The perfect 7-day Wild Atlantic Way trip — slow, low-carbon, no rush
A week-long route from Galway to Donegal that swaps drive-time for time at table. Designed for travellers who want the coast without the marathon.
The Wild Atlantic Way is the marketing name for the road that already existed — 2,500 km of regional and minor coast roads from Kinsale up to Malin Head. The biggest mistake travellers make is treating it as a single drive. It isn't a drive. It's a series of bases, each a half-day's drive from the next, each rewarding a two-night stay.
This route covers the central and northern half — Galway, Connemara, Mayo, Sligo, Donegal — over seven nights. The southern half (Cork, Kerry, west Clare) is a separate trip; the two together are a fortnight, not a week.
Carbon math, up front. Every IMPT hotel booking retires one tonne of UN-verified CO₂ on-chain on Ethereum — roughly 28× the per-night footprint of a hotel stay. The room price is the standard rate. The offset is funded from IMPT's commission, recorded with the booking ID. Across seven hotel nights, the per-traveller offset comfortably covers the hotel-stay portion of your trip's emissions.
The route at a glance
- Day 1–2: Galway — 2 nights
- Day 3: Clifden — 1 night
- Day 4–5: Westport — 2 nights
- Day 6: Sligo — 1 night
- Day 7–8: Donegal — 1 night
Getting around: Hire car from Galway airport or Galway train station — train Dublin→Galway is the cleanest start
Day 1–2 Galway — 2 nights
Land at Shannon or take the Dublin→Galway train (2h 20m); base yourself in the Latin Quarter or by the cathedral. Galway is small enough that any IMPT-listed hotel inside the inner ring is walkable to everything you'd want — Eyre Square, Quay Street, the Spanish Arch, the Long Walk.
Morning
Walk down Shop Street to the Spanish Arch and along the Long Walk at low tide — the painted houses opposite Nimmo's Pier are the postcard view of Galway. Coffee on Mainguard Street.
The walk worth doing
Salthill Promenade (a 25-minute flat walk west of the centre) along Galway Bay — go at sunset and you'll see why the bay won the Lonely Planet 'world's best' tag.
Where to eat
Aniar (one Michelin star, sustainable tasting menu) for the splurge; Kai on Sea Road for the locals' choice; McDonagh's chip shop for the no-fuss seafood. Tigh Neachtain for the late drink and a trad session three nights a week.
Day-trip from here
If you have an extra half-day before moving on, the Aran Islands ferry from Rossaveal does a day return to Inis Mór (Inishmore) — bike-rental on the pier, lunch at Joe Watty's, back on the 5pm boat.
Day 3 Clifden — 1 night
The drive from Galway is 80km, all of it the N59 through Connemara — bog, mountain, lake, sheep. Leave Galway at 9am, stop at Roundstone for coffee, arrive Clifden by lunchtime. Clifden is the unofficial capital of Connemara and the only town this far west with a proper restaurant scene.
Morning
Sky Road — the 16km circular drive west of Clifden, signposted from the town centre, with two viewpoints over Clifden Bay. Park at the upper viewpoint and walk the last kilometre. Do it on a clear morning.
The walk worth doing
Diamond Hill in Connemara National Park (a 7km looped walk, 90 minutes for a moderate hiker, signposted from the visitor centre 8km south of Clifden). Quartzite scree near the top — wear actual shoes.
Where to eat
Mitchell's on Market Street for the seafood (the chowder is a local institution); the Square for the late drink and trad on weekends. Ardmore Country House (5km south of town) for a quieter dinner.
Day-trip from here
Kylemore Abbey (15km east) is the tourist set-piece — worth the visit for the walled garden, less so for the abbey interior. Or the Twelve Bens — Connemara's mountain range — for a longer hike.
Day 4–5 Westport — 2 nights
Clifden to Westport is 100km north on the N59 + R335 — the road runs along Killary Fjord (Ireland's only fjord) and over the Doolough Valley. Three-hour drive with stops; the views are the route.
Morning
Walk the Westport Greenway out of town for a kilometre or two — flat former rail line, follow it as far as the next coffee stop. The town's Georgian Mall (designed by James Wyatt in 1780) is the prettiest in Ireland; do a lap before dinner.
The walk worth doing
Croagh Patrick (Ireland's holy mountain) on the second morning — 7km up-and-down, 2-3 hours for a fit walker, harder than it looks because of the loose scree near the summit. Reek Sunday (last Sunday in July) is a different beast — busy.
Where to eat
An Port Mór for the formal dinner (Galway oysters, west-coast lamb); Sage on High Street for the casual; Matt Molloy's pub (owned by the Chieftains' flute player) for the trad session — every night, no cover, packed by 10pm.
Day-trip from here
Achill Island (35km west, a bridge connects it to the mainland) for the day — Keem Bay is the photogenic stop, Dugort beach is where the locals swim. Allow a full day; the loop is signposted and easy to drive.
Day 6 Sligo — 1 night
Westport to Sligo is 110km on the N17 — straight, fast, fully paved. Leave after breakfast and you'll be in Sligo by lunch. Sligo is W. B. Yeats' country, and the landscape his poems describe is the landscape you drive through.
Morning
Drumcliffe churchyard (8km north of town) for Yeats' grave under Ben Bulben — quiet, properly moving on a still morning. The poet asked for the epitaph 'Cast a cold eye on life, on death. Horseman, pass by.' It's exactly there.
The walk worth doing
Strandhill Beach (8km west of Sligo town) for the Atlantic surf and the seaweed baths at Voya — booking essential, allow 90 minutes. Sligo doesn't have the marquee walk of Donegal or Mayo but Strandhill is the equivalent.
Where to eat
Hargadons on O'Connell Street (Victorian snug bar, oysters and stout); Hooked on Bridge Street (modern Irish, BYO); Shells Café in Strandhill for the morning coffee. Trad sessions at the Harp Tavern on Wednesdays.
Day-trip from here
Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery (5km southwest) for the Neolithic tombs — older than the pyramids. Lough Gill for the Yeats lake-isle (Innisfree) drive-around. Both half-day at most.
Day 7–8 Donegal — 1 night
Sligo to Donegal Town is 65km on the N15 — under 90 minutes including the Mullaghmore detour (a 10km signed loop off the main road, worth it for Classiebawn Castle and the Atlantic-storm break point that famous-surfer footage made famous).
Morning
Donegal Castle in the centre of town — 15th-century O'Donnell stronghold, properly restored, worth the 45-minute self-guided tour. Coffee at Aroma in the square afterwards.
The walk worth doing
Slieve League cliffs (50km west via Killybegs) — three times the height of the Cliffs of Moher, a quarter of the visitors. Park at Bunglas viewpoint, walk the Pilgrim's Path for as far as your nerves permit. The cliffs go up to 600m; the official path doesn't go that high but the views from the lower walks are already extraordinary.
Where to eat
The Olde Castle Bar in Donegal Town (seafood, traditional); Nesbitt Arms for the late drink; Smuggler's Creek in Mullaghmore (40km south) for the truly memorable dinner — booking essential, especially summer.
Day-trip from here
Glenveagh National Park (60km north) for the half-day — castle, gardens, deer herd. Or Glencolmcille for the more remote Gaeltacht-Irish-speaking-village experience. Either is a full day if you commit.
Practical notes + how to extend
The end of the route is Donegal Town, with the option to drive on north to Letterkenny and Malin Head (the country's northernmost point) if you have an extra two days. Most travellers loop back south via Enniskillen (in Northern Ireland) and Cavan to Dublin — about 4 hours by car.
For travellers without a car, this exact route is doable by Bus Éireann's Expressway service from Galway, with local taxis for the day-trips. Slower, but completely possible. Hertz and Enterprise both have one-way rentals from Galway to Donegal if you don't want to backtrack.
The carbon mechanic — in plain English
Every hotel booked through IMPT triggers the retirement of one tonne of UN-verified CO₂ — roughly 28× the per-night footprint of a hotel stay. The room price is the standard rate. The offset is funded from IMPT's commission, recorded on-chain on Ethereum, and tied to your booking ID. For a multi-night Irish itinerary booked through IMPT, the per-traveller offset comfortably exceeds the carbon cost of the hotel-stay portion of the trip.
Ready to book this itinerary?
Same price as direct, free cancellation on most stays, 1 tonne UN-verified CO₂ retired on-chain per booking.
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