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Voykit pocket guide · Ireland
Glenties
Na Gleannta
Base here 1–2 nights only if you have a car: the village is a 50-min bus ride from Letterkenny and the coast, glens and megaliths need driving.
Glenties is a small Donegal village of about 900 people where two glens meet, on the R250/R262 between Letterkenny and the Ardara coast. It works as a quiet, cheaper base for the Bluestack hills, the Narin and Portnoo links and the beaches at Maghera and Dooey. Without a car you are limited to the bus timetable and the village itself.
- Country
- Ireland
- Local name
- Na Gleannta
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (wet, short days, many places closed)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere, including pubs and taxis.
- Daily spend
- Budget €60–90 excl. bed · Mid €90–140 excl. bed · High €140+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Vodafone, Three and Eir run the networks; prepaid SIMs (also 48, Tesco Mobile, GoMo) sell in phone shops and newsagents, no registration fuss.
- Emergency
- Police, ambulance, fire, coast guard, mountain rescue 112 or 999
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Type G three-pin, like the UK; European and US plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–15% if service is not included.; Pub: Not expected when ordering at the bar.; Taxi: Round up.; Tour guide or driver: €5–10 per person for a day tour.; Hotel porter: €1–2 per bag.
- Water
- Tap water is safe; occasional local 'boil water' notices are posted by Uisce Éireann.
- Toilets
- Free in shopping centres, museums, pubs (as a customer) and many petrol stations; some public toilets charge 50c.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or tea in a café | €3–4 |
| Pub lunch, soup and sandwich | €10–15 |
| Bar meal, main course | €15–22 |
| Pint of stout | €5–6 |
| Round of golf, Narin and Portnoo Links | check |
| Bike hire, Ardara, per day | check |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | €10–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- CFN · Donegal Airport (Carrickfinn)
- Flights from Dublin and Glasgow; about 1 h by road from Glenties (check)
- NOC · Ireland West Airport Knock
- About 2 h 30 min by road (check)
- DUB · Dublin
- About 3 h 30 min by road to Letterkenny, then R250 (check)
Typical fares
- Bus 991 Letterkenny → Glenties
- about 50 min; fare check
- Bus 991 Glenties → Ardara
- about 15 min; fare check
- Taxi Glenties → Ardara
- €15–20
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
A car is the practical answer: buses run a few times a day at best. McGeehan Coach 991 links Letterkenny, Fintown, Glenties (about 50 min), Ardara and Killybegs three times Monday–Friday and twice on Saturday, and Local Link 994 runs once each way on weekday mornings between Portnoo, Ardara and Donegal Town. Bikes can be hired in Ardara (Tuesday–Saturday, 10:00–18:00).A car is the practical answer: buses run a few times a day at best. McGeehan Coach 991 links Letterkenny, Fintown, Glenties (about 50 min), Ardara and Killybegs three times Monday–Friday and twice on Saturday, and Local Link 994 runs once each way on weekday mornings between Portnoo, Ardara and Donegal Town. Bikes can be hired in Ardara (Tuesday–Saturday, 10:00 AM–6:00 PM).
See and do
Known for
- Gateway to the Bluestack Mountains
- Narin and Portnoo Links golf
- Maghera Beach sea caves
- Fiddlers' Weekend in October
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Ardara | Car on the N56, or McGeehan 991 | About 15–20 min by car (check) |
| Maghera Beach and Assaranca Waterfall | Car west of Ardara, then a narrow lane | About 30 min (check) |
| Narin and Portnoo Links | Car north-west via the R261 | About 20 min (check) |
| Fintown Railway | Car on the R250, or McGeehan 991 | About 20 min (check) |
| Glencolmcille | Car via the R230 past Maghera | About 45 min (check) |
| Dungloe and the Rosses | Car on the N56 | About 40 min (check) |
Sleep
- Glenties village (Main St and Mill Rd)
- Hotels, B&Bs and the bus stop outside Costcutter; walk to bars and the museum.
- Ardara (10 km west)
- Bigger choice of hotels and B&Bs, tweed shops and more pubs; use it if Glenties is full.
- Narin and Portnoo (about 10 km north-west)
- Coastal self-catering and golf; best for beach days, needs a car for everything.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Dia duitjeea gwit |
| Thank you | Go raibh maith agatguh rev mah agut |
| Please | Le do thoilleh duh hull |
| Cheers | Sláinteslawn-cha |
| How much is it? | Cé mhéad é?kay vade ay |
| Where is the toilet? | Cá bhfuil an leithreas?kaw will un leh-rass |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake, first names quickly; avoid: Over-formality; it reads as coldness
- Conversation: Banter, weather and sport; self-deprecating humour; avoid: Opening with Northern Ireland, religion or the Famine
- Pubs: Buy your round; chat at the bar; avoid: Leaving a round without buying one
- Identity: Say Ireland, or the Republic when you need to distinguish; avoid: 'Southern Ireland' and calling it British
- Driving: Lift a finger from the wheel to thank drivers who pull in for you; avoid: Stopping on narrow bends for photos
Scams and watch-outs
- Bus 991 does not leave from Letterkenny bus station: it starts outside the fish-and-chip shop by the roundabout.
- Local Link 994 is one morning run each way on weekdays: miss it and you are stuck.
- Many B&Bs and cafés close or cut hours from November to March.
- Single-track lanes on the coast and over the Bluestacks: pull into passing places and expect sheep.
Very low crime; the real risks are weather, single-track roads and the distance between services. Tell someone your hill route, carry a charged phone and check the forecast before the Bluestacks.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Glenties yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Gateway to the Bluestack Mountains
- Narin and Portnoo Links golf
- Maghera Beach sea caves
- Fiddlers' Weekend in October
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Glenties local information: www.glenties.ie/
- McGeehan Coaches (route 991): www.mcgeehancoaches.com/
- Fintown Railway: antraen.com
- Narin and Portnoo Links: narinandportnoolinks.com/
- Highlands Hotel, Glenties: highlandshotel.ie/
- Nesbitt Arms, Ardara: www.nesbittarms.com/
- Wikivoyage: Glenties, revision 5338089 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5338089
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
GlentiesNa Gleannta
Chuig an seoladh seo, le do thoil
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, ambulance, fire, coast guard, mountain rescue112 or 999
No embassies in Donegal: US, UK, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand embassies are in Dublin; the nearest consulates are in Dublin and Belfast (check).
English is spoken everywhere; Irish is the first official language and is used in Gaeltacht areas of west Donegal.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/glenties). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.