2-Day Cliffs of Moher, Connemara and Galway Bay Rail Tour from Dublin

Posted By : Donna_R
Day 1 was not a good experience. A lot of driving on a bus with only one good stop. “Guide” was not well informed or did not share info. Day 2 was great with a great guide but was also on a bus. Not sure why it is called a rail tour. The only rail part was from Dublin to limerick and from Galway to Dublin. It cut off some bus time but did not contribute anything to the tour.
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Posted On : 2024-05-25 17:45:43

Posted By : OnTheBeach20162016
This is a review of the 2-Day Bunratty Castle, medieval banquet, Galway, Cliffs of Mohen and Burren tour from Dublin.

First let me say my review has nothing to do with the tour guides, who were all excellent. But the wrong Bunratty hotel was shown on my voucher and this led to a disaster that could have easily been avoided.

I started the tour in Dublin and was the only customer for it on this particular day. I met a guide at the Dublin station who told me I would be traveling alone to Galway where I would meet another guide who would explain to me where and when to find the bus to Bunratty, on which I would also travel alone, without a guide, and without any other passengers.

I took three guided Railtours Ireland tours during my stay in Ireland, and if there ever was a time I NEEDED a guide to escort me, it was on the segment from Galway to my Bunratty hotel. But alas, they sent me off alone, and I was the only passenger on a very large tour bus! Wait, it gets creepier.

Upon entering the Bunratty area, the bus driver asked me the name of the hotel I was staying at. I told him Bunratty Castle Hotel because that is what was printed on my travel voucher. So he drops me off at the hotel and leaves immediately. I get to the entrance and I see a sign that says "Bunratty Castle Hotel has been closed for the last two years." My brain could not even comprehend that this could be true, so I walked through the entrance and saw an abandoned front desk and several people milling about, none of whom spoke English. I truly thought I was in a nightmare, or a Stephen King novel. The bus driver was long gone, the Railtours Ireland office was closed, I was alone, it was raining hard, it was dark and I had no idea if this little village even had another hotel or if I would be able to get transportation back to Dublin.

I did manage to find one person who spoke a little English, and he found an English speaking employee who was willing to help me resolve the mix up. After she did some research and made some phone calls, it was determined that I was supposed to be staying at the Bunratty MANOR hotel. And it turns out, to Ireland's credit, the Bunratty Castle Hotel, along with other Irish hotels, have been closed because they've been hosting Ukrainian refugees - but the problem is Railtours Ireland adamantly refuses to make a simple edit in their system so the correct hotel shows on the voucher!!!

So I had to walk in the rain with luggage a half mile and hope to find my way to the Bunratty Manor Hotel. I found it, checked in, and because of the delay, I had to rush to make it to the medieval banquet at the castle. The very nice front desk agent was gracious enough to give me a ride to the banquet, a ride which, by the way, was not arranged by Railtours Ireland.

I communicated the next day by phone and several emails to the Railtours Ireland office manager. The emails are also seen by the CEO, I'm told. Of course they were very apologetic, but the reason I'm rating this tour one star is because of their stubborn refusal, which they admit, to make a simple update to their system so the travel voucher indicates Bunratty Manor Hotel instead of Bunratty Castle Hotel - a simple edit that would prevent future customers from going through what I went through.

The office manager indicated they were not changing the name of the hotel on the vouchers because the closure of the Bunratty Castle Hotel is temporary and they do not want to change it and then change it back again. I was absolutely stunned (and mystified) to hear this feeble explanation. I asked the CEO if I am understanding the situation correctly, because I found it so hard to believe, but he did not reply. It still boggles my mind that Railtours Ireland has such low regard for their customers, as well as the staff of Bunratty Castle Hotel, that they would rather cause this kind of disruption instead of making a simple edit in their system.
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Posted On : 2023-08-01 17:17:43

Posted By : David_V
Cliffs of Moher and Kylemore Abbey were sensational. Good travel guides and excellent lodging. Well organized.
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Posted On : 2022-10-25 13:29:52

Posted By : Kate A
Got to see so many highlights on this trip! It makes for a long 2 days, but at least you can rest on the bus/train. We did find the company to be somewhat disorganized, and they passed us off to different tour companies and guides throughout. This was due to short-staffing that hasn’t gotten back up to normal levels from COVID. The guides were very knowledgeable and friendly.
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Posted On : 2022-06-30 05:08:55

Posted By : I9551CVpamelam
Although this is advertised as a train tour, it’s actually a coach tour with the train taking you the main distance each way. There is no guided tour on the train.Bunratty Castle was great, lots to see.A quick stop for lunch en route to Cliffs Of Moher at a high volume pub. The Cliffs are dramatic and beautiful. Spent the night in Galway dropped off by our coach and picked up in the am for Day 2. Coach driver was a local who took us to some special stops in Connemara and the guide had much to share. Kylemore Abbey although grandiose in exterior only has a small tour area. The grounds are worth exploring and the cafe food was awesome! Note: coaches did not have restrooms or cup holders.
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Posted On : 2019-11-13 16:59:31

Posted By : Connector36591916299
There are no words for its gradure and beauty. The day I went was sunny but windy and it was still a beautiful site for human eyes. I walk out to at least three of the clifs, well beyond the vistor center postings. It was amazing. Awesome views and so clean.
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Posted On : 2018-10-30 15:26:45

Posted By : Kaleigh_H
The 2-Day Cliffs of Moher and Galway tour was amazing! Our tour guides were extremely insightful and the views were breathtaking. I highly recommend!
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Posted On : 2018-07-12 11:39:06

Posted By : ben_m
Trip was well received. But hotel in Galway was not booked when we arrived to check in. Viator customer service was clueless and not helpful. After several hours we got the matter straight with the touring company. Would rate Viator customer service as a zero
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Posted On : 2018-07-08 03:10:30

Posted By : Zipz503
What a great tour. I'll be honest, I was a bit hesitant because of the price, especially with the single supplement, but I'd do this again without hesitation. You are looked after from the moment you arrive at the Heuston station until you're back. The guides are very knowledgeable and are very engaged with the tour group. We had Peter C (ponytail) and Jonathan on our 2 day trip. I left the tour feeling as though I'd made a couple of real friends.
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Posted On : 2018-07-07 00:22:27

Posted By : KenBend
Very professional group, good guides that gave much information on follow on activities. Plenty of breaks so didn't feel too stressed with group!
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Posted On : 2018-02-11 12:14:00