We chose Galway strategically. The Cliffs of Moher were high on our list, and rather than doing the typical day trip from Dublin like most visitors do, we decided to base ourselves closer and stay three nights. Galway sits only about an hour and twenty minutes from the Cliffs, which made it the logical choice.
But here’s what I didn’t expect: Galway earned its place on this trip entirely on its own terms.
It’s a small city, but it buzzes with an energy that’s hard to describe. Live music spills out of pubs onto the cobblestone streets — indoors, outdoors, afternoon, evening. Festivals are woven into Galway’s DNA. The River Corrib runs right through the heart of the city, and it’s a fascinating little detail: it’s one of the shortest and fastest rivers in all of Europe, stretching just six kilometres from Lough Corrib to the sea. You’d never guess it from how casually it winds through the city centre, but that current moves.
Walk along the river, duck into a pub, let someone strike up a conversation with you. That’s Galway.
And then — the Cliffs.
I’ve tried to find the words more than once, and I keep coming up short. Photos don’t capture it either. The Cliffs of Moher are one of those rare places that genuinely stops you mid-breath.
We were extraordinarily lucky, a brilliant sunny day, not a cloud in the sky, barely a breeze. Standing at the edge looking out over the Atlantic, the cliffs dropping 214 metres below you, the ocean stretching endlessly, it’s the kind of moment that recalibrates something in you.
If you go to Ireland, you must go.
The tour from Galway was straightforward and surprisingly very inexpensive, around €55 per person, and worth every cent.
We spent the rest of our time in Galway wandering, eating well, and soaking up a city that had completely won us over.
After our three nights, we headed back to Dublin for one final night before flying home to Canada.
I want to circle back to something I touched on in earlier newsletters, because I mean it deeply: if you’re the kind of traveller who tries to see everything, you often end up truly experiencing nothing. I’ve seen it, and I’ve felt it myself when I’ve rushed. The magic of a trip like Ireland or anywhere comes from slowing down, sitting in a pub long enough to hear a few songs, asking a local where they actually eat, letting a place surprise you.
That’s when you come home feeling like you lived it, not just saw it.
f Ireland or anywhere in Europe is calling you, I’d love to be the person who helps you get there in a way that feels meaningful, not rushed.
I work with a small number of clients each month by design — so that I can give every itinerary the attention it deserves, from the first hotel to the last transfer. Let’s plan something you’ll still be talking about years from now.
