Getting out on the Shannon and Lough Ree from Athlone

Athlone's identity as a river town is not incidental. The town sits exactly where the navigable Shannon opens out into Lough Ree, and it is the recognised hub for Shannon cruising holidays more broadly, which makes getting out onto the water one of the genuinely distinctive things to do here rather than an optional extra. Here is how to actually do it.

The Viking Tours cruises

The easiest way onto the water without hiring a boat of your own is Viking Tours, which runs replica-longship cruises from a jetty beside Athlone Castle on the Quay. There are two distinct trips. The Daily Lough Ree Cruise heads upstream onto the lake itself, with commentary on local history and the religious settlements on the lake's islands, priced at €25 for an adult, €20 for a senior, €15 for a child and €80 for a family on the current published fares. The Cruise to Clonmacnoise heads the other direction, downstream to the early-medieval monastic site, a longer trip with commentary on monastic life and the flora and fauna along the riverbank, priced at €40 for an adult, €20 for a child and €120 for a family. Both are dog-friendly on the Lough Ree route and run seasonally, April to October, so this is not a year-round option; check the current sailing schedule before building a trip around it, and book ahead in peak season.

Why Clonmacnoise by boat makes sense

Clonmacnoise is usually visited by road, but reaching it by water from Athlone is a genuinely different experience, seeing the river and its banks the way monks and traders would have travelled the same stretch centuries ago, rather than approaching from a car park. It is a longer commitment than the Lough Ree cruise, roughly three hours by the operator's own description, so plan the rest of the day around it rather than trying to fit it alongside much else.

The wider cruising identity

Beyond the day-trip cruises, Athlone is a well-established base for hire-boat holidays on the Shannon, the kind of week-long, self-drive cruising that has long been a fixture of Irish inland tourism. This is a different category of activity from a two-hour Viking Tours trip, better suited to a longer stay and a group, but it is worth knowing that the infrastructure and operator base for it exists here, which is part of why Athlone carries the reputation it does among people who already know the Shannon.

Lakeside stays as part of the water experience

If getting out on the water is the priority for your visit, consider basing yourself on the lake itself rather than in the town centre. Hodson Bay Hotel, a few minutes' drive from Athlone on the Roscommon Road, sits directly on the Lough Ree shore, and Wineport Lodge at Glasson, about 8 km north-east, is built specifically around its lakeside setting and restaurant. Both give you the lake view and a sense of being on Lough Ree rather than just visiting it for an afternoon, though either means a short drive back into the Left Bank for dinner if you want the town's restaurants as well.

Golf on the lake

For a different way to spend time by the water without getting on it, Glasson Golf Club, an 18-hole championship parkland course designed by Christy O'Connor Jr., plays along the Lough Ree shoreline at Killinure, about 10 km from Athlone. It welcomes visiting golfers alongside members, and its PGA-run academy and simulator make it usable even when the weather rules out the boat trips.

Planning around the season

The single most important practical point for anyone building a Shannon-and-lake-focused visit to Athlone is the season. Viking Tours' cruises run April to October and pause completely over winter, so a visit built around getting onto the water needs to land in that window. Outside it, the river and lake are still worth seeing, from the Left Bank promenade or the castle exterior, but the boat trips themselves go on hold until spring.

What the water means for the rest of a visit

Even without booking a cruise, the Shannon and Lough Ree shape how Athlone works as a destination. The Left Bank restaurants that overlook the water, Left Bank Bistro's dining room facing the castle across the old lock in particular, trade partly on that setting, and Dead Centre Brewing's riverside taproom on Custume Pier is a good spot to sit and watch the river traffic even without getting on a boat yourself. The town's identity as a cruising hub also means a reasonable amount of visible boat activity on the water even outside a formal tour, hire boats, local sailing and the occasional working vessel, which is worth factoring into why a riverside walk or an outdoor table here feels different from an inland town with no navigable water at all.

A practical note on timing a trip around the water

If getting out on Lough Ree is the main reason for your visit, build the rest of the itinerary around the cruise time rather than the other way round. The Lough Ree cruise runs at roughly ninety minutes, which leaves a full day either side for the Left Bank, Sean's Bar and a stretch of the Old Rail Trail Greenway, while the longer Clonmacnoise cruise, at around three hours, works better as the single anchor activity for a day, paired with a relaxed lunch either before or after rather than a packed schedule either side of it.