is to eat well before boarding, bring water and accept that the end time depends on traffic rather than booking an evening plan in Dublin.
Fog and the Weather
The tour runs in all weather and the operator may change the order of stops for traffic or weather. Fog can hide the cliffs completely, and this is a real possibility any month of the year. The official status system is simple: yellow means hazardous conditions and take care, orange means too hazardous to visit, and red means the centre closes.
Check the forecast the day before you travel and pack a waterproof layer no matter what the sky looks like in Dublin.
The Molly Malone statue on Suffolk Street, the 6:50 AM meeting point. Photo: Ken Eckert, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
How the Day Runs
The listing gives exact minutes for each stop. Clock times for the return leg are not published, and the operator says the ending time is subject to traffic conditions.
Dublin to the Cliffs
You board at the Molly Malone Statue on Suffolk Street and head west out of Dublin at 6:50 AM. The operator's own page says the coach reaches the Cliffs of Moher around 10:30 AM, so expect roughly 3 hours on the road with commentary, history and music from the driver-guide along the way. On clear stretches you may catch glimpses of the Aran Islands off the Galway coast.
| Stop | Time there | What it costs |
|---|---|---|
| Boarding at the Molly Malone Statue | 5 minutes to meet and board | Included |
| Cliffs of Moher | 90 minutes | Admission included |
| Lunch at O'Donohue's pub in Fanore | 45 minutes | Food at your own cost |
| Burren photo stop | 20 minutes | Included |
| Galway | 1 hour 20 minutes | Free time, no entries included |
At the Cliffs
You have 1 hour 30 minutes, which is enough to walk a stretch of the paved paths and see the visitor centre's interactive exhibition. The cliffs rise 214 metres above the Atlantic just north of O'Brien's Tower, and tower access is part of the admission with no extra fee. The informal coastal walking trail beyond the Experience's own paths is closed for safety, so stay on the designated routes.
Weather can change fast, and fog can hide the view entirely, so go to the railings first and treat the exhibition as your fallback.
Fanore, the Burren and Galway
After the cliffs comes the stop that makes this trip different: 45 minutes for a sit-down lunch at O'Donohue's pub in the village of Fanore. The meal is at your own cost, so bring a card or cash. The coach then crosses the Burren, a UNESCO World Geopark of limestone pavement covering roughly 250 square kilometres at its core, for a 20-minute stop.
The day ends with 1 hour 20 minutes of free time in Galway's medieval streets before the run back to Dublin.
Sources: Irish Day Tours, The Burren
Who Should Pick Another Day Trip
This coach suits travellers who want the lowest fare and a real meal break. Some people should book differently, and the links below point to better fits.
People Who Cannot Manage a Long Coach Day
The listing warns this trip is not recommended for travellers with poor cardiovascular health. A 13-hour day with about 3 hours between Dublin and the cliffs each way is demanding. If you need a shorter or more flexible day, a private chauffeur day tour sets its own pace, or you can split the journey with a night in Galway, Doolin or Ennis as the public transport guides describe.
Travellers Who Want Maximum Cliff Time
Ninety minutes is the shortest cliff time on any of the shared coach trips here apart from the boat day. Finn McCools' tour lists a minimum of 2 hours at the cliffs for $82, two dollars more. If the cliffs are the whole point of your trip, that extra half hour is worth the small difference.
People Who Want Fewer Seats Around Them
This is a shared coach with no published cap, and the operator's minimum to run the trip is 8 passengers. If a big coach puts you off, the small-group Cliffs of Moher and Bunratty Castle tour caps at 25 travellers, though it costs $150 and has a 6-year minimum age.
Limestone pavement in the Burren. Photo: Limnoporus, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Before You Book
A few checks will save you a cold, hungry or queasy day. Work through these before you pay.
Cancellation and the Seller
You can cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund, and the trip can be cancelled for bad weather with a refund or rebooking offered. Confirm at booking whether your ticket is with the operator directly or through a booking platform, since that determines who handles a refund. The trip runs daily subject to demand, so reconfirm the departure the evening before if you booked far ahead.
What to Bring
Pack a waterproof layer and comfortable shoes, as the listing itself advises checking the weather the day before. Bring food money, because lunch at O'Donohue's pub in Fanore is at your own cost and the 45-minute stop is the only meal window of the day. Carry motion-sickness tablets if winding roads affect you, especially the Burren stretch, and bring water for the 90 minutes of walking at the cliffs.
Getting to the 6:50 AM Start
The meeting point is the Molly Malone Statue on Suffolk Street in Dublin 2, and you must arrive 10 minutes early. From most city-centre hotels the statue is a 10 to 20 minute walk, and Dublin's Luas Green Line stops within a short walk of the corner of Suffolk Street and Grafton Street. There is no hotel pickup, so plan a very early alarm or book a room within walking distance the night before.
Irish Day Tours Cliffs of Moher Itinerary
Stop times come from the operator's listing. Where the listing gives no clock time, none is printed.
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6:50 AM
Meet at the Molly Malone Statue
Meet at the Molly Malone Statue on Suffolk Street and board the coach. Arrive 10 minutes before departure. You meet the driver-guide and head west out of Dublin.
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Drive west to County Clare
Roughly 3 hours on the road with commentary, history and music from the driver-guide. On clear days you may glimpse the Aran Islands as you approach the coast.
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Cliffs of Moher, 90 minutes
Cliff admission and the visitor centre exhibition are included. The cliffs rise 214 metres above the Atlantic just north of O'Brien's Tower, and the tower needs no extra ticket. Fog can hide the view, so walk the paved paths first.
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Lunch at O'Donohue's pub in Fanore, 45 minutes
A sit-down break at a village pub. The meal is at your own cost and this is the only food stop of the day.
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The Burren, 20 minutes
A short stop in the limestone landscape of this UNESCO World Geopark. Look for plants growing in the cracks of the rocky ground.
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Galway, 1 hour 20 minutes
Free time in the City of Tribes for its medieval streets, quays and buskers. No entries are included, so this is a stroll and snack stop.
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Return to Dublin
The coach drives back to the Molly Malone Statue in the evening. The operator states the end time depends on traffic conditions.
Pros and Cons
An honest read of the cheapest listing in this comparison, based only on what the operator publishes.
What we genuinely like
- Cheapest fare of the coach day trips at $80 per person
- Only listing with a sit-down pub lunch stop, 45 minutes at O'Donohue's in Fanore
- Cliff admission included, worth EUR 15 ($17.10) at the gate if you travelled alone
- Infants travel free with your own infant seat at no extra fee
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure
The honest downsides
- Only 90 minutes at the cliffs, the joint shortest cliff time among the shared coach trips here
- A 13-hour day with about 3 hours each way on the road, and the return time depends on traffic
- Lunch is at your own cost and the pub stop is only 45 minutes
- A big shared coach with no published passenger cap
- Not recommended for travellers with poor cardiovascular health
- No hotel pickup, so you must reach Suffolk Street before 6:50 AM
Who it's NOT for: Travellers who want the longest possible time at the cliffs or a small vehicle should book the Finn McCools trip or the small-group Bunratty tour instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the Irish Day Tours Cliffs of Moher trip cost?
It costs $80 per person, the lowest fare of the coach day trips compared here. For context on standalone entry, adult cliff admission is EUR 15 ($17.10) at the gate, so the fare with transport and a guide compares well against driving yourself, as the guide to the Dublin to Cliffs of Moher drive explains.
How long do you spend at the Cliffs of Moher?
The listing gives 1 hour 30 minutes, the joint shortest cliff time of the shared coach trips. If you want more, Finn McCools' day tour lists a minimum of 2 hours for $82.
Is lunch included on this tour?
No. No tour in this comparison includes lunch, but this is the only one with a proper sit-down stop, 45 minutes at O'Donohue's pub in Fanore with food at your own cost. The Wild Rover Galway day trip instead gives you 2 hours in Galway where you buy lunch.
What time does the tour leave Dublin and where from?
It departs at 6:50 AM from the Molly Malone Statue on Suffolk Street, Dublin 2, and you must arrive 10 minutes early. The full list of starting points for every operator is in the section on where the tours leave Dublin.
Is the Irish Day Tours coach suitable for children and infants?
Yes. Infants are welcome and you bring your own infant seat with no additional fees. Note that Wild Rover's tours bar children aged 2 and under, so families with babies should compare carefully.
What happens if the weather is bad at the cliffs?
The tour runs in all weather and the operator may reorder stops. Fog can hide the cliffs entirely. The official status system is yellow for hazardous conditions where you take care, orange for too hazardous to visit, and red when the centre closes, and the weather section of Dublin to Cliffs of Moher has month-by-month averages.
Is there a train from Dublin to the Cliffs of Moher?
No. The nearest stations are Galway and Ennis, and by public transport the same-day round trip does not work. If you want rail travel in the plan, the Railtours Ireland day tour combines train and coach in one ticket.
What Travellers Said
We loved it ! Bus is perfect we could see a lot and sleep
Jonathan is a great singer. This tour was great, especially with friends. Thank you.
Hilda was a wonderful guide, Samuel was an amazing driver! They both kept us entertained and safe. 100/10 would recommend this day tour!
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