Everything You Need to Know Before Visiting The Cliffs of Moher!
Visiting the Cliffs of Moher HAS to be on your itinerary if you are headed to Ireland! I am a big fan of visiting attractions that can only be seen in one place, and I truly don’t think there are cliffs as jutted AND tall as the Cliffs of Moher anywhere else in the world. Does everyone talk about them? Yes. But are they over-hyped? NO, they truly are something spectacular to see! Read on to find out:
- Information about the cliffs
- How to get there from Dublin
- Price of visiting and parking
- Weather at the cliffs
- What to wear to the cliffs
About the Cliffs of Moher
A little snipped on what the cliffs are… The Cliffs of Moher are located along the Wild Atlantic Way, and span about 14 km/9 miles along the coast and peak at about 214 meters/700 ft tall!
On a clear day you can see the Aran Islands (inspiration for the Iron Islands on Game of Thrones?!?! (not sure) and parts of the Dingle Peninsula.
Fun fact: You may recognize the Cliffs of Moher in the Harry Potter movie Half Blood Prince as Harry and Dumbledore go find one of Voldemorts Horcruxes in the cave!
Getting There
The Cliffs of Moher are located on the west coast, and you can get there from Dublin by bus, driving or taking a guided tour.
Car:
- Getting to the cliffs by car is the easiest and fastest way to get to the cliffs, taking about 3 hours from Dublin.
- If you opt to drive, be prepared for winding roads, like most of the roads in Ireland 😉, and also be aware there may be toll roads between Dublin and the cliffs
Bus:
- There is no direct route to the Cliffs of Moher from Dublin, therefore, the bus can take up to 5 hours due to stops and changing buses.
- To get to the cliffs from Dublin, take the 300 bus from Dublin to Dunnes/Friars, then walk to the Ennis bus station and take the 350 bus to the Galway Station. From there, get on the County Clare/Cliffs of Moher bus.
- Visit this Rome2Rio page for more details on the bus routes!
Tour:
- If you are primarily staying in the city of Dublin and looking for day trips, you can also take a tour with a tour guide!
If you are following our 10-Day itinerary, you will drive in to the Cliffs of Moher from the southwest.
Pricing and parking
Lucky for us, seeing the cliffs is quite affordable.Technically, it is free to see the Cliffs of Moher. However, if you want to go to the visitor center or are going to park, you have to pay.
- There is a parking lot across the road from the cliffs, so it is a short walk to the cliffs.
- Tickets at the gate are around 10 euros and give you access to all of the facilities on the premise such as the visitor center and bathrooms.
- You can save around 3 euros by buying tickets online and visit between 8-11 am.
Weather
The Cliffs of Moher are on the west coast of the island and catch ALL of the wind from the Atlantic Ocean. The wind is WILD!
- Average wind speeds are between 65-80 kmph with gusts up to 110-130 kmph with the highest wind speed ever recorded being 191 kmph/119 mph.
- Winds speeds are measured in three categories: yellow, orange and red, with orange being the average speeds mentioned above.
- If the speeds climb into the red category, the Cliffs of Moher have been known to close, so make sure you check the weather and status of the cliffs before going!
For current weather status, go to www.met.ie.
What to wear
As I mentioned, the weather is unpredictable and mostly not ideal, so here are recommendations on what to wear (and NOT wear) when visiting the Cliffs of Moher:
- DO wear some sort of rain jacket. An umbrella is out of the question due to the wind and you never know when rain will pop up. It is also not uncommon to get water spraying from the ocean that rides the wind up the cliffs.
- DON’T wear a hat unless you don’t like it very much. Even my beanie had a hard time staying on through the gusts, so there is a good chance your hat won’t survive the cliffside.
- BE CAUTIOUS with a scarf; have it tucked into your jacket and secured. I saw many scarves wrapped around the barbed wire fence that runs along the trail around the cliffs.
Visiting the cliffs of moher
The Cliffs of Moher are a highlight of Ireland. The pictures are cool, but they are just unbelievable in person! So, tuck in your scarf and head to the cliffs! For all information on the Cliffs of Moher and to book your tickets online, visit the official website of the Cliffs of Moher!
Looking for other recommendations on what to do in Ireland? Click here!