8 Day Travel Itinerary Around Ireland
Ireland is the tourist’s dream destination. The island only stretches 300 miles from top to bottom and 150 miles side to side, which means that it’s easy to see a lot of the country in one trip. The country is best known for their beautiful scenery and of course their lively pubs so the best way to explore is by taking a road trip – which is exactly what we did when we first arrived in Ireland.
Day 1: Dublin
The capital of Ireland has so much to do it’s near impossible to see it all in one day. Luckily, we’ll be living in the city for a full year and have plenty of opportunities to see all of the wonderful architecture, sights and pubs. However, if you only have one day here there are a few must-sees.
First, visit Trinity College. I suggest getting here early since it starts to get VERY crowded by late morning. Trust me, walking to class can be treacherous with the crowds of tourists. But, I can’t blame them for wanting to see this beautiful school. The cobbled stones and architecture is out of this world. And don’t forget to visit The Book of Kells and the Old Library while you’re on campus. It’s a little pricey but the library looks like something pulled straight out of a movie.
Tip: Book your visit to The Book of Kells and Old Library ahead of time by clicking here! The lines get CRAZY. Especially after 10am because tour buses start dropping people off at this time.
After leaving Trinity College, take the walk down Grafton Street (yes, THAT Grafton street that Ed Sheeran mentions in his hit song Galway Girl) until you get to the end where St. Stephens Green is. I suggest taking a quick walk around the park to enjoy the views and kill some time before it’s time to start drinking!
You can’t leave Dublin without taking a brewery tour at the Guinness Storehouse! Take a cab or the bus over to the other side of the city. Here, the self-guided tour winds you through the history of beer making and of course the history of Guinness itself. But the best parts of the tour are the parts where you get to taste the beer. There are two different times when you have the option of using your free beer tasting ticket. The first is on the second floor where you can attend “Guinness Academy” and learn how to perfectly pour a Guinness. The second is on the top floor called the Gravity Bar. In this bar you’ll not only get to do the tasting but enjoy it with a 360-degree panorama view of the city!
For more things to do in Dublin, click here.
Day 2: Kilkenny
We waited to pick-up our car rental until we were ready to leave Dublin since you don’t really need one to get around the city. There are plenty of places to do this in the city, but I recommend Sixt as they are usually the cheapest option.
Tip: Check to see if your credit card will cover car insurance in Ireland! A lot of them don’t cover in Ireland because of the risk since there are a lot of small and windy roads! But if yours does, it’s a real money saver!
Kilkenny is about an hour and a half drive south of Dublin. We left around 10am to get to there around 11:30am. Our first stop was of course, Smithwicks! Here you’ll get a great tour about the history of Smithwick’s Irish Ale. The tour ends of course with a tasting! You can get either a full pint of one beer, or a flight.
Next, we grabbed lunch and explored the downtown area. The town has a canal running through it that is great for a short walk! Afterwards, we booked a tour with Kilkenny Cycling Tours. Our tour guide Aidan was great! He takes you all around Kilkenny and gives great historical facts, shows all of the major medieval sights, and points out the best local shops and restaurants to go to. We ended our night with some delicious ice cream from Murphys and a pint at the Pump House where we were staying!
Day 3: Kilkenny to Cork
We wanted to make the most of our time in Kilkenny so we woke up early to get a head start on the day. Our first stop of the day was breakfast at The Fig Tree Restaurant. It was delicious and right on the main street of the town. Then we walked over to St. Canice’s Cathedral and Round Tower. While it’s a beautiful Cathedral and I recommend stopping inside, we were there to climb the tower for a panoramic view of the city. The tower is the oldest standing structure in Kilkenny and it’s also one of only two round towers in Ireland that people are allowed to climb. It’s a pretty scary climb up very steep wooden towers that were originally built by monks and I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re not physically fit but it’s worth every step for the view.
Afterwards, we visited Kilkenny Castle. You can take a tour of the inside but we opted out and instead just explored the grounds for a little while. Across the street from the castle is Kilkenny Design Centre which is home to some of the best Irish crafts and fashion all made by local designers.
Before we left Kilkenny to head towards Cork, we stopped in Valley of Roses, a local perfume shop that came recommended by Aidan during our cycling tour. I highly recommend stopping here! The owner is great and can find the perfect scent for you based on your personality, likes and dislikes. It’s amazing and makes for great gifts!
We started our 2-hour drive to Cork but planned a pit stop at the Rock of Cashel on the way. We thought that this was going to be a quick stop but we were so wrong. The Rock of Cashel is an ancient royal site. They offer hour long tours around the site and provide incredible insight into the history of the medieval buildings. At the bottom of the hill from Rock of Cashel is Hore Abbey which is a ruined castle that visitors of the rock typically ignore. Don’t miss this! It’s beautiful and you can walk around the inside of the ruins. After this stop, we finished the drive to Cork!
Day 4: Cobh
The first day in Cork we decided to hop on the train for a day trip to Cobh. Cobh is a seaside town and is most famously known as being the last stop of the Titanic before it sank. Which is why the most popular thing to do in Cobh is the Titanic Museum Experience where you are assigned to represent one of the real passengers who boarded the Titanic and embark on an hour-long tour to learn all about the people who boarded the boat in Cobh and some fun facts about the Titanic itself.
After the tour, we decided to check out he Saint Fin Barre Cathedral which was breath-taking. Then, we walked down to the Titanic Memorial Garden which overlooks the exact location of the final anchorage point of the Titanic.
Cobh also is home to Spike Island which was originally a monastic settlement but eventually was turned into a fortress and then a prison. We unfortunately didn’t book this in advance so the tour was sold out but we can’t wait to go back to visit!
Day 5: Cork
We couldn’t wait to check-out the English Market which is claimed to be the best market in Ireland. We grabbed breakfast here and explored all of the different shops and foods that were offered. After filling up, we decided to check-out the Cork City Gaol which is the old Cork prison. The Gaol offers a great tour that not only talks about the history of the prison but talks about the history of Ireland.
After the prison, we wanted to relax and enjoy our last night in Cork. We tried out a few different pubs and ended up at Rising Sons Brewery and a Whiskey Bar that were both great!
Day 6: Blarney Castle, Limerick and Maltown Milby.
We woke up early the next day to get to Blarney Castle as early as we could to hopefully beat the crowds to the stone! The line leading up to the stone offered visitors the opportunity to explore hidden rooms and had little snippets of information along the way. Kissing the stone ended up being anticlimactic for me since I was too short and scared and ended up missing the stone all together. But I hung upside down and tried so that’s what counts!
We ended up spending a few hours walking around the Blarney Castle grounds before heading off towards the Cliffs of Moher area.
The drive from Blarney Castle to where we were staying in Miltown Malbay was about two hours so we decided to stop in Limerick for lunch to break up the drive. We chose The Buttery for lunch and they served one of the best burgers I’ve had since moving to Ireland. They also make a killer Irish Coffee so make sure to stop here!
We wanted to check-out a few of the cool things that Limerick had to offer before we continued on our drive so we walked around the area of King John’s Castle for a while until it started raining on us.
We stayed at the Coast Lodge in Miltown Malbay which is about 20 minutes from the Cliffs of Moher. We didn’t have anything planned for the night so we hung out in the hotel and across the street at the Spanish Point beaches where we caught an amazing sunset!
Day 7: Cliffs of Moher, The Wild Atlantic Way and Galway
We got an early start on our day to get to the Cliffs of Moher before the crowds did. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t work well in our favour and even though we did beat the crowds we were stuck waiting inside the visitor centre to avoid the rain. By the time the rain cleared up, the crowds were rolling in. Nonetheless, the view was amazing! I suggest walking down the path away from the cliffs to check them out from a different vantage point too.
We decided to take the long drive towards our next destination (Galway) and take the Wild Atlantic Way. Do this! It’s only about 45 minutes longer of a drive and it’s completely along the coast with breath-taking views around every corner. Plus, you’ll get to drive through the Burren which is a landscape of bedrock and glacial-era limestone.
Once we arrived in Galway we headed to Eyre Square to check-out some of the pubs and live music that was going on, which is what Galway is best known for!
Day 8: Aran Islands
We decided last minute while we were in Galway to take a day trip to the Aran Islands. The Aran Islands are three islands well-known for their ancient sites and also for their Irish wool sweaters! We decided to visit Inishmore which is the biggest of the three islands. As soon as we got off the ferry we rented some bikes which is a must-do in order to see the whole island because they don’t have very many cars or buses running. But you’ll almost forget your biking because you’ll be so distracted by all of the scenic views!
One of the biggest attractions on the island is Dun Aonghasa which is a 14-acre fort right on the cliff of the island that has three terraced walls. Dun Aonghasa is across the entire island from where you’re dropped off on the ferry and is a pretty steep climb up a hill too.
Before leaving the island, you have to stop in at one of the markets to treat yourself to something made with Irish wool! We decided on a blanket which is stitched with a pattern that represents different parts of the Aran Islands and it’s super warm!
Day 8: Tullamore Dew and Back to Dublin
For our last day of the road trip, we grabbed brunch in Galway at Dela before heading back towards Dublin. We did plan one pitstop on the way for a whiskey tour and tasting at Tullamore Dew in Tullamore! They offer a few different tour options but we decided on the basic tour and tasting which took about an hour and you get to try 3 of their whiskeys.
Afterwards it was back to Dublin to take a nice long nap!