Ireland Itinerary
By Rick Steves and Pat O'Connor
So much to see, so little time. How to choose? To help you get started, we've listed our top picks for where to go in Ireland, and our plan for your best two-week trip.
Depending on the length of your trip, and taking geographic proximity into account, here are our recommended priorities:
- 3 days: Dublin
- 5 days, add: Dingle Peninsula
- 8 days, add: Galway, Aran Islands, slow down
- 10 days, add: County Clare & the Burren, Rock of Cashel, Kilkenny
- 13 days, add: Belfast, Antrim Coast
- 16 days, add: Kinsale, Kenmare/Ring of Kerry
- 19 days, add: Derry, Connemara & Westport, Wicklow Mountains/Boyne Valley
- 21 days: Slow down
Rick’s Best Two-Week Ireland Trip (by Car)
Spend your first three nights in Dublin, using buses and taxis, then pick up a car for the rest of this itinerary. If you'd rather save Dublin for your finale, when you're rested and ready to tackle the big city, rent your car at the airport upon landing, and start your trip in small-town Trim (nearby), which makes a mellow first-night stop. If you have time for only one idyllic peninsula on your trip, choose the Dingle Peninsula over the Ring of Kerry.
Day 1: Fly into Dublin (sleep in Dublin)
Day 2: Dublin (sleep in Dublin)
Day 3: Dublin (sleep in Dublin)
Day 4: Rent car, drive to your choice of southern Ireland sights (near Waterford) (sleep in Kilkenny)
Day 5: Rock of Cashel, Kinsale (sleep in Kinsale)
Day 6: Either linger this morning in Kinsale, then drive direct to Dingle (3 hours); or get an early start for the long but scenic Ring of Kerry drive via Kenmare (6 hours plus sightseeing stops) (sleep in Dingle)
Day 7: Morning: Dingle town; afternoon: Slea Head loop drive (sleep in Dingle)
Day 8: Cliffs of Moher and the Burren (5 hours plus sightseeing stops) (sleep in Galway)
Day 9: Side-trip by boat or plane to Inishmore or Inisheer, Aran Islands (sleep in Galway)
Day 10: Cong and Connemara to Westport (sleep in Westport)
Day 11: To Derry; see Derry this afternoon/evening (sleep in Derry)
Day 12: Drive to Antrim Coast, see Giant's Causeway and nearby sights, to Belfast this evening (sleep in Belfast)
Day 13: Belfast (sleep in Belfast)
Day 14: Drive to Boyne Valley sights (sleep in Trim)
Day 15: Return car and fly home from Dublin
By Public Transportation
For two weeks without a car, skip places with frustrating public transportation (Kilkenny and Waterford, the Ring of Kerry, the Burren, Connemara, and the Boyne Valley) or book a day tour by bus. Taxis — though expensive — can work in a pinch (e.g., Cork to Kinsale).
Pat O'Connor is the co-author of the Rick Steves Ireland guidebook.