Hub city for 3-4 day tour of western Ire

Hi everyone, first time poster ... and soon first time visitor to Ireland!  I am planning a family trip where we spend a 3 days in Dublin and then head out to Western Ireland for 3-4 days (likely 4 days).  When in the west, we'd sleep in one city the entire time but take day trips to points of interest across the West.  Ideally this city would be a nice place to check out too (esp for evening dinners),   

Does anyone have suggestions on a good hub city for the western leg?    I see Limerick is centrally located, but I'm not sure if it's a good place to stay for these purposes.

Hi Robert,

A warm welcome to our Ireland Community! 💚 And how exciting to hear you'll be visiting the Emerald Isle soon! ☘️

I think it's a great idea to have two bases in different parts of the island, which will allow you to stay comfortably (perhaps in a B&B?) and still give you lots of options to explore and experience various sites. Limerick is indeed an interesting city, filled with history and culture. From personal experience, I would recommend you take a look at Galway, a colourful town both cosy and lively, with plenty of pubs, restaurants and music! Do you already have a few ideas for places you'd like to visit on those day trips? If the Cliffs of Moher, Kylemore Abbey, the Burren or the Aran Islands are on your bucket list, Galway would make the perfect base! Check out some of these ideas along with handy tips on how to get there using public transport in another post here in our forum, and more on our website.

For even more inspiration, you might like to have a look at these similar questions of your fellow travellers:
Choosing bases for a two-week tour of Ireland
Best place to base trip
Best base cities

Feel free to share your thoughts, we'd love to hear more about your plans! 🗺️
Have you decided what you'd like to see in and around Dublin?

Best wishes
Rebecca