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6-Day South of Ireland Tour from Dublin
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From €879 per person
Six days, one coach, and a proper sweep through the south and west of Ireland. You’ll move through the Wicklow Mountains and Glendalough’s monastic ruins, medieval Kilkenny, and Waterford City before heading west to Blarney Castle in Cork. From there it’s the Dingle Peninsula and Slea Head, then Killarney and the Ring of Kerry’s highlights, then north to the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, and the village of Doolin before finishing in Galway. The final stretch loops back through Connemara to Dublin, and you’re home in time for dinner on the last evening.
The thing that makes a trip like this is the variety. You go from Viking-founded cities to ancient monastic settlements to dramatic Atlantic cliffs within the space of a few days, and the characters you meet along the way - the locals who share their stories - add a layer that no itinerary can fully plan for. Southern Ireland packs a remarkable amount into a relatively small area, and this tour covers the best of it.
Glendalough in County Wicklow is one of the best early stops on the route. The monastic settlement was founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century and the round tower has stood since around the 10th century. It’s at its most atmospheric in the early morning before the tour groups arrive, and the two lakes on either side of the valley make for one of the finest landscapes in Leinster.
Blarney Castle is worth seeing even if kissing the stone isn’t your thing. The castle grounds are extensive and include Blarney House, the Poison Garden, and the Rock Close - a folly built in the 18th century around genuine prehistoric standing stones. Give yourself more time here than you think you’ll need; most people underestimate it.
Slea Head on the Dingle Peninsula is one of the most westerly points in Europe and on a clear day you can see the Blasket Islands offshore - six islands that were inhabited until the last residents were evacuated to the mainland in 1953. The Great Blasket in particular has a rich literary tradition; the books written by its islanders in the Irish language are remarkable documents of a vanishing way of life.
The Ring of Kerry is best done clockwise to avoid the coach traffic, which travels anticlockwise. On this tour the coach handles the routing, but it’s worth knowing that the views from the anticlockwise direction - the standard tourist direction - are not always the best angle. Ask your driver about the reasoning when you’re on the road.
Doolin in County Clare is one of the better spots for traditional music in the country. It’s a tiny village but it punches above its weight for session quality. The walk to the Cliffs of Moher from Doolin takes about 90 minutes along the coastal path, which gives you a perspective on the cliffs that the main car park viewpoint can’t match.