Ireland Travel Schedule
This 12 days in Ireland travel schedule will allow for you to see pretty much all of Eastern, Northern and Western Ireland. This Ireland travel schedule does not include much of anything in the Southwest. Cork, Ireland’s second largest city and the official brewing location of Guinness, is in the Southwest. If Cork is a must see on your list just remove a location or two from the below or add a few days to your trip. However, I would not recommend trying to fit Cork into the below schedule, as is. The below Ireland travel schedule is jammed packed with very little down time, but allows you to see most of Ireland in under 2 weeks.
Day 1 – Limerick & Overnight in Kenmare
Flew into Shannon airport (SNN), picked up our rental cars and headed to Limerick. Stopped in Limerick for a bite in one of the many pubs in the small downtown area and visited King John’s Castle. From there we continued on to Kenmare stopping to see Bunratty Castle along the way.
Bunratty Castle and Folk Park – drive directly to the Castle for a stroll in the Folk Park & a drink at Durty Nelly’s Restaurant. – 16.50 Euro per person for entrance. Grab lunch to go along the way.
Day 2 – Kenmare to Dingle
Depart Kenmare for Muckross House & Farms (2 hour drive) & Killarney National Park
Muckross House & Farms – Stately Victorian home built in 1843 located on the edge of Killarney National Park. There is a 45 min. guided tour of the house. The house exit takes you through an information center for Killarney National Park, with a relaxing 15-minute video on Ireland’s Premier National Park. (Cost 9 euros)
Killarney National Park – This 25k acre park was established when Muckross Estate was donated to the nation in 1932. You can enjoy a quick 10-15 minute hike to the waterfall or for those a little more adventurous travel on up and around the trails (about 2 hours).
*Ross Castle is also nearby if you want to make a quick stop. There is definitely no lack of beautiful, historic castles in Ireland.
Now off to Dingle – If you have the time drive through Gap of Dunloe. It is an absolutely amazing scenic drive through rolling green mountains. Drive slow and watch out for the sheep!
Ring of Kerry – At this point you can also visit the Ring of Kerry. Since the Ring of Kerry is more coastal than the Gap of Dunloe it is a little out of the way. My group had spent a little extra time hiking so we opted for just driving through the Gap of Dunloe, but if you the time and stick to a tighter schedule you could fit the Ring of Kerry in. The entire Ring of Kerry loop is 135 miles and takes 4.5 hours to drive without stops. Drive clockwise around the Ring to miss the tour buses.
Day 3 – Dingle & Skellig Michael Tour
Since we loved Dingle so much we stayed there 2 nights. We had a Skellig Michael Tour the next day so had to get up really early. The boat departs at 9:30AM and it is a two hour drive to the port from Dingle. The most direct route would be to go from Kenmare to the Skellig Michael Landing Boat Tour or stay in a small town close to where the boats launch from like Portmagee and then head to Dingle.
Skellig Michael Landing Boat Trip – This isolated monastic island is truly a sight to behold. I highly recommend you add Skellig Michael to your trip schedule. There are only a few operators allowed to do tours to the island. We booked with Patrick Murphy’s Sea Cruises at the rate is 100 Euro Cash per person. Which covered our round trip boat fair and allowed us 2.5 hours to explore the island. Given the time of year you are visiting you may be able to see the many rainbow-billed puffins. We went in early July and were surrounded by Puffins. Pack a lunch to eat, given there is not place to buy food on the island. Also, make sure to wear good footgear, as there are 600 steps to climb. This was my absolute favorite day of the trip and for you Star Wars fans out there there are plenty of scenes shot on this island!
After the tour we headed back to Dingle for dinner at Doyle’s Seafood & a fun pub crawl downtown. Dingle is a small coastal town with no shortage of restaurants, delicious seafood and pubs to explore!
Day 4 – Dingle to Doolin
We woke up early, packed up and drove to the Cliffs of Moher. This is truly a magnificent sight. We took a boat tour (10 – 15 Euros per person) to see the cliffs from the sea and also walked along the cliffs edge from the top (6 Euros per person entrance fee). It is beautiful and unique to see the cliffs from both views, but if I had to just pick one option I would be sure to see from the top. For you Harry Potter fans, if you take the boat tour there is a pretty famous scene location from Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince that you can see.
After the Cliffs of Moher we were off to Doolin for the night. Doolin is a very small coastal town, but this ended up being a fun night for us as we stayed in a hostel and mingled with the locals at pretty much the only bar in town. It was a blast!
Day 5 – Doolin to Galway
On our way to Gallway we stopped at Kylemore Abbey to visit Kylemore Castle & Walled Gardens. You can stop for a quick but beautiful view of the castle from across the lake or take a few hours and tour the grounds for a few Euros.
Next, on to Galway to enjoy the city. There is a Hop on, Hop Off City Bus Tour, but you can also walk around the city center if the bus is not for you.
Main sites: Stroll down the Latin Quarters to Spanish Arch (good shopping too), Eyre Square, Quay Street, Galway Cathedral, Cathedral of St. Nicholas, walk across Salmon Weir Bridge, stroll along Salthill Promenade. In the evening, catch a Trad on the Prom Show to see award winning traditional Irish dance and song. Truly an amazing experience with such talented performers.
Day 6 – Galway & Aran Islands
Get up early for to see the Aran Island. We too a ferry to Inishmore (the largest of the Aran Islands). Make sure to book your boat tour and bike rental ahead of time. For those who don’t want to cycle a tour bus can be arranged as well.
Day 7 – Galway to Westport
This is the most northern town we stayed at before we made the cross over to Northern Ireland. Westport was probably my 2nd favorite town in Ireland. It was a bit on the pricey side compared to some other places we stayed, but we had a great time eating good food, listening to live music in pubs and getting to know the locals.
Day 8 – Westport to Portrush (Northern Ireland)
We woke up early in Westport and hiked Croagh Patrick. This was a fantastic experience, but not for the faint of heart. The mountain and trailhead are about 15 minutes from Westport. Please be advised that only experienced hikers with the proper gear and footwear should take on this mountain. Also, check the weather before heading out on this hike as it should only be attempted on a clear day due to the rock scramble at the top.
Now off to Portrush. On the way we stopped by the Giants Causeway, thousands of interlocking basalt (hardened volcanic rock) columns, and stopped to see the famous Dark Hedges from Game of Thrones. One of the Doors of Thrones is located close by as well. We also stopped at the famous Bushmills Distillery as well. We opted for just the tasting, not the tour and that was perfect.
Day 9 – Portrush to Belfast
We packed up from Portrush and headed to see The Gobbins. This was a very relaxed and slow paced outdoor walking tour. But an enjoyable experience nonetheless. I would look it up and decide for yourself if this is something that you want to add to your itinerary.
On the way to Belfast we stopped to visit the White Star Titanic Museum. You can walk the museum yourself for a small fee, but I would highly recommend the walking tour if you are going to visit the museum. There is a lot of detail in the architecture of the museum itself that you do not get to experience on a self guided tour. There is also a Game of Thrones museum very close by. For all you GOT fans, this museum hosts several real props from the show and fun interactive activities.
Days 10 & 11 – Belfast to Dublin
There is so much to do in Dublin. I would recommend at least 2 nights. We purchased the hop on hop off bus and had a great day learning about the city from the bus. This is a great way to see all the sights and not tire yourself out too much with walking.
We also visited the Kilmainham Gaol. A Historic jail used by the British as a political prison that tells a moving story of the suffering of the Irish people.
And ofcourse, we did our fair share of drinking here. We went to the famous Temple Bar, Kehoe’s Pub, the Jameson Distillery Tour, Grafton Street and The Guinness Storehouse of course. I do have to say while the Guiness Factory was certainly a sight to see, the Jameson Distillery was my favorite. You can purchase a Dublin Pass if you plan to hit most of these places. There are several restaurants and attractions available with the Dublin Pass, including the ones above. So if you plan to stop at a lot of these places it might save you some money and be worth checking out before you book the tours individually.
Day 12 – Dublin Airport
Depart to Airport. DUB international airport is relatively close to the downtown (about 40 minutes). The schedule can be flipped so that you start in Dublin and end in Shannon. If you do that just be sure to plan your trip so you are either in Dublin or Shannon the night before you fly out for easy and stress free ride to the airport.
For more information to help you plan your trip to Ireland like flights, lodging, climate and more check out our first trip to Ireland blog post.
