The Ultimate Ireland Travel Itinerary | Road Trip through Ireland!
- Oct 17, 2021
- 10 min read
Updated: Nov 9, 2021
Ireland is a must-see destination, with its endless rolling hills, kind locals, gorgeous castles, and great food and beer! It's something I hope everyone can enjoy and experience, so if you are ready to take the leap, I have the perfect itinerary for you.
With this guide you can adapt it all to your own liking, timing and budget. I have laid out the best must-see places and activities that we experienced when driving through the gorgeous countryside, as well as the inclusion of all the do's and don'ts that my husband and I picked up on the way! This road trip we took was a 6 day journey, and was an amazing time that we'll treasure forever!
Psst! Don't forget to read my other blog on all things essential when travelling in Europe:
Quick Links to all the stays I recommend:
Quick Links to all Transportations I recommend:
Qeeq car hire
"Life is either a great adventure, or nothing at all." -Helen Keller
The Best Way to Get Around
The best way to see Ireland and the beautiful countryside is by car. Renting your own car and driving yourself from place to place is the best thing. When in the city of Dublin, a car is not advised as things are generally in walking distance. However, if you want to experience an amazing road trip through the country like we did, I would recommend hiring your own vehicle. There are many ways you can rent a car in Ireland, however we found the easiest and most economical option was finding a car through Qeeq. Qeeq is a great platform to find the best price for any car hire worldwide!
*Click the link below to Qeeq website for affordable car hiring:
Itinerary
Once again, I am providing the route & itinerary my husband and I did on our road trip, but you can by all means add days, stays and new places to your list if you have the time, budget and freedom to do so!
*special note: Plan your journey and drive ''clockwise', the way we did. By driving around the Ring of Kerry clockwise you will miss all the tour buses, which tend to drive anti-clockwise. And trust me, you don't want to be stuck driving behind a big, slow tour bus on these narrow roads!
📍Day One: Kilkenny
🚗Route To Kilkenny: Dublin ~ Rock of Dunamase ~ Kilkenny
Starting your road trip from the capitol city, Dublin, is always the best idea. Dublin is the easiest and best city to fly into to start your Irish touring. *Click here for a great website we use to find cheap flights. We spent a whole month in Dublin exploring the city and living like locals before we made our epic road trip journey. I would suggest you spend at least 3 nights stay in Dublin (you will not need a car for this, mostly everything is walking distance).
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Once we had spent enough time in Dublin, and got our rental car ready for pick-up within the city, we were off to our first over-night stop: Kilkenny. Kilkenny is a beautiful small town with a grand castle, medieval architecture and cute shops! But before I get ahead of myself...let's talk about what we did before we got to Kilkenny.
Rock of Dunamase
En-route to Kilkenny is a beautiful castle ruin named Rock of Dunamase that is a must-see. And when I say it is a must-see, trust me, it is! Rock of Dunamase makes for a really easy stop, and is only a 5 minute walk up to the top for some breathtaking views of the farming surrounds. There is plenty of parking at the bottom of the hill, so we could quickly park our car and stretch our legs as we made our way up to the top.
Once we had enjoyed this beautiful spot, it was time to continue to Kilkenny.
🏨Where to Stay in Kilkenny:
We actually stayed just outside of Kilkenny in a beautiful estate called Lyrath Estate Hotel. (it is a short drive from Kilkenny town centre). This accommodation was amazing and was a great start to our trip! There are restaurants in the estate, so you can have dinner on site, which is always a bonus! We arrived at the estate late afternoon, and after settling in and a freshen up we had a gorgeous dinner for two!
Waking up the next morning in Lyrath was magical, and the grounds make for a great walk-through. *Click HERE to find the best price for your stay at Lyrath Estate Hotel
📸What To Do in Kilkenny:
After a great breakfast at Lyrath we packed up our bags and loaded up the car, making our way into Kilkenny town to sight-see before we left for our next sweet Irish town. Kilkenny is a lovely small town that is picturesque and boasts the well-known Kilkenny castle. We unfortunately made the mistake of not booking tickets to get into the castle - so word to the wise...book all your castle tickets at least the day before!! After this Kilkenny experience we realised the importance of checking each tourist spot's website before and pre-booked if needed.
We were however able to walk around the castle grounds and take some pics from the outside. We then walked down the streets and grabbed a coffee for the road to our next stop.
📍Day Two: Blarney
🚗Route To Blarney: Kilkenny ~ Cashel ~ Cork ~ Blarney
Rock of Cashel
Once we explored a little bit of Kilkenny we made our way to our next accommodation in Blarney, but on our way there we made a slight detour to the town of Cashel, where the must-see castle ruin of Rock of Cashel sits. This detour is a must do, and we really enjoyed it! We had pre-booked tickets for entry, and a guided tour is included, however you can just walk around yourself if you please.
After walking around the ruins of Cashel, we got on the road again.
Cork
Our next stop was Cork city, which is the second largest city in Ireland. In Cork we stopped to view the Blackrock Castle Observatory which is a beautiful sight on the harbour water of the city. Again, make sure to pre-book any necessary tickets!
🏨Where to Stay in Blarney:
Okay, so once we had made all our detours and pit-stops we finally made it to our hotel in Blarney. We stayed at the Blarney Woollen Mills Hotel, and it was an amazing stay. The hotel is situated in the perfect spot, as it is right next to a handful of shops, cafes and restaurants, making shopping and eating so convenient. The hotel is also across from the entrance to the Blarney Castle & Gardens (which is a MUST see). I would highly recommend staying here, and making a stop in Blarney to see the castle.
📸What To Do in Blarney:
As I have said before - the biggest must-see in Blarney county is the Blarney Castle & Gardens. This is another place where you must book your entry tickets online, but it is so worth it! The castle is a 600 hundred year old castle, and has fascinating history! Because the castle is set in a 60 acre garden spread, there is so much to see! Inside of the castle you walk up small stone staircases, and have breath taking views of the land at the top.
This visit makes for a great adventure, and I would recommend spending at least half a day here! (Make sure to plan your day and drive from here, because this attraction would be nice to spend lots of time at). I found we should have prioritised this attraction more, as we really loved it and wish we could have spent more time there, but because we had to drive a far distance to our next spot, we couldn't spend too much time exploring! So, tip from me to you - if you can, rather add on an extra day in Blarney and spend a day at this one spot, then focus your next day on driving to the next spot!
📍Day Three: Dingle
🚗Route to Dingle: Blarney ~ Kerry Cliffs ~ Dingle
After we spent quite a bit of time in the Blarney Castle, we made our way to our next stop, which was a small fishing town called Dingle. This drive through to Dingle is amazing, as you make your way through the Ring of Kerry, driving along the shoreline and through amazing little towns.
Kerry Cliffs
En-route we made a stop at the Kerry Cliffs, which are famous cliff edges right on the water. This is a great spot to have a pit-stop and walk to the cliffs edge.
🏨Where to Stay in Dingle:
Once we made our way through the coastline, we checked into the sweetest family-run Bed & Breakfast in Dingle called The Lighthouse. This spot is a perfect guesthouse for anyone looking for a cosy, friendly space. The hosts were so attentive and made the stay in Dingle so warm and welcoming. I would highly recommend this bed and breakfast!
Dingle itself is a lovely little town on the water, and provides a real Irish-feeling stay with its kind locals, Irish cafes and farming fields. We found this town to be a great resting place, and a great overnight stay before we made our way to the next stop!
📍Day Four: Galway
🚗Route to Galway: Dingle ~ Limerick ~ Galway
The drive from Dingle is quite a long one, and so I have a few recommendations based off of the few mistakes Mighail and I made:
Leave Dingle fairly early in order to have enough time for the drive.
Stop at the Cliffs of Moher. Unfortunately Mighail and I did not have enough time to do this, but it seems like another beautiful cliff scenery!
Stay a night in Limerick - This will break up your drive from Dingle to Galway, and will allow you to not feel too rushed and like you can't stop at places (ie, the Cliffs of Moher). We wish we stayed over a night in Limerick, as the drive was quite long!
However, we still had fun and enjoyed the scenic drive! We just made a quick stop in Limerick for a coffee and toilet break.
🏨Where to Stay in Galway:
Now, because there is quite a bit to do in and around Galway, I recommend staying here for at least two nights. We originally had one night booked, but we extended our stay as soon as we got there. The hotel we stayed in was a great spot, and I am really happy with the find. It is a short walk outside of the city centre, however we liked it that way. The hotel we stayed in is called the Huntsman Inn, and it is a great space! The staff are helpful, and the breakfast included is great. There is also a bar and restaurant at the bottom of the hotel, so that made dinners really convenient!
📸What To Do in Galway:
Okay, so once we checked in to The Huntsman Inn, and had a lovely dinner and drinks, we settled in for the night. And the next morning we started our touring around, so our schedule in Galway was distributed in two full days, and went as follows:
Day One in Galway: Kylemore Abbey Castle & Gardens
Day Two in Galway: Took the ferry across to Inishmore island.
Kylemore Abbey Castle
Kylemore is a smaller area just outside of Galway, it is a bit of a drive, however it is 100% worth it! This drive is scenic and gives you all the Irish countryside views you would want! (Again, make sure to prebook your entry tickets for the castle before you plan your excursion there).
Kylemore Abbey Castle is a breathtaking scene, where a Benedictine mansion-like castle was built right beside the water. The inside of the castle is restored, and set out to be museum-like. The gardens are gorgeous and seem never ending! I advise for you to take your time here, walking through the amazing gardens and sit by the waterside with a coffee.
Once you have spent most of your day at Kylemore and make your way back to Galway, I would suggest making a reservation at one of the local restaurants in Galway city for an early dinner, this way you can go into the city centre and see the beauty of this Irish area!
Some highlights to see in Galway:
The Spanish Arch
O'Connors Pub (where Ed Sheeran's famous Galway Girl music video was filmed)
Eyre Square
Galway Cathedral
Inishmore
Inishmore is the biggest of a collection of islands called the Aran Islands, and they sit a little out from Galway city, and so you will need to take a ferry out. The ferry we took was a day trip, where we booked tickets prior, and were taken to Inishmore island and then on our way back we got to pass the Moher Cliffs by water. This ferry experience was great, and ran really well! I highly recommend doing this day trip as Inishmore is absolutely beautiful and really takes your breath away.
*Some tips for this day trip:
Take motion sickness tablets (if you are someone who gets a bit woozy on the water)
Take a backpack to keep everything in
Pack your phone charger. The ferry has plug sockets, which is such a bonus!
Bring warm clothes! + wear comfortable clothing that is suitable for bikes, and a small hike
Pack snacks
How to get around the Island:
We got to Inishmore in the morning, and had until about 3pm in the afternoon to explore around. As you step off the ferry there are two options you can choose from in order to get around - You can either hire a bicycle or take a tour bus. (and trust me, you will want to take one of these two, do not opt for walking, the island is too big for that!).
We opted for bicycles and the company we hired from were called Aran Bike Hire and are just right of the jetty. It was so much fun riding our bikes around, and felt like a real romantic Irish experience!
What to see on the Island:
One of the biggest attractions on Inishmore is Dún Aonghasa, which is a prehistoric stone wall fortification overlooking the Atlantic sea! To bike here is a bit of a journey, as it is on the other side of the island, however it is so worth it and the bike ride is amazing! (also, just be prepared for a small hike up to it).
And if you enjoyed the movie 'Leap Year', then you'd be glad to know that the final scene of the proposal was filmed here in these cliffs.
Like I said before, I highly recommend this trip and would advise you to enjoy your time around this gorgeous island! Other highlights to see on Inishmore:
The Seven Churches
Cliffs of Aran
Browse around the local shops by the harbour
📍Day Six: Dublin!
And just like that, our fun road trip was over! So we made the drive from Galway back to Dublin to drop off our car. My husband and I loved this trip so much, and are so grateful for the amazing people we met along the way, the good food and drinks we had, and the amazing memories we now share!
I think it's safe to say that we both wish we could have extended this trip to be even longer if we could! 😂🚗
I hope you enjoyed the blog post, I think it is officially the longest one I have ever made and it is so special to me! I love to share and recommend things so others can enjoy beautiful memories that we had. So everything I have shared here (links, stays, advice) is genuine, and something I wouldn't recommend unless I loved it all myself!
Lots of love, B xx
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