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7 Day Ireland Itinerary – Ultimate Road Trip Guide For The South

Last Updated April 25, 2024 William Tang

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This 7-day Ireland itinerary guide is broken into three main parts – trip planning decision points, the comprehensive breakdown of each day, and my personal planning tips.  This is meant to be super comprehensive and is everything I would have wanted to know when I planned this South Ireland road trip, along with what to see in 7 days.

Ireland is a place where legends, epics, and science fiction become reality.  Ireland is a breathtaking ancient landscape, rolling green hills and craggy sharp rock. Ireland is céad míle fáilte (a hundred thousand welcomes).

Read more about Ireland

• Things you have to see and do on your Ireland road trip
• 6 of the Best Things to do in Galway
• Must-read Ireland travel guide

TOP TIPS FOR TRAVELING IRELAND

• Our favorite spot – You’ll discover this as you go through the itinerary but if I had to pick, I’d say it was our day at Skellig Michael , not only as a Star Wars nerd, but our timing in being able to see the puffins in droves.  Truly a special day.
• Where to stay – We used Booking.com for all of our stays and is great for finding those charming B&Bs. Alternatively, you can always see if hotel corporate codes might work for you.
• Renting a car – An important part to a road trip is obviously a car. Save the most money through car rental coupon codes and always start your search with Discover Cars and RentalCars so you know what the best deals are.
• Flights – International flights are never cheap, but with the Skyscanner “Everywhere” feature you can find the best deals. Check how much it would be for you to get to Ireland!
• Insurance – This is a must for a road trip! Check out the best travel insurance .
• Hottest deals – Bookmark our frequently updated travel deals page .

In This Article

Recommended travel time

Areas to focus, best time to go, packing essentials, where to stay, flying into ireland, interactive map, itinerary day 1 – a peek inside the ancient east, itinerary day 2 – from castles to a ring called kerry, itinerary day 3 – magic on skellig michael, itinerary day 4 – a day in killarney, itinerary day 5 – coastal adventures on dingle peninsula, itinerary day 6 – mighty cliffs and the burren, itinerary day 7 – clash of gaelic sport and dublin delight, itinerary flexibility and changes, frequently asked questions, travel resources for your next trip, ireland road trip planning.

Planning a South Ireland road trip isn’t hard.  There’s a few things to consider as you put everything together before you start planning.

For more details make sure to read everything you need to know when you plan a trip to Ireland .

There’s three scenarios here: 1) You have limited vacation days, 2) you found a flight deal with specific dates, or 3) there’s flexibility.

If it’s #1 or #2, you already know your answer but if it’s #3, things become intriguing.  It’s in part dictated by your decision on how much you’d like to see and the pace at which you travel.

Our week in Ireland wasn’t enough to see everything we wanted in the south but was the perfect amount to see the highlights.  I’d say Ireland in 7 days is a bare minimum and your itinerary will be decently packed.  Any less, you’ll have to focus on less regions or drive aggressively which isn’t recommended.

Two weeks is the perfect amount whether you decide to deep dive in a specific area or see the whole island.  For the sake of keeping this guide focused, let’s say you only have 7 days to work with.

A week in the Emerald Isle is certainly not enough but if you’ve got limited time like we did, you’ll have to make a pretty critical decision.  Do you focus on the North, South, or the whole island?  Do you want to take it slow or hit up as much as you can? 

The island of Ireland is divided into two parts.  The majority of the land is covered by the Republic of Ireland (officially named Ireland) and the other sixth is Northern Ireland which is part of the United Kingdom to the northeast.

One of the most recognizable places of Ireland is Giant’s Causeway and it’s the reason you’ll want to come to this part of the island.  The unusual basalt pillars are incredibly unique and will boggle your mind.  In the north, it’s cities like Belfast and Derry which present the most compelling and fascinating political history if you’re interested in learning about that and the complicated past around Ireland’s independence.  There is plenty to see here and it’s just as beautiful as the southern part of the island.

Other highlights include:

• Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge
• Dark Hedges
• Donegal – There’s a reason why this region was picked as ‘Coolest Place on the Planet for 2017’ by  National Geographic Traveler

There is no official “southern Ireland” borderline but we’re labeling that as everywhere below the line connecting Galway to Dublin.

Southern Ireland is dramatically different in terrain and sights than the north.  The south is where you’ll find a majority of the larger cities of Ireland including Dublin, Cork, Galway city, and Limerick.

Our main reason for doing a South Ireland road trip is to experience the Ring of Kerry, Skellig Michael, Dingle, Connemara National Park and explore castles and ancient ruins.

The full loop

The island itself isn’t that large (area wise, it is in fact smaller than Iceland) and doing a loop is certainly possible in 7 days.  It’s an ambitious schedule but definitely possible.

Ultimately we chose to do the south because we had done Northern Ireland on a separate short stopover trip and wanted to see a different side to Ireland.

The summer months are short and in the winter most things in the country are shut down.  As a result, it kind of makes it simple in terms of when to plan your trip.

July and August are the peak of high season; school is out and you contend with the large hoards of tourists, both domestic and international.  On average these months have a high of 20C.

Spring and fall are going to be a bit temperamental but, if you’re okay with rain, you’ll find awesome flight deals and cheaper hotels.  Expect the temperatures to be colder though with highs of 15C.

The sweet spot, however, has to be June .  It’s during the summer solstice with the longest days of the year and it’s the start of high season.  You get the best of amazing weather and smaller crowd sizes.  It was incredible that there was enough light to sightsee until 10PM.

Packing for a South Ireland road trip shouldn’t be too hard as you’ll be staying at B&B’s and hotels all the way through.

Since you’ll have access to a car you don’t have to pack ultra-light.  You will want to rent the smallest car possible though, which means minimal trunk space.

Waterproof – You’re not going to skip every spot you have on your itinerary because of rain.  This means that you’ll have to brave the elements.  Have rain gear with you in case you need it.

GPS – If you have a data plan, using your smartphone for GPS will be your first choice so you can leverage any traffic information to take the most optimal route.  If not, a stand-alone unit will work just as well. Don’t assume your car will have GPS built in.  Before your trip, make sure you save areas offline on Google Maps and Save/Star all your destinations.  Google Maps will work offline (minus traffic adjustments).

Money – Ireland is part of the EU and as such, Euro is the currency.  Cash or credit is widely accepted.  If you’re from Canada, make sure you have the right credit card to either minimize on foreign exchange fees or maximize points.

Always cool – In the summer, it tops out in the low 20Cs.  Evenings drop down to the 10Cs or lower so pack accordingly.  I had a light Quiksilver hoodie always ready to go in the car in case things got chilly.

You can find other gear that I recommend for a trip to visit Ireland below.

• Columbia Women’s Outdry Ex ECO Tech Jacket  – Whether it’s this or another waterproof jacket, the key is to have a light and durable outer layer that will at least keep your upper body dry.
• Helly Hansen rain pants – We were lucky enough to never needs these on our trip but have learned from Iceland, it is always good to have pants that you can slip on.
• Columbia Conspiracy Titanium OutDry Trail Running Shoe – To round out the waterproofing gear, having good shoes that perform well during hikes, walks, and rain is so important.  We love these shoes because they’re breathable, low profile which is good for summer, and very comfortable.
• Travel towel – B&B’s are great at providing amenities like towels, but the one instance for us where we needed this was at Galway Glamping .  Whether you need it or not, these are super compact and can be useful in other scenarios like if you get wet from the rain, decide to go to the beach, or do surfing lessons.
• Eagle Creek Pack-It Specter Cube Set  – These are awesome for any travel you do.  We’ve been using this set for awhile to keep our shirts organized, underwear together, and all our random loose cables and chargers in one spot.
• Victorinox Travel Organizer – Ireland was so safe that we didn’t feel the need to travel with a money belt so organizers like this were perfect to keep my passport and travel papers nice and tidy.
• Toiletry kit – The hanging toiletry organizer is a must for any traveler.  We’re a big fan because the hook allows you to hang this off of a vanity mirror or towel rack in a hotel/hostel and gives you counter space.  Kits like this are small but surprisingly allow you to pack a ton of things inside.
• Travel power bar – Surge protectors such as this that take 1 outlet into 3 is helpful especially if you have to charge a bunch of things at night. You never know how many outlets your B&B or hotel is going to have so this is super handy.
• Cigarette USB adapter – USB plugs in cars are notorious for being slow charging.  Get one of these chargers for the cigarette adapter to allow two USB devices to be charged at the same time and at a faster rate.  The one we used was unfortunately a slow speed one.
• Power bank – If you have more devices you want to charge on the go and you’ve run out of ports/adapters in the car, it’ll be smart to have a basic power bank as your back up.  This Xiaomi one has a ton of capacity (10,000 mAH) and is super light.
• Car phone holder – If you’re going to be using your phone as your GPS, don’t forget to bring a holder. Our favorite are these magnetic ones which clip to an air vent.  The unfortunate thing for us was that we didn’t account for our rental car to not have a regular air vent which made it near impossible to mount.  We eventually found a way but it was at a weird angle and the phone would periodically fall off.  The kind of things you don’t really think about when you’re packing right?

After deciding the focus area of your trip and having a rough idea of the spots you want to see, the next step is figuring out where to stay.

The best part about Ireland is the hospitality and it’s a big reason we had such a great time.  The scenery blew our minds, but those conversations with the owners of the B&Bs and hotel staff made for a lasting impression.

B&B’s:   You’ll only find hotels in the big cities. In the country-side you’re going to rely on family owned B&B accommodations.  Each one is unique and the best part is the delicious breakfast included.

Hotels:   In the bigger cities you’ll have the option to stay at a hotel.  We quite enjoyed our big rooms, luxurious beds, and room cleaning when we had the opportunity.  Not to say we didn’t have that at the B&Bs, but it was nice to go into a hotel knowing the level of service and quality that you’d expect.

Glamping:   When I found out about Galway Glamping with Mongolian yurts, I knew we had to try it.  You get an experience that gets you into the charming countryside setting while not sacrificing the comforts of a hot shower, kitchen, and lounge rooms.  Similar to B&Bs, the hosts are just as accommodating, friendly, and helpful.

Places we stayed across Ireland in 7 days:

• Kilkenny – Newlands Lodge
• Portmagee – Skellig View White Room Airbnb
• Killarney – The Lake Hotel
• Dingle – An Portán
• Lisdoonvarna (near Doolin) – Slieve Elva B&B
• Galway – Galway Glamping
• Dublin – The Croke Park Hotel

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Tips and Advice:

• Be careful about check-in times.  Typically there are very specific time slots where they expect you to come in.  If you aren’t able to, make sure you reach out to them beforehand, give the owners an estimate of when you’ll arrive, and get approval.
• When glamping, make sure to ask what facilities are available so you come prepared.  In Galway Glamping’s case, they did not provide towels so we had to bring our own travel towel .

The main international airport is Dublin (DUB) but there are also airports in Shannon (SNN), Belfast (BFS), Cork (ORK), and Knock in West Ireland (NOC).

Coming from Canada, Dublin airport will be your primary access point into Ireland.  Our choice of airline is Air Transat .  We flew economy and were greeted with great leg room, a solid entertainment system, excellent service and amazing food.

If you’re coming from another part of Europe, you have even more airports open to you.

• Kerry Airport : Served by flights from Dublin, Manchester, London-Luton, London-Stansted and Frankfurt.
• Waterford Airport:  Served by flights from London-Luton, Manchester, Birmingham, Bordeaux, Lorient.
• Galway Airport:  Served by flights from Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Edinburgh, Leeds Bradfort, London Luton, Manchester, Newcastle, Southampton.
• Donegal Airport
• Sligo Airport
• George Best Belfast City Airport
• City of Derry Airport

These options allow you to get creative with your itinerary.  For instance, instead of doing a round trip journey in and out of Dublin, you could start in Dublin on the East side of the island to Shannon on the West.

Table of Contents

The 7 Day Ireland Itinerary

With the basics covered, the next step is to plan your day by day Ireland itinerary.

This high level outline shows everything we did across the 7 day road trip including sights, restaurants we tried, where we stayed, and invaluable insight we learned through adventure and misadventure.

This is meant to be a guideline because everyone’s situation will be different.  That said, if you’re looking for a baseline to start from, this guide is probably the best out there.  Sign up to become an insider and get access to the downloadable spreadsheet .

If you’re coming from North America, you’ll most likely be taking a red-eye flight, flying out in the evening and arriving the next morning.  This means you may be too tired to hit the ground running.  For us, we tried to sleep through the flight so that we’d have enough energy to last the first day.

Upon landing in Dublin and out of the airport by 1PM, we made an explicit decision to hit the road right away.  There’s more details in the driving section of our road trip guide but since I knew driving in Dublin was going to be a headache, it seemed more logical to finish there, return the car in the city and then rely on local transportation.

After picking up our rental car from Europcar we found our way to Glendalough in the gorgeous Wicklow Mountains region.  Glendalough Monastic City ruins were very impressive and almost fairytale-like with the Round Tower, Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul, the high crosses in the graveyard, and the priest’s house.  Make sure not to miss the walk up to the Upper Lake which has a postcard worthy view.  It’s roughly a 30 minute walk each way.

We then drove to the city of Kilkenny, our final destination of the day.  We arrived too late to do the Kilkenny Castle tour but there was plenty to see walking around the grounds, including the massive green park on one side and the rose garden on the other.

After dinner, we treated ourselves to Murphy’s Ice Cream.   Our favorite flavor has to be their Dingle Sea Salt, try it!

If we had more time:

Smithwick’s Experience – Smithwick’s ended up being our beloved beer for the trip and would have loved to have done this tour.  They also had an evening experience that sounded fun.

PETRONELLA RESTAURANT & CAFE

Quaint restaurant down a small alleyway in Kilkenny that serves excellent European dishes that span Irish to Italian.  Ordered the Baked Goatsbridge trout and Pappardelle pasta and both were very good.  Loved the decor here as well.  Best part was when the manager, Frank, came out to greet all the customers to see how everything was.

TripAdvisor

NEWLANDS LODGE

Just outside of Kilkenny, this B&B is a lovely property that will exceed all expectations whether it comes to the spacious rooms that are impeccably clean, friendly service from owners Mairead and Jimmy, and delicious all-inclusive breakfast.

Booking.com

Tips and Tricks:

• Car rental and driving tips – See everything you need to know to plan a trip to Ireland . We found our car rental via Discover Cars .
• Parking at Glendalough – We parked at the first parking lot we saw which turned out to be the Glendalough Hotel.  The parking was “free” and we weren’t ticketed although I’d say in high season it may not be as easy as it was for us.
• Glendalough Monastic City – No admission required.
• Relieve and hydrate – The walk to the Upper Lake is long and there isn’t much cover at the main site so either use the visitor center or Glendalough Hotel for the bathroom facilities.
• Kells Priory – This is an off-the-beaten-path spot that would be worth considering in your itinerary.  Read more about it here .

With a full stomach from our Irish breakfast, we hopped into our car and made our way to the Rock of Cashel .  

On a green hill with banded limestone, ancient fortifications create a ring around the Gothic cathedral, round tower, and chapel.  We were able to walk through the open, yet remarkably intact, ruins while also enjoying the rolling countryside of Tipperary.

Next stop was the famed Blarney Castle just outside of Cork.  The grounds of Blarney Castle and Gardens are huge and require a half day to fully explore everything.  We walked straight to the castle tower to line up to kiss a stone famed for giving the gift of eloquence.  

Wrapping up at Blarney Castle, we rushed through Killarney and connected to the Ring of Kerry to start our counter-clockwise rotation.  

The scenery at this point dramatically changed from tree lined country roads to coastal cliffs and crashing waves.  This is where you’ll appreciate having your own car .

After a few impromptu stops along the way, we made our final stop of the night at Kells Bay House & Gardens .  Here, we had a lovely and surprisingly authentic Thai meal at their in-house Sala Thai Restaurant.

We had the Summer Solstice on our side and there was still a ton of light out after dinner.  This made navigating the road to Portmagee and over to our Airbnb much easier.  Sadly, we had to skip pretty much everything along the way along this part of the Ring of Kerry except a quick stop at a gas station to pick up breakfast and snack items for the next day.

• Cork – It would’ve been nice to explore Cork and their English Market and visit the Cobh Heritage Centre.
• Blarney Gardens – I would have loved to have spent more time doing the various walks around the Poison Garden, Fern Garden, Arboretum, and the endless other garden walks that explore the mystical and magical landscapes.
• Killorglin – This is the first town we passed by along the Ring of Kerry.  We zipped right through but I would have loved to have stopped here even for a few minutes to get a feel for a small town like this one.
• Cahirciveen – This is home to the Ballycarbery Castle and the Old Barracks which is built in the Schloss style.  Legend says they mixed up plans for this and a building designed for somewhere in Punjab, India.

SALA THAI RESTAURANT

This is the in-house restaurant as part of the Kells Bay House property.  As someone that’s had a lot of Thai food, I have to say that the curries, noodles, and skewers we had were all very good and very authentic.  The only knock I’d have on this place is the service.  Our order took way too long to get to the table and only after following up did they realize that they missed our order completely and had to make it from scratch at that point.

SKELLIG VIEW WHITE ROOM AIRBNB

A no frills kind of Airbnb that I booked pretty early on because I was worried that the town of Portmagee would sell out.  Our host, Marie, was very accommodating of our late check-in request and I appreciated the free passes to Kerry Cliffs.  The room was just the right size and in relatively clean condition.  Wifi included as well.

Check rates

Tips and Tricks :

• Rock of Cashel – Parking is right up the narrow road right at the base of the hill.  It’s an automated parking system where you pay the machine when you’re leaving.  This parking costs 4.50 EUR.  To save money you could park in town and walk up.  Entrance is 8 EUR per person.
• Blarney Castle  – Be ready for lines to kiss the Blarney Stone.  If you’re not in a rush, I recommend doing the other parts of the garden, waiting for the line to subside and then doing the castle itself.
• Blarney Gardens –   Entrance is 14 EUR per person booked online.

Thinking about what to see in Ireland in 7 days, this is my #1 must-do.  The entire pilgrimage experience of zipping across the North Atlantic to discover that the white tipped Little Skellig was in fact covered by white gannets and adorable puffins that made Skellig Michael their home.  Then following in the ancient footsteps of Luke Skywalker and Rey up to the monastery itself was pure magic.

The 2.5 hours we had on the island seemed like a lot initially but once we started climbing the steps and exploring the beehive huts of the monastery, time passed quickly.

Back on the mainland and after lunch, we explored the lesser-known Valentia Island.  We wouldn’t have known about this part of the Ring of Kerry if it wasn’t for incredible photos I had seen from this area.  With the higher vantage points of Geokaun Mountain (5 EUR per car) and the slate quarry behind Valentia Lighthouse (5 EUR per person), the scenery was as close to postcard perfect as it gets.

We then continued along our ring road journey by joining up with the Skellig Ring where we stopped by Kerry Cliffs (4 EUR per person) which is an impressive view of the jagged edged rocky coast.  It’s at the edge of the peninsula where the land rises and then sharply drops into the ocean.

The driving adventure continued along until rejoining the main Ring of Kerry.  Due to time, we couldn’t stop in the towns along the way.  From Waterville and onwards, it was straight driving.  Since we weren’t close to the coast there wasn’t much to stop and see.

At Molls Gap , we took a quick break before descending into Killarney National Park with sunlight starting to wane.  We were able to make quick stops at Ladies View where you can see where the glaciers carved through the valley before the opening into Killarney itself.

It was late by the time we checked into The Lake Hotel so no restaurants were open.  We hopped downstairs to the Devil’s Punchbowl Bar , grabbed a pint, and ordered a sandwich.

• Waterville, Sneem, Caherdaniel, and Kenmare – It would’ve been nice to take our time through these idyllic coastal towns but I feel the trade off of spending more time on Valentia Island and the Skellig Ring was worth it.

THE BRIDGE BAR

With barely any time to snack on Skellig Michael, we were famished by the time we arrived back in Portmagee.  Right along the main street is this nice little local restaurant which gets all the Skellig tourists.  Their fish and chips definitely hit the spot.

THE LAKE HOTEL

A historic hotel that is full of character but doesn’t show its age.  The rooms here are incredibly spacious and comfortable.  Breakfast as part of the B&B package was of the highest quality and the perfect charge-up for the day.  Location wise, it can’t be beat either being practically on Killarney National Park Grounds with that amazing view of the old castle ruins at the footsteps of Lough Leane.

• Booking:  You must book at least 4-5 months in advance in order to guarantee a spot for a specific date.  If you haven’t, don’t fret because cancellations happen all the time.
• Casey’s Tours to Skellig Island
• Skellig Michael Cruises
• The Skelligs – Force Awakens Boat Trip – Leaves from Ballinskelligs which is a totally different pier from Portmagee
• Skellig Boat
• Skellig Walker Cruises
• Skellig Michael Voyage
• The Skelligs Tour – Departs from Caherdaniel
• Skellig Experience Visitor Centre also has a page for boat tours here .
• Weather:  If the weather is poor for the boats, they’ll cancel the trip.  That’s why Skelligs Rocks ensured we called the morning of to confirm whether the trip would be a go or not.  There’s not much you can do here other than perhaps planning 2 days in the Ring of Kerry area so that if one day doesn’t work, you can reorganize things so you can have a second day to attempt a trip out.
• Boat ride:   With the speed of the boat, you’re not going to get that rocky, nausea inducing feeling that folks sensitive to being on the water get.  That being said, the water does get choppy especially on the way out which is why you have to wear the waterproof gear provided by the boat.  For those that get sea sick easily, they do offer medicine on board prior to leaving the pier if you need it but nobody on our boat ride had issues.  Make sure you tuck your camera away once the boat is out in open water because you will get very wet especially if you sit near the back.  The captain was also nice enough to provide big zip-loc bags in case.
• Difficulty:   There are two main sets of steps to the Monastery but I would say it’s relatively easy.  The first set slowly winds up with some natural spots for breaks.  The steps are wide enough to allow people to pass.  The second set of steps are more steep but if you take your time, you’ll make it up with no issues.  Compared to the Inca Trail where altitude was in effect , this felt very easy since it only required short spurts of energy.
• Tour:  Make sure you stick around for the educational talk given by one of the rangers when you get to the Monastery.  I don’t think there’s a fixed schedule but I could be wrong.  It felt like it was every hour.
• Valentia Lighthouse  – Admission to here was 5 EUR per person but didn’t think it was worth it.  The lighthouse and the small museum weren’t too interesting and the views weren’t anything special.  What was a nice view was in fact from the slate quarry which is visible when you look back inland from the lighthouse.  From here you get sweeping views of the lighthouse and the sprawling peninsula fingers that meet here.
• Skellig Ring – The Skelligs are in view for most of the drive around here and was honestly more of a joy to drive through compared to the Ring of Kerry because the large coaches don’t come here.  There weren’t designated stops per say but it was a joy to find pullovers to see the villages below.
• Ring of Kerry –  I would recommend driving counter-clockwise which is the official designated route for all the coach buses.   I’d much rather be stuck behind one and feel comfortable that opposing traffic will have to yield and when the opportunity arises to pass.  The driving section will cover this in more detail but I’ll say two things. 1) The speed limit is way too high so don’t feel pressured to drive that fast and 2) As scary as everyone made driving the ring sound, it wasn’t that bad because you’re never at a cliff’s edge and there are usually tiny pull offs for oncoming cars.

After a hearty breakfast at The Lake Hotel , we ventured about the hotel grounds.  The hotel backs right into the largest lake of the national park and as part of that, there’s also the ruins of The McCarthy Mór Castle.

You’ll need a full day exploring Killarney National Park because it’s huge.  For us, we wanted to hit up the main sights.  We were able to see Muckross Abbey, Muckross House, Torc Waterfall, and Ross Castle.  I was probably most impressed with the Abbey and its courtyard that must’ve inspired Tolkien.

Wanting to spend time in the town of Dingle, we hit the road right after we finished at the castle.  The drive through the southern coast of the peninsula was amazing with views of the water as you winded through.  The Ring of Kerry side was always visible across the water and we made quite a few stops along the way.

We quite enjoyed our time in Dingle as we were able to take a relaxing stroll along the main streets of town, popping into the small shops that were painted in a variety of colors.   After dinner, we also made sure we tried a few more flavors at Murphy’s Ice Cream.

• Killarney National Park – I would’ve loved to have done a few hikes in the park.  I was also sad that we weren’t able to take the boat across from Ross Castle to the Meeting of the Waters and Old Weird Bridge.
• Gap of Dunloe – This was part of the plans but had to be cut.  There’s an awesome hike there that takes around 2 hours with breathtaking views of the lake, a heritage cottage, and the surrounding mountains.
• Killarney City – If there’s one city we completely skipped because of time, it was Killarney.  It’s supposed to be a charming city with great food options like Quinlan’s Seafood Bar and Lane Cafe Bar.

OUT OF THE BLUE

If you love seafood, this is your spot.  The seafood chowder is out of this world.  The fish is all locally caught and fresh and it comes through in the two dishes we had – sea bass and pollock were probably the best of the entire trip.

This is one of the few B&Bs located on the western part of Dingle Peninsula which is the perfect spot to launch into the main sights along Slea Head Drive and the ferry out to the Blasket Islands.  The owners, Rónán and Geraldine are warm and friendly hosts that also serve up delicious breakfast.  The rooms are spacious, clean, and even come furnished with a rocking chair.

Starting in Dunquin, which is where our B&B was located, was a bit of a blessing and a curse because it allowed us to jump right into Dunquin Harbour and The Blasket Centre but since driving counter to traffic is highly inadvisable as we were told, we had to cut across the mountain in order to drive on Slea Head Drive in the clockwise direction.

When it comes to Slea Head Drive , there really wasn’t a specific sight that you’re looking for.  It’s very much a look out into the ocean as you’re driving around.

We were told that the Famine Cottages are a tourist trap so we skipped that.  There are also beehive huts along the way but because as we had done Skellig Michael, we passed as well.  Cross at Slea Head is a good spot for a quick stop where you’ll see great views of the Blasket Islands.  From there, you can see Coumeenoole Beach .  The beach is a good spot for a picnic and there’s a nice hike to the peninsula’s edge.

We continued around the peninsula with stops at Clogher Head, which is more or less another beach, and the Louis Mulcahy Pottery studio (good for a bathroom break and quick peek).

We drove back into town for another quick stop before detouring north to cross Conor Pass.  At the peak, there’s a carpark where we stopped briefly to check out the magnificent sights here.  You can see the coast in the distance, farms at the valley floor, along with lakes and cliffs.

This is when the heavy driving started as we had to wind up Northeast towards Limerick before turning Northwest.  Along the way, we stopped in the city of Ennis where it started pouring but we ducked into Cruises Pub for dinner.

• Gallarus Oratory – This was on our itinerary for the drive around Dingle but because we didn’t have enough time, I quickly flew the drone and continued along our way.
• Quaint small towns of Dingle – Our B&B hosts recommended that we stop by Ballydavid but short on time, we had to skip them.
• Blasket Islands – This is a full day kind of event but if you had a couple of days in the area, we recommend getting a ferry over to the Great Blasket Island to create your own eco adventure.

CRUISES PUB

This spot was a bit of a happy accident for us.  Originally we wanted to eat at The Cloister Restaurant & Bar but they weren’t taken anyone without reservations.  This pub was full of energy when we stepped in with a Gaelic football match televised with live Irish music.  There was a good selection of local beer here on top of comfort Irish bar food.  The Guinness meat pie and bangers and mash were perfect.

SLIEVE ELVA B&B

Just outside the town of Lisdoonvarna is this amazing B&B which features cosy guest rooms which are both spacious, clean, and modernly renovated.  What makes any stay special is the hospitality of the owners Kris and Ireen who will go out way to make you feel at home.  Their breakfast is marvelous and you will love their personal touch of home made bread and jams.  On top of that, each room gets Ireen’s homemade biscuits.  This would be my B&B of choice for anyone want to visit Cliffs of Moher or The Burren in County Clare.

• Driving in Dingle – Having done the drive myself, I can confidently say that you do not want to drive counter-clockwise.  Slea Head Drive is designated as a two way road but some parts along the coast are only wide enough for one car.
• Tarbert to Killimer Ferry – Instead of driving through Limerick as we ended up doing, there’s an alternative route that involves a ferry from Tarbert and goes across to Killimer.  We were originally going to do this but it didn’t save us any time so we just kept on driving.  However, if you plan it well or just have a more flexible schedule, check the schedule beforehand and this’ll be a great way to cut down driving time.  It costs 19 EUR per car or 17.10 if you book online .

We started off by crossing through the countryside before dropping to the coast.  Where there were rolling valleys before, large forested areas popped up and the ground burst with streams of sharp jagged limestone.

The Cliffs of Moher were staggeringly impressive with its continuous sheer drop of 214 meters that winds out as far as the eye can see.  Where the vistas truly opened up was beyond the fences of the maintained park.  There, I only dared to walk to the death-defying edges a few times before following the ridge line down to the most northern point.   We ended up spending quite a bit of time here.

Our next stop was Burren Smokehouse .  What we learned was that the Smokehouse itself is just a store and next to it on the same street is the Storehouse.  We grabbed a sample platter to eat one of our few lunches on the trip.  It was so good that after lunch we picked up a few for home.  The tricky part was figuring out how to keep it refrigerated the remainder of the trip.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in Burren National Park , followed by a quick walk around the portal tomb, Poulnabrone .  The Burren region is out of this world.  Even though we didn’t get to do a full hike in this geopark, it shows the power of glaciers that carved through and left behind limestone pavement with fissures created by rainwater dissolution.  The end result is something that is so dramatically different from anywhere else in Ireland.

We closed out the day in Galway , my favorite city in Ireland.  We didn’t get to stay there long but it was somewhere that was full of energy with all the street performers.  Pedestrian streets ruled the downtown core, making it easy to walk and so approachable with its many shops and restaurants.

At the end of the night, we drove outside of the city to get to Galway Glamping where we had a chance to meet the owners and get a full tour of the grounds.  This night was hands down the most memorable of stays with an eclectic assembly of furniture in the Mongolian yurt which was surprisingly very cozy and warm thanks to the electrical heater.

We closed out the day in Galway which has got to be my favorite city in Ireland.  It’s not like we even got to stay there that long but it was somewhere that was full of energy with all the street performers.  Pedestrian streets ruled the downtown core which made it easy to walk and so approachable with its many shops and restaurants.

At the end of the night, we drove outside of the city to get to Galway Glamping where we had a chance to meet the owners where they gave us the full tour of the grounds.  This night was hands down the most memorable of stays with eclectic assembly of furniture in the Mongolian yurt which was surprisingly very cosy and warm thanks to the electrical heater.

• I put together an article about top things to do in Galway .  Head over there for more ideas.
• Ballyvaughan Fairy Fort – A hidden spot in The Burren, this ring fort is said to be on the road up to Poulnabrone, just opposite the left hand turn into the Ailwee Caves. Access is restricted but it’s supposedly easy to walk in.
• Ballyvaughan – Pretty thatched cottages, nice crafts shops, and restaurants.
• Aran Islands – The easiest way to get there is by catching a ferry from Doolin.  I’d recommend staying overnight at a minimum.  There are 3 islands in the chain but the most interesting is Inis Mór which features the cliff tops prehistoric ring forts.  A ton to see and explore here.
• Burren National Park – I’m still a bit disappointed in the hike we attempted here.  With a little better planning, I would’ve picked a better marked hike.
• Aillwee Cave/Pollnagollum  – Pollnagollum is a secret spot but if you know where to look, you can find the cave that inspired Lord of the Rings’ character, Gollum.  Entrance to the longest cave in Ireland, the more accessible way is through Aillwee Cave which is open to the public.  The best way to see it is to join up with a local caving tour ( Back West Adventures ).

THE BURREN STOREHOUSE

Everyone raved about The Burren Smokehouse and their restaurant (Storehouse next door) and it sure didn’t disappoint.  After our morning at the Cliffs of Moher, we made our way over here for a quick bite.  While they have a ton of other great menu items such as their pizza, what we really wanted to try was a sampling of their smoked fish. Luckily they have the Smokehouse Platter which has 6 of their products.  Two of us shared one plate and it was just right for a half lunch.  There’s often live music playing here as well.

GALWAY GLAMPING

The most unique accommodations of our Ireland itinerary.  Who would’ve thought we’d be able to stay in a Mongolian yurt in the middle of the Irish countryside.  What used to be an estate in ruins, the grounds have now been converted to this eclectic mix of yurts, axe-throwing, group games, party rooms, and other funky rooms.  What makes it glamping is that all rooms are furnished and powered while also including super clean bathroom, kitchen, and lounging facilities next door.

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• What the entry ticket is actually for – The entry ticket is only to get into the mass lot across the street.  Once you’re parked, all you do is cross the street and that’s it.  This kind of makes sense because there’s no way to police the cliffs to the north and the south.  Anyone can walk in.  They just bank on everyone driving.  You do have to get in the same line as everyone regardless if you purchase your ticket online ahead of time.
• How to get in for free – There’s a farmer that has land right next to the most northerly edge of the cliffs who is apparently super cool with people parking along the road as long as his car can still drive through.  The photo below is the spot that you should be looking for.  If you’re coming from the north, you’ll see this before the mass parking lot.  You can use either side as you can see.
• Best time to go – If I were to do it again, I’d definitely plan to go after 4PM.  During the middle of the day, there are way too many tourist buses and the sun is right above you which creates incredibly harsh shadows.  I’ve seen the photos and sunsets are epic here.
• Best spots for photos – To get that postcard perfect shot, you need to leave the official bounds of the tourist site (there are signs that let you know).  We couldn’t do both ends but chose to hike to the northern edge which gives a full view of the pinnacle and a long depth of cliffs front to back.

• Burren National Park – This park is unique because there aren’t any specific boundaries and isn’t run like a national park that we’re used to.  That’s why the visitor center is in the nearby town of Corofin.  We didn’t go there and just plotted a route to the park via Google Maps.  In retrospect it wasn’t a good idea because I had no clue where the hike trails were.  At the Gortlecka Crossroads, we saw a bunch of cars parked here so we did as well.  Thing is, there’s only one board here that indicated there was a trail here.  We tried to follow it but eventually got side tracked by a gate opening that we thought was the right way.  Long story short, we gave up and turned back.  Either we are terrible at hiking or the trails are just poorly marked.  Lesson learned:  Get a trail map from the visitor center first.
• Tunnel toll – When driving up to Galway, we hit an unexpected toll since there’s a tunnel you have to go through.  This is an unattended machine so you have to make sure you have enough coins for this.  The toll is 1.90 EUR.
• Galway parking – You’re probably not going to find free parking here.  We circled around for a bit to see if we could get free parking to no avail.  In the end, we found a paid lot.

On our last full day in Ireland we started early.  We had an exciting morning planned with Clash Gaelic Games and we needed to travel East to get there.  While that sounds daunting, it was mostly on the motorway (highway) and took about 2 hours.

One thing you need to understand about Ireland is that while European football is popular, it pales in comparison to the Gaelic sports.  Gaelic Football and Hurley are the top two sports in the country and what better way to end off the trip than to get to learn how to play these two sports.  I had found out about Clash Gaelic Games through my research and I thought it was such a fun way to learn about culture while burning a few calories and making a fool of ourselves.  

After our mini workout, we had to get into the city, check into our hotel, cab over to Kilmainham Gaol prison, then make it late to Trinity College’s Old Library to see the Book of Kells .  We were able to stroll the streets and get some retail therapy at the hyper cheap Penny’s following.

With one night to make it count, we had dinner at L. Mulligan Grocer and spent the rest of the night drinking Guinness and listening to live Irish music at The Temple Bar .

• Dublin  – I would have liked to have seen St. Patrick’s Cathedral, St. Stephen’s Green, done more shopping, tried more restaurants, and drank a little harder.
• Pubs – The Temple Bar is the most popular one in the city but there are so many other good ones including The Dame Tavern and The Brazen Head.
• Guinness – While we weren’t big fans at the beginning, this famous stout grew on us throughout the trip.  The Guinness Storehouse is in Dublin and would be a fun place to visit for any lover of this beer. You can get advance tickets here .
• Newgrange – While technically not in Dublin, north of the city is a large and ancient burial site built of stone and architectured to only let light into the ritual chamber at sunrise on Winter Solstice.
• Howth – This is a village north of Dublin and near Portmarnock.  Located on a bulbous peninsula and featuring sweeping coastal views, it includes a superb food and crafts market.  It’s a place that gives you a flavor of everything we saw on the west coast without driving too far from Dublin.
• Malahide Castle & Gardens – While I’m sure this would’ve been impressive, we couldn’t fit this in with how long Clash went.  I wasn’t too sad in this case though since we had seen Blarney Castle & Gardens and I imagine it would be somewhat similar.

L. MULLIGAN GROCER

It’s a peculiar name for sure and it’s a bit far from the city centre but well worth it for the wide range of craft beers on tap and menu items.  We tried a most interesting watermelon wheat beer which tasted like…you guessed it…watermelon!  Our Moules Frites and Free Range Chicken Kiev were most excellent.

THE CROKE PARK HOTEL

This Doyle Collection hotel is located right next door to the famed Croke Park stadium where all the biggest Gaelic sport matches are held.  This signature hotel in the Dublin is a contemporary hotel that is big on comforts.  Their mattresses are heavenly with velvety duvets, there’s good table space to work, comfy furniture to relax, and the marbled bathrooms.  If you get the packing that includes breakfast, you’ll be treated to a wide buffet selection including honey straight from the honeycomb and my favourite, the croissants, which were delightful.  The staff was incredibly friendly and lastly, parking is included for free.  It’s the perfect hotel to launch your Dublin adventures from.

• Clash Gaelic Games  – While it was a bit of a specialized session with just the two of us, if you’re traveling with a big group of friends or if you’re a family, this is a great way to stay active and honestly try something you’d never be able to do anywhere else.
• Driving in Dublin – Everyone said “don’t do it” and they were right.  The core is a mess especially with the construction going on.  You do not want to drive in the city.  Taking a cab or local transit is the way to go so make sure you either return the car rental, wait to rent the car later, or your hotel has free parking.
• Uber – I experienced the most peculiar thing with Uber in Dublin.  There were numerous times when I’d order a cab and while it was on its way, they could cancel the ride.  I couldn’t understand why this kept happening until I realized that all the Uber drivers were regular cabbies essentially.  Every cab had Uber and another local app running on their phones and so they had to allegiance to any one of them and if they found a more convenient ride along the way, they’d take it.  On top of that, Uber also doesn’t display prices because it’s all standard meters.  At the end of the day, just understand that hailing a cab or ordering an Uber is no different.  In Dublin, I’d say hailing is just easier if you’re in a busy area because you won’t get canceled on.
• Kilmainham Goal is 8 EUR per person (plus booking fees online) and Book of Kells is 10 to 13 EUR depending on peak or off-peak hours per person.

Trips never go as planned.  This one was no different.  For the most part though, nothing dramatically changed where we had to restructure things around.  This trip was one where I simply packed too much in and had to make the call to fast forward if time was running low.

Here’s a little insight into why I feel that our plans deviated to help in your own planning:

• Not starting the day early enough – We could’ve fit more in if we hit the road after breakfast by 8AM instead of 9 or 10AM on most days.
• Taking too long in each spot – Between photos, videos, drone, and eyes, we spent more time than we had planned for.
• Driving time according to GPS is inaccurate – If you drove by Ireland’s ridiculously high speed limit and didn’t stop, sure, but the reality is that you’ll be making stops to take photos of the views and you’ll be slowing down around all corners and when there’s opposing traffic.
• Skipping meals – This is more of what happened as a result of a packed schedule.  Since we always had breakfast included by our B&Bs or hotels, lunch was the first thing to go out the window.
• Unexpected stops – You can’t plan for these but we stopped along the Ring of Kerry to help a couple with their flat tire which put us behind.  Alternatively, I didn’t have much planned for Dingle but we got a long list of suggestions from the B&B, so we ended up spending more time there before driving out of the peninsula.
• Losing track of time – As much as it was a massive advantage to have incredibly long days (usable light up until 10PM), it was also easy to just keep going.  As a result, there were a few times where we got to our dinner spot too late and had to make alternate plans.

So there you have it, the itinerary guide for a south Ireland road trip.  It was an ambitious trip for sure, but we only covered a small portion of everything Ireland has to offer.

Hopefully you’ll be able to use this as a starting point for your trip planning and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!

Make Trip Planning To Ireland A Breeze Make sure to read this companion travel guide to planning the best road trip in Ireland.

No, as long as you have a valid driver’s license you do not need an international one. A valid driver’s license allows you to rent a car as well. Note that there are different age requirements in Ireland when it comes to renting a car, be sure to look into that if concerned.

The amount of days really depends on what parts of Ireland you’d like to see and if you’d like to take your time seeing them all or not. You’ll need to decide if you want to do the north part, the south or the full loop. In our case, 7 days was barely enough to tour southern Ireland, but to do the full loop we would recommend more.

The best month to travel Ireland is June. There’s not as much rainfall during this month and the days are longer due to summer solstice, therefore you get more time to do and see more.

What you should read next

• A Week in Ireland – Enchanting Castles, Wild Coastline, and Star Wars
• 10 Must-See and Do Things For Any Road Trip in Ireland
• Ireland Road Trip Travel Guide – Everything You Need To Know
• Why You Absolutely Must Do A Road Trip Around Ireland In Photos

If you’re in the process of planning your trip and putting together your itinerary, these are genuinely the best resources that the Going Awesome Places team stands by 100% .

Credit cards: Don’t get burned by hidden fees on top of terrible exchange rates. When we travel now, we use the Wise Card . Simply load it with the currency you need before you go and use it as a regular VISA or their digital wallet card. Use their free app to track how much you have and top up when you need to.

Flights: Of all the booking search engines, Skyscanner is the most helpful and easy to use thanks to their Everywhere feature . Kayak is also another that’s we will often check as well.

Car Rental: If you’re looking to save money, these car rental coupon codes will be a true game-changer. Otherwise, DiscoverCars and RentalCars are great places to start.

Airport Parking: You’ll need a spot to leave your car at the airport so why not book a spot at a discount. Use code AWESOME7 to get at least $5 off at Airport Parking Reservations or Park Sleep Fly packages.

Data: We’ve been a huge fan of wifi hotspot devices like PokeFi (use code GAP24300) because their rates are so good and you can use it globally but recently, we’ve really loved using eSIMs. The best one is Airalo . Save money by getting region-specific eSIMs and use referral code WILLIA9500 to get $3 USD credit on your first purchase. Ubigi is another one that we’ve had success with where they uniquely offer 5G coverage. Use code AWESOME10 to save 10% on your first order.

Hotels: Our go-to is Booking.com because they have the best inventory of properties including hotels and B&Bs plus they have their Genius tier discounts . The exception is Asia where Agoda always has the best prices. TripAdvisor is also useful for reviews and bookings.

Vacation Rentals: Your first instinct will be to check Airbnb but we always recommend checking VRBO as well if you’re looking for a vacation rental.

Tours: When planning our trips, we always check both Viator and GetYourGuide to at least see what’s out there in the destination that we’re going to. They often have different offerings and prices so check both.

Travel Insurance: Learn how to buy the best travel insurance for you. This isn’t something you want to travel without.

• Insured Nomads – Popular insurance provider for frequent travelers and comes with great coverage and special perks.
• RATESDOTCA – Search engine Canadians looking for the cheapest insurance including multi-trip annual policies.
• SafetyWing – A perfect fit for long-term nomads.
• Medjet – Global air medical transportation.
• InsureMyTrip – Best for seniors, families, and those with pre-existing conditions.

If you need more help planning your trip, make sure to check out our Travel Toolbox where we highlight all of the gear, resources, and tools we use when traveling.

About William Tang

William Tang is the Chief of Awesome behind the award-winning Going Awesome Places which is focused on outdoor adventure, and experiential travel. His true passion lies in telling stories, inspiring photography and videos, and writing detailed itineraries and travel guides. He is a member of Travel Media Association of Canada (TMAC), Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), and Travel Massive. He has also been featured in publications such as Reader's Digest, Entrepreneur, Men's Journal, and Haute Living. Make sure to learn more about William Tang to find out his story and how Going Awesome Places started.

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Laura Baker says

March 8, 2023 at 11:41 PM

Thank you sooooo much for your informative guide on Southern Ireland. I truly enjoyed reading about your adventures. Keep on adventuring and sharing it with all of us!!

William Tang says

March 9, 2023 at 1:18 PM

Thanks for stopping by! You’re welcome and oh how I miss the southern part of Ireland. Hope you have an amazing time when you go!!

Sara Riobom says

June 22, 2022 at 12:21 PM

Really cool article, William. As a fellow travel blogger I am finding it hard to find really informative and honest articles to plan my trip to Ireland, and yours helped a lot. Thanks! :)

June 23, 2022 at 8:48 PM

I’m so glad Sara!!

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Can I travel to Ireland? The rules for travelling from the UK right now

By Sarah James

Ireland is part of the common travel area. This means that, even when there were Covid-related quarantine rules for international arrivals entering   England , Scotland , Wales or Northern Ireland in place, those travelling from Ireland to the UK didn’t have to quarantine on arrival. 

Since Sunday 6 March 2022, if you are travelling to Ireland, you do not need to show any proof of vaccination or proof of recovery. You do not need to show proof of negative test or Irish passenger locator form receipt regardless of your vaccination status and are not required to quarantine or test on arrival.

So what impact does this have on holidays to Ireland right now? Here’s everything you need to know about visiting at the moment.

Is it legal to travel to Ireland?

Yes. UK residents have been legally allowed to travel for leisure to certain places from Monday 17 May, and from Monday 19 July Ireland has allowed British and US travellers, as well as EU visitors, into the country. Any UK travellers may enter Ireland without proving their vaccination status or presenting a negative test.

What are the entry requirements for Ireland?

There are no entry requirements related to coronavirus in Ireland or Northern Ireland at the time of writing (Monday 14 March 2022).

What are the lockdown restrictions in Ireland?

Since Monday 19 July, international travel has been permitted for Irish citizens and residents. Theatres and cinemas are open, as are galleries, museums, bars, cafés, restaurants, hotels, B&Bs and self-catered rentals.

What if I’m travelling from Northern Ireland?

There are no restrictions on travel to or from Northern Ireland into Ireland.

Note: It's always a good idea to check official government entry guidelines before booking or travelling anywhere, as well as to purchase travel insurance with Covid cover that is appropriate for your destination.

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Can I travel to Ireland from the UK? All the rules you need to know

Ireland has tightened its entry requirements for all visitors, article bookmarked.

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With countries around the world adjusting entry rules and travel testing requirements in the face of the omicron variant, Ireland has announced its own rule changes for visitors.

Those from Great Britain may still enter the country, but the required paperwork is set to increase.

The Irish government announced on 2 December that it would be requiring a negative test result from all travellers from abroad, regardless of vaccination status - with the change coming in from 5 December 2021.

Here’s everything we know so far.

What are the new rules?

From 5 December onwards, anyone entering Ireland from abroad must show a negative Covid test result on arrival.

Vaccinated travellers who had their second jab more than 14 days prior to arrival, and have their proof of vaccination with them, may present a result from either a PCR test (taken within the 72 hours beforehand) or an antigen test (taken within the 48 hours beforehand).

Unvaccinated travellers must take a PCR test within the 72 hours prior to arrival.

One exception is travellers from Northern Ireland who have not been outside Northern Ireland or Ireland for the 14 days prior to entry - visitors who meet this criteria do not need a passenger locator form, proof of vaccination, proof of recovery or test results upon arrival.

Children under 12 are also exempt from the test result requirement.

Test results must be from a professional-administered Covid test with results sent to travellers electronically, the rules specify, and, as with all other international travel, UK residents may not use free NHS tests.

All passengers must complete Ireland’s passenger locator form online within the 72 hours before travel.

This means the full checklist for visitors from outside the island of Ireland is as follows:

Vaccinated people aged 12 or over

Negative result from an antigen or PCR test

Proof of vaccination

Valid ID (passport or driver’s license accepted)

Unvaccinated or partly vaccinated people aged 12 or over

Negative result from a PCR test

Anyone who has been in one of seven named “scheduled states” - Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe - within the 14 days before arrival will be subject to further restrictions and testing, details of which can be found here .

From which date do I need to present a test?

The new rules kicked in from 00.01 on Sunday 5 December.

Arrivals from this time onward into Ireland must have their negative test result ready for checking at the border.

The government had announced that testing would be compulsory from 3 December onwards, but later announced that there was a 48-hour delay.

An Aer Lingus spokesperson told the Irish Examiner : “The Irish government notified airlines last night that the new Regulations will now have an operational date of 5 December and not 3 December as previously advised.

“We will implement accordingly.”

How long will the rules be in place?

Although the Irish government has not stamped the new rules with an end date, a spokesperson for Tourism Ireland told The Independent that the testing requirement will be in place for “an initial two week period and will be reviewed again then”.

Many governments are in the process of tightening travel restrictions to contain the spread of the omicron variant until more is known about its potential impact, and the efficacy of vaccines on this type of Covid-19.

Assuming Ireland is taking a similar approach, it is likely that they will review testing rules within a month or so, once more is known about the variant.

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Common Travel Area between Ireland and the UK

What is the common travel area, your rights within the common travel area, border control and the common travel area, brexit and the common travel area.

The Common Travel Area (CTA) is an arrangement between the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland that gives a variety of rights to citizens of those countries. It includes more than the basic right to travel freely between both countries.

When the Common Travel Area arrangement began in 1922, it was not contained in any legislation. It was an understanding between Ireland and the UK based on their common history. Over time, some of the rights came to be included in different pieces of legislation in both Ireland and the UK.

While the Common Travel Area is recognised under the Treaty of Amsterdam, it is not dependant on the European Union and the continuing membership of both countries.

On 8 May 2019, the Irish and UK governments signed a Memorandum of Understanding (pdf) reaffirming the Common Travel Area and identifying the rights and privileges of Irish and UK citizens within the CTA. It also reaffirmed the commitment to maintain the CTA following Brexit (pdf) .

Common Travel Area rights can only be exercised by citizens of Ireland and the UK. If you are not a citizen of Ireland or the UK, you cannot exercise Common Travel Area rights.

For the purposes of the Common Travel Area, the UK covers:

• Northern Ireland
• The Isle of Man
• The Channel Islands

Irish and UK citizens have the right to live, travel, work and study within the Common Travel Area. The rights of Irish citizens have been recognised in the UK’s Immigration and Social Security (EU Withdrawal) Act 2020 .

Irish and UK citizens can live in either country and enjoy associated rights and privileges, including:

• Access to social benefits
• Access to healthcare
• Access to social housing supports
• The right to vote in certain elections

The Common Travel Area does not relate to goods or customs issues. You can read about the trade agreement between Ireland and the UK in Brexit and Ireland .

There are no routine passport controls in operation for Irish and UK citizens travelling between the 2 countries.

However, you must show identification to board a ferry or an airplane, and some airlines and sea carriers only accept a passport as valid identification. You may also be asked by an immigration officer to prove that you are a citizen of Ireland or the UK, so you should carry a passport with you. You can also use an Irish passport card, or other proof that you are an Irish citizen.

If you have family members who are not UK or EEA citizens, they may need a visa to enter Ireland or the UK. A residency scheme for family members of UK citizens who move to Ireland after 1 January 2021 is now in place.

The Common Travel Area also involves some co-operation on immigration issues. A non-EEA national, for example, may be refused permission to enter Ireland if they intend to travel onwards to the UK and they would not qualify for admission to the UK. Irish immigration officers have the power to carry out checks on people arriving in the State from the UK and to refuse them entry to the State on the same grounds that apply to people arriving from outside the Common Travel Area. These checks are carried out selectively.

You can find out more about travelling to the UK from Ireland .

EU and EEA citizens travelling to Great Britain from Ireland

If you are a citizen of the EEA (the EU, plus Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein) or Switzerland, you may be asked for identification when you enter Great Britain from Ireland. You are not asked to show identification if you are entering Northern Ireland from Ireland.

You must have an EEA passport to enter Great Britain from Ireland unless you have:

• Settled or pre-settled status in the UK, or you are awaiting a decision on your application and have received confirmation that your application is valid.
• An EU Settlement Scheme family permit, or the equivalent from Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man
• A Frontier Worker Permit
• An S2 Healthcare Visitor visa
• A Service Provider from Switzerland visa

If you are in any of the above categories, you can use an EEA or Swiss national identity card to enter Great Britain from Ireland.

Electronic Travel Authorisation

An Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) is required by some nationalities before travelling to the UK unless they are living in and travelling from Ireland.

Cross border workers

Irish and British citizens can live and work in both Ireland and the UK and they can live in one country and work in the other country. For example, you might live in Ireland and work in Northern Ireland. This is called frontier working or cross-border working .

EEA and Swiss citizens who were living in Ireland and working in Northern Ireland before the end of 2020, must have a Frontier Work Permit to continue working in Northern Ireland. EEA and Swiss citizens who live in Ireland and start working in Northern Ireland from the beginning of 2021 must apply for permission to work in the UK through the UK’s points-based immigration system .

People with UK visas or residence permits

If you are a citizen of a country whose nationals need a visa to enter Ireland and you have a valid UK visa or residence permit, you may be required to have a visa to enter Ireland before you arrive in Ireland.

Short Stay Visa Waiver Programme

The Short Stay Visa Waiver Programme allows nationals of a number of Eastern European, Middle East and Asian countries who have a short-term UK visa to come to Ireland without the need for a separate Irish visa.

Reciprocal visa arrangements

A British Irish Visa Scheme applies to visitors from China and India. This scheme allows visitors from these countries to travel freely within the Common Travel Area (excluding the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man), using either an Irish or UK visa. British Irish Visa Scheme visas are endorsed with ‘BIVS’.

Both schemes are provided for in the Immigration Act (Visas) Order 2014 (SI 473/2014) as amended by Immigration Act (Visas) Order 2016 (SI 502/2016) .

You can read more about visa requirements for entering Ireland , or you can get further information about visa applications from Irish embassies and consulates abroad .

The UK’s withdrawal from the European Union (EU) has not affected the rights of Irish citizens and UK citizens within the Common Travel Area. The right to live, work and access public services in the Common Travel Area is protected.

Your Common Travel Area rights do not extend to your family. This means that if your spouse or partner, or other relative, is not an Irish or UK citizen, they may have to apply for residence in the UK .

You can read about residence rights of British citizens in Ireland.

Common Travel Area in law and the Protocol

The Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Act 2019 places many of the Common Travel Area rights in legislation for the first time. The Act empowers the relevant ministers to legislate in the areas of providing equal access to healthcare and social welfare.

The withdrawal agreement between the UK and the European Union recognises the Common Travel Area in its Protocol, which deals with Ireland and Northern Ireland . Article 2 provides for the continued operation of the Common Travel Area.

You can read more about the UK leaving the EU in our pages:

• Background to Brexit
• Brexit and Ireland

You can get more information on the Common Travel Area from the Department of Foreign Affairs and on legal matters and rights from gov.ie .

Related documents

• Studying in the UK including Northern Ireland Many people leave to study in Northern Ireland and elsewhere in the UK where there are different application procedures and fees. 1968.4203
• The Schengen Area What countries are in the Schengen Area, and what does it mean for travellers to and from Ireland? 1921.9076
• The euro area The euro is the national currency of 19 EU member states. This document explains how it operates. 1749.7297

If you have a question about this topic you can contact the Citizens Information Phone Service on 0818 07 4000 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm).

You can also contact your local Citizens Information Centre .

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20 Best Places to Visit in Southern Ireland

Posted on October 13, 2023 | Julie J. |

Last Updated on October 13, 2023

Planning a trip to Ireland? Let me help you! I have just gotten back from an epic vacation in Ireland and share below my top recommendations for the best places to visit in the south of the country.

I’ve added a blend of well-known destinations you simply can’t miss as well as hidden gems and alternatives , so you can pick and choose where you want to visit and get a good overview of what this area has to offer.

You can also check out my 7-day Southern Ireland itinerary featuring most places listed here as well as my South East Ireland travel guide featuring many more places to visit if you have extra time.

If it’s your first time trip to Ireland , I’d recommend you pack layers and be ready for all weather, no matter what time of the year you go – a good raincoat and sturdy shoes are a must!

Also, renting a car will make your trip much easier as many places can’t be visited via public transportation. If renting a car is not an option, you could base yourself in Galway, Killarney, then Cork, and take day tours from there.

Without further ado let’s dive into the best places to visit in Southern Ireland.

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Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare

One of the most visited sites in Ireland , the majestic Cliffs of Moher are a must-visit in Southern Ireland ! There are several ways to see the cliffs , either from above or from below.

Taking a cruise to see the cliffs is one of the most relaxing ways to visit. Departing from Doolin, the cruises last for around an hour , with multiple daily departures. They follow along the coastline providing great views from different vantage points . The ferries run from April to October .

Another option is to hike along the cliffs . The Doolin Cliff Walk  is considered one of the most scenic trails in Ireland, running over 10 miles (15 kilometers) from Doolin to Hags Head, with the visitor center more or less in the middle. You can choose to hike all or part of it.

If you head straight to the visitor center (where most tours take you), you can see the cliffs from there without having to walk too much.

Burren National Park, Co. Clare

One of my favorite places in Ireland, the Burren is a land like no other, featuring incredible landscapes and awesome opportunities for hiking . Head to the national park for the best views.

The start of most hikes is at the “Gortlecka Crossroads” where you can park and see the map of trails with length, duration, and difficulty level. I did the Blue Trail , which offers the best views but is quite challenging (still doable if you take breaks). It took us around 3 hours back and forth (it’s a loop).

There are also a couple of easier and shorter trails you can hike if you want something more laid back.

There’s nothing there, so pack enough water and snacks . The park’s Visitor Center is located in Corofin, during the summer months they offer a  free park-and-ride service as parking space is limited at the trailheads.

Dingle Peninsula, Co. Kerry

With a plethora of hidden gems and popular sights , the Dingle Peninsula is one of the best places to visit in Southern Ireland . It’s best visited as a road trip but you can also spend some time in the charming seaside town of Dingle and go on a couple of hikes from there.

The Tralee to Dingle Walk , also known as the Dingle Way , is a popular multi-day hike you can go on if you’re craving a unique and adventurous experience. The walk takes 8 to 9 days to complete passing by stunning landscapes, archaeological wonders, and quaint villages. You can choose to hike only part of it if you’re short on time.

You can also just drive around, following the coastline, for a day or two. Don’t miss stopping by the beautiful Glanteenassig Forest Park , Fermoyle Beach , the longest beach in the country, and Brandon Point .

Make sure to also drive by Conor Pass and the Slea Head Drive where you can stop at Cashel Murphy, Dunmore Head, Clogher Strand, and the Gallarus Oratory.

Ring of Kerry, Co. Kerry

The Ring of Kerry is another of Southern Ireland’s top attractions that you simply can’t miss. Same as for the Dingle Peninsula, it’s better to visit it as part of a road trip , otherwise you can hike, bike, or book a tour.

Following the coastline, you’ll be surrounded by dramatic landscapes and stunning scenery with plenty of places to visit in between.

There are a lot of beaches you can stop at, however, I would recommend not missing Kells Bay and Derrynane Beach , from there, you can cross over to Abbey Island (at low tide) and visit the ruins of the 6th-century Ahamore Abbey. Within walking distance of Derrynane, you’ll also find Derrynane House , the former home of Daniel O’Connell, an important figure in Irish history.

Among the many towns you can stop by for a meal or to spend the night, don’t miss Kenmare, Waterville, and Portmagee , all scenic seaside towns. Valentia Island is also a must-visit, from Bray Head you can get a stunning view over the iconic Skellig Islands.

Other must-sees include the Kerry Bog Village Museum , a living history museum depicting a traditional 19th-century Irish village, and the majestic Skellig Ring leading to dramatic cliffs.

Depending on your schedule, you should be able to tour the peninsula in a day , however, you can plan to spend more time there as there are plenty of things to do, especially if you like hiking.

The Kerry Way is a popular multi-day hike in Ireland. It’s a quite challenging hike as the elevation varies a lot, so you need to be prepared. It’s divided into 9 sections so you can also choose to hike only part of it.

If you’re going to book a tour, I would suggest booking one from Killarney this way you can also visit the park the day before or after. This full-day tour from Killarney is a good option – you’ll also find tours from Cork and Limerick . If you can afford it, do book a private tour .

Skellig Michael, Co. Kerry

Technically part of the Ring Of Kerry, Skellig Micheal deserves a part all to itself. From May to September, spend the night in Portmagee and go on a morning cruise to the island.

Fans of Star Wars will recognize it as Luke Skywalker’s Island Sanctuary on the planet Ahch-To – it’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site . It used to be a Gaelic monastery, founded between the 6th and 8th centuries. Today you’ll use the stairs the monks built to reach the top, where you’ll find the ruins of the monastery.

You can either book a tour including some time on the island , or book an eco-tour where you just circle the island and stay on the boat. If you’re planning on visiting the island, book the cruise as soon as you can as the number of daily visitors is limited.

While there, keep an eye out for gannets, puffins, razorbills, and grey seals .

Killarney National Park, Co. Kerry

Surrounded by incredible scenery, I loved just driving around Killarney National Park and making stops to viewpoints and for short hikes . Most people stick to seeing the main highlights, Torc Waterfall, Ross Castle, and Muckross House , but I highly recommend going on longer hikes and exploring the park further.

The town of Killarney is a great base to explore the park from. There, you’ll find accommodations to fit all budgets, supermarkets, and restaurants.

If driving, make sure to take the scenic road , entering the park (or leaving it) from the west, and driving through the iconic Gap of Dunloe .

You can also rent kayaks and explore the park through its lakes and waterways or go on a boat cruise.

Beara Peninsula, Co. Kerry & Co. Cork

One of the wilder and less touristy peninsulas in the south of Ireland, the Beara Peninsula feels like another world. Featuring rugged landscapes, cute villages, and archaeological sights , the peninsula is a must-see. I just loved the remoteness of it, we barely saw anyone there, even on the road.

It took us about half a day to drive it, including stops, but you can definitely plan to spend more time, especially if the weather is nice enough for some beach time or if you like hiking .

Along the way, you can go for a hike at Gleninchaquin Park , see archaeological sites like the Uragh, Derreenataggart, or Ardgroom Stone Circles , and stop for a meal at quaint villages such as Ardgroom, Eyeries, Allihies, or Castletown.

Don’t miss driving the Healy Pass , heading to the tip of the peninsula to take the only cable car in Ireland , and kayaking to a seal colony in Adrigole.

Sheep’s Head, Co. Cork

If the Beara Peninsula feels remote, Sheep’s Head feels like a world apart. The 43-mile (70-km) loop will take you through spectacular landscapes . Make sure to drive all the way to the tip and see the lighthouse and high cliffs.

Mizen Head, Co. Cork

The last peninsula on this list to visit in Southern Ireland, Mizen Head is often overlooked by international tourists but is well-known by locals. Drive all the way to Mizen Head Station and cross the bridge (on foot) trying to spot seals, dolphins, and whales .

From there, you can also hike to the ruins of Dunlough Castle known for its three towers that withstood time.

You can easily visit both Mizen Head and Sheap’s Head within the same day.

If you’re heading to Cork or Kinsale next, you can stop by the 3000-year-old Drombeg Stone Circle, one of the best preserved in the country, take a whale-watching cruise from Baltimore, and go surfing at Inchydoney Beach.

Gougane Barra Forest Park, Co. Cork

The Gougane Barra Forest Park is a popular place to hike among locals looking for an escape from the city. The forest is beautiful and peaceful with several trails for all levels. You can walk through the forest and around the lake or go up the mountains for stunning views.

On your way there, there’s a hotel with a restaurant and a shop if you need something. Once in the park, there’s nothing, just restrooms. Some people park before the entrance to not pay for parking, but then you have to walk for a while before reaching the beginning of the trails.

While I loved hiking there, if you’re short on time, I would say you can skip it. It’s a nice stop if it’s on your way and you have some extra time, but I wouldn’t necessarily say you HAVE to see it.

Kinsale, Co. Cork

Kinsale is a popular coastal town known as Ireland’s culinary capital. It’s a nice place to go for a stroll through the historic streets and, of course, to enjoy a meal. From a Michelin-starred restaurant to unpretentious eateries, you’ll find plenty of options.

You can plan to spend a few days there and just enjoy the laid-back vibes, maybe taking a few day trips to explore the area, or just pass through. A few hours are enough to see everything.

Make sure to tour the Kinsale Museum  housed in the 16th-century Town Hall and, a bit outside of town, Charles Fort .

Some people think Kinsale is overrated, and that there are better coastal towns to visit, while it might be true, I still enjoyed walking around, seeing the colorful buildings and paved streets. However, I would say you can skip it if you’re short on time, but it ultimately depends on the type of places you like to visit, it is a charming town after all.

Cork, Co. Cork

Cork is a busy historic city with plenty to offer. Start by strolling around the downtown area, passing by the English Market, the Butter Museum, St Anne Church, University College Cork, and St Fin Barre’s Cathedral .

This should take you a couple of hours, but you can also choose to base yourself there for a few days and take day trips from there. It’s also a good option if you don’t have a car, as there are plenty of day tours you can take from Cork.

Cork is known for its potato pies which have nothing to do with what you can imagine, it’s actually breaded and fried mashed potatoes formed into a ball, usually served with French fries. You’ll find the best ones at Jackie Lennox’s , where I discovered that white vinegar on fries is actually quite good.

Nearby, you can tour the Jameson Distillery and sample rare whiskeys in Middleton, there’s also a weekly farmers market held in the town every Saturday morning. People who want to learn more about the Titanic can head to Cobh , its last port of call, where you’ll find 2 museums with exhibits centered on the iconic liner and its sinking.

Blarney Castle, Co. Cork

Not far from Cork, Blarney Castle is one of the best places to visit in Southern Ireland, and kissing the Blarney Stone is a must-do! Try to visit it at opening time , especially if you want to kiss the stone, as the line can get quite long. The stone is believed to grant you the gift of gab if you kiss it.

The castle was entirely rebuilt in the 15th century on the ruins of an older castle. The gardens are definitely worth a stroll – don’t miss the Arboretum with its trees from all over the world and the mysterious Poison Garden .

If you like historic castles and estates, in the area, you can also visit the 16th-century Blackrock Castle , Fota House , known for its painting collection and gardens, and Doneraile Estate .

Rock of Cashel, Co. Tipperary

One of Ireland’s best-preserved medieval castles, the Rock of C ashel is a must-visit in Southern Ireland. The castle is over 1,000 years old and was a symbol of power for kings and priests for centuries.

Sitting on top of a hill, there are several viewpoints from which you can see the castle, make sure to go to at least one to get a nice overview. There’s one easily reachable on the main road, at the Circle K.

Once inside you can tour the castle on your own or book a guided tour if you want to learn more about its architecture and history. Note that to visit Cormac’s Chapel , one of the highlights of the castle, you’ll need to go with a guide – guided tours have a set schedule so make sure to check it out first.

If you don’t have a car, you can take a bus to the town of Cashel – from there, a 5-minute walk will take you to the castle.

In town, you can also stop by the Cashel Folk Village to learn more about Irish history (visits by appointment only during the off-season), and check out what’s happening at the Brú Ború Heritage Centre .

Kilkenny, Co. Kilkenny

Kilkenny is a popular destination in Ireland even for locals, usually looking for a weekend escape. There are plenty of fun things to do while there like taking a brewery tour and tasting at the Smithwick’s Experience or checking out the activities at Castlecomer Discovery Park .

Don’t miss touring the castle too and learning more Irish history at St. Mary’s Medieval Mile Museum . The historic Rothe House & Garden is also worth checking out.

The town’s historic center is an ideal place to go for a stroll , do some shopping, and enjoy a meal or drink at one of the many pubs.

If you’re on a tight schedule, half a day is enough to visit but you can also base yourself here for a few days and visit the surroundings.

Copper Coast Geopark, Co. Waterford

A UNESCO geopark, the Copper Coast in Southern Island is a beautiful place to visit with pretty beaches and dramatic cliffs.

Start with an easy hike to Mahon Falls , then rent a bike at O’Mahonny’s Pub and  cycle the Waterford Greenway which follows the coast.

You can take as long as you want, especially during summer, when you might want to spend some time at the beach. Otherwise, you can make it into a short trip and continue on along the southern coast.

Waterford, Co. Waterford

Waterford makes a great base to explore all that the county has to offer. Founded in 914AD by Vikings , the town is the oldest one in Ireland and definitely a must-visit on its own.

Don’t miss the Viking Triangle, Reginald’s Tower, the Medieval Museum, and the Bishop’s Palace .

The town is also known for producing some of the best crystal in the country – head to Waterford Crystal to tour the main factory.

Saltee Islands, Co. Wexford

The Saltee Islands are a paradise for birders with many  Gannets, Puffins, Guillemots, and Razorbills  being spotted frequently, depending on the season.

Take a ferry from Kilmore Quay. Saltee Ferry  offers daily departures from April to September . You get around 3.5 hours on the island where you can just stroll around and enjoy the views and abundant wildlife. 

Pack a picnic and bring enough water, as the islands are mostly uninhabited.

Be ready to get wet  on the boat and to get your feet in the water when disembarking (there is no pier on the island).

Wexford, Co. Wexford

County Wexford is known for its beautiful beaches, historic towns, and its wide array of outdoor activity options . The town of Wexford is a great base, worth a visit as well. Don’t miss the ruins of the 12th-century Selskar Abbey , strolling around the historic district , and catching a show at the National Opera House.

A bit outside of town, don’t miss the Irish National Heritage Park , a living history museum with costumed guides and reenactments. In the opposite direction, the Johnstown Castle Estate, Museum & Gardens is also worth checking out.

If you like hiking or birding, spend some time at Wexford Wildfowl Reserve before hitting beaches like the famous Curracloe Beach , featured in the movie “Saving Private Ryan”, or Rosslare Beach , great for water sports.

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Dublin, the capital city of Ireland is a mecca of activity and culture. Discover the famous Temple Bar area, which is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the city. Packed with quirky shops, cafes, and traditional bars, this area is a must-see for all visitors.

Treat yourself to a pint of the black stuff and enjoy a tour of the world-famous Guinness Storehouse. Learn the history of Guinness before enjoying a pint in the Gravity Bar which has a 360 ° view of the city. Rumour has it, Guinness tastes even better on Irish soil, and how about going one step further and enjoying a pint with your own selfie printed on top of the head? Now, that’s a memory!

For literary lovers, why not pop into Trinity College Dublin, and see the famous Book of Kells Exhibition. The 9th-century manuscript that documents the four gospels of the life of Jesus Christ, The Book of Kells is Ireland's greatest cultural treasure and the world’s most famous medieval manuscript. The exhibition also includes access to the Long Room, which is one of the world’s most beautiful libraries - home to 200,000 of Trinity College’s oldest books!

Leave behind the hustle and bustle of Dublin, travel further afield and discover the green fields of Ireland that stretch for miles. Make amazing memories in County Clare and take in the breath-taking views of the Cliffs of Moher, enjoy the refreshing spray of the Wild Atlantic Way and the views of the Aran Islands. 

Throw on your crown because the one thing that Ireland has no shortage of, is castles. Take in the majestic sights of King John’s Castle in Limerick, Kilkenny Castle and try your hand at falconry at Ashford Castle and fly a hawk like a pro! Visit Blarney Castle and kiss the Blarney Stone which will bestow you the “gift of the gab” – it might be useful!

Visit Belfast in Northern Ireland and learn the history of the world’s most famous ship when you visit Titanic Belfast or jump into a black taxi for a tour of the city before satisfying yourself with a delicious meal from one of the many restaurants that it has to offer.  How about packing up the car and taking an epic road trip along the Causeway Coast and seeing how many locations you can spot from ‘Games of Thrones? Or if you’re feeling really brave, why not venture across the Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge, spanning 30 metres above the rocks below which is not for the faint-hearted! 

Not only is Ireland loaded with culture, history, and beautiful sights to behold, there is a wealth of dining experiences to enjoy. Whatever your palate desires, there is a multitude of restaurants and cafés to satisfy your tastebuds.

And the shopping! From high street chains to independent boutiques, there are plenty of gems to be picked up, save your spending money and take advantage of the great savings in Kildare Village which is packed with designer brands at fantastic prices. 

The perfect country to visit at any time of the year, visit Ireland for an unforgettable holiday, packed with memories and lots of new places to explore.

Known as the "Emerald Isle", explore one of Europe’s most prized jewels when you travel to Ireland. A country packed with history and legends. Whatever pace you like to enjoy life at, Ireland has...

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Port Locations

Belfast Port (VT4) is conveniently located close to the motorway network off Junction 1 of the M2 motorway offering easy access to and from Belfast city centre and the rest of Ireland.

Belfast Port (VT2) is conveniently located close to the motorway network off Junction 1 of the M2 motorway (Fortwilliam roundabout) making is easy to get to and from all parts of Ireland.

Dublin Port is a purpose built facility for Stena Line’s Superferries. Stena Line’s Ferry Terminal at Dublin is located 6km (4 miles) east of Dublin city centre. Extensive signage on all main roads leading to the port give clear directions.

Rosslare Europort is situated at the end of the N25 in Rosslare Harbour and is clearly signposted on all road signs leading to the port. The port is 20 minutes from Wexford , 1 hour 20 minutes from Waterford , 1 hour 45 minutes from Kilkenny , 2 hours 15 minutes from Dublin and 3 hours from Cork.

Rosslare is a small village with a supermarket, bank, hotels, guesthouses, pubs and restaurants.

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Southern Ireland Tours & Holidays

Southern Ireland, or the Republic of Ireland as it is officially known, covers five-sixths of Ireland and is a sovereign country. 

Unlike Northern Ireland , you can’t use British Pounds here so grab some Euros and get ready to experience some of Ireland’s major highlights. Southern Ireland has it all, from three of the country’s best known tourist towns – Killarney, Kilkenny , and Cork – to atmospheric country pubs and rolling hillsides topped with large craggy rocks that look as if they’ve been scattered by giants. It’s the perfect spot to lace up your hiking boots and go for a ramble through the bucolic landscape or explore Bronze and Iron Age ruins with your expert leader. Exploring the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula  is also a must do when you visit Southern Ireland. You’ll be charmed by everything this destination has to offer on a Southern Ireland Intrepid tour.

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Northern & Southern Ireland

Southern Ireland travel FAQs

Do i need a covid-19 vaccine to join an intrepid trip.

Trips from 1 January 2023 onwards

From 1 January 2023, Intrepid will no longer require travellers to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 (excluding all Polar trips and select adventure cruises).

However, we continue to strongly recommend that all Intrepid travellers and leaders get vaccinated to protect themselves and others.

Specific proof of testing or vaccination may still be required by your destination or airline. Please ensure you check travel and entry requirements carefully.

How do I get around in Southern Ireland?

The easiest way to get around Southern Ireland is by car or by joining a group tour.

You can get around Southern Ireland by bike if you have your own bicycle.

A limited train service links Dublin to major towns like Belfast in the north but if you want to make the most of Southern Ireland's charming smaller towns, you're out of luck when it comes to train travel.

The same goes for bus transport with services available between some major towns but limited (or no) buses available between smaller villages, even the popular tourist spots.

What is the weather like in Southern Ireland?

The weather in Southern Ireland is similar to  Northern Ireland  and the  United Kingdom  with mild summers and winters. 

It is renowned for being changeable so don't be surprised if you experience all four seasons in one day. 

The weather seldom reaches extremes but it tends to be a bit wetter and chillier than Britain when that sharp wind blows in from the Atlantic. Spring and autumn can be cool, wet and windy, but the days are long and it's sometimes surprisingly sunny and warm.

What do I pack for a trip to Southern Ireland?

What to pack for your trip to Southern Ireland largely depends on what time of the year you choose to visit and what type of holiday you want to have. If you're going to be doing a lot of hiking or other outdoor activities, it's recommended you pack a sturdy, comfortable pair of boots or shoes, as well as long trousers and a waterproof jacket.

If you travel in winter remember to pack scarves, beanies, gloves, long shirts, and jumpers. When you head out for a walk in Southern Ireland's countryside, always bring a jumper and wet weather gear.

If you are visiting Southern Ireland in summer, you will need to pack clothes suitable for warmer weather such as t-shirts, shorts, dresses, and a light cardigan or jumper for chilly evenings.

Wet weather gear is essential, no matter what time of the year you're visiting as the weather in Southern Ireland can be changeable.

What is internet access like in Southern Ireland?

Southern Ireland generally has good internet coverage but you may experience brief periods of time with no signal in remote parts of the countryside.

How to get to Southern Ireland

If you're travelling from overseas, the easiest airport is to fly to Dublin Airport . The ferry is a good option if you travel from Scotland or England and want to take your car. 

You can take the TransLink cross-border train from Belfast Central Station to Dublin if you're coming from Northern Ireland. 

Driving in Southern Ireland is easy provided you don't mind the occasional narrow, winding country road. 

When is the best time to visit Southern Ireland?

There are plenty of things to do in Southern Ireland in every season but spring is often considered the best time to visit.

Are Intrepid trips accessible for travellers with disabilities?

We are committed to making travel widely  accessible , regardless of ability or disability. We do our best to help you see the world, regardless of physical or mental limitations. 

We are always happy to talk to travellers with disabilities and see if we can help guide them toward the most suitable itinerary for their needs and, where possible, make reasonable adjustments to our itineraries.

Sat 1 Jun 2024

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Met office issues warnings as uk faces three days of thunderstorms and rain, met office weather warnings for thunderstorms are in place across northern ireland, wales and most of southern england on tuesday.

Thunderstorms across large parts of the UK could cause power cuts and travel disruption on Tuesday as the UK braces for days of wet and stormy weather, the Met Office has warned .

Weather warnings for storms and heavy rain have been issued for the next three days across huge areas of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with predictions of a dreary week ahead before the possibility of a warmer and sunnier Spring bank holiday weekend.

A yellow weather warning , active from 12pm until 9pm on Tuesday, has been issued by the forecaster for a large swathe of south-west England including Plymouth, Exeter and Bath.

The warning also covers most of Wales, including Cardiff and Swansea.

It advises that thunderstorms are “likely to develop in places”, leading to “some travel disruption and surface water flooding” as well as difficult driving conditions and some possible road closures. The Met Office added that there is a chance of delays and cancellations to train and bus services and a “slight chance that power cuts could occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost”.

There is another yellow weather warning for heavy rain and thunderstorms active for south-east England, stretching from Oxford, Portsmouth and Brighton across London to Canterbury, Cambridge and Norwich. It is in place from 12pm until midnight.

A yellow weather alert for thunderstorms is also in place for most of Northern Ireland west of Belfast, from 8am until 9pm on Tuesday, with similar warnings that the “likely” occurrence of heavy rain and thunderstorms could bring disruption and flooding .

Meanwhile, a yellow alert for rain – warning of possible flooding and travel disruption – will come into place at just after midnight on Wednesday and last until 6am on Thursday, covering the Midlands and northern England and Wales.

There is also a yellow alert for rain set to come into effect for southern and eastern Scotland at 12pm on Wednesday, lasting until 6pm on Thursday.

As of Tuesday morning there were 23 alerts from the Environment Agency for possible flooding, which you can find detailed here alongside a map and a tool to check for warnings in your area.

It follows previous thunderstorm warnings affecting areas of Wales, the West Midlands and south-west England last week and over the last bank holiday .

The five-day forecast

Showers are expected to be heavy and thundery at times today and this evening, especially across Northern Ireland, the north of Scotland and southern England. These are expected to ease across the south-west overnight, the Met Office predicts, “turning rather cloudy across the east with a more persistent band of rain reaching eastern England later”.

On Wednesday, a “band of heavy rain” is forecast to move northwards across eastern and possibly some central regions, while western areas should continue to see “a mix of sunshine and heavy showers”.

The rain is then expected to gradually clear to the north during Thursday and Friday, followed by brighter skies and a few showers.

Many places should be drier on Saturday, though showers are currently forecast to move into the west later.

The Met Office also previously forecast that temperatures could soar to 30°C over the bank holiday weekend for the first time this year.

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• Entering and staying in the UK

Travelling to the UK from Ireland, Isle of Man, Guernsey or Jersey

Information for people travelling to the UK from Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man, and information for people passing through the UK on the way to Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man.

The Common Travel Area

The Common Travel Area (CTA) is made up of the UK, Ireland and the Crown Dependencies (Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man).

For the UK, the CTA arrangements means that you won’t always go through UK immigration control when travelling to the UK from somewhere else in the CTA. This is different to when you come to the UK from outside of the CTA.

You will never go through immigration control at the land border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

British and Irish citizens

Under the CTA arrangements , Irish citizens in the UK and British citizens in Ireland have the right to live, work, study, and access healthcare, social security and public services in each other’s countries without having to apply for permission.

Read more about what the CTA means for Irish citizens .

You don’t need to show your passport to a Border Force officer when travelling from Ireland to Great Britain. However, you may be asked to show a document that confirms your identity and nationality.

This could include:

• a valid passport or passport card (if you’re Irish)
• a copy of your passport or passport card with your identity and nationality clearly visible
• an expired passport or passport card, which Border Force are satisfied was issued to you originally
• evidence of having obtained British or Irish citizenship

This list is not exhaustive and other documents including providing more than one may be accepted. These are considered on a case by case basis by Border Force.

You will not pass through any immigration control when you enter the UK from Ireland across the land border, so you don’t need any documents to enter the UK on that route.

If you’re not a British or Irish citizen

There are different rules if you enter the UK from the CTA than if you enter the UK from a place outside the CTA. Usually, you don’t need to get permission to enter the UK if you are arriving from the CTA for a visit of up to 6 months.

However, there are exceptions to this. Some people need permission to enter the UK for a short visit wherever in the CTA they travel from. Other people only need permission if they’re travelling from Ireland.

If you enter the UK illegally from another part of the CTA, you may be removed from the UK.

People who need permission to enter the UK from anywhere within the CTA

For most people, there are different arrangements in place depending on whether you travel to the UK from Ireland or the Crown Dependencies .

You need to seek permission to enter the UK from anywhere in the CTA if:

• you are subject to a deportation order
• your exclusion has been deemed conducive to the public good
• you have previously been refused permission to enter the UK and haven’t, since the time you were refused permission, been granted permission to enter or remain in the UK or any of the Crown Dependencies

Travelling from Ireland to the UK

If you’re from an eea country or switzerland.

However, you may be asked to show your passport (which should be valid for the whole of your stay) or identity card to enter Great Britain when travelling from Ireland if you are encountered by Border Force.

You cannot use an EEA or Swiss national identity card to enter the UK, and can only use a valid passport, unless you:

• have settled or pre-settled status under the  EU Settlement Scheme , or Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man’s settlement schemes
• have an EU Settlement Scheme family permit, or the equivalent from Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man
• have a Frontier Worker permit
• are an S2 Healthcare Visitor
• are a Swiss national and have a Service Provider from Switzerland visa

Irish citizens can use a passport card.

If you’re waiting for a decision on your application for settled or pre-settled status

You can still use your EEA or Swiss national identity card to enter the UK if all of the following are true:

• you’ve applied for settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, or Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man’s settlement schemes
• you’ve been issued with confirmation your application is valid
• you’re not applying as a joining family member

If you’re not from an EEA country or Switzerland

However, you may be asked by Border Force to show your passport, which should be valid for the whole of your stay, to enter Great Britain.

Permission to enter requirements

If you have permission to enter or remain in the UK (for example if you have a UK visa) you do not need further permission to enter the UK from Ireland.

You only need to get permission to enter the UK when arriving from Ireland if:

• you arrived in Ireland from outside of the CTA and did not obtain immigration permission to enter Ireland
• you’re a visa national who doesn’t have a valid UK visa, or a visa granted under the British-Irish Visa Scheme (BIVS)
• you entered Ireland unlawfully from outside the CTA
• you entered the UK or the Crown Dependencies unlawfully and went directly from there to Ireland
• your permission to enter or stay expired before you left the UK and since then you haven’t been given permission to enter or stay in the UK or any of the Crown Dependencies
• you are the subject of an international travel ban
• you were refused admission or subject to a removal decision under specific regulations - unless you were later given permission to enter or stay

In these situations, you must either apply for:

• a visa before you travel
• permission to enter from a Border Force (immigration) Officer at the UK border

You may not be able to get permission to enter the UK from a Border Force Officer if you enter the UK from the CTA. This is because there are usually no immigration controls on these journeys, and none on the land border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

For more information on who needs permission to enter the UK from Ireland, see the guidance on arriving in the UK from within the CTA .

Use the check if you need a UK visa tool to find out if you need a visa and what type.

Visas issued by Ireland are not acceptable for travel to the UK except for visas issued under the British Irish Visa Scheme (BIVS) .

If you don’t need permission to enter the UK from Ireland

Some people automatically have permission to enter the UK when they arrive from Ireland. This permission is called ‘deemed leave’. You don’t need to apply for it. You won’t get a stamp in your passport showing deemed leave because you won’t necessarily meet a Border Force officer when travelling from Ireland to the UK.

You can enter on the basis of deemed leave when you either:

• enter Ireland from a country outside the CTA, and then travel on to the UK
• were in the UK with permission to stay for a limited time, went directly to Ireland and while you were in Ireland your permission expired, and you then came directly back to the UK

The length of time you can stay in the UK and the things you can do here on the basis of deemed leave are different depending on why you are entering the UK. If you don’t need to apply to enter the UK from Ireland, you can enter and stay in the UK on Article 4 deemed leave.

You can be in the UK for up to 6 months on your first visit from Ireland. This time starts from the date you entered the UK. You can prove the date you entered the UK by, for example, your ticket or boarding pass.

Your deemed leave ends when you leave the UK.

On following visits to the UK from Ireland, you can be in the UK for up to 2 months on the basis of deemed leave if you haven’t left the CTA since you were last in the UK.

You cannot do any paid or unpaid work if you’re in the UK on Article 4 deemed leave except for activities allowed under Appendix V: Visitor of the Immigration Rules .

If you want to come to the UK to do something that isn’t allowed under Article 4 deemed leave, you must apply for the relevant visa before you travel to the UK.

Use the check if you need a UK visa tool to find out which visa is right for what you want to do.

Other ways for non-visa nationals to enter the UK using deemed leave

You can also use deemed leave if you enter the UK from Ireland either:

• as an S2 healthcare visitor
• to do a permitted paid engagement

The rules of your deemed leave will be different depending on what you are coming to do.

Travelling to the UK for S2 healthcare treatment

S2 Healthcare Visitor arrangements apply to patients who applied before 11pm on 31 December 2020 to come to the UK for a course of planned healthcare treatment under the ‘S2 healthcare route’.

These arrangements also cover people who come with or join S2 Healthcare patients to support or care for them during their treatment.

See more information on S2 Healthcare Visitors including the documents you need .

If none of the exemptions apply to you and you enter the UK from Ireland with a valid S2 certificate you can enter and stay in the UK under Article 5 deemed leave. This is also true for anybody accompanying or joining you to provide care or support.

Under Article 5 deemed leave, you have permission to enter for 6 months, starting from the date you enter the UK from Ireland. You can prove this date, for example, with your travel ticket or boarding pass. This deemed leave ends when you leave the UK.

You cannot do any paid or unpaid work.

You can apply for permission to stay in the UK for another 6 months if treatment needs to continue. There’s no limit to the number of 6 month extensions you and your accompanying person can apply for, as long as you continue to meet the eligibility requirements.

If you go from the UK to Ireland and then back to the UK without having left the CTA, you’ll automatically be able to stay in the UK for up to 6 months if you still have a valid S2 healthcare certificate. This permission will start from the date you return to the UK.

Irish citizens in the UK automatically have rights to enter and stay in the UK and don’t need deemed leave for healthcare purposes (except in a rare circumstances).

If you’re a visa national you must hold a visa issued under the S2 Healthcare Visitor route in the Immigration Rules before you get to the UK, including from Ireland.

See more information on the S2 Healthcare Visitor route .

Travelling to the UK for permitted paid engagements

If you are coming to the UK for a permitted paid engagement from Ireland, you can stay in the UK on the basis of Article 6 deemed leave for up to one month.

Your deemed leave starts from the date you first enter the UK from Ireland. You can prove this date, for example, with your travel ticket or boarding pass. This deemed leave ends when you leave the UK.

On further visits to the UK you can only stay for up to 7 days on the basis of Article 6 deemed leave on each visit from Ireland, as long as you haven’t left the CTA in between visits to the UK.

If you want to use the longer deemed leave period given by Article 4 then you must first leave the CTA. You cannot switch between Article 4 and Article 6 deemed leave while still in the CTA.

You can do a different permitted paid engagement activity each time you visit the UK.

Your permitted paid engagement must:

• have been arranged before you travel to the UK
• be evidenced by a formal invitation
• relate to your area of expertise and occupation overseas

Travelling to the UK through Ireland under the Creative Worker visa concession

If you are travelling to the UK through Ireland under the Creative Worker visa concession you must apply for remote clearance at least 72 hours before you arrive in the UK.

Travelling between the Crown Dependencies and the UK

You don’t need a passport when travelling from the Crown Dependencies to the UK. However, you may need to show a Border Force officer document confirming your identity.

• a copy of your passport or passport card with your identity clearly visible
• a driving licence
• an armed forces identity card

This list is not exhaustive and other proof may be accepted. This will be considered on a case by case basis by Border Force.

You may also need to show that you have permission to enter the UK such as:

• a biometric residence permit
• proof of your digital status (or eVisa)
• a vignette in your passport
• confirmation of immigration permission from one of the Crown Dependencies

This list is not exhaustive and you may be able to confirm you have permission to enter the UK in another way. Your circumstances will be considered on a case by case basis by Border Force.

If you get permission to enter or stay in the UK, that permission and any conditions attached to it also apply in the Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey (the Crown Dependencies). The same is true if the Crown Dependencies give you permission to enter or stay and you then travel to the UK.

You only need one UK visa if you plan to travel directly to the UK or any of the Crown Dependencies, or stop in any one of those places on the way to another.

Submit and pay for visa applications for permission to enter the Crown Dependencies in the same way as for the UK.

Travelling through the UK on your way to another part of the CTA

Even if you only enter the UK as part of your journey to Ireland or the Crown Dependencies you must still follow the UK’s immigration laws while you’re in the UK .

You must follow the immigration laws of whichever part of the CTA that you are in at the time. This includes visa requirements, restrictions on employment and length of stay.

Travelling to Ireland from the UK

Check travel advice for Ireland .

Added link to advice on travel to Ireland.

Updated section on 'Travelling to the UK through Ireland under the Creative Worker visa concession' to reflect that this concession is no longer available to sporting workers.

Updated information on use of ID cards to enter the UK if you're an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen.

Updated information for Irish citizens travelling to the UK from Ireland or the Crown Dependencies.

First published.

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