Travelers try to cram their island adventures into a seven day road trip around Ireland. Travelers willing to slow down and enjoy one region will be rewarded. Here are the 10 best road trips in Ireland.
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Go west. As you leave Dublin, the landscape continues to change and before you know it, you're in Galway, gateway to beautiful, brooding Connemara, where the mountainous landscape is dotted with brown and shimmering lakes.
The spiritual home of Irish traditional music is located in the south of the country.
The burren is a great place to walk. Walking is the best way to explore the landscape and ancient sites. During the Famine, many of the unpaved ways were built as part of relief work.
The distance from Binne to Glendalough is 329 miles.
In four days, you can travel through middle Ireland's collection of ancient tombs, Celtic sites and monastic cities.
You can travel from the Neolithic era to the last days of the first millennium on this trip.
The distance from Bangor to Derry is 183 miles.
This trip blends cracking coastal scenery with blockbuster historic sights.
The Giant's Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede are two of the must-see stops on this drive. The region's amazing rock formations, ruined castles and wooded glens make it an atmospheric backdrop for the TV series Game of Throne.
You can experience two vibrant cities progressing beyond a painful past if you stop in Belfast and Derry on either end of your trip.
The distance from Enniscorthy to Ardmore is 104 miles.
There are more than just buckets and spades at Ireland's favorite beach destinations.
The southeastern counties of Ireland get less rain and more sunshine than any other part of the country. There is a lot of history around here, some stunning inland scenery and a vibrant food scene that is just as good as the one in neighboring Cork.
Dunmore East, Dungarvan and Ardmore are some of the best places to eat seafood in the country.
The distance from Killarney to Ross Castle is 123 miles.
The Ring of Kerry is the longest and most varied of Ireland's peninsula drives.
You can drive the Ring of Kerry for a day, but spending more time there will make you enjoy it more. There are pristine beaches, medieval ruins, mountains, loughs and the island-dotted Atlantic in the circuit. The Skellig Ring and the Cromane Peninsula are two beautiful detours that you can take.
The distance from Killarney to Tralee is 115 miles.
Driving around the headland, you'll see churches, castles, neolithic monuments, captivating scenery, and the peninsula's delightful "capital".
The coastline is the star of this figure-of-eight drive. The promontory meets the ocean at wave-pounded rocks, secluded coves and wide, golden-sand beaches, and you can find a lot of aquatic adventures and fresh seafood there.
The Dingle Food Festival is held over four days in October and is a must attend. Beer, cider, whiskey and wine tastings, a bake-off competition, street entertainment, and children's events are all part of the event.
The distance from Kinsale to Glengarriff is 220 miles.
Some of Ireland's most scenic driving country can be found in West Cork, with three spectacular peninsulas and a cache of maritime villages.
The Beara Peninsula is one of Ireland's three top peninsula drives. On the southern side of Beara, along Bantry Bay, there are fishing villages, while on the northern side craggy roads cut in and out of nooks and crannies and tiny coves.
The 206 km waymarked walk forms a loop around the Beara Peninsula. The Ring of Kerry is a nice contrast to the peninsula.
Inishowen Peninsula and Kinsale are 1600 miles apart.
West of Ireland is the most rugged and beautiful part of Europe. The Wild Atlantic Way is the signature driving route of Irish tourism.
A 2500 km necklace of jagged cliffs, crescent strands and latticed fields can be found on Ireland's western coastline. There are panoramic pit stops on the official driving route. The best beaches in Europe, the epic landscapes of Connemara, and the kingdom of Kerry are all here. The road trip is epic but it is also broken down into 14 different stages that can be explored individually.
Rossnowlagh–Branaunc is a 263 mile journey.
Supremely scenic roads lead from sandy shores to exposed mountains, taking in horse rides, boat trips and world class art along the way.
Driving the high mountain passes is a heart-in-the-mouth experience, as is a beach horse ride. There are 600m-high sea cliffs, international art, Ireland's traditional industries, and piles of hand-cut peat next to the road. You learn a lot on this trip.
The town is 165 miles long.
On Achill Island, you can travel from country to nature. The beloved hometown of Yeats is Sligo.
The rugged and remote Atlantic scenery of the west makes this area special. Take a seaweed bath at Enniscrone, walk in WB Yeats footsteps at the foot of Benbulben, and face off on a roller coaster at Achill.
If you're up for it, you can take a diversion north of the N59 to reach Aughris Head, which is home to dolphins and seals. Birdwatchers should keep an eye out for kittiwakes, fulmars, guillemots, shags, storm petrels and curlews.
The first article was published in April of 2020.
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