Travellers who want to cover a difficult route without hiring a car.
day trips IrelandMe tour notes
Sustainable Ring of Kerry Rail Tour from Dublin
Take the train from Dublin to Killarney and join a full coach circuit of the Ring of Kerry - Dingle Bay, MacGillycuddy Reeks, Glenbeigh, Waterville and the Lakes of Killarney.
From €161 starting price · live price may vary
Check dates & prices ↗ Free cancellation on most dates · Booked securely with Viator
Duration15 hours 30 minutes
PriceFrom €161
Rating4.2 from 278 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 the Ring of Kerry but don't want to drive it yourself, this is a good shout. You take the train from Dublin Heuston Station down to Killarney, then spend the day circling the Ring by coach with a qualified driver-guide. The route covers some of the most dramatic coastal scenery in Ireland - Dingle Bay, Kenmare Bay, the MacGillycuddy Reeks - with stops along the way for morning tea, lunch and photos.
Carrantuohill, Ireland's highest peak at 1,041 metres, is visible en route through the Reeks. The tour loops through the picturesque villages of Glenbeigh, Waterville and Sneem, then returns via Ladies View and the famous Lakes of Killarney through the national park's oakwoods.
At 15 hours 30 minutes, 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
Glenbeigh is quick but Rossbeigh Strand is real. The coach stop here is brief, but if you get a few minutes on the spit, Rossbeigh Strand stretches seven kilometres out into Dingle Bay with Inch Beach visible across the water on the Dingle Peninsula. Even from the car park you get a sense of why this is one of the more dramatic beaches on the Wild Atlantic Way.
How the experience works
You'll have reserved seats on the trains and a dedicated host travelling with you throughout.
What the price covers
- Qualified driver-guide on coaches
- Information pack
- Reserved seats on trains
- Host on trains
- All travel by rail and coach from Dublin Heuston Station
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks
The published itinerary
Use this to judge the pace and where your time actually goes. Operators can adjust stop order for traffic, weather or opening times.
The train departs Dublin Heuston at 7:00am, arriving into Killarney where you transfer onto the coach for the Ring of Kerry circuit.
The route circles the MacGillycuddy Reeks, passing through mountain passes and valleys along the shores of Dingle Bay and Kenmare Bay. Along the way there are stops for morning tea, lunch and photo opportunities in the villages of Glenbeigh, Waterville and Sneem.
The tour returns via Ladies View - a classic Kerry viewpoint - then through the Lakes of Killarney and the oakwoods of Killarney National Park before heading back to the station for the return train to Dublin.
Meeting point: Check in 20 minutes before departure. Look for the rep in a bright yellow jacket at the customer service desk in Heuston Station. Check in at 6:40am - the train departs at 7:00am and does not wait.
Local tips that make the day better
Waterville's Chaplin statue is worth a photo, but so is the bay. The bronze Charlie Chaplin on the seafront is the famous stop - he came here every summer from 1959, staying at the Butler Arms Hotel on the promenade. The view from the seafront takes in both Lough Currane behind the village and Ballinskelligs Bay in front. It's a genuinely unusual setting: a village on a narrow strip of land between a lake and the Atlantic.
Sneem has two squares and a river between them. The Sneem River cuts the village in half - North Square and South Square connected by a stone bridge. Keep an eye out for the bronze of Steve Crusher Casey in South Square - world heavyweight wrestling champion from 1938 to 1947, born in the parish. If you have time, the salmon cascades behind the church are five minutes on foot and almost never busy.
The return via Ladies View and Killarney National Park is genuinely worth watching. Killarney National Park was Ireland's first national park - handed to the state in 1932 - and the oakwoods along the lakes are the real article. The park covers ten thousand hectares and contains Ireland's only native red deer herd. If you're back in Killarney with time before the train, the Knockreer walk along the lake edge is ten minutes from the station.
Good to know before booking
- Check in at 6:40am. The train departs at 7:00am and does not wait.
- Service animals are welcome.
- Public transport is available close to the departure point.
- Suitable for all fitness levels.
- Up to 53 travellers per group.
- Itineraries may occasionally be adjusted for operational reasons.
Make more of the area
- Glenbeigh - a Ring of Kerry village with a seven-kilometre sand spit pointing at Dingle Bay, and the Kerry Way passing through Mountain Stage just up the road
- Waterville - Charlie Chaplin's annual Kerry hideout, on a strip of land between Lough Currane and the Atlantic, with one of the finest links golf courses in Ireland out on the dunes
- Sneem - the knot in the Ring of Kerry, with two squares, one river, a world-champion wrestler in bronze, and salmon falls behind the church that most coaches never find
- Killarney - a railway town with a national park out the back door, Ireland's first, and the three lakes that give the county its reputation
Questions before you book
How long is Sustainable Ring of Kerry Rail Tour from Dublin?
The published duration is 15 hours 30 minutes. Allow extra time to reach the meeting point and for your onward plans.
How much does Sustainable Ring of Kerry Rail Tour from Dublin cost?
The listed starting price is From €161. Live prices can change by date, group size and availability.
What should I know before booking?
At 15 hours 30 minutes, 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 €161 · 15 hours 30 minutes Check dates & prices ↗
