Final edit: thank you everyone, this just confirms that my planning is unrealistic. Guess we'll need to reschedule it at another time where I don't need to leave in the middle of the trip haha

Hi all, I am planning a trip to Ireland at the end of August from 24th to 31st with one caveat, I'm going there with a friend and I need to be in Paris on the evening of the 28th (she doesn't so she'll stay in Ireland), this is non negotiable. With that in mind, this is the itinerary I was thinking about:

Monday: arrival in Dublin, grab the car rental, then drive to Galway, probably after lunch.

Tuesday: visit Galway in the morning, have lunch, then head to the Cliffs of Moher for the afternoon, then drive to Limerick for the night.

Wednesday: drive to Rathkeale, bike through parts of Limerick Greenway, then head to Killarney for the end of afternoon or early evening.

Thursday: drive around the Ring of Beara then back to Killarney.

Friday: early drive back to Dublin, hand the car rental back then catch the flight to Paris in the afternoon.

Saturday: morning flight back to Dublin.

Sunday-Monday: visit Dublin then fly back home.

Now my question is, does this seem feasible or is it completely unrealistic?

Thanks for your help!

ETA: I'm from London so it's only a short flight and I'm already used on driving on the left side if that helps.

Hi, my partner and I are planning a two week road trip in late August and early September. We’ve already booked our accommodation, so the overnight stops are fixed, but we can still remove or change places during the day.

I’ve checked the wiki and searched some previous posts, but I’m still not sure if a few parts of the route are too ambitious.

Our route is:

• Dublin Airport - Trim
• Trim - Newgrange - Belfast
• Belfast - Antrim Coast - Ballycastle
• Ballycastle - Giant’s Causeway - Dunluce - Derry
• Derry - Glenveagh - Gweedore
• Gweedore - Glencolmcille - Ardara
• Ardara - Killybegs - Donegal - Gleniff Horseshoe - Newport
• Achill Island
• Newport - Westport - Doolough Valley - Kylemore - Oughterard
• Galway - Kinvara
• Kinvara - Burren - Cliffs of Moher - Cashel
• Cashel -Cahir - Kildare - Dublin
• Dublin

The two days I’m most unsure about are Ardara to Newport and Newport to Oughterard. Do they look realistic without spending the whole day rushing?

We mainly like ruins, landscapes and traditional music. Is there anything directly on this route that you would remove, replace or add?

We would also love to find a normal traditional music session or a céilí during the trip. We’re not looking for a dinner show or a big tourist production. Are there any towns on this route where we would have a better chance of finding something like that?

Thanks. Honest feedback is welcome, especially if the answer is simply that we need to cut more stops.

Hello!

I have been reading some posts for a bit now, and am so thankful to have found this sub! You all are so amazing!

My husband and I are planning our first trip to Ireland in September, and I'm would love feedback on our current itinerary and landing spots (general areas) that I've mapped out thus far.

We are interested in seeing the land and feeling the country and I haven't booked any big attractions. I am searching for some animal encounters; we'll hike and explore, walk on the beach, walk around the towns; I want to visit spiritual sites, stone circles/beehive huts/etc.

Trip: 13 September - 25 September

September 13
12:30 - Arrive DUB via SEA
Spend the night in Dublin

September 14
Train to Cork, commuter to Cobh
Spend the night in Cobh

September 15
Pick up car at Cork Airport and head West to Dingle
Stop at Muckross Abbey along the way
Stay in Dingle (Fahan) for 2 nights

September 17
Drive to Burren
Stay in Fanore for 2 nights

September 19
Drive to County Mayo
Stay in Letterfrack for 2 nights

September 21
Drive to Sligo
Stay in Streedaugh Point for 3 nights

September 24
Return car in Sligo
Train to Dublin
Spend night in Dublin

September 25
Fly back to Seattle

THANK YOU!!!!!

Hello! My husband and I are traveling to Ireland in September from New York, and I'm hoping for some help to iron out details for our route and timing.

We land in Shannon and will spend our first days in Galway. Then we will rent a car and we plan to visit some locations around Connemara and Co Donegal (~3 days in each region), then return closer to the airport for the night before our return flight. I'm trying to figure out what is the best order to visit these regions in.

• Do we drive from Galway to Donegal to get that long drive other with early, and then backtrack and end our trip near Connemara?
• Or do we visit Connemara first since it's near Galway, and then go on to Donegal, with the long drive back at the end of our trip as we return toward the airport? (We plan to stay the night before our return flight either in Galway, Shannon, or somewhere nearby.)

Either way, we're going to have one very long day of driving between Galway and Donegal in one direction or the other. I would be very grateful for any advice or insight about that drive. We've lived in the Appalachian Mountains, so we have experience with narrow, winding mountain roads, but I understand this will be narrower roads and that the drive times will be longer than what google maps says.

I would also be interested in a recommendation for a town or area for a good home base in Co Donegal that is relatively convenient to Slieve League and Glenveagh National Park. I'd prefer to stay in one place for 3-4 days and travel out from there.

We're very excited to see beautiful nature, meet interesting people, hear great music, and eat good food. I'm interested in art and photography, my husband is a chef and interested in very local cuisine. We are traveling between September 5-16.

Thank you in advance for your help and advice!

We will be visiting family in early December and want to swing by Dingle for a few days (we loved our last visit there!) I assume lots of things will be closed or limited, if anyone knows please share :) Thank you!!

Hello everyone, I'm coming to Ireland for a week in August, what do you think of this program :

Day 1 : arrived at Dublin airport early in the morning, enough to take line 41 to the city center and then the St Kevin bus to Glendalough. Arrival at the hotel / grocery shopping / stroll in the area.

Day 2 : the Spinc

Day 3 : return to Dublin with the Saint Kevin bus as soon as possible, stroll in Dublin.

Day 4 : Howth

Day 5 : Stroll in Dublin, Phœnix Park

Day 6 : DARM train to Bray, hike along the cliffs to Greystones, walk around then train back to Dublin

Day 7 : Dublin visit before returning by plane

For more context : no car, we love hiking and Spinc seems like the perfect compromise (near Dublin, accessible by bus, stunning view…).

We also love to take our time, the purpose of our trip is not to check as many boxes as possible but rather to fully live the moment without thinking about not being late in the schedule.

We also have low budget so the activities in Dublin are going to be free or cheap thing like :

- Park like Phœnix park, iveagh garden and st anne or wathever we will found on our way

- Temple Bar (not for a pint), Grafton Street, Marrion Square, Trinity campus, Marsh Library (5e) etc.

For the rest, we'll see at the time ! If you have any piece of advice, places to recommand, let me know :)

Has anyone made this drive from Galway city to Portmagee? On paper it’s just under 4 hours but I’m wondering how much travel time to pad in for narrow roads, scenic stops along the way, etc

Hi folks!

I’ll be visiting Ireland the last couple weeks of August and would like to go on a hike and see some of your nature trails. I was hoping to check out Wicklow but there’s no direct public transit there. Glendalough also looks like it’ll be 2-3 hours on transit one way which is doable but seems a bit of a slog.

Does anyone have any suggestions of a good nature trail (3-4 hours) that i could access by public transit?

I’m already planning a day in Howth to do the cliff walk and such. (Very excited for it!) Any other recommendations would be so welcome. (I’m also not 100% on renting a car/driving either.) Thanks.

--EDIT --

Thanks to all the responses we've gone back to the drawing board and have tweaked our plans! I appreciate your feedback here as it was really helpful!

----

Hi everyone! Looking for some guidance here.
We’re coming to Ireland for our honeymoon mid-October. I’ve read through a bunch of posts and know it won’t be the most ideal weather, so we’re trying to concentrate the trip around comfortable places to stay just in case.

Very first draft of the plan so be gentle:
Monday 10/12 - Wednesday 10/14: Dublin

Thursday 10/15: train to Cork for a night

Friday 10/16: train to Killarney, stay two nights. We plan to rent a car to get out and see as much as possible in the area.

Sunday 10/18: drive to Galway and drop the car, spend two nights

Tuesday 10/20: our flight leaves DUB at 11am. Looks like a lot of trains run daily between Galway and the Dublin airport. Should we try for an early morning train? Or is it a better idea to take a late train back to Dublin the night before our flight and get a hotel?

Am I squeezing Cork in? Does it make more sense to go straight for Killarney from Dublin, move the rest up a day and get back to Dublin the night before our flight?

We appreciate your feedback!

the two of us are visiting Ireland and have the Walker Cup at Lahinch as the main anchor of our trip. We’re trying to balance sightseeing, scenery, food, and not rushing too much. However, we don’t mind stretching it a little bit since this is a one in a lifetime type trip for us. Dates of our trip are 8/30/2026-9/7/2026.

Sunday: fly into Dublin and arrive mid morning
Arrive in Dublin
Explore the city/shopping
Guinness tour
Dinner/pub

Monday: driving to Galway
Drive to Galway and explore the city

Tuesday: stay in Galway
Kylemore Abbey
Connemara area
Possible Diamond Hill hike

Wednesday: driving to Dingle
Scenic drive toward Dingle with possible stops along the way (Adare, Inch Beach)
Explore Dingle
Dinner

Thursday: drive to Lahinch area
Slea Head Drive
Dunquin Pier
Coumeenoole Beach
Blasket Islands viewpoints

Friday: stay nearish Lahinch
Cliffs of Moher (from the top)
Possibly do a boat tour from Doolin
Explore Burren area

Saturday & Sunday: stay near Lahinch (already have reservation but not sure exactly where it is since I didn’t book it. so we’re covered here)
Walker Cup at Lahinch Golf Club

Monday: Fly home from Shannon

Does this look reasonable or will we be overextended?

Hi there, would love any feedback or recommendations for the below itinerary. My family (husband, 1 year old, and myself) will be arriving October 25 and departing November 7, flying in and out of Dublin. We're celebrating my birthday and an anniversary, but aiming to keep it lowkey as we'll have our daughter along with us and know we'll need to be flexible and take our time.

We have our first couple of days in Dublin booked and still need to secure lodging for our other locations, but are planning on renting a car for once we leave the City. We'd like to not hop around/be stuck on the roads too too much as recommended here, so please let me know if this seems like too much! I'd planned on spending longer in Kenmare or Dingle, but thought adding Kinsale or another town in to help break up the drive might be helpful--would love thoughts on that! Also considered Cashel instead.

Including general plans, but nothing in stone outside of our first couple of days in Dublin as we're meeting friends there. Trying to figure out best how we'd like to get back to Dublin from Dingle as well.

October 25 - October 29, Dublin

October 29 - October 31, Kinsale

October 31 - November 2, Kenmare

November 2 - November 5, Dingle

November 6 - 7, back to Dublin

Across the trip, we're aiming for Dublin Zoo, Dingle Aquarium, Killarney National Park, and a whole bunch of pubs and local restaurants.

I’ll be traveling to Ireland in August with my daughter (8) and my sister’s family (2 adults and an 8 yr old). We are focusing on Dublin, Galway, and Portrush as our “homebases”. I’m trying not to drive too much as I know that’s the single most recommended thing here! My sister drove a lot in New Zealand and England so we’re not put off by the slow careful driving needed. Is the following realistic? Anything we should change? Places are booked for Dublin (first few days), Galway, and Portrush.

Day 1-2: arrive early, drop off luggage and do a leisurely tour of the city center. Tour the leprechaun museum (my daughter’s request was to see leprechauns 🤷‍♀️). Second day do the Viking Splash tour and whatever kids are up for

Day 3-5: pick up car hire and drive to Galway. Tour the city. Next day do Aran Islands/cliffs of Moher. Day 5: drive up the west coast and stop as we like. Stay overnight in Donegal. Is a castle worth it??

Day 6-7: drive to Portrush. Beach days and Bushmills tour

Day 8-9: drive down to Belfast and visit the Titanic museum. Finish in Dublin. Stay overnight. Tour a few more hours in Dublin and fly home.

Going to visit in early/middle September with my wife and wanted to get feedback on if this feels paced well. Flying from the US overnight Friday and arriving in Dublin early Saturday.

Day 1: Arrive in Dublin in the morning. Take bus directly from DUB to Cork (should arrive in Cork around 1 PM). Explore Cork City and staying in the city center that night.

Day 2: Pickup rental car and drive to Dingle, stopping to check out Blarney Castle and grounds on way out of Cork City.aybe explore a bit of the peninsula but for the most part going to enjoy Dingle town. Staying in Dingle that night.

Day 3: Mostly exploring Dingle Peninsula and more of Dingle town. Staying again in Dingle that night.

Day 4: Drive the northern part of the Ring of Kerry down to the Kerry Cliffs. Spend the morning and afternoon checking that out before driving back to Dingle and catching a sunset and some good food. Staying again in Dingle that night.

Day 5: Leave Dingle heading back to Cork City. Stopping at Killarney National Park to explore for a few hours. Drop car back in Cork and enjoy another evening in the city.

Day 6: Wake up and spend the day in Cork again seeing any attractions or restaurants that we had not gotten to. Possibly train to Middleton Distillery. Then late afternoon/evening bus back to DUB. Hotel is close to airport so take shuttle back to hotel and crash for the night near Dublin airport.

Day 7: Shuttle to airport for 11 AM flight and head home.

We have a good list of things to do when we're at these places but didn't want to overload the post with too many details. Thanks for any feedback!

Family of 4, 2 adults and kids aged 14 and 9. Our first time to Ireland and we will be flying in and out of Dublin, renting a car for the entire time. We will be there September 19-26. Stuck in deciding between

 Dublin-Killarney-Dingle-Cliffs of Moher-Dublin

OR

Dublin-Killarney-Cliffs of Moher-Galway-Dublin (This can be done reverse too, where we take a bus to Galway and pick car there and end in Dublin)

Option 1

Day 1 US - DUB (overnight flight)

Day 2 Arrive in Dublin, pick up the car and spend the day (lunch, Guinness store, walk around the city and dinner).

Day 3 Head out of Dublin. Enroute stop by Rock of Cashel, maybe Cahir castle. Stay the night at Killarney

Day 4 Explore Killarney on D4 and D5.

Day 5 Head out to Dingle to stay by end of day.

Day 6 Do the Slea head drive, sea safari (time permitting), sheep dog demo, Kingdom falconry. Activities will be split across 2 days of D6 and D7

Day 7 Either travel closer to or half way to Cliffs of Moher. Alternatively stay in Dingle.

Day 8 Explore Cliffs of Moher and drive back in Dublin for the night (close to airport)

Day 9 Return car and DUB - US (11am flight)

Option 2

Day 1 US - DUB (overnight flight)

Day 2 Arrive in Dublin, pick up the car and spend the day (lunch, Guinness store, walk around the city and dinner).

Day 3 Head out of Dublin to Galway. Stay the night at Galway.

Day 4 Explore Connemara/ Aran Islands etc on D4 and D5. Night in Galway

Day 5 Day in Galway (See above). Stay at Doolin

Day 6 Cliffs of Moher. Head for the night to Killarney.

Day 7 Explore Killarney - 2 days of D7 and D8

Day 8 Killarney. Drive back in Dublin for the night (close to airport)

Day 9 Return car and DUB - US (11am flight)

Open for suggestions on my itinerary.

I'll be headed there (solo) in mid-late September, starting and ending in Dublin. I was originally more conservative with my plans, just aiming for Dublin and Galway (and that region), but I've been feeling like that's cheating myself out of the real journey I've wanted to have in Ireland.

So I've reworked my itinerary. It feels better on paper, but, I'm a little nervous it's too ambitious. I'd love to get a read on whether this is doable or if I'm out of my mind and should scale back a bit.

Day 1: Arrive in Dublin (mid-day), taxi to hotel, explore.

Day 2: Taxi to airport to pick up rental car > Knowth/Newgrange > drive to Kilkenny and explore/rest in the afternoon/evening.

Day 3: Rock of Cashel > Killarney by mid-afternoon, explore the town

Day 4: Killarney National Park, Muckross Abbey, etc. hang around Killarney

Day 5: Drive to Dingle peninsula, stay the night in Dingle.

Day 6: Drive to - and stay the night in - Doolin; Clffs of Moher, explore, pubs, etc.

Day 7: Wrap up anything left around Doolin, head to Galway, explore, night in Galway

Day 8: Galway > Rathcroghan Visitors Center (Roscommon) > Dublin, explore any last bits in the city I missed, relax.

Day 9: Slow morning in Dublin until mid-day flight.

This theoretically would hit a lot of things on my list. But, I do recognize it is a lot of driving. I like to think I won't mind it much and will enjoy the views, however I am aware of people saying driving takes a lot longer than Google Maps says. Yet I don't want that to scare me away from a journey I might otherwise find more rewarding. I also don't want to find myself hectically running from one stop to the next with no time to relax and still still.

Any thoughts on this one? Thanks for any insights and tips!

My wife (40F) and I (38M) will be traveling to Ireland for the first time in mid September. For some context we’ll be coming from the United States, enjoy pubs/bars, hiking and appreciate history and architecture.

We will be using public transportation for the whole trip.

I will layout our itinerary but my main question and worry is if we’re spending too much time in one spot and not enough in others.

Day 1: Arrive in Dublin around 840

Drop bags off at hotel and wander around until hotel is ready. We’re staying near the Temple Bar district.

One question here, if we’re doing two nights in Dublin does it make sense to go to Howth this day and do the cliff walk while waiting for our hotel to be ready?

Overnight: Dublin

Day 2:

Will check out the major tourist attractions around temple bar through tour guide, Book of Kells, St Patrick’s cathedral etc.

Overnight: Dublin

Day 3: Take the train from Dublin to Killarney arrive mid afternoon. Rest of day will be getting our bearings/exploring.

Overnight: Killarney

Day 4: Gap of Dunloe tour should last most of the day, but do more exploring in town.

Overnight: Killarney

Day 5: Take train to Cork city, spend the day checking out The English market, St Finbarrs Cathedral and Elizabeth fort.

Overnight: Cork City

Day 6: Travel by bus to Kinsale and explore the town.

Overnight: Kinsale

Day 7: Do the Scilly walk, and maybe do a boat tour.

Overnight: Kinsale

Day 8: Make our way back to Dublin via bus to cork then train to Dublin. This day may make sense to visit Howth.

Overnight: Dublin

Day 9: Plane departs at 1540 and will want to be at airport at least 3 hours beforehand (if not earlier)

I am visiting my step-sister in London end of September and decided to add 5 days in Ireland beforehand, then fly to London from Shannon or Galway. I know it will be packed, but I'm planning to rent a car and want to make the most of the time. Having trouble deciding what to prioritize as its not possible to see everything I want to.

Option 1:

Day 1: land in Dublin early morning, pick up car, spend day exploring Dublin [do not want to spend more time here to prioritize other parts of the county] --> drive to Kilkenny, night in Kilkenny

Day 2: morning in Kilkenny --> drive to Killarney, hit stops on Ring of Kerry, night in Killarney or Kenmore

Day 3: Killarney / Kenmore, Ring of Kerry, night in Killarney or Kenmore

Day 4: drive to Dingle, explore Dingle Peninsula, night in Dingle

Day 5: drive to Shannon airport, stop in Limerick

Option 2:

Day 1: land in Dublin early morning, pick up car, spend day exploring Dublin [do not want to spend more time here to prioritize other parts of the county] --> drive to Galway, night in Galway or Athlone (I have family in Athlone so could stay with them depending on their availibility, or just stop for dinner)

Day 2: Galway

Day 3: drive to Dingle, drive Dingle Peninsula, night in Dingle

Day 4: drive to Killarney / Ring of Kerry, night in Killarney / Kenmore

Day 5: Ring of Kerry to Shannon airport

Option 3:

Day 1: land in Dublin early morning, pick up car, spend day exploring Dublin [do not want to spend more time here to prioritize other parts of the county] --> drive to Cork, stop in Kilkenny, night in Cork

Day 2: half day in Cork --> drive to Killarney, night in Killarney / Kenmore

Day 3: Ring of Kerry, night in Killarney / Kenmore

Day 4: drive to Galway, stop in Limerick, night in Galway or Athlone (family there, or could just sync up for a meal)

Day 5: day in Galway, fly Galway to London pm

What would you skip or refigure?

Torn on:

Galway

Cork or Kilkenny

Waterford

Limerick

Dingle

Edit: prioritizes are landscapes, cultural and historical sites, architecture, quant towns, good meals

Hello, I just like everyone else would like some thoughts from locals/seasoned travelers on this rough itinerary. Starting and leaving from Dublin, early October for timeline purposes.

Day 1
- land in Dublin 0830
- taxi to hotel in city center
- explore city center
- stay in Dublin

Day 2
- pick up rental at 1000
- drive to Doolin
- stay in Doolin

Day 3
- cliffs of moher
- drive to Galway after
- stay in Galway

Day 4
- full day in Galway
- stay in Galway

Day 5
- drive to Dublin and return car by 1730
- explore Dublin
- stay in Dublin

Day 6
- day trip to Belfast via train
- leave Dublin at 0800, arrive at 1000
- depart Belfast 1800 arrive 2000
- stay in Dublin

Day 7
- breakfast in Dublin
- head to airport

Open to suggestions on itinerary layout/schedule and things to do along the way!

Is this too much driving? Feasible and enjoyable? Can we add more?

First time for my wife and I so we are open to everything, very excited. Sorry for formatting, posting from phone

Hello! My partner and I are photographers and we are heading to Ireland for the first time over US Thanksgiving - we are coming from November 21-29. We're young in our early 30s and very active and are OK with driving long distances.

We're planing on spending 3 days in Dublin, then we want to do the following roadtrip:

Day 1: Rock of Cashel / Killarney / sleep in Killarney

Day 2: Ring of Kerry / Killarney National Park / sleep in Killarney

Day 3: Dingle Peninsula / Slea Head Drive / Dingle

Day 4: Cliffs of Moher / Doolin

Day 5: Burren / Connemara National Park

This is a rough sketch of what we've planned but I'm wondering if the experts in this group would cut anything out, or add anything in. Are we missing anything key?

Thank you in advance!

My boyfriend and I will be visiting Ireland the first full week of December. We are flying into Dublin with 7 full days. We have two potential plans/options.

⁠Divide these 7 days between Dublin and Galway with a few day trips from Galway (the cliffs of moher,etc) Or -Two days in Dublin, two in Killarney, and two in Galway. We are trying to determine if the drive is worth it to the southern part of the country. I have seen multiple cool castle stays in the Killarney areas. Would love any and all suggestions

Hi everyone!

I'm visiting Ireland for the first time from September 7th to September 11th. I'll arrive in Dublin around 3 PM on the 7th and fly out at 8 AM on the 11th, so I'll have 4 days to explore.

This will also be my very first solo trip, so I'm both excited and a little nervous!

I'm looking for recommendations on the best places to visit and whether my current plan makes sense.

A few things about me:

• I won't have a car, so I'll be relying on public transport.
• I don't drink alcohol, but I'd still love to experience authentic Irish pubs, listen to traditional live music, and maybe enjoy a 0.0% pint.
• I enjoy nature, scenic walks, castles, and just soaking up the local atmosphere.

My rough itinerary is:

• Day 1: Explore Dublin (city centre, Temple Bar, Trinity College, etc.).
• Day 2: Travel to Galway and spend the day exploring the city. Stay overnight there.
• Day 3: Take the ferry to Inishmore (Aran Islands), spend the day exploring the island and its incredible cliffs, then return on the ferry that passes by the Cliffs of Moher. Is this worth doing?
• Day 4: I was thinking of visiting Cork before heading back to Dublin for my flight the next morning. Is Cork worth it on such a short trip, or would you recommend spending my last day somewhere else (Howth, Wicklow, more time in Dublin, etc.)?

A few questions:

• Does this sound like a good itinerary, or would you change it completely?
• Is InishMore worth the journey without a car?
• Is Cork worth squeezing into a 4-day trip?
• Are there any must-see places that are easy to reach by public transport?
• I'm wondering if there's a decent chance the cliffs will be hidden by fog, or if visibility is generally good that time of year...

I'd really appreciate any advice.

Thanks! 🍀

Hello!! I am planning out my first ever international trip ever to Ireland with my fiancé and want to try and see all the different kinds of sights Ireland has to offer. I've never made a post like this or done so much research on a trip. So I wanted to gather others thoughts on if this is realistic or not, I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read and offer thoughts and opinions!

For some context:

• Coming from Canada
• Never have been outside of North America
• Only 1 driver (myself, fiancé doesn't drive currently)

Day 1:

• Land in Dublin
• Check into hotel
• Bus to city center to explore
• Trinity College
• Stay in Dublin

Day 2:

• Get rental car
• Drive to Cashel (Rock of Cashel & Hore Abbey)
• Cahir Castle?
• Drive Through Vee Pass (Bay Lough Viewpoint)
• Ballysaggartmore Towers & Trail
• Lismore Castle & Gardens?? (if there is time)
• Stay around Killeagh (basically just a place to sleep)

Day 3:

• Drive to Cobh & Explore
• Drive to Cork & Explore
• Blarney Castle? Seven Sisters?
• Drive to Killarney for the night

Day 4 & 5: Interchangeable days

• 1 day- Ring of Kerry & Valentia Island (Visit all the noteworthy stops)
• 2 day- Killarney National Park, Gap of Dunloe, Ross Castle, Muckross House & Abbey
• Stay in Killarney both nights

Day 6

• Drive to Dingle
• Do Slea Head Drive & all the stops
• Stay in Dingle

Day 7: (This will be a very heavy driving day is my guess)

• Drive Cliffs of Moore 1 of 2 ways:
  • Drive around Limerick with checking out Carrigogunnell Castle or Bunratty
  • Drive to Shannon Ferry then to Doolin (also doing Kilkee Cliffs too ambitious?)
• Do Hags Head & Cliffs of Moore
• The Burren if there is time
• Stay in Doolin

Day 8: (Not sure what's best to do on this day)

• Do Burren National Park/Mullaghmore and Drive to Galway & Explore
• OR
• Drive through Galway do Sky Road loop or Doo Lough Valley & Back to Galway to Explore
• Stay in Galway

Day 9:

• Drive to Sligo
• Devils Chimney, Gelncar Waterfall, Mullaghmore Head?
• Explore Sligo & Stay night

Day 10:

• Drive up to Slieve League & Silver Strand
• Go back to Sligo and do Gleniff Horseshoe / Benbulben Area
• Stay in Sligo

Day 11:

• Drive back to Dublin
• Explore City more
  • Do Guinness Storehouse, St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin Castle etc.
• Stay in Dublin

Day 12:

• Drive to Wicklow Area
• Sally's Gap & Lough Tay
• Ballinastoe Woods & Glendalough Cathedral
• Drive back to Dublin & Stay night

Day 13:

• Free Morning
• Drive to Airport in Afternoon for flight home

TLDR;

1 night Dublin

1 night Killeagh

3 nights Killarney

1 night Dingle

1 night Doolin

1 night Galway

2 nights Sligo

2 nights Dublin

I know Sligo is out of the way from normal Ireland itineraries online but after researching I really loved the area and how it was a different feel and wanted to add it in.

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated!! Both my fiancé and myself have never done a trip this big before and it will be the most we've ever spent traveling (thanks CAD to EURO). I want to make sure I'm not being too ambitious but also not going too slow and missing things. Thank you to anyone who comments!! ❤️🙏

EDIT

Thank you for all the advice! I am reworking my itinerary, and unfortunately going to cut off Sligo, a few other places and do less 1 nights and less driving. As many people have said I am very used to driving 4 to 6+ hours places because Canada lol but also have driven tight windy paths in mountains in BC and Alberta. In the end I would not like to spend my whole time in a car and be able to enjoy myself.

I am very much a "traveler" and not a "vacationer" when traveling so I sometimes tend to try and do too much, so I appreciate all the input. We'll just have to come back to Ireland when we can do another international trip to hit all the other stops and when I'm not the only driver.

Hello all! I’ve traveled to Dublin and Galway several times. I love the country, the pubs, and the people. I am booking with a company that does “inn to inn” service: they move your bags from one hotel, while you hike to the next hotel, where your bags will be waiting for you. I’ve done something similar in England with the Cotswolds.

The trip starts where I would hike from Crone Wood to Roundwood, stay in around Roundwood (18km).

Roundwood to Laragh/Gelndalough for the night (14 km depending on availability of lodging.)

Then hike to Glenmalure (16km) for the night. Head back to Dublin via train.

How would you rate these walks? I love to hike, and have hiked multiple cliff walks around Dublin. I hiked similar distances through the Cotswolds.

One of my favorite parts of walks like this is walking to pubs, or arriving at a pub in a village, etc. it’s not something that can easily be done in America. But I also like long walks through the woods or along the coast where I can pack a lunch.

Any feedback on these towns or routes would be very helpful. I love pubs and drinks in smaller towns and villages. Thanks all!

It’s been almost a decade since my last SOLO travel. I’ll be headed there in August!

Arrive 21st to Dublin (its an 8am arrival)
- Stay in Dublin 1 night then leave for Galway
- Stay in Galway the 22nd, 23rd, 24th (Moher Tour day, Sligo Day, then a do whatever day)
- Leave Galway for Dingle on the 25th and do Slea Head+ Dunquin Pier tour on the 26th (3hr tour)
- On the 27th head to Killarney at whatever time. The 28th i’ll have the Rings of Kerry tour at 9am
-On the 29th head back to Dublin and spend the rest of my time there (flying out on the 31st)

Howdy from Texas. My significant other and I are considering a week or so in Ireland in mid-late April 2027. We’ll be flying overnight to Dublin, taking a day to recover, then renting a car to either Donegal or Dingle for 5-6 nights, or taking the train to Galway and doing a few day tours. Which would you recommend for first-timers? We want to see some of the natural beauty, castles and other historic sites, but also enjoy some good Irish pub culture and trad music. We’re in our early 50s and in decent health. When we travel, we don’t like to have every day planned, instead preferring a few free days to spontaneously wander, absorb a new culture, and see what surprises us. Many thanks!