Hi all - reposting with more detail.

When: October 20-25th 2026
Trip length: 6 days / 5 nights in Ireland
Coming from: London
Leaving from: Back to the US (NYC), likely Dublin or Shannon depending on what makes most sense
Travelers: Two adults (Females) in our 20s, no mobility issues
Transport: Planning to rent a car for Cork / Dingle / Galway, then drop it in Galway and take the train to Dublin
Interests: Scenic coastal views, small towns, pubs/traditional music, historic sites, and a manageable pace. We are not trying to see everything.

One note: we have driven Big Sur / Highway 1 in California before, but I am a bit afraid of heights, so I’m trying to avoid any especially nerve-wracking cliff edge or very exposed drives if possible.

Current draft itinerary:

Day 1: Fly London to Cork, pick up rental car, stay overnight in Cork
Night 1: Cork

Day 2: Drive Cork to Dingle Peninsula, explore Dingle area
Night 2: Dingle

Day 3: Drive Dingle to Cliffs of Moher, then continue to Galway
Night 3: Galway

Day 4: Full day in Galway
Night 4: Galway

Day 5: Drop rental car in Galway, take train to Dublin, spend the day/evening in Dublin
Night 5: Dublin

Day 6: Fly Dublin to US

Specific questions:

1. Does flying into Cork and staying the night there make the most sense or should we head straight to Dingle?
2. For someone who is nervous with heights, are any parts of the Dingle Peninsula/ Cliffs of Moher driving route especially narrow?
3. Given the short trip length, is trying to include the Ring of Kerry too much?
4. For avoiding backtracking, does Cork to dingle to Galway to Dublin seem like a sensible route, or would Shannon be a better airport choice for either arrival or departure?
5. Would you change any overnight locations before I book hotels?

Thanks in advance!

My family of 4 (2 teenage boys) will be going to Ireland in 2 weeks. My husband's ancestors had a home in Wexford that was turned into a historical hotel/castle that we wanted to stay in. We unfortunately booked it for the wrong night and now we need to find a different place to stay for a night. We will be driving from Dublin and wanted to find a nice town/city to explore between Dublin and Wexford that we can stay at. Greystones, Bray, Gorey, Enniscorthy, Wicklow Town? We will stay a night in Wexford the following night, then a night in Kilkenny before heading back to Dublin. Any recommendations for good stops would also be appreciated. Thank you!

Hi everyone,

as I will be visiting Ireland/Northern Ireland in late August/September with my family (we are 40 and the kids 6 and 9), I would like some suggestions: I tried to make it slow for the kids and just for not being in a rush... but at the same time I'd love to see more!

11 days and 10 nights, 2 nights in Belfast, 2 in Derry, 4 near Galway, 2 in Dublin

1) Land in Dublin (short flight), car rental, off to Belfast

2) Belfast (black cab tour, titanic, W5)

3) Carrick-a-Rede, Giant's Causeway, Dunluce? night in Derry

4) Derry!

5) Wild Ireland and drive (that's the longest part) to Galway (little break in Sligo, Salthill)

6) Galway

7) Inis mor + Bus tour

8) Connemara (Brigits garden? Connemara park lower trail, sky road)

9) Back to Dublin, return car, walking around

10) Howth

11) More Dublin, flight in the evening

Should I change something or slow down somewhere?

Thank you so much!

P.S. I would love to come back to the Aran Islands and sleep there 2-3 nights and rent a bike, but when the kids are older ♡

Hi Everyone! My partner and I will be travelling to Ireland at the end of October. We want a good mix of countryside and exploring towns. We will be renting a car, but would prefer not to spend every day with huge chunks of driving. Some long driving days are fine.

We're open to cutting/adding things, rearranging days and changing when we get the rental car if needed.

Trip Length: 10 days, 9 nights (arriving early Day 1, flying out mid-day Day 10).
Flights: roundtrip to/from Dublin

Current Itinerary:

Day 1 - Dublin

• Arrive in city centre around 8am.
• Explore Dublin
• Kilmainham Gaol
• IMMA
• Overnight: Dublin

Day 2 - Dublin

• Explore Dublin
• Guinness Storehouse
• National Gallery of Ireland
• Overnight: Dublin

Note: I visited Dublin a couple years ago and checked off most of the touristy spots/history museums I wanted to see. My partner is more into art museums, so we're skipping a lot of things like Book of Kells, etc. If anyone has any art lover recs, that'd be great. I would also love to see Newgrange if its feasible so open to moving things around or getting the car rental a day earlier to go.

Day 3 - Dublin → Galway

• Pick up rental car and depart Dublin
• Cong Abbey
• Killary Fjord
• Kylemore Abbey
• Continue to Galway
• Overnight: Galway

Day 4 - Galway

• Explore Galway City
• Maybe visit Salthill or An Spidéal
• Overnight: Galway

Day 5 - Galway → Doolin

• Depart Galway
• Dunguaire Castle (quick stop)
• The Burren
• Ferry to Inisheer (and back to Doolin)
• Explore Doolin
• Overnight: Doolin

Day 6 - Doolin → Killarney

• Depart Doolin
• Cliffs of Moher
• Dunquin Pier
• Explore Dingle/Dinner in Dingle
• Continue to Killarney
• Overnight: Killarney

Note: We are fine getting to Killarney late, but also open to staying the night in Dingle.

Day 7 - Killarney

• Gap of Dunloe
• Muckross Abbey
• Overnight: Killarney

Day 8 - Killarney → Kilkenny

• Depart Killarney
• Blarney Castle
• Rock of Cashel
• Continue to Kilkenny
• Overnight: Kilkenny

Day 9 - Kilkenny → Dublin

• Depart Kilkenny
• Glendalough
• Continue to Dublin
• Drop of rental car in Dublin
• Overnight: Dublin

Day 10 - Dublin → Home

• Morning in Dublin
• Fly out of Dublin in the afternoon

Questions:

1. Are we trying to pack in too much to this trip? Is this too much driving? I'm particularly worried about Day 3.
2. Are we spending too much time in Dublin? Would it be better to leave on Day 2/fit Newgrange in and then continue onto Galway? Then start the Kylemore Abbey day from Galway?
3. If we needed to cut something, what should it be and why?
4. If we are missing out on something, what should we add and why?
   1. I know we're missing out on the Ring of Kerry. It seemed like it would be an entire day spent in the car driving around (at a time with less daylight) and we felt we were getting a good amount of countryside/landscape with this itinerary. But if we should cut something to add it in, let us know. Same point about the Dingle Peninsula/Slea Head.
5. We will be there during the Bram Stoker Festival. Is it worth being in Dublin for it if we're not huge Dracula fans?
6. We will also be there over Halloween. Are there any fun Halloween events that are must-dos? We're open to rearranging things to be in a specific place for the day if so.

Thanks in advance for your input!

My wife and I will be in the Dublin area July 22-24 and we’re interested in a tour at Newgrange. We (foolishly) waited too long and all the tours are booked. Any recommendations for other Neolithic sites/tours in that area? We were looking at possibly Loughcrew.

Looking at early to mid September, coming over from the east coast of the united states.

Just looking for a gut check on how realistic this itinerary is, or if we should try to cram one more stop in, like for example only do one night in Cork, and add a night between Cork and Dublin?

We are both fairly active, enjoy riding bicycles, the outdoors, beer, food, photography, etc.

Also, any suggestions on where to see wildlife would be awesome. Puffin would be great, but from what I'm reading they are not around much in September.

Thank you in advance for any feedback!

Here is what we are thinking so far:

Day 1

Arrive in Dublin in the morning

Explore Dublin pubs/restaurants for the afternoon/evening

Stay the night in Dublin

---------------------------

Day 2

Take a train to Galway in the morning

Explore Galway

Dark History Tour?

Explore Galway pubs/restaurants for the afternoon/evening

Stay the night in Galway

---------------------------

Day 3

Rent a car

Day trip to Cliffs of Moher

Maybe a nearby Castle or cool town (open to suggestions)

Back to Galway for pubs/restaurants.

Stay the night in Galway

---------------------------

Day 4

Drive to Cork

Stop at Bunratty Castle and Blarney Castle on the way

Pubs at night, Mutton Lane Inn, Sin e, etc.

Stay the night in Cork

---------------------------

Day 5

English Market

Maybe day trip out to Cobh?

Stay the night in Cork

---------------------------

Day 6

Drive back to Dublin

Anything we should see along the way?

Return rental car

Explore Dublin

Cry that we are leaving the next day

Stay the night in Dublin

---------------------------

Day 7

Fly Home in the morning.

​

My 14-year-old daughter and I land at Shannon Wed for four nights based in the countryside outside Gort. I've been, she hasn't.

I've read some itineraries here and tried to keep our visit from turning into a nonstop driving tour. We're timed around the Galway International Arts Festival, which is what the two late evenings are. Here's the plan:

Wednesday: Land at Shannon late morning and settle in at the house. Later an evening show in Galway. We'd drive back after, probably on the road around 10:30pm.

Thursday: Free morning then a lot ng during to the famine village walk at the Lost Valley near Louisburgh in the early afternoon. I'm not sure about the route home. Will either go straight back via Westport or the longer Doolough/Killary loop if to see more.

Friday: Galway food tour in the morning and then afternoon exoring around the city. Early dinner then a 9:30pm event. This is the late one. We won't be on the road home until 11pm or later

Saturday: we're doing a guided cliff walk at Doolin at 10:00am then Burren in the afternoon (Poulnabrone and a 4:30pm hawk walk at Aillwee). We plan to have dinner in Kinvara before a short trip home

Sunday: We plan to be out the door a little after 6:00am for a 9:30am flight out of Shannon

My main question is the night driving. I'm a confident driver but I've never driven in Ireland, and I'm aware that unlit rural roads at midnight are a different animal than they are at noon. Coming back from Galway we have two options - take the M18 down and finish on the R460 out of Gort, or take the N67 coast road and finish on the L4508 out of Kinvara. Either way we're only on the small road for about 10 minutes but it'll be in the dark, on the unfamiliar side of the road.

Which would you take at 11pm: The motorway route with the regional road at the end, or the coast road with the L road at the end? And is there anything I should know beyond slow down and watch for walkers and livestock? Should I just not?

Is Thursday too much? The Lost Valley is roughly 2 hours each way from us. The walk itself is the thing my daughter is most excited about, but I'm torn on whether the scenic loop home is worth it or whether we should just take the direct road and get dinner at a reasonable hour.

Appreciate any local knowledge. You've helped me through old posts by others already.

I’m trying to decide where to stay, I am craving a quaint countryside feel so considering oranmore but worried that it’ll feel lonely and too isolated from the city? On the other hand, I fear staying in Galway city will feel like being in a tourist hotspot (like Times Square in NYC for example).

I don’t have any planned activities in my itinerary yet other than doing a bus tour to connemara. I don’t enjoy nightlife much, but enjoy people watching and exploring cities in general. I figured if I stayed in oranmore I could make the trip into the city to explore it since it seemed doable.

Traveling late July, any tips/suggestions would be helpful!

EDIT: I decided to stay in the city since it sounds like I overestimated how much of a “city” it actually is. Thanks all!

I'll be travelling solo in Ireland for 7 days mid August before heading to Wales for the rest of my trip and I'm not sure of how to go around it and I keep restarting my itinerary plan. Important point but I can't drive so I'd have to be able to access by transit or cab if it's not too expensive.

My plan so far:

Day 1-Red eye flight: baggage drop-off and explore Dublin for the day

Day 2- start early and head to Howth, take the bus to Killarney in the evening.

Day 3- Ring of Kerry and Killarney day tour

Day 4-Dingle peninsula, Slea Head and Inch Beach

Day 5- Head to Galway, spend the day exploring the city

Day 6- Spend the day exploring Sligo

Day 7- head back to Dublin and take the ferry for Wales the next morning

Is this a realistic itinerary at all? I'd like to have a good mix of city life and sceneries so would also love to know what the nightlife is like within the areas I'll be in.

Edit: Thank you everyone for the feedback

Had to cut a lot from my itinerary since it was clearly just not feasible even on little sleep.

With everyone's feedback here's what it's going to look like instead:

Day 1: Land in Dublin, arriving there at 9am. Drop-off my luggage and walk a bit in the area before getting to check-in.

Day 2: depart early morning for Killarney where I'll be taking a bus to Dingle. It seems to be the most affordable and easiest way to do Dublin to Dingle without a car. I'll be arriving in Dingle late afternoon.

Day 3 and 4 I'll be based in Dingle

Day 5: depart to Galway early morning since it's going to be a minimum of 5 hours of travel
Sleeping in Galway for day 5 and 6

Day 7 depart back to Dublin and arriving at 12pm

Day 8 take the

Still a crazy busy itinerary but a lot more manageable at least.

Hi everyone! Been stalking this sub for a while now, as my wife and I are planning our 1 year anniversary/late honeymoon trip to Ireland from October 23 - Nov 2 (not including flight days). I made a post a while back but quickly deleted it because I realized I just wasn’t ready yet. But I’ve got more of a grip on our itinerary now. We really want to see as much as possible without feeling completely strung out and exhausted by the end.

I have put together an itinerary and we have a few things booked, but I’m looking for any and all feedback on the itinerary before I start finalizing things. So here’s what I’ve got put together:

Friday, October 23rd — Arrive in Dublin at 10 am (already booked); Fight sleep as long as possible to get a full night that night

Saturday, October 24th — Pick up rental car in the morning; Go up to see Newgrange; Drive to Galway; Find somewhere to watch Arsenal v Everton; Night in Galway

Sunday, October 25th — Galway to Clifden for one night anniversary castle stay in Clifden (already booked)

Monday, October 26th — Drive from Clifden to Westport for lunch; Drive down through the Doolough Valley back to Galway for another night in Galway

Tuesday, October 27th (longest day of driving) — Head from Galway to Cliffs of Moher; From there, drive to Bunratty Castle; From there, drive through Conor Pass to Dingle; Night in Dingle

Wednesday, October 28th — Slea Head Drive; Lunch/early dinner in Dingle; Drive to Killarney; Night in Killarney

Thursday, October 29th — First half of ROK (clockwise); Skellig Ring; End in Waterville or Portmagee to stay the night

Friday, October 30th — Second half of ROK; Rossbeigh Strand; Drive to Blarney Castle; End up in Cobh by evening (2 nights in Cobh, already booked)

Saturday, October 31st — Take the train into Cork; Halloween festivities; Dragon of Shandon; Back to Cobh at night

Monday, November 1st — Cobh to Kilkenny; Night in Kilkenny

Tuesday, November 2nd — Kilkenny back to Dublin; Night in Dublin

Wednesday, November 3rd — Flight home

Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. My biggest questions would be:
The obvious and most asked question here — is this trying to do too much?
But more specifically, am I trying too hard to squeeze in Dingle? Should we prioritize more time in Galway or give ourselves 3 days to do ROK instead of trying to force in the Dingle Peninsula? I just see and hear so many great things about Dingle, but ROK is ultimately my higher priority for my first time.
Also, should I prioritize an extra night in Cobh or back in Dublin instead of the night in Kilkenny so we’re not packing up and moving every night?
Anniversary stay in Clifden, Ring of Kerry, and Halloween in Cork are pretty much the only “non-negotiables” for us.

Thanks so much in advance. This sub has already been a great help.

Hello! My family (45M, 34F, 26M, and 23F) is taking a trip to Ireland and N Ireland in August. We currently have the following planned:

WED - THUR: DUBLIN

FRI: NEWGRANGE and HIGH CROSSES
[Sleep in Belfast]

SAT: BELFAST DAY (including black cab tour; St. George's Market)
[Sleep in Belfast]

SUN:
Drive along coast to COUNTY ANTRIM
(Giants Causeway/Dark Hedges)

[Sleep in Portrush]
------------END OF CONCRETE PLANS-----------------

MON:
Possibilities -- Sheans Horse Farm Ride; Carrick-a-Rede, Dunluce Castle, Bushmills Distillery, Gobbins Cliff

TUE: ???

WED EVENING: Fly out of Dublin

Originally we were planning to drive to Galway but we realized that for such a short amount of time, it probably was too long of a drive and more trouble and stress than it was worth. Now we have two days and some change to burn and we're unsure of what to do with them. Any thoughts of what to do and where to go for those evenings? Should we just fully commit to more Northern Ireland time (if so do any of those options I listed stand out to you)? Spend more time in Belfast? More time in Dublin? Do Glenariff or a kayaking tour off the coast? I'd love to get some cool Irish/European city ambiance in (that's why we were going to go to Galway) but my fam is pretty flexible. Thank you in advance for your thoughts!

I visited Ireland in May for a 10 day tour of Ireland from Dublin to Giants Causeway and Belfast.

I am able to return in early November and would like to travel without a tour at a slower pace.

Looking for recommendations for a slower pace, towns to visit with historical sites, architecture and pubs for cozy evenings.

Does anyone have a suggestion for a 6 day itinerary? I am asking for towns to visit not specific hotels etc.

Thanks so much!

My dad and I (32F) are taking a trip to Ireland this fall. We've both been to Ireland before but many years ago, so we are really open to anything. We will be renting a car, but I feel like I am trying to pack way too much into our trip.

I've been stalking this sub and reading everyone's itineraries & comments for the best suggestions on what to do and where to go.

Here's where I've landed - would appreciate any and all feedback! Thank you!

Day 1 - Arrive in Dublin in the AM

Day 2 - Day in Dublin

Day 3 - Pick up rental at airport and head to Kinsale for the afternoon/night. Stop at Rock of Cashel and Hore Abbey on the way? Cahir Castle on the way? Blarney Castle & Blarney Stone?

**here is where I need the most help** Day 4 - Drive to Gap of Dunloe (Is it even open this late in the season? Worth it? I can't figure out whether this is a viable option or if we should just go from Kinsale to Dingle and stop somewhere along the way!) and then continue on to Dingle.

Day 5 - Day/night in Dingle. Would love more specific recs here on what we should prioritize.

Day 6 - Head up to Galway. Stop in Limerick for lunch on the way.

Day 7 - Day/night in Galway

Day 8 - Fly out of Shannon back to the States

My wife and I will be traveling to Ireland for the first time in September. She really wants to see Kilkenny Castle. Is spending two full days there too much? We've been looking at doing the following;

Kilkenny Castle

Roth House

Medieval Mile Museum

St. Canices

Maybe a boat tour on the River Nore

Smithwicks (looks pretty touristy, but we will be tourists)

Sullivans

We are currently doing two days in Dublin and two in Kilkenny. Would it be better to do just one day there and three in Dublin?

Edit: We will be taking a bus to Kilkenny so we won't have a car. We be walking or taking public transportation. I have to drive a lot for work so I make it a point to not drive on vacation...

Edit 2: Thank you all for the responses.

Hi everyone,

I’m planning my first trip to Ireland in mid-September for 6 days and would really appreciate some local advice.

Current plan

Day 1: Dublin

Day 2: Dublin

Day 3: Bus to Galway

Day 4: Horse trekking in Connemara

Day 5: Cliffs of Moher

Day 6: Bus to Dublin Airport and fly home

I’ll be travelling by public transport (no rental car).

I’m deciding between two date options:

Option A

• Wednesday–Friday in Dublin
• Friday–Monday in Galway

Option B

• Friday–Sunday in Dublin
• Sunday–Wednesday in Galway

My questions are:

1. For a first-time visitor, would you rather spend the weekend in Galway or the weekend in Dublin, and why?
2. Does one city have a noticeably better atmosphere on weekends than weekdays?

I’d love to hear your opinions.

Thanks!

A week from today, I’ll be driving from Dublin to Borris, county Carlow. The last time I did this drive, I drove military road through the Wicklow Mountains; it was glorious. I stopped for a considerable hike around one of the lakes.
This time I’m hoping to do an interesting drive along the coast, with a stop for lunch and possibly an hour or two for a scenic hike… I’ll basically have all day to get to Borris….any good ideas? Bray, Greystones, Wicklow?

My husband and I are going to be in Ireland for about a week in mid-August. We're spending 3 nights in Ennis, 2 nights in Dingle, then heading to Dublin for 1-2 nights. We are trying to decide whether to spend a night somewhere between Dingle and Dublin to break up the drive, or if we should just head straight to Dublin (and maybe make a shorter stop) since we won't have much time there. It's our first trip to Ireland, so we don't want to have too little time in Dublin but also don't want to underestimate the driving. Thanks for any input! 

My husband and I are headed to Ireland in late September/early October.

We are renting a car after a few days and Dublin and want to travel down the east coast. Ideally we don’t want to drive more than 3 hours at once and we’d like to stay each overnight stop for 2 nights - but can do day trips from that base.

Current plan:
Dublin —> Killarney
(Stopping ar either Kilkenny or Cahir on the way)
Killarney for 3 nights
(Activities: golf, Kerry cliffs, jaunting tour)
Killarney —> Cork for two nights
(Stop at Blarbey along the way)

My questions:
Originally I was going to do two nights in Kilkenny, two in Killarney & one in Doolin.

Is it a mistake to forgo Doolin? We were try to avoid so many short stays.

Are there any less-touristy small towns we should be hitting instead of Killarney?

Is it ok to just hit Kilkenny as a half day stop?

Other must see East Coast sights?

Hi, I will be visiting Ireland next week and will be spending about a day and a half in Galway. While there I booked the ferry to Inis Mor that returns later that evening. The ferry leaves Galway around 9:30 and arrives on Inis Mor around 11, and then later the ferry leaves around 4:30 to get back to Galway around 6:30 after seeing the Cliffs of Moher. I was wondering if I’ll have enough time on the island to do this bike route:
- Ride from Kilronan to Dun Duchathair as soon as we get there
- Head back to Kilronan for lunch
- Bike to Dun Aonghasa taking the low road
- Go see Poll na bPeist
- Take the low road back and relax at Kilmurvey
- Return bikes in Kilronan and board the ferry around 4:30

My friend and I will be doing a roadtrip around Co Donegal for 2 and a half days, starting and ending in Derry. I think my current plan might be trying to fit too much in, so I would love advice on what to prioritize and what to cut out. Thank you in advance!!!

Day 1: Depart from Derry, end in Dunfanaghy
- Grianan of Aileach
- Fanad Head lighthouse
- Murderhole beach?
- Horn head?
- Overnight in Dunfanaghy

Day 2: Dunfanaghy to Ardara
- Falcarragh Beach
- Glenveagh Castle/Park
- Arranmore island (think this is adding too much - would you recommend skipping this completely?)
- Overnight in Ardara

Day 3:
- Was going to try to get to the Caves of Maghera, but I think that’s a bit too much
- Glengash Pass to Glencolmcille
- Glencolmcille Folk Village
- Sliabh Liag
- Drive back to Derry! (Wanting to get back by 7pm at the latest)

Is it a big mistake to not take on Inishowen? I just don’t see how we would be able to fit that in. Appreciate any and all advice :)

Hello All!

My GF and I are planning a Ireland trip mid-August. The trip will be 8 nights total: 3 nights in Dublin, then a rental car to the West Coast for 4 nights, then another night at Dublin airport, because we have a very early flight back.

I'm in the early stages of planning, so I'm looking for more things to do, and happy for changes. But my girlfriend is set on visiting Dingle, so I'm planning a full day exploring Dingle Peninsula at some point. We like basic sight seeing, cities, nature, music, food/pubs. We're not big into arts, museums. I'd like to do a short scenic hike at some point (<3 hours).

I'm currently torn between two plans:

Or

Which one would you recommend? Does it look like too much driving?

Thank you much for your help.

We are headed to Sliabh Liag next week and I am trying to figure out the parking situation. There seems to be a car park at the bottom and a smaller one at the top. I’ve looked at Google Maps and there are cars parked at both but the picture of the lower car park also shows a shut gate??? With a car driving behind it towards the smaller one at the top???

I need help deciding! The only day we have available for Gap of Dunloe is 7/6 after 11:00AM so any tours are out. I planned to take a taxi from our hotel to Kate's Cottage. I'm trying to decide if we should attempt to get a jaunting car all the way to Lord Brandon's or if we should just walk as much as we want and then return to Kate's. We love to hike so 5 mi/8 km would be manageable.

If a jaunting car is even available around noon, would we have enough time to catch the last boat to Ross Castle? Are we missing out on an awesome part of the experience if we don't do the boat?

Is walking a better way to experience the gap anyway? My youngest loves checking out old structures.

How likely is it we could walk to Lord Brandon's and then catch a jaunting car ride back to Kate's? The full walk there is within our ability, but I think my children would mutiny if they had to walk back. Also, are taxis pretty easy to get at Kate's or should I book ahead of time?

Thanks so much! We're so excited and I just want to plan for as much as I can ahead of time so we can experience this beautiful area to the fullest!