Practical Information
Vacation
Holidaying on the Aran Islands gives one the chance to tune into the Islands energies, atmosphere and activities. There are an array of activities to choose from (located in the Engage tab) as well as giving you the space and time to really get to know the place and get off the regular tourist paths. This is completely different experience in itself and also gives you the chance to integrate into the communtiy and its people.
Many people and their families choose to have their holidays on Inis Mor. Often they rent a self catering apartment, hostels, Bed and Breakfasts, and the Hotel for this.
Planning a trip to Ireland?
If you are planning a trip to Ireland the first thing you need to find out is what airport you ar flying into. Dublin and Shannon are the main international airports in the Republic of Ireland. If you are planning on visiting Dublin city then are best landing in Dublin. If you land in Dublin and you want to go West then you have to travel accross the whole country to get to the West of Ireland.
You can either hire a car or use public transport (bus/train) to get to the West of Ireland. Galway would be the major destination before heading to Rossaveal. Galway takes 2.5 hours by bus or train from Dublin. If you want to avoid the cities and just go to the West of Ireland where all the beauty spots are and where the most traditional culture is then you will need to land in Shannon airport. Shannon is one hour from Galway. Galway is one hour from Rossaveal which is the main ferry port for boats to the Aran Islands. If you are coming from England then you can take a boat to Belfast and head to Dublin before heading to Galway.
Distances
Inis Mor is a very small island and the other two Aran Islands are even smaller. Inis Mor is about 8km in length and at its widest point is 2km wide. The narrowest point is 500 meters wide. There are 800 people living on Inis Mor. It is possible to travel the whole island in one day.
The other two Aran Islands are even smaller. You can get around them by walking in half a day each. They are very small in comparrison.
Between the Islands there are about 500 meters of water. So the islands are very close together with narrow channels seperating them.