Ireland has always been at the top of my travel bucket list. Photos always made it look so serene, green and just something out of a movie. Now that I’ve been, I can say all of those things are true.
When starting to plan Ireland, I wasn’t sure how I was going to do it. I wanted to see as much as possible but not rush myself. I also was very unsure if I would rent a car and drive or not. Especially as a single female traveler, I was a little hesitant to be doing it all alone, but I’m so glad I did.
Here’s how my one week, solo road trip through Ireland went and some thoughts for planning a trip too.
Driving in Ireland
I can absolutely say the best way to see this country is by driving. They drive on the left side of the road, on the right side of the car. After 45 min or so of doing it, it’s not that bad. You really just have to have confidence and don’t overcorrect too much to the left…hug the middle line more than you think.
- Upgrade to an automatic – even if you can drive manual, you’ll be shifting with your left hand, so beware!
- Upgrade to a GPS system – unless you’re certain you can rely on your phone’s international plan service
- Consider not picking up from the airport – I went with Enterprise in the city center
Planning Your Trip
You can’t see the whole country in a week. Pick and choose. I feel like I saw enough to feel satisfied and still got an understanding of the country as a whole, with some spots I’d want to go back to or see that I didn’t get to on this trip.
By the way, I didn’t even consider Northern Ireland. It’s a different country and totally deserves a separate trip in my opinion. After talking to locals, it sounds like that was the right move as there’s so much to see there and too many people try to tackle both in 7-10 days…not fun!
I got to stay in five cities and stop by/drive through many more. I’m very happy with the itinerary I made and had multiple locals validate that for me. So, if you want to go to Ireland, I’d recommend doing it like this. 😉
I thrive on having an outline, but not every minute planned. This gives you guidelines, but leaves flexibility for spontaneity and discovering the unknown, which is bound to happen when traveling.
I knew where I was staying and general sights I wanted to see. I didn’t figure out the details of when I was getting up/arriving, eating, seeing, doing etc. until the night before the next destination. This really helped reduce mental load ahead of time when planning (because planning a seven day road trip in a different country by yourself is a lot as it is). It also allowed me to discover things as I went along and take in local recommendations too.
Finally, plan for rain, no matter what time of year. Ireland is a rainy climate so you will get wet at some point.
Day 0: Travel to Dublin
I took an overnight direct flight from Chicago O’Hare to Dublin via Aer Lingus. It was just under 7 hours and was a great experience. I left Chicago around 8:00pm Wednesday night and arrived in Dublin just before 9:00am on Thursday. I highly recommend this option to maximize your time.
Now, believe it or not, I’ve been to Dublin before…Dublin, Ohio that is. 😉
Day 1: Exploring All of Dublin
Getting to Dublin City Center
Once landed, hop on the Aircoach 700 bus to the city centre which is great and affordable. It’s €7 and you can purchase it when boarding the bus. If I had known, I might’ve pre-purchased my ticket online, but it didn’t seem to matter. It’s about a 30 min. drive. Grabbing a cab will maybe save you 10 minutes, but will cost much more.
Since this is a road trip, you’ll need a car. I chose to pick up my rental car the second day (when I’d actually need it) in the city center. This saves you from driving upon landing and you don’t have to deal with parking in the city. Find a rental car option near where you’re staying (I used Enterprise).
Dropping off Luggage
If your Airbnb, hotel or hostel isn’t ready for you yet, book luggage hold through Stasher.com. It’s cheap, flexible and reliable. I’ve done it in Paris, NYC and Dublin now. I usually opt for a hotel or hostel (vs. convenience store) that’s close to my actual stay. I dropped my bags off at Abbey Court Hostel – highly rated place to stay that I didn’t end up booking.
What to Do in Dublin
When you land early, you get the opportunity to spend the entire day exploring. If you can plan ahead, I’d book your tickets to Guinness Storehouse, Jameson Distillery and Book of Kells (plus anything else you want to do) ahead of time. That way you are guaranteed a spot and have something to build an itinerary around.
It’s super easy to just walk around Dublin and see all the sites, architecture and restaurants/pubs. Definitely walk along the River Liffey and walk around Temble Bar neighborhood for proper nightlife (albeit a bit touristy, still fun!).
Dublin Sights
- Ha’penny Bridge
- Dublin Castle
- Christ Church Catherdral
- St. Patrick’s Cathedral + Park
- Trinity College campus
- Book of Kells – I didn’t get to do this 🙁
Dublin Activities
- Guinness Storehouse – with Stoutie upgrade (it’s worth it)
- Jameson Distillery tour and tasting (recommend bottling your own)
- George’s St. Arcade for shopping (good place for gifts)
- Powerscourt Townhouse Center for shopping & eating (lots of antiques!)
Dublin Eats & Drinks
- Keoghs Cafe for traditional Irish breakfast
- The Old Mill for traditional Irish stew
- The Quay’s Bar for classic pub vibes & live music that isn’t crowded
- The Temple Bar bar for a tourist bucket-list item
- The Stag’s Head pub for a chill vibe
- Riot for modern cocktails, shots & music
- The Workman’s Club for punk party vibes
- Izakaya Basement for an underground club type of scene
I’m not a beer or whiskey drinker and enjoyed both Guinness and Jameson tours. Know that Guinness is self-guided and seven floors. It’s a lot, but if you don’t read everything on the walls you can buzz through it quickly and focus on areas you care about. The tasting room, Stoutie and Gravity Bar are the coolest.
In the tasting room you get to smell aroma pods of the different ingredients, taste some Guinneess, cheers like a local and carry on. The Stoutie is an upgrade where you get a selfie on a pint and it’s very cool. Don’t skip it! I did it for the photo op and don’t regret it. The top floor is the Gravity Bar, you get a drink with your ticket purchase and you get great views of Dublin. There’s even a restaurant on a lower level.
The Jameson tour is guided with an awesome tour guide. The first part is self led through the history of the family. After that, they use really cool projected animations to talk about the start of the business and how Jameson is actually made. It’s really interactive and cool to watch on top of a great guide storytelling. You get to sniff and see the different ingredients that go into the product. Finally you have a tasting of three whiskey’s – one of which they don’t sell in the US. I don’t like whiskey and glad I did it for the learning experience. Their guides are very knowledgeable!
Once done, you also get a free drink with your ticket purchase (either straight whiskey or ginger ale mixer). But there’s a bar where you can try their specialty cocktails. If you feel like spending a little bit more, like me, you can bottle your own straight from the barrel and make your own bottle label and sign the ledger. I’m happy I did it to have a special cask-strength bottle at home as a souvenir.
Where I stayed: Airbnb in Temple Bar. Great location, massive space, good host.
Day 2: Drive to Kinsale, Stop by Kilkenny & Cashel
Pick up your car as early as possible to hit the road and avoid any traffic while getting used to driving. The end destination is Kinsale (or Cork, if you prefer), but on the way, make two easy stops that you’d pass by anyways: Kilkenny and Cashel.
For those who follow me on Instagram, you know my original plan was to go to Wicklow National Park to hike then head to Kilkenny or Cashel then onto Kinsale. However, it snowed the night prior. I got about 15 min away from the entrance and turned around because there was so much snow, cars piled up and I had a total panic meltdown as my first experience driving there. I collected myself and pivoted onto Kilkenny.
Going to Kilkenny is about 1.5 hours on the highway and is a straight shot south of Dublin. There’s an easy, centrally located parking garage in the town.
Kilkenny is very medieval times feeling and cool! It felt different than the rest of the towns on the trip. Highly walkable and quaint. It’s a great stop for a couple hours vs. staying. Lots of little shops and cafes along the main street.
Kilkenny Sights:
- Kilkenny Castle
- Kytellers Inn
- St. Mary’s Catherdral
- Black Abbey
- Saint Canice’s Cathedral
Continue on the road for another 45 min to Cashel. Cashel is a very small town, I only stopped to see the Rock of Cashel. If you got there on time, you could do a tour of the castle to learn more of the history and maybe stop in a shop or pub before leaving. I really was not interested and just did a quick photo stop before hitting the road.
Continue driving for another 1.5 hours and you’ll be in the cute harbor town of Kinsale. If your timing is good, you’ll get in before dark, settle in your lodging and then be ready to find dinner, a pub and call it a night.
Where I stayed: Airbnb in Kinsale. Great location, good for 1/2 people for a short stay.
Day 3: Explore Kinsale, Stop by Blarney, Drive to and Explore Killarney
Kinsale is about 30 minutes south of the city Cork. Although I had heard/read good things about Cork, I’m happy I went with Kinsale. It’s small town vibes, which was nice having just came from Dublin. It’s right on the water and a good place to get seafood. I spent the morning/early afternoon walking through Kinsale before heading off again.
What to do in Kinsale
- Walk around the colorful town
- Leona’s Cafe for breakfast
- Fishy Fishy for seafood dinner
- Cosy Cafe or The Flying Poet for caffeine
- The Spaniard Inn or Man Friday for drinks
- Walk the Scilly Walk trail for harbor and town views
Once you’ve soaked up enough colorful, cobblestone walks, head out to see the Blarney Castle, about a 40 minute drive.
Many reviews said to skip Blarney Castle, but I’m glad I didn’t. It’s not expensive and by going early + during off season, it wasn’t busy. If you’ve seen plenty of castles, this one is no different…however, the grounds are very beautiful to walk through and how can you pass up getting some luck to kiss the Blarney Stone? 😉 It was on the way and seemed silly to skip.
Out of all the places I drove for this trip, the roads leading to Blarney town where the smallest/tightest. I had to pull in my driver’s side mirror and cars would take turns inching past each other. Thankfully it was totally normal and a slow paced street that wasn’t very long.
Exploring Killarney
Once you’re done with Blarney Castle, it’s about an hour drive west to Killarney. You can either choose to spend some time in Blarney to explore the town, or get in to Killarney sooner and explore more there.
I chose to go straight to Killarney, walk around the town, eat dinner and go pub hopping for the night.
Killarney was one of my favorite towns across the whole trip and was the only place I stayed in twice (aside from Dublin, but those were two separate nights). It felt like a small/mid-sized college town without the college. I ran into zero tourists and had the most fun at these pubs. It was a lively scene and I had so much fun! I ended up being there on a Saturday and Sunday, so I felt like I got a real taste for the vibes.
Killarney also had my favorite pubs and I had the best food there, so it’s a great stop. Maybe if you’re lucky, you’ll meet some awesome locals too. I met multiple bachelor (‘stag’) parties and it was easy to talk to just about anyone and make friends with some. 😉
Recommended Killarney Restaurants
- The Laurels Pub
- The Lane
Recommended Killarney Pubs
- Dunloe Lodge
- Tatler Jack
- JM Reidy’s
- The Grand
Where I stayed: Airbnb in Killarney. Great location, perfect size, amazing hosts. The host’s daughter was in charge for the weekend and her mom is actually from Chicago, so that was cool!
Day 4: Drive the Ring of Kerry, Stay in Killarney Again
Once you’ve had your night out, the next day is all about sights! After my long night out in Killarney, I had a slow morning. I had no set timing around the day as I was staying in Killarney again and my day would be spent driving + sightseeing. This was a great way to tackle it, in my opinion. I left around 10am and got back around 4:30pm.
This drive is one of the most popular destinations in Ireland. I was very nervous about how busy it would be and how small, windy and crowded the roads may get. It ended up being basically empty and not that bad to drive on at all.
Recommended Ring of Kerry Stops
- Torc Waterfall
- Ladies View
- Molls Gap
- Drive through Kenmare town
- Drive through Sneem town
- Drive through Waterville town
- Mountain Stage Viewpoint
- Gap of Dunloe
- Wishing Bridge
- Ross Castle (skippable, but I had extra time)
Ring of Kerry was definitely beautiful. Most of your time is spent driving, soaking up the views. When you think you see something cool, just pull over and grab a pic, if you can. I actually preferred the drive around Dingle (Slea Head drive), but both are totally worth doing.
You could stop to eat at any of the towns along the way, but I just stuck with the snack bars I packed as I wanted to see as much as possible.
I had wanted to make a stop off the ring route to see the Kerry Cliffs, which are a part of a secondary loop drive called the Skellig Ring. Unfortunately it was getting pretty foggy and rainy for me and didn’t feel comfortable doing it….next time! Plus, ever I ever go back, I’d like to see more of Killarney National Park and do some real hiking too.
After a day of driving stop & go…get back to your lodging, take a masssssssive nap and wake up in time for dinner, a drink and bed again. 😀
Day 5: Drive to and Explore Dingle
Killarney had my favorite bars and restaurants, but Dingle had my favorite views. Driving from Killarney to Dingle is only about an hour, so getting up at a decent time and heading out to tackle it all in a day is very doable.
On the way into town, stop by Inch Beach, Dingle Lighthouse, Connor Pass and Peddler’s Lake. Then drive around Slea Head Drive.
Slea Head Drive Sights:
- Ventry
- Beehive Huts
- Cross at Slea Head
- Blasket’s View
- Coumeenoole Beach
- Dunmore Head (my favorite)
- Dunquin Pier
- The Blasket Centre Viewing Platform + Trail
- Gallarus Oratory (I ended up skipping)
There’s so many more sights across Dingle to see off Slea Head drive. It’s such a stunning area. The town is super small and cute too. It unfortunately felt a little touristy…lots of non-Irish accents around. But I had a great dinner at Paul Geaney’s and enjoyed walking around.
Where I stayed: A room in this BnB. Great location, large size, horrible bed, free breakfast, amazing host who is a lovely older man who could barely remember my name.
Day 6: Drive to and Explore Doolin/Cliffs of Moher
Get up early and head out from Dingle to get to Doolin. This next drive is the longest drive of the whole trip (three hours) and there’s no stops along the way. You drive through Adare (very cute) and around Limerick. So if you wanted, you could make stops at either. I opted out as I was very excited for the Cliffs! The whole point of going to Doolin, is to see the Cliffs of Moher. They’re a top tourist attraction, but definitely cool!
Note that Doolin is pretty small, the smallest of all the towns on this trip and there’s literally nothing around. I think there were two pub options. The views are why you go!
Walk the Cliffs of Moher, and if you can, check out Hag’s Head. I was fortunate to have a local with me to show me that area with zero people around and a different (better) view of the cliffs. Plus saw some cool rock formations.
Pending weather, your energy levels and time, grab some food at McDermott’s (where I went) or McGann’s then stroll along the coastal walking trail as far as you want/can. Once it’s dark, there’s not much to do and the roads are very small (one car only) and hilly, so I recommend just staying in once sunset hits.
Where I stayed: Airbnb near Doolin. Great location, stunning views, large size and amazing hosts who were kind, flexible and even swapped out food to be gluten free for me.
The week is almost up and there’s on drive left…back to Dublin! You can either do more coastal/cliff walks in Doolin, head back to Dublin for more Dublin time or do what I did and do a quick stop over in Galway then head back to Dublin.
Day 7: Drive back to Dublin, Stop by Galway
My rental car place in Dublin closed at 5pm, so that was what all of my timing was around. I got up and left for Galway as soon as I could in the morning to maximize my time there.
I don’t have many recommendations for Galway as I mostly just walked around the city center. I grabbed lunch at a cafe I stumbled upon and mostly just enjoyed wandering the streets. Galway is definitely a city I would like to go back to and stay in. Seemed very much my vibe and fun! Plus, it was recommended by many locals and travelers.
I ended up leaving Galway sooner than anticipated as I was pretty tired from the trip at this point and it was raining a bit more than I cared for. Three more hours straight east in the car (mostly on highways again!) and you’re back in Dublin.
I spent my time just walking around the Dublin center again, getting settled into my hostel and posting up at The Temple Bar for food, music and drinks. Again, I was pretty tired, so I was fine staying put in one bar for awhile. If there’s anything you didn’t get to see or do in Dublin on your first day, this is when you should tackle it. I ventured to more pubs (mentioned earlier) and got ready to leave the country.
Where I stayed: Hostel in Dublin. Right next door to Jameson Distillery, a bit out of the way. Clean, cheap, easy, female-only rooms a plus. I’ve stayed at this company’s hostels before and always recommend them.
Day 8: Travel Home
The final hours in Dublin! I chose to have a late start, easy breakfast next door to my hostel and then decided to get to the airport earlier than planned because it’s never a bad idea and I was tired of dragging luggage around or leaving it somewhere.
Find your bus stop in the city center, hop aboard the Aircoach 700 bus again to the airport and boom…! The Dublin airport is super easy to navigate and you actually go through US Customs there vs. at your home airport, so when you get to the US you just walk off the plane/gate like domestic flights…it was trippy but awesome!
I had a 3:20pm direct flight on Aer Lingus again which got back to Chicago around 7:30pm or so. Perfect to wind down my evening.
All in all, this was one of the best trips I’ve done and done solo. Ireland is beautiful and I wouldn’t have tackled this trip or country any other way. Hopefully my trip is helpful for planning.
…now who wants to plan my Montreal trip? 😀