Ireland's most famous sea cliffs have been drawing visitors for nearly two hundred years. Rising 214 m (702 ft) above the Atlantic and running for 14 km along the Clare coast, the reason for their fame is obvious the moment you stand at the edge. We sat down with Saoirse Boyce, who works at the Cliffs, to get the inside track on the history, the traditions, and the one piece of advice she gives every new visitor. When you travel with My Ireland Tour, your entry ticket to the Cliffs of Moher is 100% included.
What's in this article
Jump to sections:
Why visit the Cliffs of Moher?
People have been coming to admire these cliffs since the early 1800s, long before the modern visitor centre popped up in 2007. Back in 1835, Cornelius O'Brien built O'Brien's Tower at the highest point just to host his guests, and he even employed a piper to entertain the first tourists who made the trip. That tradition of music and a warm welcome never really stopped. Right up into the 1950s, a local man named Denny McMahon used to guide visitors along the clifftops playing the tin whistle. Today, the Cliffs and the neighbouring Burren form a UNESCO Global Geopark, meaning the site is cared for with a real eye to protecting both its traditions and its wild landscape.
Tourism here grew naturally out of what people were already doing: walking the clifftops, stopping to listen to the music, and coming back again. That is why the site feels like somewhere that earned its fame rather than manufactured it. Today it welcomes well over a million visitors a year, and the visitor centre, the clifftop paths, the free audio guide, and the local craft shops all exist to help you take in far more than just the view.
Essential visitor information
Time needed:
Allow at least two hours, and longer if you can. Most people rush up to the viewpoint and turn straight back. Give it longer than that.Best time to visit:
The cliffs are a bucket-list stop and draw visitors all year round, in every kind of weather. The Atlantic breeze and passing showers are part of the character of the place, so go whenever your tour brings you, and dress for the conditions.Entry & tickets:
Your admission ticket covers the visitor centre and O'Brien's Tower. On a My Ireland Tour, entry is already included in your tour price. There is nothing to book and no queue to manage.Kids:
Children love it here. There is room to move and indoor exhibits to explore, so it makes an easy stop with kids. Keep them within the barriers and in sight at all times. This is a cliff edge at height.Accessibility & facilities:
The visitor centre is built into the hillside so it blends with the landscape, and it has lifts, level access, toilets and indoor exhibits. The main clifftop paths from the centre are surfaced, though there are steps in places and a climb to the viewing platform at O'Brien's Tower.What to bring:
Layers and a windproof, waterproof top layer. Comfortable shoes for the clifftop paths, and leave the umbrella at home. It is pointless in the wind.
The information in this section was verified in August 2026 by Saoirse Boyce of the Cliffs of Moher (Clare Tourism Development).
Tour Gallery
Considerations from the experts
We never send our guests anywhere we don't know and love ourselves. Based on our own trips to the Cliffs of Moher, and plenty of chats with the folks who work there, here is exactly what you need to know before you go.
Weather & conditions:
This is a wild, outdoor Atlantic site and the weather can change quickly. Expect wind and passing showers even in summer. Far from spoiling the visit, the weather is part of the atmosphere. As our expert puts it, a completely still, windless day at the cliffs doesn't feel right.Not your usual subject?
Even if dramatic sea cliffs are not normally your thing, the history, the music tradition, the visitor centre and the local craft producers give the visit real depth, and the free audio guide helps you find it.Mobility & access:
The main viewpoints are reached along surfaced paths from the visitor centre, which has lifts and level access. Be aware that the site sits at a height, there are steps in places, and the clifftop walk becomes more demanding the further you go.Families & groups:
This is a classic family stop. There is plenty of room to move, indoor exhibits to explore, and the sheer drama of the cliffs holds the attention of all ages. Keep children within the barriers and in sight at all times.Photography:
Photography is welcome and encouraged throughout the site, and the clifftop paths and O'Brien's Tower are among the most photographed spots in Ireland. Stay within the safe areas, give other visitors room at the viewpoints, and be patient when the site is busy.Sustainability & site care:
The Cliffs of Moher and the Burren have held UNESCO Global Geopark status since 2011, and the site follows Leave No Trace principles. Take your litter with you and leave the landscape as you found it. The site welcomes well over a million visitors a year, so everyone has a part to play.Path closures:
Fair warning, at times sections of the clifftop path do close. It is usually just a short stretch, shut for repairs or after rough weather. It is not something to plan around, but it does happen, so check the signage at the visitor centre before you set off. If a stretch is shut you may not reach the viewpoint you had in mind that day; the centre and the paths immediately around it are normally unaffected.What the viewpoints are like:
The viewing area immediately around the visitor centre is enclosed by stone walls and barriers, so some of the closest views are taken looking over the top of a wall rather than standing at an open edge. Those walls are there to keep people back from the cliff, and they are not going anywhere. The wider, unobstructed views come from walking further out along the marked clifftop path. Stay on the trail, because the ground beyond it is not safe.Health & safety:
You are visiting a cliff edge at height, where the Atlantic wind can be strong. Stay behind the barriers and on the marked paths at all times, whatever the weather and however good the photograph looks.
Tips from the Team
"Every time I have visited the Cliffs of Moher it has been outside the summer months, so I have only ever known them windy and rainy. My tip is to expect rain and wind, and to dress in layers with a windbreaker or raincoat. It may be calmer on a fine summer day, but it has always been very windy whenever I have been there."
Shauni, My Ireland Tour
"The one thing I would say is leave the umbrella at home. At the Cliffs of Moher it is pointless in the wind. A hood or a good rain jacket will serve you far better."
Shannon, My Ireland Tour
Options and inclusions
The walkthrough below describes a typical visit to the Cliffs of Moher: the visitor centre, the clifftop paths, O'Brien's Tower and the gift shop. Admission covers the visitor centre and the tower, and access to the tower is limited each day, so allow time to queue at the busiest periods.
If you are visiting the Cliffs of Moher as part of a vacation with us at My Ireland Tour, then your entry is fully included in your tour price. All entry tickets are 100% included. There is nothing to book, no queue to manage on the day, and your driver-guide handles the timing so you can focus on the cliffs.
If your tour is with another provider, check with them whether the Cliffs of Moher visit is included. If it is not, pre-booking is recommended, and prices are often cheaper online for off-peak times. You can find full details on the official Cliffs of Moher website.
If you are driving yourself and would rather keep the cost down, look for Guerin's Farm on the coast road. You pay a flat rate per car instead of the main car park charge, and can walk straight out to a much quieter stretch of the cliff path. It suits drivers who want the walk without the coach traffic around the main hub. Be aware that there are no visitor centre facilities at that end, and the path you join is the same marked clifftop trail, so the same rules apply. Stay on it and behind the barriers.
One more option, and a very different view of the cliffs: a cruise from Doolin Pier takes you along the base of them, so you see the whole face rise straight out of the Atlantic rather than looking down from the top. It is a good second look at the cliffs if you are staying locally, or a sensible alternative if the weather has closed the paths. You can find more details and sailing times on the Doolin Ferry website.
Give yourself time for the countryside
When you have a 14km stretch of sea cliffs on the itinerary, it's easy to get tunnel vision and completely ignore the surrounding countryside. But the roads in and out of the area aren't just a commute to rush through. You're driving past ordinary working farmland and right along the coast, so if you have the car, it's well worth leaving enough time to actually pull over now and then. Do that, and you'll get to experience a brilliant stretch of County Clare that most people just speed right past.
Q&A with the experts at the Cliffs of Moher
We put a few questions to Saoirse Boyce of Clare Tourism Development, who works at the Cliffs of Moher, about the history of the site, its traditions and how to get the most out of a visit.
What makes the Cliffs of Moher such a popular attraction for visitors to Ireland?
Saoirse Boyce
"A huge part of it is the history of tourism here. Tourists have been coming to the Cliffs of Moher for far longer than most people realise, and the beauty of the place was recognised long before it ever became a managed visitor attraction. O'Brien's Tower was built in 1835 by Cornelius O'Brien, and there has been a long-standing tradition of tourism here ever since, and a huge tradition of music and busking that we have really tried to keep alive. When the first tourists came, Cornelius O'Brien employed a piper to entertain them, and that has been kept going. It has not just popped up as a tourist attraction. People have simply fallen in love with the place."
Is the music still part of a visit today?
Saoirse Boyce
"Very much so. We care an awful lot about the traditions here, and about preserving both the traditions and the landscape, which I think is evident when you come here. In 1950 a local man, Denny McMahon, got a guide badge and started guiding people around the cliffs, and he would play the tin whistle to entertain them. It has all been a very organic kind of celebrating people coming."
What do you wish first-time visitors would do differently?
Saoirse Boyce
"The biggest thing would be people rushing. They come knowing they are coming for a view, and they do not take in everything else there is: the geology of the place, which is so significant because we are in the Burren, plus the folklore and some unique wildlife. Some people come, they see the cliffs and they go away again without ever taking the time to slow down and understand the place. We have developed an app and audio guide, which is free, and we encourage people to download it and learn about everything there is to the site rather than just running up, looking at the cliffs and coming away again."
What does the audio guide help people to notice?
Saoirse Boyce
"It points out things people might not necessarily spot. When you visit somewhere for the first time you can be so busy taking it in that you miss the details, and you are not going to know the history of a place like this unless you take the time. The audio guide definitely helps people to notice the things we want them to notice and to take it all in. We do ask people to stick to the paths, because we are at quite a height here, so health and safety is the number one priority."
Does the weather affect how many people visit?
Saoirse Boyce
"It is obviously an outdoor, natural site, so the weather can play a part, and of course when the sun shines it is beautiful. But we get visitors no matter what. It is a bucket-list location for so many people, so when they are here, they come. The weather is very much part of the character of the place in ways. When it is sunny and there is no wind at the cliffs, it does not feel right. During the heatwave there was still a breeze up here when there was no breeze anywhere else in the country."
What changed when the Cliffs of Moher became a UNESCO Global Geopark?
Saoirse Boyce
"The Cliffs of Moher and the Burren got UNESCO Geopark status in 2011, and there is a lot we do to maintain that. It is something we really care about and are very proud of. We have put an emphasis on sustainability on the site and we have adopted the Leave No Trace rules, and we have a lot of local producers selling their crafts on site, which has had a really great response from visitors. We do get a very large number of visitors, so we encourage everyone to play their part in taking care of the site, even in the little things, like being very cautious of litter."
What does the gift shop add to a visit?
Saoirse Boyce
"Having the local producers there adds a really special element for visitors. You can go into the gift store and get something unique to the area that you would not get somewhere else, and we think that makes the experience even better."
A step-by-step walkthrough of the Cliffs of Moher
The cliffs reward a slower pace. Rather than rushing straight to the viewpoint, structure your visit around these stops, and give yourself the time to take each one in.
Start in the visitor centre
Because it is built directly into the hillside, you can almost walk straight past the visitor centre. Don't skip it. It is the best place to get your bearings, use the facilities, and let the exhibits introduce the geology before you head out into the wind. The café is busy enough that a lunchtime table is more luck than planning.
Download the free app and audio guide
Do this before you arrive, or at the centre. The app and audio guide are free, and they point out the details you would otherwise walk straight past: the geology of the Burren, the folklore and the wildlife. You can do this before you arrive, or at the centre.
Walk the clifftop paths
The main paths run along the cliff edge in both directions from the visitor centre, and they are surfaced and well maintained. Head towards O'Brien's Tower and stop often to take in the scale of the place, always staying on the marked paths and behind the barriers.
Climb O'Brien's Tower
Cornelius O'Brien built this stone tower at the highest point of the cliffs back in 1835 just to entertain his guests. You can climb the internal stairs for a brilliant look out over the Aran Islands, but access is limited each day, so give yourself time to queue if you're visiting during the busy summer months.
Notice the wildlife, geology and folklore
The cliffs sit right on the edge of the Burren, meaning the geology here is completely unique. Take a moment to actually slow down and look for the nesting seabirds. This is where having that free audio guide downloaded really pays off.
Finish in the gift shop
Local producers sell their crafts right on site, meaning you can take home something genuinely unique to the area, and support the local community who look after it. It's a big part of the reason the site has kept its authentic character.
