Travellers who want to cover a difficult route without hiring a car.
day trips IrelandMe tour notes
4-Day Blarney Castle, Ring of Kerry, Cliffs of Moher & Connemara
A 4-day rail and coach tour from Dublin Heuston covering Cork, Blarney Castle, Ring of Kerry, Bunratty Castle, Cliffs of Moher, Galway Bay and Connemara.
Duration96 hours
PriceFrom €1321
Rating4.3 from 60 reviews
BookingSecurely via Viator
The IrelandMe take
What stands out about this one
Our practical read of the published itinerary, traveller feedback and local context—not the operator’s sales description.
If you want to see Ireland's southern and western coasts properly, this four-day rail tour is a solid way to do it. Travelling by rail and coach from Dublin Heuston Station, you'll cover some of Ireland's most celebrated spots - Cork, Cobh, Blarney Castle, the Ring of Kerry, Bunratty Castle, the Cliffs of Moher, Galway Bay, and Connemara - with three nights' accommodation and full Irish breakfasts included each morning.
You'll have qualified driver-guides on the coach legs and a host on the trains, plus an information pack to keep things in context as you go.
At 96 hours, this is a long travel day. Book it for the complete route, not if you want an unhurried stop-by-stop pace.
One practical detail
At Blarney - Blarney castle is the real draw, but give yourself time beyond the queue for the Stone. The Rock Close behind the castle is a Victorian rock garden full of standing stones, a wishing well, the Witch's Kitchen and the Wishing Steps - walk them backwards and make a wish, according to the 19th-century marketing that got baked into local tradition. It's manicured and a bit theatrical, but it's quieter than the castle queue and takes forty minutes to do properly. If you're arriving on a summer day, the queue for the Stone builds from mid-morning; the castle opens at 9am and arriving close to opening time saves real time.
What the price covers
- Qualified driver-guide on coaches
- Information pack
- Reserved seats on trains
- Host on trains
- 3 nights accommodation including full Irish breakfast
- All travel by rail and coach from Dublin Heuston Station
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks (unless specified above)
Meeting point: Check in at least 20 minutes before the 6:40am departure. Look for the Railtours Ireland yellow check-in stand near the Customer Service Desk at Heuston Station - the representative will be in a bright yellow jacket.
Local tips that make the day better
At Bunratty - Bunratty Castle is the best-restored tower house in Ireland, and the Folk Park around it is a genuine surprise if you write it off as theme-park territory. The thirty-acre site holds real buildings - cottages, a forge, a school, a recreated 19th-century street - all moved stone-by-stone from sites around Clare and Limerick that were about to be lost. Allow more time than you think you need. The adjacent Durty Nelly's pub, which claims to have been serving the castle garrison since 1620, is at its most enjoyable before 7pm when the dinner crowd arrives. For lunch, MacCloskey's in the vaulted cellar of Bunratty House Mews is the serious option; Gallagher's thatched cottage on the main road is the local one.
In Galway - the tour covers Galway Bay and Connemara, but if you have free time in the city, the medieval core around Shop Street and Quay Street is walkable in thirty minutes. Tigh Coili runs a genuine trad session from 9:30pm most nights - not for tourists, for musicians, which is the distinction that makes it worth staying late for. Ard Bia at Nimmo on Quay Street is the food room that locals recommend. The Galway City Loop walk (Eyre Square down to the Claddagh and back via the laneways) gives you the medieval bones of the place in about ninety minutes.
On the Ring of Kerry - coaches do this road clockwise. The towns of Sneem and Waterville are the natural lunch stops along the ocean-facing stretch. The Skellig Islands sit offshore in the south-west; they're not on this tour's itinerary, but the rock formation on the horizon at the right moment is unmistakable. Watch for it from the Waterville side.
Good to know before booking
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals are welcome
- Public transport options are available near the meeting point
- Suitable for all fitness levels
- If you're booking a double occupancy room, note your preference for a double or twin-bed room in 'Special Requirements' at time of booking (subject to availability)
- Maximum group size of 53
- Tour conducted in English
Make more of the area
- Blarney - the castle that gave English a word: Cormac MacCarthy built it in 1446 and Elizabeth I's complaints about his smooth talk turned "blarney" into a permanent entry in the language
- Bunratty - Lord Gort bought a roofless ruin in 1954 and put the 15th-century tower house back together; the Folk Park around it holds real buildings moved from sites across Clare and Limerick before they could be lost
- Galway - a city that is still a village underneath, with medieval laneways, a trad session most nights, and the Aran Islands forty minutes west by ferry from Rossaveal
Questions before you book
How long is 4-Day Blarney Castle, Ring of Kerry, Cliffs of Moher & Connemara ?
The published duration is 96 hours. Allow extra time to reach the meeting point and for your onward plans.
How much does 4-Day Blarney Castle, Ring of Kerry, Cliffs of Moher & Connemara cost?
The listed starting price is From €1321. Live prices can change by date, group size and availability.
What should I know before booking?
At 96 hours, this is a long travel day. Book it for the complete route, not if you want an unhurried stopbystop pace.
Ready to decide?
Check the live times before building the rest of your day.
From €1321 · 96 hours Check dates & prices ↗
