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2-Day Killarney and Ring of Kerry Rail Tour from Dublin.
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From €465 per person
This two-day trip takes you from Dublin down to the southwest - overnight in Killarney, then out along the Ring of Kerry by coach with a local guide the following day. The route takes in some of the most dramatic scenery in Ireland: panoramic viewpoints at Moll’s Gap and Ladies View, looking out over Macgillycuddy’s Reeks, Carrauntoohil and the Lakes of Killarney.
It’s a relaxed way to see the Ring of Kerry without the pressure of driving it yourself, and you get a proper night in Killarney rather than a rushed day trip.
Check in at the Customer Service Desk at Dublin Heuston Station 20 minutes before departure. The Railtours Ireland representatives will be waiting with your travel pack in bright yellow jackets.
The group is a maximum of 53 people. Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller, service animals are welcome, and it’s suitable for all fitness levels. Conducted in English.
If you’re booking a double occupancy room, note your preference for a double or twin bed in the Special Requirements field when booking (subject to availability).
Your afternoon in Killarney is worth planning. The national park starts at the edge of town - walk ten minutes from the station through the demesne gates beside the cathedral and you’re into Knockreer, a 4 km loop through parkland to the shore of Lough Leane with Carrauntoohil framed across the water. It’s almost empty before 9am and again after 5pm. The same lakes and mountains you’ll be viewing from Moll’s Gap the following morning, seen first from water level.
For dinner on your overnight, skip the tourist-facing bars on College Street. Bricín on High Street does a Kerry boxty - a potato pancake stuffed with whatever’s good that day - and has been at it since the 1980s. For something lighter, Petit Délice on Main Street is a French bakery that closes around four, so it’s lunch or nothing. If you want the full evening, Treyvaud’s on High Street is where the Killarney locals book for a birthday - pan-fried Kerry venison, Kenmare Bay scallops.
The Ring of Kerry is best driven anti-clockwise to avoid coach traffic. Your tour does the driving, but knowing this helps you anticipate the flow of the day. The coach crowds are heaviest between Kenmare and Waterville from mid-morning. Moll’s Gap and Ladies View tend to be quieter early in the day, so if you’re near the front of the coach at those stops, get out and take the time.
Kenmare is where the Ring of Kerry meets the Ring of Beara, and where most coaches pause before heading west toward Waterville. Kenmare is a planned town - Sir William Petty drew three streets meeting at a triangle in 1670, and they’re still the whole town. If you get any free time there, Crowley’s on Henry Street has trad sessions most weekend nights, and the Wednesday farmers market covers the square. The drive into Kenmare on the N71 from Killarney is through the Caha tunnels, which is itself worth a look.
Sneem is the knot in the Ring. The Irish name means “knot” - the Sneem River splits the village into two squares, with a single stone bridge between them. Sneem is where most coaches stop for forty minutes. On South Square, Steve Crusher Casey - world heavyweight wrestling champion 1938-1947, born in the parish - stands in bronze. The Blue Bull on South Square is the proper pub, with stone walls and a fire most evenings. If the itinerary has any slack, the salmon cascade waterfalls behind the church are five minutes’ walk from the square and not signposted for coaches.
If you arrive at Killarney Farmers Market (Friday, 10am-2pm, New Market Street) you can pick up brown bread, smoked fish, and raw Kerry cheeses for the train home. Worth timing if your return day falls on a Friday.