For a girl who has been watching P.S. I love you every year since it was released in 2007, Ireland was the ultimate dream destination in Europe. With all its beautiful meadows, endless flocks of sheep and the tastiest cheddar you could ask for, the country is well worth a visit or two! We spent 8 days in Ireland, with 6 days on the road, and I think we managed to make the most out of what a road trip can offer. If you’re interested in how you can, too, keep reading!
How to get around
The road ahead?
Tip #1: You NEED a car. I know, I know, it’s a road trip itinerary, but I’m stressing this anyways in case you’re thinking about getting around by train or bus. Driving a car is the best way to see as much as possible, and believe me, you will want to stop at every sheep and stone (much to your tired passengers’ dissatisfaction). We were hesitant at first, given that neither of us has ever driven on the right side of the road before, but our wanderlust proved to be stronger than our fears, and, having survived the trip without a scratch, I can assure you that it’s not a big deal after all! The volume of traffic is never too bad and the drivers are one of the friendliest we’ve met anywhere so far. I would recommend getting the full coverage insurance package though if it”s your first time, because the devil never sleeps and you don’t want to be the one to pay for the actual damage. One thing to watch out for when driving: many of the roads are very narrow and lined with rock fences – so rather aim for the centre of the road instead of the side!
Another note on car rentals: an SUV is your best option for a cross-country road trip. First we opted for Ford Focus, but when the guy at Hertz heard what our plans were for the week, he instantly (and very generously for free) upgraded us for a Nissan Qashqai. After several days spent on the road, you’re gonna be grateful for the comfort of a good SUV! If you’re used to manual transmission cars, I’d also highly recommend choosing an automatic transmission car this time, given how many curves and hills you’re gonna have to tackle!
Where to stay in Ireland
I found my spot in Dublin
It all depends on your needs, really: would you like to see as much as possible, taking on packing your bags every day, or you’d rather stay in one place for longer periods and live by the words #traveldeeper? We opted for something in-between: 3 nights in Barna (Galway area), 1 night in Cobh (Cork area) and 3 nights in Dublin (this time in the city centre, as we had already dropped off the car). This allowed us to get comfortable in each place and discover multiple areas of the country during this short visit.
As for accommodations, we chose Airbnb homes each time and we couldn’t have been happier! We’ve been opting for these instead of hotels for quite some time now – for one, I’m all for sharing economy, and for two, the owners (especially if they live in the estate they let) and the properties can add a touch of home-feeling to your trip you wouldn’t get otherwise. (I’ll get back to our specific Airbnb recommendations in the detailed itinerary.)
If you’re planning a visit to Galway or Cork, I’d highly recommend staying in smaller, more laid-back towns like Barna and Cobh. You’ll get a much more personal experience, and discover places you’d probably miss by only visiting the tourist-hubs!
Now, on to the juicy stuff:
Day 0 – driving from Dublin to Barna/Galway
After picking up the car in Dublin, take the highway towards Galway. You’ll arrive in Barna in 2,5 hours, which is just the perfect amount of time to get used to right-hand traffic. Barna is a small village with not much to offer except for very delicious food and pretty good ocean views. Still a win, if you ask me! We stayed at Pauline and Sean’s beautiful cottage, and oh boy, we had the best time there! The pictures cannot do justice to the real life experience, so you’re gonna have to see it for yourself. Pauline and Sean are the loveliest couple who shared their home and a bit of their life with us and showed us what the outstanding Irish hospitality looked like (they called the local pub to book a table for us then actually drove us there so we could all drink; they provided the most delicious full Irish breakfast you can imagine and were exceptionally talkative). We can’t recommend staying at their place enough! Tip: make the reservation well in advance as their place is extremely popular.
As for the dinner we had in the village, we went to Donnelly’s of Barna, a local pub with great food – we were advised to try the lamb there, and we can now highly recommend it! The place gets usually pretty busy at nights so make sure you reserve a table in advance.
Day 1 – Killary Sheep Farm, Kylemore Abbey and Connemara National Park
Looking back at our trip, we made our first full day pretty jam-packed, but it was one of our favorites, too. My Dad got this trip as a birthday present, and he really wanted to visit a sheep farm, so we scheduled it to be the very first thing we do. When doing research online, I found two sheep farms that I thought would be worth a visit, Killary and Kissane. We chose Killary because it was in the Galway area, and because the ratings were really good, highlighting the hospitality of Tom, the owner.
Aughnanure Castle
We took off quite early to get there on Easter Sunday, but quite soon realized we’ d arrive too early, so when we saw the sign to Aughnanure Castle, we decided to take a short detour and see our first Irish castle. Aughnanure Castle was built by the O’Flahertys c. 1500, and became famous thanks to Grace O’Malley later on. About the entrance fees: 5 EUR for adults, 4 EUR for seniors and 3 EUR for students. You’ll most likely spend about half an hour here before continuing your journey, but it’s really worth a visit.
Tom and Sylvi in action – Killary Sheep Farm
From there, it’ s another hour to reach Killary Sheep Farm. It’s quite the adventure to get to the top of the hill where the farm is, and be prepared that it’s gonna be really windy (like crying-your-eyes-out windy) during the whole program. It starts with a sheep dog show (I loved how Sylvi, the dog treated the sheep – she was having fun but could become a threat to them in one second), followed by a walk through the farm if the weather allows (it rained that morning so Tom decided to skip this part), finishing the experience by feeding the new-born baby sheep. Although I grew up in the countryside where household animals were no news, I’d never fed a baby sheep before, so it was one of the highlights of this day for me. Just look at how cute they are! (Entrance fee: 10 EUR, which you’ll probably give Tom after the tour)
The “Miniature Cathedral” at Kylemore Abbey
You still have half a day left, so head towards Kylemore Abbey (it only takes 15-20 mins). While on your way, make a short stop at the Misunderstood Heron for the best coffee and brownies/cinnamon bread! It was a recommendation of Tom’s and we couldn’t be happier to spread the word! Now on to Kylemore Abbey: the entrance fee ranges from 9 to 13 EUR but is well worth your money! The Abbey itself is majestic, you’ll learn a lot about history and there’s the most amazing “Miniature Cathedral” in the backyard you don’t want to miss. The Victorian Garden is also beautiful, sadly we missed the last entry by having lunch late in the afternoon. Khm. Food is important, right?
The roads of Connemara National Park
Now all you have left is to roam free on the roads of Connemara National Park. I loved the rock formations and the fact that it was so quiet and empty you could stand on the road for minutes without interruption. Also, it’ s the perfect place for some more sheep love. Look!
Congrats! You made it through Day 1. I promise the rest of the trip will be just as action-packed, so have some sleep!
Day 2 – Galway and Athenry
You might have a different opinion if you’re staying in Galway, but coming from Barna, the city doesn’t really deserve more than half a day of your time. We planned a whole day in Galway, but quickly realized we won’t really need it. Anyways, here are my top recommendations:
Galway Cathedral
Galway Cathedral
It is a must-see. Monumental, old and modern architecture beautifully combined – plus, no entrance fee. Absolute win!
National University of Ireland, Galway
Entry to the Quadrangle
The campus was one of our favorite sights during the whole trip – the Quadrangle being the most beautiful of all the buildings. It was like you were walking on set of Harry Potter – but with red doors. Who wouldn’t want to see that? Here’s the University Trail if you want to find out more about the campus.
Quay Street and the city centre
What I loved about it: the diversity of colorful little houses. What I didn’t love about it: the amount of people who were doing their shopping there. But eventually I did some shopping, too, and became the proud owner of a yellow raincoat, something I really imagined myself in when thinking about my Ireland appearance. Oh, and I also went into Dubray Books and found some gems of books!
As for lunch, we headed to Busker Brownes on Pauline’s recommendation, and I had a really good fish and chips there. It was your typical pub food, really, but very tasty!
Now, this is the time to leave Galway and have some more castle fun. We decided to go to Athenry to see the castle and the cemetery – highly recommended if you’re in the area! The castle itself is very similar to Aughnanure Castle (with the same entrance fee), but the cemetery takes castle-hopping to another level.
Tip: Since it was raining all day long, we decided to end our explorations here, but otherwise I would recommend squeezing Galway and Athenry into the first half of the day and visiting Ashford Castle in the late afternoon. Although it operates as a 5-star hotel now, you can visit the surroundings or have a traditional afternoon tea (read more about it here).
Day 3 – Cliffs of Moher, Adare, Killarney National Park and Ring of Kerry
It’ s time to say goodbye to Galway and head south! Buckle up and try to bring snacks and comfortable clothes, it’s gonna be a long day! (Meaning: a good 13 hours in the car, with about 4 stops.)
First stop: Cliffs of Moher
The Adventures of a Yellow Jacket – Cliffs of Moher
For those who only visit Dublin and take a day-trip to the Cliffs of Moher, this might be an incredible opportunity to discover how beautiful the Irish countryside actually is. For you, however, it will feel something like this: I cannot believe that after seeing so much of Ireland’s beauty, this country still has something amazing to offer! Your emotions are completely valid, but remember, this is still just Day 3.
Back to the Cliffs: if you book online, the entrance fee now is 3.50-4 EUR (it was 4.50 and 6 EUR when we booked so I guess it depends on the ongoing deals) and would cost 8 EUR at the gate, so make sure you book online! Parking fee is included in the price, so it’s not such a bad deal, especially given that it’s Ireland’s most famous and popular landmark.
The weather is of crucial importance here, the guy at the visitor centre told us that they couldn’t see their own fingers the day before, so always double-check before booking your tickets! We were lucky because the Cliffs welcomed us with clear skies, however, it started raining just as we were leaving.
You could easily spend hours here, there are trails that go beyond the visitor centre, but since we had a long day ahead, we opted for the shorter walk. Still, the pictures we took here were incredible and we agreed that it should definitely be on everyone’s list when visiting Ireland!
Adare
The Trinitarian Abbey – Adare
This beautiful town was a surprise addition to the places we visited that day. From the Cliffs of Moher, we headed towards Killarney National Park, and just happened to drive through Adare after passing by Limerick. We started to get hungry as it was already lunchtime, so when we saw how welcoming the main street was with its perfect little houses, we looked at each other and hit the break in the blink of an eye.
We found two great places for food and drinks right next to each other: The Good Room Bistro and The Wild Geese Restaurant. Since the former had no tables available, we opted for the latter and discovered that it was recommended by the late Hungarian-born food critic Egon Ronay. Such a small world! We only had soup and desserts, accompanied by a delicious cappuccino, but it was enough to get through the day. Wild Geese Restaurant – highly recommended!
Apart from food, Adare also has beautiful sights to enjoy – Desmond Castle, two friaries and two abbies, just to name a few. We only visited the Trinitarian Abbey during our short stay, but if you want to see more, make sure you have at least two-three hours to spend there!
Killarney National Park and Ring of Kerry
This was just unreal – Killarney National Park
An absolutely incredible place and a highlight to any Irish trip! Killarney National Park consists of 26,000 acres of mountains, lakes, woods and waterfalls, and you could easily spend days here enjoying its diversity – however, if you’re short on time, as you probably will be during Day 3, driving through the park can give you the perfect glimpse of its beauty. If you want to include the Ring of Kerry in this drive, head towards the Southern part of the loop – this way you’ll have about half an hour to take photos in the park. Our favorite stop: Lady’s View
The view you get on the Ring of Kerry
Originally, when we were planning this day, we thought about doing the Ring of Kerry AND the Dingle Peninsula, but Pauline talked us out of it and said if we have to choose now, we should probably include the Ring of Kerry in this trip. I can’t wait to explore Dingle one day, and to be honest, we could have easily skipped the Ring and be content with what we saw that day, yet our wanderlust was stronger and we decided to rather exhaust ourselves instead of missing one of the most beautiful sights in Ireland. Lesson: when you think you might be over-exhausted from a detour, you definitely will be. Now the problem is, you can’t really enjoy something when your primary thoughts are: when am I gonna get into bed? Where am I gonna get food? Make sure you consider these things before opting for another two-hour drive!
Read more on the Ring of Kerry here and here.
After getting back to Killarney, it’s another 1.5 hours to reach An Cóbh. There are no real options for good pub food, so make sure you have some sandwiches left!
Day 4 – An Cóbh, Blarney Castle and driving to Dublin
An Cóbh – the cutest fishing village
Spend the morning in An Cóbh. Our host recommended Cafe Vega for breakfast (as it turned out he was the owner so no wonder why 🙂 and now we are happy to say it was delicious! We had full Irish Breakfasts and French Toast with maple syrup and bacon (the latter was for me) and oh boy! We could eat there anytime!
We then climbed up the hill to take photos of the famous colorful houses of Cóbh (much like the Painted Ladies of San Francisco) only to discover that the “perfect photo op” only presents itself if someone lifts you up over a rock wall blocking the view (or you can try and climb the wall yourself). Otherwise, you won’t have that full street view as seen on millions of pictures. Disillusionment at its best, huh?
Since it’s not a big city, you can easily see the centre (the houses and the cathedral included) in an hour. After walking off that bacon, it’s time to leave An Cóbh and head to Dublin!
Blarney Castle
Now here we only stopped once to see Blarney Castle, and while it was totally worth the visit, I’m not sure it’s the best you can have on this route. In hindsight, I’d rather visit the Rock of Cashel (that dramatic ruin you see on most Irish castle pictures) or Kilkenny Castle. They say the more you see, the more you’ll want to see, and it’s absolutely true in Ireland! Back to Blarney Castle: the entrance fee was the highest here (18 EUR), which I think is a bit much, even when considering that it’s one of the most visited sights in the country. Some things to know about the castle: it is home to the famous Blarney Stone, which you’ll definitely want to see, but be aware that it’s on top of the whole damn building – you’ll have to wait in line for an hour, with no place to sit, probably in a narrow staircase, then realize it’s a stone that EVERYONE kisses, thus is also home to billions of germs – uhm, no thanks. But when you go inside, there’s no way to avoid the whole waiting-in-line thing, as it is the only way to visit the interior of the castle. Oh well. The garden is beautiful and full of life, however, so I’d give it a 3,5/5.
Now all you have left if you don’t want to visit any other attraction is to drive to Dublin! If you visit the sights I recommended above, please leave a comment below with your impressions and tips!
Since it’s already been a super long post, I decided to write about our Dublin experience separately in Part II – read it here!