The Cliffs of Moher are the biggest natural tourist attraction in Ireland, beating out others like the Ring of Kerry and the Devil’s Causeway.
Rising up to over 700 feet above the Atlantic on the County Clare coastline, the cliffs stretch for about five miles along the Wild Atlantic Way and draw over a million visitors a year.
There is no shortage of tourists midday and well into the afternoon, so get there early if you want any semblance of a peaceful experience.
The main viewing area around O’Brien’s Tower – the 19th-century lookout perched right at the most dramatic section – is the postcard shot everyone comes for, and it earns it.
Looking south from the tower the cliffs are heavily draped in green, and looking north the layers of rock are more exposed and the drops get steeper and more dramatic. Millions of years of geology stacked up like a very large, very wet sandwich.
The caution signs are everywhere, and longtime subscribers know our opinion – remove all the warning signs and labels, and let natural selection do its thing…
O’Brien’s Tower
The most popular viewpoint from the Cliffs of Moher
Green Layers
Green layers looking south towards O’Brien’s Tower
Less Green, More Sandwich
The cliffs on the south side of O’Brien’s Tower are steeper with more layers visible and less vegetation.
Up The Steps
The steps leading up
Ocean Mist
Cliffs, waves, and ocean spray
WAW Sign
The Wild Atlantic Way sign for the Cliffs of Moher
Here’s the thing though – if you only walk the clifftop path and call it done, you’re leaving the best part on the table.
The Doolin Ferry runs boat tours right up to the base of the cliffs, and this is not optional.
From the water you get a completely different sense of the scale – looking up at O’Brien’s Tower from below, watching the waves work at the rock layers, seeing the sea stacks up close and the places where erosion has carved deep cuts into the cliff face in ways you can’t appreciate from above.
We had an extremely rough and windy day at sea, but the sea spray and waves add a little something to the photos.
PRO TIP: If you get a rough day, don’t sit inside – this is where the vomit happens.
Different Perspective
Looking up at O’Brien’s Tower from the Doolin Ferry.
Deep Cuts
Erosion works differently everywhere
Doolin Ferry
You definitely have to do the boat ride to see the Cliffs of Moher from below.
The nearby village of Doolin is a small, very-touristy stop but you might as well on your way through. There is a back road between Doolin and the cliffs which passes Doonagore Castle, a perfectly round 16th-century tower house sitting right on the coastal hillside like it was placed there specifically for my photo lens.
If you have the time, you can park in Doolin and do the Cliff Walk that starts just south of the bridge and walks along the ocean up to the cliffs. We did 5 miles or so of it and enjoyed it, despite the wind and occasional raindrops.
Doonagore Castle
Just your average coastal castle
Very Dangerous Cliffs Ahead
I say remove the signs, and let things work themselves out…
Lower Layers
The layers change as you get closer to the water.
Sea Stack
One more sea stack
If you want another bonus cliff experience with a fraction of the crowds, head south to the Kilkee Cliffs before making your way to Moher.
These don’t get nearly the attention they deserve – the undercut caves carved into the cliff face are genuinely impressive, and the scale of them hits differently when you spot people standing at the top and realize they look like ants.
Another Wild Atlantic Way stop that punches well above its weight class.
Our recommendation: The Cliffs of Moher are worth every bit of the hype. Book the ferry. Don’t skip it.
Deep Pockets
The undercut caves on these cliffs are pretty impressive.
Cliff Top
The people on top of the Kilkee Cliffs look like ants – giving you a good feel for the scale of them!
Kilkee Cliffs
The Wild Atlantic Way signs overlooking the Kilkee Cliffs.
Cliff Walk Tide Pools
Surprisingly little sea life in the tide pools below the Cliffs of Moher
Crashing Waves
Waves crashing onto the the slabs at the base of the Cliffs of Moher
Reverse Stream
A stream flowing out to the Atlantic Ocean is blown back up over the hillside due to the high wind. It's a never-ending cycle.
Moooooo
Harassing the cows along the the Doolin Cliffs/Cliffs of Moher trail
Doolin Cliff Walk Serious Wind
It is really blowing along some parts of this trail
Flag Blowing at Doolin Cliff Walk
I'm surprised this flag hasn't torn off and blown away
Hard To Make Photos
It's hard to get a steady photo with this crazy wind!
Boat Rocking At Seawall
You can tell it's going to be a rough day on the water – plenty of people inside the boat lost their lunches…
Cliffs of Moher Boat Ride
The Cliffs of Moher as seen from the Doolin Ferry
