Wild Connemara & Galway: Ireland's Epic West Coast Escape

Too much time on the van and too little time seeing things. We spent 1 hour and 30 minutes visiting the mine and 1 hour and 30 minutes in Galway and 5 hours in a van. It was a waste of time and money.

To start I would like to say that if my tour was exclusively about my tour guide Michael, and my driver Carl it would be a glowing 5 star review. Michael was incredibly knowledgeable and fun. We enjoyed hearing everything he knew about our many stops. Carl was an excellent driver even as this tour goes through scenic routes with more winding roads than other tours. We really enjoyed our experiences with them. However, our day was seriously impacted by poor administrative decisions than affected Michael, Carl, and every other passenger on our day tour including my group. I booked this specific tour because we liked how long it gave the passengers in Galway. There was a lot we wanted to see and do here, but a day tour was all we could fit into our schedule for the week. However, we ultimately lost an hour of this promised time. At the beginning of the day, the importance of timeliness was rightfully emphasized to us. Dublin has very strict rules for bus/transit drivers about how far they can drive in a day, how many breaks they need based on distance/time travelled etc. it was made clear to us that any delays would ultimately impact the time we spend at each stop. Then, 20 minutes into our drive, our guide received a call that there were two passengers that the administrative team neglected to put on our guide’s passenger list that our van had to turn around and go pick up. This added nearly an hour of drive time, in addition to distance on our drivers monitor. I find it extremely hard to believe that our van turning around to get them was Paddywagons only option. It seems that this decision was made exclusively to save the company’s money, even knowing that it would DEFINITELY impact our schedule for the rest of the day. This time ended up being taken from the longest stop, Galway. The tour’s itinerary states and 2.5 hour stop here. We got 1.5 hours. Ultimately I find this decision unfair to myself, the other passengers, and to our driver and guide who were discussing if they could even make it to the bus garage with the remaining time and distance our driver had. This decision did not consider AT ALL the money that the passengers on the bus spent for the day, or the comfort of passengers. It is already a long day in the van and we had nearly an hour added to that time for no good reason. I did reach out to the company for some form of compensation, and all they offered was 10% off another tour. We were no longer even in the country by the time this offer was sent. If my review was down exclusively to the administrative actions of the company it would be 1 star. However, the incredible services Michael and Carl rendered despite the frustrating corner they were backed into by their employers saved one star.

We travelled with Brian twice Galway/connemara and afternoon the following day to Wicklow mountains. In Galway he drove like a madman speeding over road humps literally throwing us up in the air off our seat, in the most heavy rain really a dangerous driver. He told us the silver mines were closed, we were left in the pouring rain at Colm,where we were taken instead nothing open except a gift shop and spar. We didn't stop for even 5mins in connemara ( the reason I chose this day trip). No wild Atlantic way straight to Galway for two hrs. A waisted journey and money also a unpleasant attitude from Brian all the way. The next day we got Brian again ( we had already spoken to the staff in shop and they reimbursed the entry fee for the mines, which we appreciated). His attitude was much worse he threatened a full coach of language students from Italy " to be quite"when he was speaking he was very rude and told the coach if anybody returned after 4:20pm they would have to find there own way back to Dublin. He made no effort to explain any history and just drove the coach like a bus driver. The man was beyond disappointing and i will never use this company again.

This is not a tour you should take unless you like spending %80 on the bus. We had 30 mins Cong and 2hrs in Galway, the rest of the time on the bus. Several items mentioned in the tour that we didn't do. The Quiet Man in Cong was good, but the museum was closed. Very unhappy with this tour, I've taken quite a few tours with Viator and never has an experience as bad as this one. These are the items that were advertised that we didn't do: Glengowla Mines & Family Farm Experience, I feel the right thing to do would be to refund my tour since it wasn't even close to being what it was advertised

seeing the sheep was the highlight of the day and the dog was so excited for us to be together and we owner was very proud of him

We took the trip on a Sunday. On Sunday, the tour skips Connemara, but there was no mention of this in the information on the Paddywagon site. We were disappointed & may not have chosen this tour if we had known.

Very good lake and the chauffeur was really nice , he didn't talk to much and not not enough so it was perfect

I recently took a trip withmy partner to Connemara and Galway, and it was an unforgettable experience, largely thanks to our driver, Ian. The journey was not only scenic and beautiful but also incredibly fun and informative. Ian's knowledge of the area is impressive, and he shared fascinating stories and historical insights throughout the trip. His humor kept us all entertained, making the long drives between stops feel short and enjoyable. From the stunning landscapes of Connemara to the vibrant atmosphere of Galway, every part of the trip was well-planned and enriching. Ian's passion for the region truly shone through, adding a personal touch to the tour. I highly recommend this trip to anyone looking to explore this beautiful part of Ireland. And if you’re lucky enough to have Ian as your driver, you’re in for a fantastic time!

The stop at the Lead/Silver mine and watching the sheep dog in action at this country property was very interesting. Galway was busy but maybe could have had more time to explore. Long time in the bus. Our tour guide, Dominic, was very good

Beautiful excursion , clean buses, but a bad experience with the driver on the morning way, he was very rude and rude to us who were seated in the front, even to my 81-year-old mother. I advise the tourist agency to better select the drivers, finally we are customers