Things to Do in Clare

County Clare packs an unusual amount into one county: Ireland's most-visited natural attraction, a landscape found nowhere else in Europe, a village built around traditional music, and a genuinely old castle a few minutes from an international airport. Here's how the main pieces fit together.

The Cliffs of Moher

The obvious starting point. Ireland's most-visited natural attraction, running for about 14km along the Atlantic coast and rising to roughly 214 metres at their highest point. Most visitors base a trip around a single visit here, but it's worth knowing the cliffs sit right next to the Burren and a short drive from Doolin, so it's easy to build a fuller day or two around them.

→ Full Cliffs of Moher Guide

The Burren

Immediately inland from the cliffs, the Burren is a stretch of karst limestone landscape unlike anywhere else in the country — bare rock pavement, ancient tombs like Poulnabrone, and a plant community that mixes Arctic and Mediterranean species side by side. It shares the same UNESCO Global Geopark designation as the Cliffs of Moher.

→ Full Burren Guide

Doolin

A small village that's become Clare's centre for traditional Irish music, and the usual departure point for ferries to the Aran Islands. It also marks the northern end of the Cliffs of Moher Coastal Walk, so it works as a base as well as a destination in its own right.

→ Full Doolin Guide

Bunratty Castle & Folk Park

Near Shannon Airport at the opposite end of the county, Bunratty is a restored 15th-century tower house with a recreated 19th-century village around it. Its location makes it a natural stop for anyone flying via Shannon rather than Dublin.

→ Full Bunratty Castle & Folk Park Guide

Ennis

Clare's county town, on the River Fergus roughly midway between Shannon and the coast. Ennis grew up around a Franciscan friary founded around 1242 — the ruined abbey, with some of the finest medieval carvings in the country, still stands in the town centre as a national monument. Because it was a monastic settlement rather than a defensive one, Ennis never had town walls, and it developed instead as a market and trading town, a role its streets still reflect. It's a practical base if you're relying on bus or rail rather than a car, with better transport links than the more rural coastal villages.

Lahinch

Further down the coast from the Cliffs of Moher, Lahinch is a seaside village with a long sandy beach and a reputation as one of Ireland's best-known surfing spots. It also marks one end of the Burren Way walking trail. It's a good stop for a beach walk or a coffee if you're driving the coast road between the Cliffs and points south.

Planning a trip around Clare

• With a car: the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, Doolin and Lahinch are all within a short drive of each other along the coast road; Bunratty and Ennis sit further south, closer to Shannon and Limerick.
• Without a car: Bus Éireann route 350 links Galway to the Cliffs of Moher and Doolin via Ennis, which covers most of the coastal highlights without driving. Ennis also has rail connections toward Limerick.
• Flying in or out via Shannon: Bunratty is close enough to slot in either side of a flight, even on a tight schedule.

Related reading

• Cliffs of Moher Guide
• The Burren Guide
• Doolin Guide
• Bunratty Castle & Folk Park Guide