Ireland's Connemara Bike Tour
Couples, Friends & Solos
Ireland's Connemara Bike Tour
Couples, Friends & Solos
6 days
5 nights
Activity Levels 2-4
Premiere Hotels*
2025: Jul-Sep2026: May-Sep
Windswept Coast & Castles on the Emerald Isle
The Emerald Isle beckons you to explore. Bike through villages and visit ancient castles that feel lost in time. Pass beautiful heaths and bogs. Follow the winding curves of the Wild Atlantic Way and climb up to the Twelve Bens mountain range. The sounds of the sea resonate in the lilt of the Gaelic language, heard widely along the coast. Ride to your heart's content through Connemara.
Highlights
- Delve into Connemara, a sparsely populated land sprinkled with postcard-perfect villages, stone fences and lively pubs
- Discover a wealth of traditional Irish culture—from the haunting sounds of bodhran music to the nuanced flavors of local whiskey
- Bike along Sky Road, part of the Wild Atlantic Way, with spectacular views of rugged cliffs, billowing grasslands, labyrinthine inlets and craggy mountains
- Luxuriate at our magnificent abodes nestled on sprawling private estates, with the option to golf, fish or indulge at world-class spas
Start/End Galway
* Start/End locations may vary. Do not book flights until your trip details are confirmed.
Itinerary
Days 1-2
Bike through sparsely populated Connemara, a land peppered with small loughs (lakes) and villages • Traditions thrive here, where the lilt of Gaelic is ubiquitous • Rest your head at the glorious Ballynahinch Castle • Explore a winding route along Ireland's windswept western coast • Cycle meandering country roads, where breathtaking views of the sapphire ocean, windblown grasses and golden beaches abound • After grabbing a bite at a pub near the beach, dip your toes in the Atlantic • Hear the heartbeat of pub music with a stirring bodhran demonstration.
Nights 1-2
This stunning castle-hotel is nestled amid 700 enchanting acres of parkland, with the Twelve Bens mountains as its backdrop.
Day 3
Pedal beneath the jagged Twelve Bens mountains • Wander the quintessentially Irish town of Clifden • Sip some of the area’s best whiskey • Relax amid the old-world charm of a local pub and feel the infectious rhythm of traditional Irish music.
Night 3
Stay in well-appointed rooms at this stylish castle hotel, a short walk from the bustling village of Clifden, where you can enjoy fantastic shopping and lively little pubs.
Days 4-6
Bike through a kaleidoscope of landscapes, including craggy shores, soaring mountains, shimmering lakes and a deep fjord • Pedal into Joyce Country, a region rich in Gaelic speakers and rolling farmland • Rejuvenate at the Lodge at Ashford Castle, set on an expansive royal property • Take a peaceful stroll in Cong, a quaint village with medieval abbey ruins • Enjoy one last ride past beautiful farms framed by ancient stone walls.
Nights 4-5
Set on the magnificent Ashford Castle estate, this luxurious country lodge overlooks Lough Corrib and offers an unrivaled range of onsite activities (spa).
What's Included
See moreStraight Talk
We want to make sure you're on the trip that's right for you. Every Backroads trip is unique and this one is no exception.
While the Premiere Hotels on this trip offer outstanding service and amenities, please note that they are not equipped with air-conditioning. Despite the region’s generally temperate climate and cool nights, guestrooms can occasionally become warm during peak temperatures.
Hotels
World-Class Hotels
Our hand-selected Premiere hotels offer exceptional hospitality and experiences as special as the regions we explore.
Hotels may vary based on departure. Any variations will be displayed when selecting a departure under Dates & Prices.
Nights 1-2
Premiere Hotel
This stunning castle-hotel is nestled amid 700 enchanting acres of parkland, with the Twelve Bens mountains as its backdrop.
Night 3
*Casual Hotel
Stay in well-appointed rooms at this stylish castle hotel, a short walk from the bustling village of Clifden, where you can enjoy fantastic shopping and lively little pubs.
Nights 4-5
Premiere Hotel
Set on the magnificent Ashford Castle estate, this luxurious country lodge overlooks Lough Corrib and offers an unrivaled range of onsite activities (spa).
Gallery
Bikes
Choose Your Perfect Bike
Our bikes are designed and built with specific cyclists and riding styles in mind, so we can always offer you a perfect ride. Please note that bike requests are subject to availability and prioritized based on the date they're submitted.
Included in your trip price
- Ideal for avid cyclists
- Redesigned for 2024
- Next gen titanium frame with carbon wheels
- Responsive, efficient and comfortable
- Drop handlebars only
Included in your trip price
- Suited for a wide range of cyclists
- Comfortable ergonomic seat
- Long wheel base adds to the bike's control and stability
- Upright handlebars only
Included in your trip price
- One of the lightest e-bikes available
- Provides plenty of power and more than enough battery
- Lower top tubes for easier mounting and dismounting
- Upright handlebars only
- Limited availability on Unplugged Bike Tours; learn more
Min. age to ride e-bike: 16+
- $400 rental fee
- Hand-built frame features Co-Motion's custom-designed Cro-Moly steel tubeset, powerful Avid disc brakes, Shimano Ultegra drive train
- Custom upgraded wheelset
- Best for riders with some tandem experience.
Review Snapshot
by PowerReviews
Reviewed by 9 customers
Connemara Bike Trip, Just Do It!!
This trip on the countryside of Ireland can be as challenging or relaxing as you want it to be. The beauty of the landscapes, the love and laughter in the eyes of the Irish people we met will stay in my heart as one of the most incredible trips we've ever done. The leaders are completely professional but so much fun. My husband and I really loved it. He's a biker and I'm not but I got an e-bike so I could make it as difficult or as easy as I wanted to depending on the day.
Wonderful trip!!!
The trip was great…everything about it! Loved it!
Absolutely Incredible!!! Lifetime experience
Backroads does an amazing job. From the first minute to the last we were completely taken care of. The accommodations and food were fantastic! There aren't enough great words to describe our leaders. I will just say "simply the best". Ireland is so beautiful and the biking was really great. One of the best parts of backroads are all the new friends we made. I highly recommend this trip!!
Biking Amazing. Staff Amazing. One Hotel Discolored Trip!
Leaders - Five Stars Location - Five Stars Activities - Five Stars Accommodation - first two nights 5 Stars (Ballynahinch Castle), second two nights 0- 2 Stars (Rosleague Manor Hotel), and Final night 5 Stars (Lodge at Ashford Castle). Food - well planned group dinners 5 Stars, a few off the cuff group meals 2 Stars. If I could erase the memory of my Rosleague Manor Hotel room with its very grimy and very dingy carpet and large spider webs in every corner, including next to the head of my bed (with active spiders in them) and my only hotel room window overlooking the hotel's garbage cans and the back parking gravel...I could highly recommend this Backroads trip without reservation. Otherwise, amazing cycling, amazing scenery, amazing staff and support and I enjoyed meeting very friendly and interesting people. Excellent smoked salmon was everywhere! Sheep and Lamb were everywhere! The week was blessed with almost no rain!
Backroads Guest Services
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We're delighted to hear about the positive aspects of your Backroads trip, especially the leaders, location, activities, and accommodations at Ballynahinch Castle and Lodge at Ashford Castle. We sincerely apologize for the challenges you faced at Rosleague Manor Hotel. Your feedback on the room conditions is concerning, and we will address this matter with the hotel management to ensure that issue is fixed moving forward. We appreciate your understanding, and your comments on the food and group meals have been noted so we can make this trip the best it can be. Thank you for choosing Backroads, and we hope to welcome you back for another memorable adventure.
Trip of a lifetime!
My husband and I loved, loved this trip. The routes were on some amazing roads with stunning views and very little traffic. The food was fabulous. Seafood straight from the sea. Wonderfully fresh shell fish!
Beyond Compare
Briefly, imagine sleeping in comfortable beds, being fed nourishingly delicious food, bike riding on country roads along the craggy shore with very few cars, riding alone or with others feeling equally joyous, imagine leaders that capture the essence of leadership: solid, confident with individual character because they live what they do best: ride and lead.
Our favorite trip yet!
Every bike ride felt like the most beautiful and fun amusement park ride. Every meal was delicious. To top it all off, you get to stay in castles and commune with sheep! Need I say more?
Great guides, bikes, food, lodging and weather!
Biking in the rain in Ireland is not bad: surprisingly warm and periods of sunshine and light mist. Excellent traction on roads with their bikes. Irish drivers were incredibly courteous and patient while passing cyclists.
Excellent Trip
We loved the Connemara Bike Trip to Ireland. We had great leaders....Kelsey, Chase and Patricia. We loved the scones and stay at Ballynahinch. Paddy Coynes was our favorite off road experience and meal. We enjoyed every minute. Much gratitude to our wonderful leaders, trip mates and Backroads!
Dates & Prices
Dates & Prices
Click on dates for pricing, itinerary variations (if any) and to book your trip. Price is per person, double occupancy in USD.
Please Select a Group Size
Group size is required to show per-person pricing. Your group size can be approximate and can change.
