Kylemore Abbey Tours
Kylemore Abbey Tours › Kylemore Abbey Tour Prices and What They IncludeUpdated 2026-09-17

Kylemore Abbey Tour Prices and What They Include

Hours, prices and access verified by the Kylemore Abbey Tours team — last checked 2026-09-17.

Kylemore Abbey from along the shore, with water lilies in the foreground

A Kylemore Abbey tour costs anything from $51 for a seat on a Galway coach to several thousand dollars for a week by rail. The fare is only half the sum, though, because the abbey sells its own estate ticket, and only some fares include it. This guide sets out what every tour costs, what each price buys, and what you will spend on top, so you can compare the days on equal terms before your Kylemore Abbey booking.

What does a Kylemore Abbey tour cost?

Prices fall into three bands. These are the starting fares on the booking pages in September 2026; your date and your party set the final figure.

  • A seat on a coach day from Galway: $51 to $134 per person. The low end leaves the ticket to you; the high end is a small group with the ticket and a sheepdog farm in the fare.
  • A private car for a day: $643 to $930 for the group, which is three to seven people depending on the car.
  • A trip from Dublin: $3,043 for a private car for two days, up to $6,344 per person for eight days by rail.

Every day tour here refunds in full if you cancel at least 24 hours ahead, so booking early costs you nothing but a decision.

Which fares already include the ticket?

  • Lally Tours' Leenane day from Galway: from $74 or $76 per person, depending on the booking site. Entrance to the abbey and the Victorian Walled Garden is in the fare.
  • Lally Tours' small-group sheepdog day: from $126 or $134 per person, with the abbey and the sheepdog demonstration both paid.
  • The 10-day Wild Irish tour from Dublin: $3,393 per person, with entrance fees to Kylemore, Glendalough, the Rock of Cashel, Cahir Castle and the Cliffs of Moher.
  • The 8-day Emerald Pullman rail tour: $6,344 per person, with all tours and admissions.

On every other tour you either buy the ticket yourself, or the driver sells it to you on the day.

How do you pay for the ticket when it is not included?

That depends on the tour. On Galway Tour Company's Cong day, the entrance fee is payable to the driver: EUR 14 per person, in cash. On Wild Atlantic Way Day Tours' day, the driver sells tickets at a discounted rate, also cash only. Carry euro notes, because a card machine on a coach is not something to rely on. One traveller on the abbey-or-park day found it down and needed cash.

On a private tour, or when you drive, you buy the ticket at the visitor centre or on the abbey's own website. The abbey sets the price and shows it in its booking system, so check it there when you plan. Ask about child and family tickets at the desk.

Budget the ticket in euro, the fare in dollars. The tour fare is paid on the booking page; the ticket, where it is extra, is paid in euro at the abbey or to the driver.

What does the cheapest day really cost?

The lowest fare is Galway Tour Company's Connemara and Cong day, from $51 per person. To see what you will spend, add three things:

  1. EUR 14 in cash for the estate ticket, if you want to go inside;
  2. lunch at the Kylemore Kitchen café or in Cong, since no day tour includes it;
  3. a tip for the driver-guide if you want to leave one, since tips are not in the fare.

Even with those added, it stays one of the cheapest ways to see the abbey from Galway, and it rates 4.7 from 2,266 reviews. Lally Tours' Leenane day at $76 spares you the cash at the gate and adds Leenane instead of Cong. Choose the route first and the price second, because the gap between them is smaller than the fares suggest.

How do private per-group prices work out per person?

A private car is priced for the vehicle, up to a set number of people. So the more of you there are, the less each pays. The table shows what each person pays in a party of two, four or six, before the abbey ticket where it is extra.

The dayFareAbbey ticketEach, for 2Each, for 4Each, for 6
Lally Tours: Leenane day, coach$76 per personIn the fare$76$76$76
Lally Tours: small group, coach$134 per personIn the fare$134$134$134
Galway Tour Company: Cong day, coach$51 per personEUR 14 cash, extra$51$51$51
Wild Atlantic Way Day Tours: abbey or park$58 per personCash to the driver, extra$58$58$58
Connemara Chauffeurs: private day$673 per group, up to 7Extra$336$168$112
Connemara Chauffeurs: private half day$643 per group, up to 7Extra$321$160$107
Fay's Ireland: private day with Cong$878 per group, up to 4Extra$439$219Over the limit
Neal Doherty: private day from Westport$930 per group, up to 5Photo stop outside$465$232Over the limit
Walk About Galway: sheep farm day$878 per group, up to 3Extra, optional$439Over the limitOver the limit

For a couple, every private car costs several times a coach seat. For six people, Connemara Chauffeurs' day comes to about $112 each, plus the ticket. That is still more than the Lally coach at $76 with the ticket in, but the car is yours, collects you where you are staying, and stops where you ask. The Kylemore Abbey private tours page compares every private car.

What else will you spend?

  • Lunch. No day tour includes it. The Kylemore Kitchen café by the car park needs no ticket, and children's portions there are half price.
  • Tea in the garden. The Garden Tea House opens 11:00 to 16:00 and sits inside the paid area.
  • Tips. Lally Tours, Galway Tour Company and Wild Atlantic Way Day Tours all list gratuities as not included.
  • Extras on private days. The sheepdog farm and the sheep farm charge their own admission on the private days, and so do Aughnanure Castle and the other sites.
  • Nothing for parking. If you drive, the visitor car park is free.

Are the Dublin tours worth thousands?

They are a different purchase, and they only make sense as the whole holiday. Each spends two to five hours at Kylemore and many days elsewhere.

The 10-day Wild Irish tour costs $3,393 per person for a group of 16 at most. The fare holds the guide throughout, entrance fees at five sites including Kylemore and the Cliffs of Moher, a sheepdog demonstration, a Westport walking tour, the Shannon ferry and nine breakfasts. The 8-day Emerald Pullman rail tour costs $6,344 per person. It includes all transfers, tours and admissions, drinks and snacks on board, seven breakfasts, and two lunches and two dinners.

The 2-day private tour from Dublin costs $3,043 for up to three. It plans about five hours at Kylemore, but it lists accommodation and lunch as extra, so budget a hotel night on top. The Kylemore Abbey tours from Dublin page compares all three with the train to Galway.

What happens if you cancel?

Every day tour from Galway and Westport, and the 2-day and 10-day tours from Dublin, refund in full if you cancel at least 24 hours before the start. The Emerald Pullman rail tour is stricter: a full refund up to six full days ahead, half between two and six days, and nothing inside two days.

The abbey's own ticket, if you buy it online, follows the abbey's terms, so read them before you book a date you might change.

How far ahead should you book?

In summer, a few days ahead at least, because the coach days fill. The free 24-hour cancellation means an early booking costs you nothing if your plans move. Private cars are one vehicle each, so for a July or August date, book those earlier still.

In winter you have more room, but check the date on the booking page, and remember the whole estate closes from 24 to 26 December.

Where does the money go?

The estate belongs to The Kylemore Trust, a registered Irish charity, number 20071394. The estate ticket you buy at the gate goes to the abbey, and the fare you pay for a tour goes to the tour company. When the ticket is in your fare, the tour company buys it for you.

If you plan to come back, the abbey's annual ticket costs a little more than three day tickets and gives you priority booking for its specialty talks.

Frequently asked questions

How much do Kylemore Abbey tours cost?
Shared coach days from Galway run from $51 to $134 per person. Private cars from Galway start at $643 for a group of up to seven, and the multi-day tours from Dublin run into the thousands. Each card shows the current fare and what it covers.
How much is a private tour per person?
Divide the group price by your party. The private day from Galway costs $673 for up to seven, which is about $96 each for seven and $336 each for two, before the abbey ticket.
Should you tip the driver-guide?
It is up to you. Lally Tours, Galway Tour Company and Wild Atlantic Way Day Tours all list gratuities as not included, so any tip is on top of the fare.
Why does the price change when I pick a date?
The fares here are starting prices read in September 2026. The booking page prices your date and your party, and the total at checkout is the one you pay.
Can you buy tickets at the gate?
Yes. The abbey sells its estate ticket at the visitor centre and on its own website. Booking ahead is not necessary, though the abbey says it gives you a quicker entry.
What is the cancellation policy?
Every day tour here refunds in full if you cancel at least 24 hours ahead. The Emerald Pullman rail tour refunds in full only up to six full days before, and half from two to six days.
Is lunch included on the day tours?
No day tour here includes lunch. You can eat at the Kylemore Kitchen café, which sits outside the paid area and needs no ticket.

A fare for each way of paying

Next: decide how you will pay for the ticket, then book the fare that matches on Kylemore Abbey Tours.