Southern Ireland Road Trip Basics
Ireland is a fantastic country with so many beautiful views, from breathtaking cliffs to some of the oldest businesses in the world. When we planned our trip to Ireland, we knew we wanted to see as much of it as possible. So, of course, that means an Ireland road trip. We flew into Dublin via Iceland on Icelandair. We covered some of the biggest cities and best sites throughout Southern Ireland. But, first, let’s cover some of the basics that you’ll want to know for your Ireland trip.
What’s The Difference Between Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland?
The two sides of Ireland are actually different countries, one is part of the United Kingdom (UK) and one is part of the European Union (EU). To cross the border between them, you’ll technically need to go through customs. You’ll also use British Pounds in Northern Ireland and Euros in Southern Ireland.
How many days should I plan for my Southern Ireland Road Trip?
Ireland is such a beautiful place with so much to see. It’s hard to specify how many days is really the right number. I think I could spend weeks here without running out of things to do and see. But, we did a full week in Ireland and got to see a lot of things and places that we wanted to see and do. But, I think two weeks might be the right number.
Where should I focus during my Ireland Road trip?
We only visited the Republic of Ireland. The big cities that you’ll want to hit are Dublin, Cork, and Galway, which make a big triangle covering most of Ireland. Take a look at our itinerary below and see some of the other places that we managed to visit on our road trip to Ireland. We hit the various types of travel niches; history, modern, world-famous, nature, animals, and even threw in a castle.
Find all the fun things to do in Dublin!
When is the best time to go on my Ireland Road trip?
Ireland has long and cold winters, due to its very northern location. In the winter, a lot of things are shut down, and driving can be challenging. Summers have lots of tourists, most things are open but may have longer lines. Spring and Fall have lots of rain and cooler temperatures. So, when is the right time? May/June is the sweet spot. Longer days, warmer temperatures and the big tourist crowds haven’t really taken over yet. Learn more about the weather in Ireland here.
3-Day Ireland Road Trip Itinerary
On our recent trip to Ireland, we took three days to do a road trip outside of Dublin, and then 3 days in Dublin. Months of planning went into planning our perfect southern Ireland road trip. We feel like we got to do some incredible things during our road trip. So, below is our three-day Ireland Road Trip Itinerary.
Ireland road trip Day 1: Dublin to Cork
We picked up our Rental Car to start our Ireland Road Trip at the Dublin Airport on Monday morning. After a quick loop around the parking lot to get comfortable sitting on the right side of the car and driving on the left side of the road, we were off. It was much easier to get used to driving on the other side of the road than I expected. I was a pro by the end of the first day.
Have questions about what it is like to rent a car in Ireland? Check out our full guide here!
Irish Sheepdog Demonstration
Our first stop was at W91 P9H2 (Yeah, that was the address they gave us, but if you Google Map it, it does work.) We got to experience a really cool Irish Sheepdog Demonstration. As a dog lover myself, it was incredible to see what these well-trained dogs could do. Of course, we learned that our dog will never be a contender to be an Irish Sheepdog.
Each of his two sheepdogs was trained with a variety of commands, such as “right”, “left” and “hold.” Each dog had a separate set of whistled commands so that he could send one dog left, while the other dog right. He used whistles when the dogs are too far away to hear him yelling the commands. He showed us how he could use the dogs to move the sheep anywhere he wanted them to go. Or even separate them into smaller groups.
In addition to seeing the dogs work, we learned about the history of sheepdogs, and sheep farming as a whole in Ireland. Our guide, Micheal, has been in sheeping nearly his entire life and has a passion for it. As an added bonus, we also had the opportunity to feed baby lambs. A little shop on-site allows us to buy wool products, supporting local farmers.
Want to visit another cool Medieval Town along the way, full of museums and historic sites? Kilkenny is along the way and is worth a visit during your road trip of Southern Ireland.
Hook Lighthouse
The next stop was Hook Lighthouse, the oldest still operating lighthouse in the world. There is a little cafe there that we did lunch at before exploring the lighthouse and relaxing by the beautiful ocean views. We opted not to do the guided tour, mainly because it was so foggy that we knew that we wouldn’t be able to see more from the top of the lighthouse than we could from the ground.
Although the views were largely hidden in the fog, it was a cool site to visit. The wind and cold prevented us from spending too much time outside. But, luckily the cafe was nice and warm and had great views and good food. Of course, we had to have a delicious seafood lunch. The road to the lighthouse is narrow and windy, so take your time driving there.
Dean Hotel
We wanted to stay in unique hotels during our road trip, so we stayed in the Dean Hotel, a fun little hotel in downtown Cork. Because of its location, we were easily able to walk to places within Cork. This is a hip hotel with both a lobby and rooftop bar. But, we walked (in the rain) into Cork for dinner to see what’s local. Unfortunately, the hotel does not include parking. Additionally, we constantly felt like we were being sold to. Everything from the check-in desk with shirts and bags for sale to the intensive minibar in which even the coffee and water came with a price tag.
For a full review of our stay at The Dean, see our dedicated review here.
Ireland road trip Day 2: Cork to Galway
Sophie’s Rooftop Restaurant
The rooftop restaurant and bar at The Dean Hotel is known as “Sophie’s.” The rooftop restaurant has 365-degree views of the city. A beautiful way to start the day. Our room rate included breakfast, so it was an obvious choice. Breakfast was good, the views were incredible, and it was finally nice enough weather to enjoy it. Daphne contends that the orange juice was the best she’s ever had.
Blarney Castle & Stone
We had to visit the famous Blarney Stone and spent some time wandering the castle grounds as well. The castle grounds were so much more expansive than I expected. With rivers, bridges, gardens, and castles, it was an impressive tour. We only planned an hour for the tour but ended up staying longer to see more. We did the entire climb to the top of the tower on steep windy stairs. Great for defending during an attack, but not great as a tourist attraction.
We saw the blarney stone, which by tradition has some magical properties to anybody who kisses it. Of course, to kiss it, you have to lie on the ground and slide upside down over the edge of the castle. (There are metal bars to keep you from falling, but not for those with limited flexibility.) Along with staff to assist you (and take your picture) and kiss the blarney stone if you are so interested. There is also a little gift shop for some souvenirs.
Dromoland Castle
We knew that we couldn’t go to Ireland without staying in a castle at least once. So, Dromoland Castle was our pick. With three restaurants, a golf course, a full spa, and immaculate gardens, there was just so much to see and do. We spent most of our evening just wandering the castle, trying to take it all in. With 24-hour-a-day room service, comfy robes and slippers in every room, we enjoyed relaxing in our room during the rainy evening hours.
The castle was incredible though. It’s a 5-star resort, with incredible staff, and services and the property is spectacular. With a whole host of activities on-site, two restaurants, a cocktail bar, and daily afternoon tea, there is really no reason to leave the property once you arrive. The experience was one that we’ll absolutely want to repeat.
For more information and our full review of Dromoland Castle, see our article here.
Ireland Road Trip Day 3: Galway to Dublin
Falconry Lessons
This was a really cool experience. Getting to see the skill and grace of these incredible birds. Not only did we watch our instructor work with the birds, but we also had an opportunity to have them land on our arms as well. Our guide, Dave, has an obvious passion for his work and it showed in his demonstrations. He has worked with the Dromoland Castle for 17 years, building the bird habitat on-site and training the next generation of falconry instructors.
We did a walk through the woods, watching the birds fly through the trees, and then when prompted with a little bit of food, would fly down and land on our arms. The power and majesty of these birds were incredible. We learned about how they see, smell, and hunt in such close-up detail. After the walk, we visited the bird habitat and got to hold some owls. Would highly recommend it.
Cliffs of Moher
The most famous cliffs in Ireland, and we can see why. 500-foot drop straight into the Atlantic ocean, they are definitely cliffs. Seeing the power of the ocean battering against the strength of the rock was incredible. Although we skipped the very touristy visitor center, we found a little private family-owned parking area that costs only €3 and is just a short walk from the cliffs trail. We only ran into a couple of other people on the trail, which made it much easier to visit and take photos and videos than we would have had at the tourist center. It’s not as smooth and level as the visitor center walk would be, but it’s much more private.
From the parking lot, you walk up to the Cliffs, and if you want to explore them further, you can walk along the cliffs for miles, including up to the visitor center. The power of the ocean waves crashing against the cliffs was mesmerizing. And with beautiful weather, we were able to see miles with vast ocean views on one side and rolling green pastures on the other.
Sean’s Bar
Marketed as the oldest bar in the world, we had to give it a try as it was along our route anyway. Sean’s Bar is located in Westmeath, Ireland, about an hour outside of Dublin. Although the little town that the bar is in was cute, the bar itself looked very similar to most of the other little pubs that we’d seen in Ireland. It was filled with a loud group of what could only be locals. Drinks were reasonably priced and had a good selection, but there is no real food offered.
If you’re in the area, it’s a cool local place to stop and have a drink, but I wouldn’t go out of the way to see it. There are so many pubs in Ireland that you could find something similar much closer to where you are.
Bonus: How to spend 3 days in Dublin Before or After Your Ireland Road Trip
While you’re in Dublin, I highly recommend buying tickets to the BigBus Tours in Dublin. We did it and it was an absolutely amazing way to see the city, get around, and learn more all at the same time. Nearly every attraction that we wanted to see was along the route, making it easy to hop on, hop off and explore some of the coolest things in the city. So, it served not only to show us around but also as a cheap transportation option. Also, the commentators on the buses were great, telling us so much about the history and attractions as we passed them.
Vintage Tea Tours
A tour of the city on a vintage bus, with the added benefit of tea, hot chocolate, and a selection of sandwiches. Although we were on a bus touring through Dublin, the real win was the food and unlimited drinks. Drinks included coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or lattes. Our guide gave us fun little stories about the locations within Dublin. They do a couple of tours today, and absolutely a great way to spend a first day in Dublin. The tour took about 90 minutes, which was just enough time to enjoy our meal and our tour.
Dublin Castle
Currently a government building, but continues to have all of the histories of an Irish Castle. The commentators stressed that Dublin Castle isn’t really a castle, and they were right. It was a large set of older buildings, with hints of a castle, like a castle tower. But, when we visited, nothing was going on there. They do tours of the older parts of the building, but we decide to skip that.
Trinity College & Book of Kells
A really cool university in the middle of Dublin, founded in 1592. Trinity College has an interesting mixture of really old historic buildings and more modern buildings such as the student center. Surprisingly, there were more tourists than students on the college campus in March through. The Book of Kells, located in the Long Library, is a 9th-century gospel manuscript, published in Latin.
The book, initially written by the monks, was given to Trinity College in 1661 for safe keeping when the monasteries were being attacked. It has been housed at Trinity College since that time. The book is on display, and the pages are turned periodically. After seeing the Book of Kells, you’ll wander into the Long Library, one of the oldest libraries in Ireland. And as a legal deposit library, has copies of some of the rarest and oldest books in the country.
We spent about an hour exploring the Book of Kells and Long Library. Tickets are required with a specific time slot assigned. There is a little gift shop that you pass through on your way back outside. In case you wanted to pick up some Book of Kells souvenirs.
Guinness Storehouse
The birthplace of the Guinness Beer, this now 6-story building shows you the entire process from start to finish. The whole experience was educational, even if you aren’t much of a beer drinker. For a factory tour, I was really impressed. It was very well done and included so much fun information. It was 5 floors of information explaining everything from the ingredients required to make beer, to how Guinness tried new techniques to make it better, and even how they made the barrels that they stored the beer in.
After the tour, you walk into their “Gravity Bar,” which is a 360′ degree glass bar on the roof of the building. With beautiful views overlooking both the city and the 80-acre factory, it’s a cool place for a pint. As part of the tour, you get a free pint of Guinness to enjoy at the Gravity Bar. The biggest downside was then the 5 stories of stairs to get back to the exit. Definitely worth visiting.
Irish Dinner & Dancing Show
This was obviously on our must-do list when we booked our tickets to Ireland. And, it was worth it. We attended Celtic Nights, the most popular Celtic Dinner & Dancing option in Dublin. You’ll see their ads all over Dublin. They have 6 dinner seatings, starting at 6:30 PM until 8:30 PM, but the dance show didn’t start until 8:30 PM. So, unless you want to have a slow relaxing dinner, I would recommend suggesting opting for a later dinner seating time.
The dinner was a very traditional Irish dinner, and we added to that a flight of local whiskey. Dinner, which included a dessert, was delicious. I had a salmon dinner, and Daphne had an Irish lamb stew. The staff was friendly and attentive, despite the number of people all being seated at the same time. The dinner show started with a local Irish band and then added Irish dancing. The Irish Dance is so fast-paced, and there is so much detailed coordination and rhythm to it. It was an impressive show. And we had seats that literally touched the stage, so we got a really close-up view of the show.
It was an impressive show, the dinner was impressive, and the band was a lot of fun. It was worth doing for the price, and I would recommend it to anybody in Dublin looking to really experience Irish culture. It’s in the basement of a hotel, really close to the middle of the city, so it’s very easy to get to. And when you leave there, there are lots of pubs and bars nearby that are still if you’re looking for another drink before bed.
Dublin City Lights Tour
Included in our Big Bus Tours daytime hop-on, hop-off tickets was a Dublin City Lights Tour. Unlike the daytime version of the bus, this wasn’t a hop-on, hop-off tour, but more of a guided tour after dark of some of the beautiful buildings of Dublin all lit up. It looks so much different at night, but it’s so beautiful. We ended up having the same tour guide that we did during our daytime tour, but it took a different route and he told some different stories.
It was a new view to see the city all lit up in its bright colors. And just getting to see the skyline at night was beautiful and impressive. And because it was included with our hop-on, hop-off tours, it didn’t really cost us anything additional. It was a great way to see a different view of Dublin.
Southern Ireland: Some Important Tips
Where Should I Stay In Ireland?
There are lots of cool hotels, ranging from your usual (we stayed in a chain hotel our first night), to a variety of castle stays (we stayed one night in Dromoland Castle). Prices of course vary depending on how nice the accommodations are. But, I would highly recommend staying in an Irish Castle for at least one night while you’re in Ireland.
What Should I Pack For My Ireland Road Trip?
Plan for cooler weather and rain, because Ireland has plenty of both. Bring a rain jacket, and maybe even an umbrella. You may also want to consider bringing a little bit more clothing than necessary for the amount of time you’re visiting. You may want to change your clothing if you get wet from a rain storm. Otherwise, the weather is cool, so bring a jacket or sweatshirt and pants.
If you plan on doing a nice dinner out (such as at a castle, or Irish Dancing), you’ll want to bring dress clothes. The restaurant at our castle stay required men to wear a suit jacket and tie – it was that fancy. Otherwise, the city is pretty casual and jeans worked just fine nearly everywhere we went.
Of course, don’t forget to bring your camera (or your cell phone – who has real camera’s these days?) and a charger for it. As a reminder, Ireland uses 220 Volts and a different outlet, so make sure you bring adapters and converters. For more information on power adapters and other common questions people have about visiting Ireland, see our article here.
What Do I Need To Know About Driving In Ireland?
They drive on the left side of the road, which means that the car’s steering wheel is on the right side. That’s important to know if you come from the United States because it does take some getting used to initially. You don’t want to get it wrong, because that’s a quick way to get into an accident. Also, note that the roads are very narrow and winding. The locals are used to it, so they drive fast down them. It also rains a lot, so be prepared to drive in the rain. We had rain for at least a little bit every day of our road trip. If you aren’t very comfortable with driving, you may want to look to hire a driver versus renting a car.
How Do I Fly Into Ireland?
The biggest airport in Ireland, which has most of the most international flights, is in Dublin. But, there are also airports in Shannon, Belfast, Cork, and Knock, so lots of choices for destinations. Ireland is a very close flight from most European destinations. From the United States, we flew Icelandair and had a quick stopover in Iceland on our way to Ireland. There are lots of airlines that fly into Ireland including Aer Lingus, British Airways, JetBlue, United, Air Canada, and American Airlines.
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