Irish Road Trip

I recently planned an Irish road trip for some good friends.  They had a week but there was a lot to fit in.  Here’s what I planned as a “best of” itinerary. 

Note: All photos are from Spokenlight Photography and taken on the trip described below.

Note:  If you want to leave the cities, you’ll need to rent a car so you are mobile. The scenery is definitely a reason to visit Ireland, so you want to be able to get out into the countryside and the coast. I recommend flying in and out of Dublin.  But if you are combining your trip to another European destination, you can reverse this itinerary and consider a one-way car rental and flying out of Belfast. 

Drive Dublin – Belfast:  After arriving in Dublin and picking up your rental car, head north to Belfast.  While it is less than 2 hours direct, you can spend a whole day stopping to see sights along the way.    Considerations should include: 1)  Newgrange and Hill of Tara, 2) lunch in Trim at Jack Quinns Irish Pub, Kahn Spices, or Stockhouse, 3) Trim Castle, 4) Fore Abbey, and 5) Loughcrew Cairns.  This will add about two hours of driving to your trip plus however long you spend at each stop. 

Full Day in Belfast:  I really enjoyed Belfast when I was there a few years ago.  I especially enjoyed learning about “the troubles” and seeing the murals.  I recommend starting any trip to a new city with a free walking tour.  Other stops to consider for the day include: 1)  Peace Wall & Solidarity Wall; 2) Belfast City Hall; 3) church house; 4) opera house; 5) Albert Memorial clock; 6) look inside the Merchant Hotel; 7) Saint Anne’s Cathedral; 8) Victoria Square Dome for a view of the city; 9) CS Lewis Square; 10) St George Market; 11) Crumlin Road Gaol Museum (former prison); 12) Ulster Museum; 13) Titanic Museum (advance tickets recommended)

Giant Causeway Day Trip:  The Giant Causeway is a must see while in Ireland.  It is a pretty unique landscape, and very fun to walk around and explore.  The Giant Causeway is just over an hour from Belfast and I would plan to spend a couple of hours there.  To fill out the rest of your day, consider stopping at Belfast Castle (you can have tea there), Dunluce Castle and Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge.

Note:  I have this as a day trip to maximize time in Belfast and allow for a few more meals and time in the city.  However, on my last trip I drove Southwest from the Giant Causeway and didn’t return to Belfast.  Either plan works.  Regardless, I would recommend you head West to see some of the countryside and eventually make your way to the Ring of Kerry and/or Cliffs of Moher.  You also definitely want to stay in a castle while in Ireland.  It was one of my favorite activities on my last trip and my friends agreed.  For their trip, I picked Kinnitty Castle but there are dozens to choose from.  I recommend this be one of the first things you research and plan your trip around it.  Once you make your selection, make sure you find out what the amenities are so you can plan your arrival and departure.  As an example, my friends wanted to have high tea but arrived too late in the day and advance reservations were required. 

Belfast to Kinnitty Castle:  Drive through “mourne area of outstanding natural beauty” which is the scenery for much of the TV series Game of Thrones.  If you have time, I recommend passing Kinnitty and going to Galway and then driving back to Kinnitty (5 hours total).  While in Galway you can have lunch and wander the Latin Quarter including Kirwan Lane and the Spanish Arch.

Note:  For any trip, you must make choices.  For this trip, we choose to see the Ring of Kerry in two days instead of just one.  However, it meant we had to cut the Cliffs of Moher. 

Ring of Kerry, part I:  Drive from Kinnitty to Waterville.  While it is a short distance, you will want the time to stop frequently.  The drive is the destination. See map and link for stops along the Ring of Kerry.

Ring of Kerry, part II:  Continue around the Ring of Kerry.  Stop at Blarney Castle and kiss the Blarney Stone.  Return to Dublin. 

Full Day in Dublin: Again, I recommend you take a Free Walking Tour.   After your walk around town, recommend you choose your own adventure with stops at 1) Trinity College and Book of Kells; 2) St. Patrick’s Cathedral; 3) St Michan’s church; 4) Leprechaun Museum; 5) Whitefriar Church (where St. Valentine is buried); 6) Kings Inn Park to see the Hungry Tree; 7) National Museum of Ireland, 8) Dublin Castle (if you aren’t castled out yet); 9) Moore Street Market;  10) both Guinness (beer) and Jameson (whiskey) started here and have tours; 11)  Smithfield Tower for a view of the city (200 steps); 12) design your own cheesecake at the Mad Egg; 13) Irish Dance at Dublin’s Belvedere; 14) Eat and hear live music in the Temple Bar area and the 15) Famine Memorial.  For the record, I would consider any trip to Ireland incomplete without a stop at Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. 

Obviously, there is a lot more to see and do.  If you have more than a week, I would definitely add the Cliffs of Moher, more time in the countryside, and probably another stop in Northern Ireland.  Dublin is also one of those cities you can spend days exploring.  This should be a good template to get you a diversity of experiences for a short trip.