Things to do in Donegal Town and County Donegal
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Donegal Town and County Donegal
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months. Long days, everything open, and the August crowds gone or not yet arrived.
Peak season. Full festival calendar and the warmest sea, with the highest prices and booking pressure.
Storm watching, fires and empty cliffs against short days, seasonal closures and a real chance of a washout week.
In June it stays light until nearly 11pm, the best month for long driving and walking days.
What's on
- Rory Gallagher International Tribute Festival Usually late May or early June, four days
Four days of blues rock across about 15 venues in Ballyshannon, the guitarist's birthplace.
- Earagail Arts Festival July, about two weeks
Music, theatre, circus and visual art in towns and rural venues across County Donegal.
- Mary from Dungloe International Arts Festival Late July into early August
The Rosses' famous homecoming festival built around the crowning of the Mary.
- A Taste of Donegal Food Festival August
The county's hotels, restaurants and producers cook for the Diamond in Donegal Town.
Best things to do in Donegal Town and County Donegal
Sliabh Liag
Sea cliffs rising to 601 metres above the Atlantic, wilder and far quieter than the Cliffs of Moher.
Glenveagh Castle
A castellated mansion and celebrated gardens on Lough Veagh in the heart of a remote national park.
Donegal Castle
A roofed and furnished O'Donnell stronghold on the River Eske, minutes from the Diamond in Donegal Town.
Fanad Head Lighthouse
A working lighthouse between Lough Swilly and Mulroy Bay, climbed on a guided tour for vast Atlantic views.
Glencolmcille Folk Village
Thatched cottages recreated across three centuries show how coastal Donegal families lived and worked.
Doagh Famine Village
A guided tour through famine era cottages and modern Irish history on the Doagh Isle in Inishowen.
Malin Head
Ireland's most northerly point, a wild signal tower headland of cliffs, skerries and huge Atlantic skies.
Maghera Beach and Caves
A long empty strand with sea caves to explore at low tide only, minutes from Assaranca Waterfall.
Where to stay in Donegal Town and County Donegal
Donegal Town and Lough Eske
first trip, all round base
Walkable pubs and restaurants in town, the county's two great hotels on the lough, and the south west within an hour.
Ardara
character, music and the south west
A tweed and festival town with Nancy's at its heart and Maghera, Portnoo and Glencolmcille all close.
Killybegs
seafood and Sliabh Liag
Ireland's premier fishing port, with fish restaurants, boat tours and the cliffs an easy drive west.
Dunfanaghy and the north coast
northern split stay, golf and walking
A pretty village base for Horn Head, Glenveagh, Fanad and Rosapenna without the long drives from the south.
Downings and Rosapenna
golf trips
Sleep beside the three Rosapenna links including St Patrick's, with Sheephaven Bay at the end of the lawn.
Bundoran
surf trips and budget beds
Ireland's surf capital, with schools, reefs and lodge beds, lively rather than quiet in season.
Think twice about
- Remote rural self catering in winter
Out of season many villages have one pub kitchen or none open, lanes are unlit, and every meal becomes a drive on dark narrow roads.
- Letterkenny as a holiday base
A practical commercial hub with good restaurants but heavy traffic and little holiday charm. Visit for dinner, sleep elsewhere.
- Malin Head and Glencolmcille as a general base
Both are wonderful to visit but sit at the end of long roads, making everywhere else in the county an expedition.
- Bundoran main street for quiet seekers
An amusement arcade resort strip, fun for surf and families but the opposite of Donegal's quiet coast. Surf here, sleep elsewhere.
Best restaurants in Donegal Town and County Donegal
The Restaurant at Harvey's Point
The county's flagship lakeside dining room, with a tasting menu built on Donegal lamb and local fish.
The Lemon Tree Restaurant
Contemporary Irish cooking with French technique and an explicitly Donegal larder in Letterkenny.
Quay West Restaurant Donegal Town
Donegal Town's best all round dinner, confident Irish seafood in a smart quayside room.
The Harbour Restaurant & Bar
A steakhouse and Irish restaurant on Quay Street where the chowder rivals the steaks.
Nancy's
A seven generation pub of small fire lit rooms, famous for oysters, chowder and fish and chips.
Olde Castle Bar
The town's volume favourite pub restaurant by the castle, generous seafood platters and chowder.
Andersons Boathouse Restaurant
Killybegs' special occasion room, modern Irish cooking centred on the harbour's own catch.
The Rusty Mackerel
A lively pub restaurant below Sliabh Liag, the natural end to a cliffs day with music in season.
Outdoor things to do in Donegal Town and County Donegal
St Patrick's Links
Tom Doak's sprawling links through enormous dunes above Sheephaven Bay at the Rosapenna resort.
Ballyliffin Golf Club
Two championship links, the Old and Glashedy, at Ireland's most northerly golf club in Inishowen.
Narin and Portnoo Links
Gil Hanse's reimagined par 73 links through towering dunes above the strand at Portnoo.
Donegal Golf Club
Eddie Hackett's championship links in two loops on the Murvagh peninsula, ten minutes from Donegal Town.
Portsalon Golf Club
A joyful, quirky links beside Ballymastocker Bay that pairs perfectly with Fanad Head Lighthouse.
Mount Errigal
Donegal's iconic quartzite cone, climbed by a stepped path for views over the whole north west.
The Poisoned Glen
A short walk from Dunlewey's old church into a still, glacier carved valley beneath Mount Errigal.
Rossnowlagh Surf School
Beginner lessons and kids camps on a gentle Blue Flag beach break ideal for first stand ups.
Best hotels in Donegal Town and County Donegal
Harvey's Point
Huge warm suites and a celebrated lakeside restaurant on Lough Eske under the Bluestack Mountains.
Lough Eske Castle
A five star castle hotel in 43 acres of woodland with a spa, pool and the Cedars Restaurant.
Mill Park Hotel
A comfortable four star base in town with a pool, good food and free parking for touring.
The Abbey Hotel
A lively hotel right on the Diamond with the Market House restaurant, a big bar and live music.
The Gateway Lodge
A modern lodge near the centre with large rooms and cooked to order breakfasts at strong value.
Nesbitt Arms Hotel
Ardara's main street hotel with its Ramblers restaurant, the base for Nancy's and the Glengesh Pass.
Tara Hotel
A refurbished harbour hotel with sea view rooms looking over Ireland's largest fishing fleet.
Shandon Hotel and Spa
A sea view resort hotel and spa above Marble Hill Strand, the north coast luxury base.
Is Donegal Town and County Donegal expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €75 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €165 a person |
| Splurge | €380 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- St Patrick's Links: months ahead
- Ballyliffin Golf Club: months ahead
- Narin and Portnoo Links: weeks ahead
- Donegal Golf Club: weeks ahead
- Portsalon Golf Club: weeks ahead
- Mount Errigal: a few days ahead
- Rossnowlagh Surf School: a few days ahead
- Bundoran Surf Co: a few days ahead
- Book Harvey's Point, Lough Eske Castle and St Patrick's, Ballyliffin and Narin and Portnoo tee times weeks ahead in season.
- Book the Lemon Tree, Harvey's Point restaurant and Andersons Boathouse days ahead in season.
- Book Sliabh Liag boat sailings and Fanad tours early in your stay and keep a weather fallback day free.
- In Ardara and Dunfanaghy, book the room before the restaurant, because festival weekends sell the towns out.
Is Donegal Town and County Donegal safe?
- Cliff paths at Sliabh Liag, Malin Head and Horn Head are unfenced in places and lethal in high winds. Obey local advice.
- Sea caves at Maghera cut off at mid tide. Check tide tables before entering them.
- Swim at lifeguarded Blue Flag beaches in season, and carry full waterproofs on Errigal in any month.
- Emergency number is 112 or 999.
Donegal Town and County Donegal travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Sliabh Liag is wilder than the Cliffs of Moher, with rough, exposed upper paths, not a polished visitor machine.
- Check labels on tweed and knitwear before paying craft prices, and studio shops in Ardara are the safer bet.
- Attractions are seasonal, with reduced or no opening from November to March, so check winter opening before building a day.
- Distances flatter every journey. Two northern sights plus a southern base is a driving holiday, not a sightseeing day.
Getting around Donegal Town and County Donegal: public transport and more
- Hire a car. Donegal has no railway and its great sights sit at the ends of peninsulas that buses serve rarely or not at all.
- Budget far more time than mileage suggests. Forty kilometres can take an hour on peninsula roads.
- Fill the tank in towns and download maps, because mobile signal dies in the glens.
- Bus Eireann links Donegal Town with Letterkenny, Ballyshannon, Sligo and Galway, and Local Link fills local gaps.
Who Donegal Town and County Donegal suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Donegal Town and County Donegal your trip
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