10 Stops That Fill a Ten-Day Ireland Route
Ten days in Ireland gives you enough time to circle a meaningful chunk of the country without spending every night in a different bed. The trick is picking stops that build on each other geographically, so you’re not backtracking across the island to chase another castle or cliff. Below are ten locations that, strung together, make a route that flows naturally from Dublin to the west coast and back, with enough breathing room to actually enjoy each place rather than just photograph it.
Dublin
Start here, since most flights land at Dublin Airport and the city is an easy place to shake off jet lag. Spend a day and a half walking Trinity College, the Guinness Storehouse, and the Georgian streets around Merrion Square. Dublin also sets a useful baseline for pub food and pricing before you head into smaller towns where menus and hours get less predictable.
Kilkenny
Two hours south of Dublin, Kilkenny is a compact medieval city built around a working castle that still has its original furniture and gardens open to the public. The narrow lanes, called “slips,” connect the main streets and hide small breweries and craft shops worth an afternoon of wandering. It’s a good first overnight stop that eases you out of the capital without a long drive.
Cork and Cobh
Cork City has a lively market culture, especially the English Market, which has been trading since 1788 and gives a real sense of Irish food beyond the tourist menu. Just twenty minutes away, Cobh sits on the harbor and was the last port of call for the Titanic in 1912, a history the town leans into without overdoing it. The colorful row houses along the waterfront make it one of the most photographed towns in the south.
Kinsale
A short drive from Cork, Kinsale trades city bustle for a fishing-village pace and a reputation for seafood that punches above its size. Charles Fort, a star-shaped fortress from the 1600s, overlooks the harbor and is worth the walk out from town. Kinsale works well as a slower half-day stop before pushing further along the coast.
The Ring of Kerry
This 111-mile loop around the Iveragh Peninsula is one of the most scenic drives in Ireland, passing beaches, mountain passes, and the Kerry Cliffs, which rival the more famous Cliffs of Moher without the same crowds. Driving the loop counterclockwise, the direction tour buses avoid, keeps you out of traffic bottlenecks on the narrower sections. Budget a full day, since stopping for photos and short walks adds up quickly.
Dingle Peninsula
North of Kerry, the Dingle Peninsula packs beehive huts, Gaelic-speaking villages, and the Slea Head Drive into a smaller, quieter loop than Kerry’s. Dingle town itself has a fishing-harbor charm and a resident dolphin, Fungie’s successor sightings still get mentioned by boat operators, though nothing is guaranteed. This peninsula is often the highlight for travelers who want scenery without the tour-bus traffic.
The Cliffs of Moher
Rising 700 feet above the Atlantic in County Clare, the Cliffs of Moher are the single most visited natural attraction in Ireland, and for good reason. Arrive early, ideally before 10 a.m., to beat the tour groups and get clearer views along the cliff-edge path toward O’Brien’s Tower. The visitor center is built into the hillside, so it doesn’t interrupt the view from the approach.
Galway City
Galway has a completely different energy from Dublin or Cork, built around Quay Street’s buskers, the Latin Quarter’s tight lanes, and a strong traditional music scene that spills out of pubs most nights of the week. It’s also the natural gateway to the Aran Islands and Connemara, so it makes sense as a two-night base rather than a quick pass-through. Anyone piecing together a 10 day tour of Ireland should treat Galway as a hinge point, since it connects the southern coastal route to the wilder northwest.
Connemara
West of Galway, Connemara’s bogs, lakes, and low mountains feel more remote than anywhere else on this route. Kylemore Abbey, a 19th-century castle turned Benedictine monastery, sits on a lake with its own walled Victorian garden a short walk away. The N59 through Connemara National Park is worth the detour even if you’re short on time elsewhere.
Kilmainham Gaol and the Return to Dublin
Closing the loop back in Dublin, Kilmainham Gaol offers a sobering counterpoint to ten days of scenery and pub food. Several leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were executed here, and the guided tour walks through the stone corridors and exercise yards where it happened. It’s a heavy note to end on, but it grounds the trip in the history that shaped the country you’ve just spent ten days driving across.
Ten stops sounds ambitious for ten days, but the geography does most of the work, since each location sits within two or three hours of the next. The real planning task isn’t finding things to see, it’s resisting the urge to add an eleventh stop that turns every day into a transit day.
Have you read my other travel content? I have some of our driving experiences in Europe you might like to read about but I haven’t yet been to Ireland, that is next on the list though!
