The Burren

A landscape that looks like another planet

The Burren is a 250-square-kilometre expanse of limestone karst in County Clare that looks, at first glance, as though nothing lives here. The surface rock is pale grey and deeply fissured, the hillsides bare of trees. And then you crouch down and look into the cracks — the grykes, as they are called — and find orchids, gentians, mountain avens and ferns growing in their sheltered warmth. Arctic, Mediterranean and alpine plant species grow within metres of each other in the Burren, which is botanically unlike anywhere else in Europe.

It is a strange and compelling place. Most visitors encounter it as a stop on a Cliffs of Moher day tour, and that is a perfectly valid way to see it — but the Burren rewards time spent slowly, and a few hours moving through the landscape on foot reveals far more than a coach-window glance.

Getting there from Dublin

The Burren is in northwest County Clare, roughly three hours from Dublin by car. The nearest large town is Ennis, and the main Burren towns of Ballyvaughan, Kinvara and Lisdoonvarna are reached via the N18 motorway or the R480 through the Burren itself (a spectacular route if you are driving).

Without a car, the Burren is almost always visited as part of an organised day tour that combines it with the Cliffs of Moher — which lies at the western edge of the Burren region. The Cliffs of Moher, Bird of Prey and Aillwee Cave tour from Dublin includes a stop at Aillwee Cave, a natural limestone cave system at the heart of the region, and gives a broader sense of the Burren landscape than the cliffs alone.

What to see

Poulnabrone dolmen. The portal tomb at Poulnabrone is a 5,800-year-old megalithic structure — a massive capstone balanced on thin uprights in the middle of the open limestone plateau. It is one of the most-photographed prehistoric monuments in Ireland and genuinely impressive in person. It is accessible from a small car park off the R480.

Aillwee Cave. The cave system near Ballyvaughan descends into the heart of a limestone hill, with stalactites, underground waterfalls and the remains of a prehistoric brown bear den. Tours run regularly and last about 30 minutes. An adjacent bird of prey centre offers falconry demonstrations.

Mullaghmore. This small flat-topped mountain offers short walks through some of the most dramatically terraced limestone scenery in the Burren, with views toward Galway Bay and the Aran Islands on clear days.

The Caher Valley and the green road. A network of old paths and green roads crosses the Burren, and the Caher Valley route along an ancient green road is one of the finest short walks in Ireland — about 10 km return, relatively flat, through limestone terracing and old field systems.

Burren National Park. The park focuses on the Mullagh More area and has a small visitor centre at Corofin with information on the archaeology and botany of the region.

When to go

May and June are the peak months for wildflowers — the gentians are brightest in April and May, the orchids in June. The Burren is also beautiful in September and October when the light is low and the stone takes on a warmer tone. Winter visits are quiet and atmospheric, though some cave attractions have shorter hours.

Combining with the Cliffs of Moher

Almost every day trip to the Burren from Dublin includes the Cliffs of Moher, which sits at the Burren’s western edge near Liscannor. This is the logical pairing and the reason most organised tours combine them. See the Cliffs of Moher page for what to expect there.

If you are in Galway city and want to reach the Burren independently, a local operator can take you to the cliffs and back as a day tour, which makes more sense than the long Dublin-return journey. A three-day western Ireland trip might combine Galway and Connemara one day, then Aran Islands the next, then Burren and the cliffs on the third — a structure that avoids the exhausting 13-hour return from Dublin.

Honest notes

The Burren can feel underwhelming if you expect rugged green Ireland. It is grey, austere and, in grey weather, slightly forbidding. Its beauty is subtle — the more you know about the botany and archaeology before you arrive, the more satisfying the visit. The Burren Ecotourism Network website is a useful primer.

If you are on a tight day-trip schedule and can only choose one west of Ireland destination, the Cliffs of Moher is the higher-impact choice. The Burren is its natural companion, and together they make a full and varied day.