Sunset on Cliffs of Moher

A visit to the Cliffs of Moher is an absolute must when traveling in Ireland. I know some people will want to spend hours admiring the views, but I actually planned our stop to fall later in the evening, closer to closing time. Like most of our road trip itinerary, we fell behind schedule and didn't arrive until about 30 minutes after the park closed, which was fine with me because you're still able to walk the grounds at your own risk. The cliffs close at 7pm, but because we were visiting in the summertime, we still had well over an hour to explore and take in the breathtaking views. Additionally, since there was nobody manning the entrance, we didn't have to pay an entrance fee and we got to enjoy our stay without the extra tour bus tourists milling around.

There's something very romantic about the way the soft glow of the sunset hits the cliffs! It's no wonder why Nora Roberts likes to use Ireland and its gorgeous cliffs in so many of her stories.

While you're supposed to stay on the path, we saw many people hop the wall to take photos in the grass with the cliffs as a backdrop. Allison told me I was being a creeper when I snapped a photo of this lovely couple getting their wedding photos done.

We were guilty of sneaking into the grass for a few snaps too though ;)

Even though it was mid-July, it gets really chilly at the top. I don't know if the temps are a bit better during the day (I actually found all of Ireland to be quite chilly while we were there, day and night) so I would highly suggest wearing jeans and taking a heavy sweater or light jacket on your visit. We had some wind to battle against also, but don't let that deter you from planning a stop. Once you're standing there all humbled by the cliff's beauty, the chill and wind will hardly register on your radar.

This one is my favorite with the moon finally starting to come out for the night.

There was a little pasture nearby filled with cows, so naturally the girls thought they were more interesting than the cliffs and had to go try and pet a few.

We did end up staying for about an hour and a half, and as you can see from the below pic that I took on our way out (roughly 9pm) there was still quite a bit of daylight left that we could have stayed a little longer if we wanted.

If you don't like crowds and don't mind not having all day to explore (or make a purchase in the gift shop) I'd say going to the Cliffs of Moher at sunset is the optimal visit time. If we do end up going back, I'll schedule our stop for right at sunrise or close to sunset again just because I really dug the laid back, quiet vibe you get during those hours.

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Tour bus or drive on your own- how would you prefer to explore the Cliffs of Moher?