Ireland Itinerary
Since my husband is part Irish, Ireland was a trip we’d been wanting to take for years. We had such a great time poking around the country and exploring it’s wild coastline. We did this trip in May 2018 and we had beautiful weather…60’s -70’s each day and it only rained once. The locals told us this was unheard of. Here is our Ireland itinerary for a perfect week.
Happy planning!
How was the driving in Ireland?
Driving was insane! Cars drive on the left side of the road with the steering wheel on the right side of the car. As if that is not bad enough, I can’t stress how narrow the roads are. Lots of people told us that before we went…actually everyone mentioned it…and I can see why. My neck hurt at the end of the day from leaning to the right the whole time. I could never drive there but my husband looked like a pro.
Where do you fly in to Ireland?
The best place to fly in is Dublin Airport (DUB), which services the eastern counties, Cork Airport (ORK), servicing the southern counties, and Shannon Airport (SNN), serving the western
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DAY 1: Bunratty
Land in Shannon Airport. Rent a car and drive to Bunratty. (20 minutes away)
Check into Bunratty Castle Hotel and get some sleep. (Read our full review of this hotel.)
After you wake up, head to Bunratty Castle and Folk Park.
Dinner: Do Medieval Banquet in the castle.
DAY 2: Dromoland Castle & Doolin
Drive to Dromoland Castle (20 minutes away) for a Hawk Walk It was one of the most memorable things we did in Ireland and is well worth the money! (Make sure you make a reservation. (Read our full review HERE)
Drive to your rental house in Doolin (55 minutes away) and settle in. (Stop to pick up food for breakfasts and snacks.) Go into town in early afternoon and walk around a bit.
Dinner: Find a pub that has music in Doolin. We loved Gus O’Connor’s Pub.
DAY 3: Cliffs of Moher
Head over to see the Cliffs of Moher from the top. (Read our full review HERE)
In the afternoon, do a boat ride to see the cliffs from the bottom and see the coastline. There are several tour groups you can use. (You’ll want to book this ahead of time.)
DAY 4: Rock of Cashel & Kinsale
Breakfast at the house, tidy up, and check out. Drive to Rock of Cashel (2 hours and 15 minutes away from Doolin) and explore it on your own or do a tour. Then walk into town to have lunch.
Next, drive to Kinsale. (one and a half hours away) (Stop to pick up food for the house if you want.)
Check into your house rental in Kinsale and settle in. Walk around town before dinner.
Dinner @ Fishy Fishy. (It was the best meal we had in Ireland)
DAY 5: Blarney Castle
Drive to Blarney Castle (45 minutes away) and explore the grounds and kiss the stone.
In the afternoon, head back to Kinsale and explore the town some more.
Depending on where you’re staying, possibly walk to Fort Charles.
There are lots of places that have live music at night. Find a cute pub and go in for an after-dinner drink. They don’t mind if kids are in the bar and it’s a fun experience.
DAY 6: Jerpoint Abbey & Kilkenny
Breakfast at the house, tidy up, and check out. Drive to Jerpoint Abbey. (2 hours 10 minutes) Explore the abbey or get a tour.
Drive to Kilkenny, (half hour away) check into Newpark Hotel.
(Read our full review of the Newpark Hotel HERE)
Go see Kilkenny Castle and walk around town.
Dinner: Dinner at the hotel or ask the concierge for a recommendation
DAY 7: Malahide
Drive to Malahide. (1 hour 40 minutes)
Check into the Grand Hotel and have a beer at the Matt Ryan Pub in the hotel.
(Read our full review of the Grand Hotel HERE)
Explore the town and go to Malahide Castle. They only offer guided tours inside the castle but the girls liked it because the guide was funny and also talked about all the ghosts in the castle.
Grab some ice cream and walk down to the water to watch the boats.
Dinner @ The Greedy Goose (Beautiful restaurant on the water that has sampling menus.)
DAY 8: Dublin
Drive to Dublin, (half hour away) check into Jury’s Inn Parnell Street.
(This hotel had a good location but was my least favorite of the trip. We had few choices since Ed Sheeran was playing in Dublin that weekend.)
Spend the day exploring Dublin. Go to the Guinness Factory. (Book your ticket ahead of time or you’ll have a wait.)
Go see Christ Church Cathedral. Then do some shopping on Grafton Street.
Finally, do the Vikings Splash Tour. (It’s like a duck tour. Cheesy and touristy, but a fun way to see the city and even get a view from the water. Kids will love it. Adults will tolerate it.)
I would have loved to have toured Kilmainham Gaol (an old prison) but you need to book tickets about 2 weeks in advance.
Dinner: Ask the concierge for a recommendation
DAY 9
Finish exploring Dublin. If you have a night flight, you could do the Dublin Zoo.
Get to the airport with plenty of time to return your car.
(It was the only airport where I’ve ever had to go through security twice.)
Have a safe trip home!
What else can you do in Ireland?
3-Day Cork, Blarney Castle, Ring of Kerry and Cliffs of Moher Rail Tour
Blarney Castle Tour from Cork including Cobh
4-Day South West Ireland Tour from Dublin
Game of Thrones – Winterfell Trek from Dublin
Killarney National Park Horseback Ride. Co Kerry. Guided. 3 hours.
Skip the Line Guinness and Jameson Irish Whiskey Experience Tour in Dublin
Northern Ireland Highlights Day Trip Including Giant’s Causeway from Dublin
The Irish Dance Experience in Galway, Ireland
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