Hamilton & Chase Tours
Private tours in Galway, Ireland

Private Galway Tours

Galway appears in 4 of our itineraries across Ireland, ranging from 7–11 days. Every one is private, and every one can be reshaped around the time you want to spend here.

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From our itineraries

What a day in Galway looks like.

Taken from the itineraries themselves — these are real days from trips we run, not a generic description of the city.

Day 7 · Ancient Ireland

Galway and the Aran Islands

Galway is where the west begins. The city's medieval Latin Quarter, the Spanish Arch — the remnant of the 16th-century wall through which Spanish wine arrived by ship — and the pubs of Shop Street give it a concentrated historic core surrounded by the most energetic pub culture in Ireland. The Aran Islands are visible from the waterfront on a clear day: three limestone islands in Galway Bay whose stone walls, prehistoric forts, and Gaelic-speaking population are the most concentrated expression of the Irish west. The ferry to Inishmore — the largest island — takes forty minutes from Rossaveal. Dún Aonghasa is the defining sight: a semicircular Iron Age fort on the edge of a 90-metre cliff, open to the Atlantic on one side and defended by five rows of sharpened stone stakes (chevaux-de-frise) on the other. The monastery ruins, the limestone pavement, and the hand-built stone walls that divide every field on the island. Your guide explains why this landscape has attracted writers and painters — Synge wrote The Playboy of the Western World after his years on the Aran Islands.

  • Galway city — the Latin Quarter, Spanish Arch, and Shop Street
  • Ferry to Inishmore — the largest Aran Island
  • Dún Aonghasa — Iron Age fort on a 90-metre Atlantic cliff

Day 6 · Essence of Ireland

Cliffs of Moher and Galway

The Cliffs of Moher rise 214 metres from the Atlantic Ocean along eight kilometres of Clare coastline. The visitor centre is below the cliff edge; the coastal path runs above it and the wind determines how close to the edge you can stand. The morning walk along the cliff path from O'Brien's Tower north toward Hag's Head has the full Atlantic horizon — on a clear day the Aran Islands are visible in the bay and the mountains of Connemara rise beyond them. Galway by lunchtime: the city at the mouth of the Corrib River, whose medieval Latin Quarter and the Spanish Arch (the remnant of the 16th-century city wall through which Spanish ships unloaded their wine) give it a compact historic core surrounded by one of the most energetic pub cultures in Ireland. The Aran Islands are visible from the Galway waterfront on a clear day — the three limestone islands in Galway Bay whose stone walls, prehistoric forts, and Gaelic-speaking population make them the most concentrated expression of the Irish west.

  • Cliffs of Moher — 214 metres above the Atlantic, eight kilometres of cliff
  • Cliff path walk to Hag's Head
  • Galway city — the Latin Quarter and the Spanish Arch

Day 8 · Wild Atlantic Way

Departure from Galway

The morning belongs to Galway: Shop Street and the buskers who have been playing there since before the tourists arrived; the salmon weir below the cathedral where Atlantic salmon run in season; Eyre Square and the market. The Aran Islands are visible from the waterfront on a clear morning — the three limestone islands in Galway Bay whose prehistoric forts, early Christian monuments, and Gaelic-speaking population represent the most concentrated expression of the Irish west. Your private driver transfers you to Galway or Shannon Airport at the agreed time, following the coast road past Galway Bay for a final view of the Atlantic.

  • Galway morning — the salmon weir and Shop Street
  • Aran Islands visible from Galway Bay on a clear day
  • Private transfer to Galway or Shannon Airport

Day 7 · Epic Ireland

Aran Islands and Galway

The ferry from Rossaveal to Inishmore — the largest of the three Aran Islands — takes forty minutes. Dún Aonghasa is the defining monument: a semicircular Iron Age fort on the edge of a 90-metre Atlantic cliff, defended by rows of sharpened stone stakes (chevaux-de-frise) and open to the sea on one side. The limestone pavement, the hand-built stone walls, the early Christian monastery ruins, and the Gaelic-speaking community of around 800 people who live on the island create a landscape that has attracted writers since J.M. Synge came here in 1898. Back on the mainland by late afternoon, with the evening free in Galway.

  • Ferry to Inishmore — the largest Aran Island
  • Dún Aonghasa — Iron Age fort on a 90-metre cliff
  • Aran Islands limestone landscape and Gaelic community

Itineraries

4 tours visit Galway.

Ancient Ireland — Private Package 9-day tour: Newgrange, Belfast, the Giant’s Causeway, Donegal, and the Aran Islands — 5,000 years in nine days.
9 Days
From €3,390 per person

IRELAND

Ancient Ireland

Private · Semi-Private · Self-Guided

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IRELAND

Ancient Ireland

Newgrange, Belfast, the Giant’s Causeway, Donegal, and the Aran Islands — 5,000 years in nine days.

Cities You'll See

Dublin · Belfast · Donegal · Galway

Highlights

  • Newgrange — the passage tomb older than the Pyramids, aligned to the winter solstice
  • Titanic Belfast and the Falls Road political murals
  • Giant’s Causeway — 40,000 basalt columns, UNESCO World Heritage

9 Days / 8 Nights

From €3,390

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Wild Atlantic Way — Private Package 8-day tour: The Beara Peninsula, Ring of Kerry, Dingle, Cliffs of Moher, and Connemara — the full Atlantic coast.
8 Days
From €2,990 per person

IRELAND

Wild Atlantic Way

Private · Semi-Private · Self-Guided

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IRELAND

Wild Atlantic Way

The Beara Peninsula, Ring of Kerry, Dingle, Cliffs of Moher, and Connemara — the full Atlantic coast.

Cities You'll See

Cork · Kenmare · Killarney · Dingle

Highlights

  • Beara Peninsula — Ireland’s least-visited and most dramatic coast road
  • Ring of Kerry and the view of Skellig Michael
  • Slea Head — the westernmost road in Europe

8 Days / 7 Nights

From €2,990

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Essence of Ireland — Private Package 7-day tour: Dublin, the Ring of Kerry, the Cliffs of Moher, and Galway — the essential Irish circuit.
7 Days
From €2,690 per person

IRELAND

Essence of Ireland

Private · Semi-Private · Self-Guided

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IRELAND

Essence of Ireland

Dublin, the Ring of Kerry, the Cliffs of Moher, and Galway — the essential Irish circuit.

Cities You'll See

Dublin · Kilkenny · Cork · Kerry

Highlights

  • Trinity College Long Room and the Book of Kells
  • Glendalough — the 6th-century monastic city in the glacial valley
  • Ring of Kerry — the 179-kilometre Atlantic coastal circuit

7 Days / 6 Nights

From €2,690

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Elsewhere in Ireland

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