Ireland
Round-trip from Dublin
Distance: 535 Miles
Suggested Length: 7 Days
I spent a week driving around Ireland to see all the castles, cliffs, and cathedrals this gorgeous island has to offer. Highlights include Dublin, the Cliffs of Moher, and Blarney Castle.
This small and charming country known as the Emerald Isle has rolling hills dotted with sheep, castles, and churches. It's only a maximum of a couple of hours of driving between each city, so you can really squeeze a lot of sights in a short trip.
We planned a trip that hit all the major tourist destinations Ireland had to offer: walking tours through Dublin's St. Patrick's Cathedral and Trinity College, hikes atop the Cliffs of Moher, scenic drives through Killarney National Park, and a kiss on the Blarney Stone.
START: DUBLIN
Dublin has some excellent attractions. From cathedrals to Trinity College Dublin, nice parks, and the National Botanic Gardens, there are plenty of reasons to plan a day or two for the capital city itself, and I would highly recommend a long walk around Dublin to see all the sights.
Stop 1: GALWAY
A 2.5-hour drive west from Dublin will bring you to Galway, which was definitely my unexpected favorite of the trip. It had great personality, lots to do, and I love getting lost in charming neighborhoods with meandering cobblestone streets. We got lucky with some nice weather and decided to seek out a cathedral popular among tourists. The Galway Cathedral is really quite beautiful. It's at the top of a hill and a little bit of a trek, but it was definitely worth it.
Stop 2: THE BURREN & THE CLIFFS OF MOHER
Galway is the closest city to Burren National Park and the Cliffs of Moher, hence why it was the previous stop. Get a nice early start in the morning so you have time to do the full experience. An hour drive down the coast from Galway will get you to the Aillwee Burren Experience, which provides a very cool Birds of Prey lecture and an equally exciting tour of Aillwee Cave.
From there, it's about a thirty-minute drive to the Burren, which is a ridiculously cool and otherworldly landscape made from dissolving limestone and grass growing wherever it can. There's a thirty-minute loop drive, and you'll certainly want some time to get out and walk around on this wild land formation. Don't forget to look out for little critters of which there are many, including stoat, mink, voles, rabbits, and more.
Drive about thirty minutes south from the Burren, and you'll end up at the Cliffs of Moher. There are two viewpoints (north and south) with plenty of parking lots available. There's a visitor's center with a few different restaurants, plenty of souvenir shops, bathrooms, and a learning center. You can walk along the cliff quite a way, but the best views are definitely from the second-floor window of O'Brien's Tower.
From here, it's an hour-ish drive down to Limerick, Ireland. We truthfully didn't see much of Limerick after such a busy day, but there's a great shopping mall called Arthur's Quay and a cute park called Arthur's Quay Park right on the River Shannon in downtown Limerick.
Stop 3: KILLARNEY NATIONAL PARK
Killarney National Park is an awesome part of Ireland that I certainly recommend to any tourist visiting the Emerald Isle. On your way into Killarney, just north of downtown, be sure to check out the Falconry Kerry, where you can see birds of prey, alpaca, and try out a beekeeping experience. Killarney also has a very charming downtown area with some excellent restaurants, fun entertainment, and nice hotels.
Killarney National Park is a sprawling section of Killarney with all sorts of interesting sights. The Killarney House and Gardens is an absolute hidden gem in downtown Killarney. You'd never guess it was on the other side of a concrete wall next to the main road, and from inside, you completely forget that you're in the middle of a bustling city. I also loved Torc Cascades, Ross Castle, and Muckross Abbey.
Stop 4: BLARNEY CASTLE
Just over an hour southeast of Killarney is the world-famous Blarney Castle. Visiting this castle to see (and kiss) the Blarney Stone might not seem worth it to you, but I would definitely recommend it. If you don't want to wait two hours to kiss the Blarney Stone, at least take a walk around the gorgeous Blarney Gardens, which are super interesting. The Blarney Castle is also very well preserved, while most others from its time have deteriorated into ruins and are no longer safe to enter. For these reasons, I think a trip to the Blarney Castle is well worth it.
End: DUBLIN
Because the drive back to Dublin from Blarney Castle is 4+ hours, you will want to make one final stop in either Cork or Waterford. Both are cute towns with a lot of personality. You could visit the world-renowned Waterford Crystal factory or check out all of Cork's charming pedestrian bridges along the River Lee.
Again, I do recommend spending at least a couple of days in Dublin, either at the beginning or end of your trip. Buy some wool, try a Guinness, and soak up the luck of the Irish!
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