Ireland is the perfect road trip destination. With rolling hills and spellbinding castles, there’s always so much to do in the Emerald Isle. Here’s our 5-day Ireland road trip itinerary, including visits to Dublin, Dingle Peninsula, Galway and Cobh.

The words ‘road trip’ and ‘Ireland’ are so synonymous with each other by now that they should probably put a picture of Ireland every time a ‘road trip’ is mentioned.

With an extensive network of long, winding roads and so much to see, Ireland is the perfect road trip destination.

Expect to see green rolling hills, dramatic ragged cliffs, breathtaking beaches and historic castles as you pass through the ‘Emerald Isle’. This road tip itinerary is highly recommended for the following:

• going on a journey of self-discovery

• getting over a break up

• being reunited with family and friends

• driving through steep, thrill-seeker roads

• spending time with loved ones

As you can see - a very multi-purpose road trip that can be good for the soul in many ways. :)

We drove clockwise, but this itinerary also works counter-clockwise.

Alright - let’s get road trippin’!

DAY 1

Explore Dublin

• Book of Kells and Trinity College Library

• Trinity College

• St Stephen’s Green

• Temple Bar

Take it easy on your arrival day into Dublin and explore the Irish capital on foot.

Visit truly iconic sights such as the ancient Book of Kells located within the Trinity College Library and the lively Temple Bar district, dotted with classic Irish pubs making noise throughout the night.

Before you do, make a pit stop at St Stephen’s Green – a lush, quiet oasis in the middle of an otherwise bustling city.

Where to stay in Dublin?

We stayed at the Morrison Dublin - a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel and Mespil Hotel for one night each, and absolutely loved staying at both. We highly recommend staying at these hotels.

Some other good choices include:

• The Fitzwilliam Hotel

• Radisson Blue Royal Hotel

• Clayton Hotel Charlemont

DAY 2

Dublin to Cork

• Dunamase Castle

• Rock of Cashel

• Cashel, Tipperary

• Cobh

  • Deck of Cards Houses

  • St Colman’s Cathedral

• Kinsale

• Cork

You’ll hit the ground running on the second day of your road trip, visiting Dunamase Castle.

With its craggy formation surrounded by greenery, Dunamase Castle’s beautiful castle ruins is so quintessentially ‘Irish’. Even better - you might have the place all to yourself as it’s not visited very often by tourists.

Next up is the spectacular archaeological site of the Rock of Cashel and its town surrounds. There’s extensive history behind the story of the Rock of Cashel which you can learn about by going on one of Rock’s guided tours. The Rock of Cashel has been a long-time tourist favourite and is definitely worth a visit.

Round out the day by visiting two colourful towns: Cobh and Kinsale.

In Cobh, make sure to visit St Colman’s Cathedral and the Deck of Cards houses. Interestingly, Cobh was also the final port of call before the Titanic set sail on her maiden voyage. You can also learn more about the Titanic at the Titanic Experience museum in Cobh.

Kinsale is a small town filled with vibrant colours and pubs. Kinsale is also home to two fortresses: the formidable Charles Fort, and the smaller James Fort. There’s also some interesting ghost stories circling around about the town that have been handed down through the generations (oOooOoo)!

Stay overnight in Ireland’s second most populous city – Cork. There’s so much to do in busy and lively Cork if you have the time.

Where to stay in Cork?

We stayed at the Imperial Hotel Cork City for one night. The hotel was perfectly adequate, and fulfilled all our needs. Some other choices in Cork include:

• Jurys Inn Cork

• The Montenotte

• Hotel Isaacs Cork

DAY 3

Cork to Dingle

• Muckross House and Muckross Lake

• Dingle Peninsula

  • Slea Head Drive

  • Dunquin Pier/Dun Chaoin Pier

  • Gallarus Oratory

  • Coumeenoole Beach

  • Conor Pass

  • Dingle Town

Get ready for a lot of driving in Day 3 as you’ll embark on a road trip across the awe-inspiring Dingle Peninsula from Cork city.

On your way, pass through Killarney National Park and make a stop at Muckross House. Tour the grounds, and visit the peaceful Muckross Lake for a photo opportunity.

The Ring of Kerry area could be another whole day in itself, but you won’t have enough time to do both the Dingle Peninsula and the Ring of Kerry in this itinerary. We opted for the Dingle Peninsula, as we heard it was much less crowded than the often visited Ring of Kerry. Apparently the Ring of Kerry can be subject to heavy traffic because of the number of tour buses that operate, going through the route.

Then, make your way across the Dingle Peninsula, stopping at all the must sees, which includes the mysterious Gallarus Oratory, Coumeenoole Beach and epic Dun Chaoin Pier.

Test your nerves by driving through the heart-rate pumping Slea Head Drive and Conor Pass. These drives will take you through steep terrain, going up and down the high Irish mountains. Please be careful - but trust us - the views are absolutely worth it.

Stop at bright, multi-coloured Dingle town for the night. Check out the pubs, souvenir stores, ice cream parlours and just soak in the atmosphere of this charming seaside town.

Where to stay in Dingle?

We stayed at a lovely little B&B called Short Strand Dingle. The owner was friendly and the place was very comfortable - we had a great stay. Some other choices in Dingle include:

• Emlagh House

• The Waterfront

• Dingle Eask View

• Alpine Guesthouse

DAY 4

Dingle, Cliffs of Moher to Galway

• St John’s Parish, Tralee

• Cliffs of Moher

• Dunguaire Castle

Today you’ll be ticking off the ultimate bucket list item on any Ireland road trip itinerary – the Cliffs of Moher.

Pass through the small town of Tralee, making a quick stop at St John’s Parish. This church is another typical, finely-decorated Irish church that’s perfect for an on-the-way stop.

Then, drive through quaint towns and grand mountainous landscapes for a few hours to reach the magnificent and powerful Cliffs of Moher.

The Cliffs of Moher stretch out an astonishing 8km (5 miles) and are a bona fide geographic marvel. Don’t rush your visit here, as the cliffs are something to behold.

Once you’re done with the Cliffs, it’s time to head to the city of Galway.

On your way to Galway, make a stop at the picturesque Dunguaire Castle. Dunguaire Castle is a 16th-century tower house that sits elegantly next to Galway Bay.

Once you’ve reached Galway, it’s time to have a rest after a long day of driving.

Where to stay in Galway?

We stayed at the Forster Court Hotel and loved every minute of it. The place was immaculately clean and staff were friendly too. Some other choices in Galway include:

• Galmont Hotel & Spa

• The Residence Hotel

• Harbour Hotel

DAY 5

Galway to Dublin

• Galway

  • Galway Cathedral

  • Galway Canals

  • Ed Sheeran Wall

  • Quay Street

  • Latin Quarter

  • Galway Bay

  • Galway Docks

  • Spanish Arch

• Birr Castle

• Spire of Dublin

• Christ Church Cathedral

• St Patrick’s Cathedral

Sadly, it’s time to head back to Dublin and embark on the last day of your road trip. But before you do, make sure to pass through some key sights along the way.

Explore the vivacious city of Galway, filled with with bright sights and sounds. Visit Galway City’s highlights such as Galway Cathedral, the Latin Quarter and Galway Docks.

Galway’s main sights can be easily explored on foot. Spend at least a couple of hours here at the inspiration for Ed Sheeran’s song ‘Galway Girl’ before moving on.

On the way to Dublin, make a slight detour to Birr Castle. Birr Castle is a striking castle with a twist. It also serves as an environmental and scientific time capsule, with so much to learn about.

Note: Visiting Trim Castle instead of Birr Castle is also an option on this day. The movie ‘Braveheart’ was shot at Trim Castle.

Keep driving until you reach Dublin.

Upon reaching Dublin, take one last night tour of the Ireland’s “Fair City”, visiting icons such as the Spire of Dublin, Christ Church Cathedral and St Patrick’s Cathedral.

Stay safe and be aware of your belongings at all times. Dublin can be prone to pick-pocketing and other petty crime, especially at night.

Where to stay in Dublin?

As stated above, we stayed at the Morrison Dublin - a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel and Mespil Hotel for one night each. Would highly recommend staying at these hotels.

Some other choices include:

• The Fitzwilliam Hotel

• Radisson Blue Royal Hotel

• Clayton Hotel Charlemont

There you go - you’re all set!

Our road trip was fairly slow spaced, so you could easily fit more sights into your itinerary if you wanted.

Among other sights, you could have added:

• Ring of Kerry

• Powerscourt Estate

• Ross Castle

• Blarney Castle

Driving in Ireland versus Going on Tours

Remember to always drive safely, follow road rules and exercise precaution at all times. Ireland’s weather can get pretty wet and foggy, which makes it difficult to see.

During these times, drive slow or pull over. Don’t cave into the pressure of drivers tailgating you – chances are, they’re locals who know exactly how to deal with this weather. As visitors, we should be more careful.

In Ireland, drivers drive on the left. This was pretty easy for us as we live in Australia where it’s exactly the same. But if you’re coming from a country where drivers keep to the right, make sure you drive extra carefully.

Also, this is not a safety rule, but still highly important – make a kickass playlist to match the awesome road trip you’re going to have. Trust me, you’ll be driving for long hours and you’ll need it.

Looking for a car to rent? We usually use Europcar and haven’t had any problems so far with them.

Not keen on driving? You could visit Ireland from top to tail by going on guided tours if you want. These tours cost more than the cost of car rental, but might be more efficient time-wise.

Some tours you should check out are:

• 5-Day Highlights Tour of Ireland

• 3-Day Southern Ireland Tour including Kerry and Galway

• Cliffs of Moher Day Trip from Dublin

• 7-Day Tour of Ireland hitting almost all the spots on this itinerary

What to bring when visiting Ireland

As mentioned before, Ireland’s weather can be pretty rough. It rains a lot, it’s often windy, so much of the land is mountainous, and you just never know what weather you’ll get on any given day. Therefore, a few things you should bring when visiting the Emerald Isle include:

• rain jacket

• windbreaker

• umbrella

• sunscreen

• warm jacket

• thermals

• hiking shoes if needed

That’s it for our 5-day itinerary! We hope some of our pictures inspired you to visit this fairy tale land.

Happy road tripping!

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