Mountain pass · 14 mi off the route
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Road trip route · Ireland
Dublin to Galway drive time, distance, costs & the best stops
- Drive time
- 2 hr 30 min
- Distance
- 130 mi
- Fuel (est.)
- £22
- Tolls (est.)
- £2
The Dublin to Galway drive
The drive from Dublin to Galway covers 130 miles (209 km) and takes about 2 hr 30 min without stops. That makes it a comfortable one-day drive. Leave in the morning and you'll arrive with the day ahead of you.
Most of it is one road: the M6 carries 63% of the distance. You pass Celbridge and Athlone on the way.
It's flat. Nowhere along the way did we measure the road higher than about 125 m above sea level. The Sally Gap is 14 mi off the route if you have time for a detour.
Expect fuel for a typical petrol car (~40 mpg) to cost around £22 one-way plus roughly £2 in motorway tolls. Prices shift monthly, so treat these as ballpark figures.
At 130 miles this is longer than 27% of the 144 routes covered here.
The road, mile by mile
Towns within a few miles of the fastest route, with the time it takes to reach them without stopping.
- StartDublin
- 13 miCelbridge15 min in
- 76 miAthlone1 h 28 min in
- 130 miGalway
How high it goes
Roads you'll be on
- M681 mi · 63%
- M428 mi · 22%
- N68 mi · 6%
- R1486 mi · 5%
Famous roads on or near the drive
From the 500-plus passes and driving roads drivers collect in the Plan Your Road Trips app. None are on the fastest route, but these are close enough for a detour.
Famous road · 16 mi off the route
Corkscrew Hill
Best stops between Dublin and Galway
Within ~30 km of the driving route, worth the detour.
Castles & Palaces
Trim Castle
Ireland's largest Anglo-Norman castle, used as a Braveheart filming location, with a massive 20-sided keep dominating the Boyne Valley.
Racetracks
Mondello Park
Ireland's only permanent motorsport circuit, located in County Kildare and the home of Irish national racing since 1968.
Legendary Restaurants
Sean's Bar
Pub on the west bank of the Shannon in Athlone trading since around 900 AD: Guinness World Records lists it as Ireland's oldest. Excavated wattle-and-daub walls and centuries of coins are displayed inside; sawdust still on the floor.
Ancient Ruins
Clonmacnoise
Monastic city founded by St Ciarán in 544 on an esker above a bend of the Shannon: two round towers, a cathedral, high crosses and hundreds of early Christian grave slabs. Once one of Europe's great centres of learning.
Filming Locations
Trim Castle, County Meath (Braveheart's York)
Ireland's largest Anglo-Norman castle doubled for the city of York in Braveheart, with the battles shot on the Curragh plain nearby.
Ancient Ruins
Hill of Tara
The ceremonial seat of the High Kings of Ireland, a set of grassy earthworks with the Lia Fáil standing stone on top.
What you need for this drive
Rules for each country on the route, in the order you meet them.
Ireland
- Motorway
- 120 km/h · 50 in town
- Tolls
- Barrier tolls and the M50 eFlow barrier-free toll
- Drives on
- the left
Checked against national road authorities and the ECB reference rates. Rules change — confirm before you travel.
Famous drives in Ireland
Legendary routes you could bolt onto this trip, with real distances and stop counts.
Dublin to Galway FAQs
How long is the drive from Dublin to Galway?
Driving from Dublin to Galway takes about 2 hr 30 min nonstop, covering 130 miles (209 km). Add time for breaks: most drivers stop every 2 hours.
How much does it cost to drive from Dublin to Galway?
Fuel for a typical petrol car (~40 mpg) costs roughly £22 one-way. Expect around £2 in motorway tolls. Estimates are indicative: prices change monthly.
Can I drive from Dublin to Galway in one day?
Yes, at about 2 hr 30 min of driving, Dublin to Galway is a comfortable one-day drive with a couple of breaks.
Which roads do you take from Dublin to Galway?
The fastest route uses the M6 (about 81 mi), the M4 (about 28 mi), the N6 (about 8 mi), the R148 (about 6 mi). It passes Celbridge, Athlone.
What other drives can I plan on Plan Your Road Trips?
We publish drive times, distances and fuel estimates for 144 routes across Europe and beyond, including 6 other drives in the same country. Browse them all on the routes index.
What are the best stops between Dublin and Galway?
Top-rated stops in the drive corridor include Trim Castle, Mondello Park, Sean's Bar: see the full list of 6 stops on this page.
More drives from Dublin & Galway
Planning a bigger trip? Try the free Ireland road trip planner, browse every destination we cover, take it with you on the road, or read the driving in Ireland guide.