The bright green landscape and rolling hills of Ireland have always intrigued me. When my boyfriend surprised me with a tickets to Ireland for our 3 year anniversary, I was thrilled and ready for some good beer, beautiful scenery, and a week away from our American lives.
No matter what brings you to Ireland, theres so much to see and you’re sure to be kept entertained. Here you’ll find my recommendations of places to stay, things to eat, and interesting things to see!
This itinerary is perfect for:
- Solo travelers
- Couples
- Adult families
Day 1
Arrive in Dublin:
The capitol of Ireland is home to about 1 million people. The friendly atmosphere of pubs and busy city streets is a great place to spend a couple days.
Our plane landed at 11:00 am and from the airport we easily took a bus shuttle to our Airbnb located in the financial district. Here we checked in, got acquainted with our host and our space, connected to the WiFi and rested for a little bit. We were coming from Colorado, so we were a bit zonked when we arrived, but we didn’t want to miss out on anything so after a little snooze, we headed out!
Tip: Purchase a Leap Card at the airport for however long you will be in Dublin for. We got an unlimited 3 day pass for €20. The public transportation is easy to use and will take you almost anywhere you need to go, as long as you’re ok with walking a bit.
The first stop on the agenda is the Guinness Storehouse. This place exceeded my expectations with the hands-on educational features along with the breath taking views of the city from the 7th floor gravity bar. With your entrance fee you get a ticket for one free beer. These free beer tickets can either be used for a lesson on how to pour the perfect Guinness pint, with a self-poured pint at the end and a certificate stating your perfect-pouring abilities; or it can be used on the 7th floor gravity bar which offers breathtaking, panoramic views of the city.
If you decide to use your beer ticket on a Guinness beer pouring lesson, like we did, purchase a beer at the bar on a lower level, and travel up to the 7th floor for the views.
Because you can take this tour at your own speed, or jump into a guided tour group, this is a great activity for your first day.
After the Guinness Storehouse, take the train back to the city center, or temple bar and have a walk around. Stop into a pub, have a bite and a pint and call it a night.
We were pretty exhausted by this point, so an early night was just what we needed.
Day 2
Spend this morning on a Dublin bike tour, giving you the opportunity to ride around some of the most scenic monuments and parks, while learning about the history of the city. While on the tour, with the guide will fill out a map for you of all the places you ride past, and other recommendations for places to check out. This is a good way to get to know the city and figure out what to do for the rest of the day. On the bike tour we rode around the docks, along the Grand Canal, past George Bernard Shaw’s birthplace, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, through Temple Bar and the Dublin Castle, and much more!
Dublin Must See:
Chester Beaty Library: Not as much of a library as it is a great museum showcasing an incredible private book collection. Check out the exhibits exploring religion, culture and much more of Asia, North Africa and the Middle East.
Kilmainham Gaol: This museum is housed in a former prison that kept leaders of various rebellions. These prisoners were detained and sometimes murdered here. Learn about the history of the revolution and see the cells and execution yards of those captive.
Tip: Make sure to arrive early, or purchase tickets ahead of time to be sure your desired tour time doesn’t sell out! We arrived thinking we could just hop into a tour at anytime, but tickets sell out fast!
Trinity College: This gorgeous campus belongs to Ireland’s oldest and most prestigious university. This is also where you’ll find Book of Kells.
Irish Museum of Modern Art: Ireland’s leading national institution for the collection and presentation of modern and contemporary art.
Dublin Must Eat/Drink:
The Brazen Head: This is Dublin’s oldest pub, dating all the way back to 1198 (!!) although this pub/restaurant is a bit touristy, prices are decent and the place is gushing with history and old Irish charm. Get the fish and chips, duh.
Queen of Tarts: If you’re looking for a mid-day snack or a decadent morning pastry, this is a MUST. Known for their tarts (hence the name) and cakes, you can’t go wrong with whatever you order. They also sell wine, and we all know there’s nothing better than a great red wine and some dark chocolate.
O’Donoghues: This historic Irish pub will pour you the perfect Guinness pint and features live music 7 days a week.
Day 3
On the third day, it’s time to leave Dublin. Pick up a rental car and head out of the city to Limerick. While this is only a 2 hour drive, there are many places to stop along the way, including Rock of Dunamase and and Rock of Cashel. Once in Limerick, eat at Dolan’s Pub for some traditional Irish fare and seafood. The #1 rated seafood chowder in Ireland is found at Dolan’s Pub, and it completely blew my mind.
Book an Airbnb near Dolan’s pub. Although we don’t spend a lot of time in Limerick, this area is artsy and fun.
After a quick visit with our Airbnb host, we stepped out to go to the Cliffs of Moher. We went around sunset, and although it was a bit chilly and windy, the views and colors were incredible as the sun sunk below the horizon.
Cliffs of Moher at sunset
Day 4
Today you’ll head to Portmagee with a stop in Dingle along the way.
Dingle is a little fishing town full of adorable shops, pubs and people. Located near the Ring of Kerry, the roads here are thin and wind around the rolling hills, these factors combined with the fact you’ll be driving on the left hand side of the road can be a daunting combination for some.
Once we arrived to Portmagee, we planned on going to the Cliffs of Kerry, as our airbnb was located right next to trails that lead that way, but like Ireland is known for, the clouds became dark and the weather took a turn for the worse. With the rain and a bit of food poisoning, it ended up being a great night to rest and take it easy.
If the weather is nice and time allows, take this opportunity to visit the Kerry Cliffs, if not, there will be time tomorrow to do so.
Day 5
Today we’ll head to Killarney, via the Ring of Kerry.
Schedule a tour of Skellig Islands for this morning. Our tour began at 9:30 am and lasted about 2.5 hours. This was the thing that I was most excited to do in Ireland, so I put a plastic bag in my pocket and hoped the food poisoning would be kept at bay throughout the entire boat ride (thankfully it was!!) This tour was everything I had hoped for and more. We saw so much marine life, including seals and nesting puffins, and the history of these rocky islands was unreal.
Our tour just went around the islands and didn’t land, however there are landing tours available, but must be booked months in advance as only a handful of boats may land per day. I would have loved to walk around the islands, and view the ancient monastery at the top, but the tour we had was also excellent. Skellig Michael landing tours only run from May through October and the EcoTours run from April 15th to October 9th.
After the tour, go to the Kerry Cliffs if that wasn’t done yesterday. This is a quick stop and easily accessible. Our Airbnb offered tickets for free admission to the cliffs included in the accommodation, so this may be something you’ll want to look out for.
After the cliffs, start the drive to Killarney. Along the way stop at Moll’s Gap and Ladies View. If you don’t spend too much time taking in the views along the way, you can make the 3:45 pm sheep dog showing at the Kissane Sheep Farm. The times of these showings vary day-to-day so it’s best to call a couple of days ahead of time to see when the showing will be taking place. This was a really cool experience, on a beautiful plot of land, well worth the €7 it costs to watch.
After a long day of driving, you’ll probably be ready to get out of the car and stretch your limbs. A great place to do this is the Torc Waterfall. This loop trail will take 1-2 hours, but it is moderately easy, and very beautiful.
Day 6
The beautiful scenery of Killarney includes towering mountains, begging to be climbed. Today we’ll do the biggest hike of the trip at Cronin’s Yard which climbs Ireland’s tallest mountain. There are many ways to approach this hike, but we went for the route affectionately referred to as “Devils Doorway”. This hike is not easy by any means, and the rain that day only made it more difficult, but the rain and clouds, green rocks and sheep will give you the full Ireland feel.
At the beginning of the hike we were greeted by little lambs who loved to be pet and were squealing for us to keep petting them and they even ate grass right from my hand. I was close to tears, how cute!! Next to the lambs were plaques of various hikers who have perished on the hike. Quite the mix of emotions heading onto the trail.
Most of the hike up is a rock scramble, making getting down more difficult than the ascent. You’re sure to see many sheep along the hike just hanging out on the side of the hills. I’m sure the view at the top is absolutely gorgeous, but because of the rain and clouds, we could barely see 10 feet in front of our faces. We found the big cross at the top, snapped a few pictures and then made our way down.
Despite the rain and treacherous rock, this was a hike I would definitely do again and recommend giving it a shot.
Day 7
Today we flew from Killarney back to Dublin for our fight back to the states the next day.
Once we arrived back in Dublin, we took an easy train to Howth Head for dinner. There are many places to check out in Howth Head and a gorgeous view of the coast.
Take it easy tonight and reminisce about the incredible week you just had in and through Ireland. Have one last pint before the flight back home.
Where to stay:
We opted to stay in an Airbnb for our whole trip through the country. We didn’t have a single bad, or even mediocre experience so I highly recommend this form of accommodation. There are hotels and hostels available, but to get the most bang for your buck (most Airbnbs include breakfast) I think this is the route to go. We spent $35-$50 each per night. Staying in a private room, with shared common areas is the route we prefer, but for an little bit more per day you can have an entire place to yourself.