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Itineraries/Europe/Ireland

10 Days in Ireland

The Cliffs of Moher plunging into the Atlantic, ancient castles with actual drawbridges, the Wild Atlantic Way hugging impossible coastline, traditional music drifting from every pub door, and a green so bright it looks photoshopped. Ten nights driving through Ireland — the English-speaking, left-hand-drive family road trip that feels like home but looks nothing like it.

10 nights
Family of 4
~A$12,900
4 stops
Dublin2n
Galway & Cliffs of Moher3n
Dingle Peninsula & Ring of Kerry3n
Cork & Kinsale2n
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Your stop-by-stop itinerary

4 stops across 10 nights. Each one chosen so you experience a different side of Ireland.

1

Dublin

2 nights
Fly into Dublin (DUB) from Sydney via Dubai, Doha, or London (22-26h total). Airlink Express bus to city centre (€7/adult, €4/child, 30 min). Dublin is walkable for 2 days; pick up rental car on departure morning for the road trip.

Highlights

  • Trinity College + Book of Kells — the 9th-century illuminated manuscript in a stunning Long Room library (€18/adult, €8/student, book online to skip the queue)
  • Guinness Storehouse — 7-floor experience ending with a panoramic Gravity Bar pint (or soft drink for kids). €26/adult, €16/child 13-17, under 13 free with paying adult
  • Dublin Zoo in Phoenix Park — one of the oldest zoos in the world, African Savanna, Arctic habitat (€21/adult, €16/child 3-15). Phoenix Park is free and massive (twice the size of Central Park)
  • Temple Bar — cobbled streets, street musicians, Irish traditional music sessions in pubs (most family-friendly before 8pm)
  • Kilmainham Gaol — powerful historical prison tour, 1916 Rising history (€8/adult, €4/child, book online — sells out daily)
  • EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum — interactive, award-winning museum in the CHQ building (€16.50/adult, €8/child). Ireland''s connection to Australia via convict ships

Local tips

  • 💡Book Kilmainham Gaol 2+ weeks ahead online — it''s the most-booked attraction in Dublin and walk-ups are turned away daily. The 10am tour is least crowded.
  • 💡Use the Leap Card (€5 deposit, tap-on €2.30/ride) for Dublin buses, Luas tram, and DART train. Kids under 5 travel free; 5-18 get child fares at about half price.
  • 💡Dublin is the most expensive city on the trip — self-cater for breakfasts (hotel kitchenette or Tesco) and eat pub lunch specials (€12-15 for fish & chips or Irish stew). Save restaurant dinners for Galway and the coast.
Suggested stay: Family hotel or apartment in Temple Bar or Merrion Square area
2

Galway & Cliffs of Moher

3 nights
Drive Dublin → Galway via M6 (2.5h, 210 km). Galway city is walkable; Cliffs of Moher and Burren are day trips by car (1-1.5h each way). Optional: Aran Islands ferry from Rossaveal (40 min west of Galway).

Highlights

  • Cliffs of Moher — 214m sea cliffs stretching 8 km along the Atlantic. Visitor centre + cliff walk (€8/adult, under 12 free). Ireland''s #1 natural attraction. Go early morning or late afternoon to avoid tour bus crowds
  • Aran Islands day trip — ferry to Inis Mór (€30/adult return, €15/child from Rossaveal, 40 min). Rent bikes on the island to ride to Dún Aonghasa cliff fort (€5/adult). Stone-walled fields, no cars, time-capsule Ireland
  • The Burren — lunar karst limestone landscape, wildflowers growing through rock cracks, Poulnabrone dolmen (free). Aillwee Cave (€15/adult, €10/child) has stalactites and a birds of prey centre
  • Galway city — Latin Quarter buskers, Shop Street pedestrian zone, Saturday market at St Nicholas'' Church, Galway Cathedral on the river
  • Salthill promenade — 2 km seafront walk, tradition to kick the wall at the end. Salthill beach for brave swimmers (Atlantic water is 14-16°C in summer)
  • Traditional music sessions — Tig Coili, Taaffes, or The Crane Bar have live trad sessions nightly from 6pm. Family-friendly early evening, musicians play 3 feet from your table

Local tips

  • 💡Visit the Cliffs of Moher at 8am (opens year-round, visitor centre from 9am) or after 5pm to miss the tour bus crush that peaks 10am-4pm. The south cliff walk beyond the visitor centre is quieter and has equally stunning views.
  • 💡Galway is Ireland''s most family-friendly city — the Latin Quarter has buskers, street food, and a genuine village feel despite being a university city. Book accommodation in Salthill for beach access + 10 min bus to town.
  • 💡Eat fish & chips at McDonagh''s (Quay Street) — it''s been the best chipper in Galway since 1902 and costs €12-15 for a massive portion. Dinner at Kai or Ard Bia for the best local food scene.
Suggested stay: Family B&B or guesthouse in Galway city or Salthill
3

Dingle Peninsula & Ring of Kerry

3 nights
Drive Galway → Dingle via the coast road through Lahinch and Tarbert ferry crossing (3.5h including ferry, 220 km). The Tarbert-Killimer car ferry (€22/car, 20 min) saves 1.5h vs driving around the Shannon estuary.

Highlights

  • Slea Head Drive — one of the world''s great coastal drives, a 47 km loop around the tip of the Dingle Peninsula. Beehive huts, Blasket Islands views, dramatic cliff roads. Self-drive, free, 2-3h with stops
  • Inch Beach — 5 km of golden sand, gentle waves, one of Ireland''s best family beaches. Free parking, surfing lessons available (€40/person for 2h group lesson)
  • Dingle town — colourful harbour town, dolphin-watching boats (€16/adult, €8/child), Murphy''s ice cream (made with Irish milk and Dingle sea salt), craft shops and galleries
  • Ring of Kerry scenic drive — 180 km loop from Killarney through coastal mountains, Ladies'' View, Moll''s Gap, Kenmare. Full day, self-drive (go anti-clockwise to avoid tour bus traffic)
  • Killarney National Park — Ross Castle on the lake (€5/adult), Muckross House and Traditional Farms (€9/adult, €6/child), jaunting car rides through the park (€40-60/car, 4 seats)
  • Gap of Dunloe — dramatic mountain pass, boat + jaunting car combo through the gap (€30/adult, €15/child). Or walk the 11 km pass for free

Local tips

  • 💡Drive the Ring of Kerry ANTI-CLOCKWISE — all tour buses go clockwise by convention. Going the opposite way means you''re facing the views, not following bus exhaust. Start from Killarney heading south via Kenmare.
  • 💡Dingle is the best base for 3 nights — it''s a proper town with restaurants, pubs, and a harbour, unlike isolated Ring of Kerry villages. Day-trip to the Ring of Kerry from here (1h to Killarney).
  • 💡Slea Head Drive in the late afternoon/evening light is magical — the cliffs turn gold, the Blasket Islands silhouette against the sunset. Save it for a clear evening rather than doing it in midday glare.
Suggested stay: Family B&B or holiday cottage in Dingle town
4

Cork & Kinsale

2 nights
Drive Dingle → Cork via Killarney and Macroom (2.5h, 180 km). Cork city is walkable. Kinsale is a 30 min day trip south. Drive Cork → Dublin Airport (3h via M8) on departure day, or fly Cork (ORK) → London/hub for onward connection.

Highlights

  • Blarney Castle — kiss the Blarney Stone for the ''gift of the gab'', wander the poison garden and Rock Close fairy glen (€18/adult, €8/child 8-14, free under 8). Book online to skip queues
  • English Market, Cork — covered Victorian food market, fishmongers, artisan cheese, local bread. Budget €20-30 for a family lunch at the Farmgate Café upstairs
  • Kinsale — Ireland''s ''gourmet capital'', colourful harbour town, Charles Fort star fortress (€5/adult, free under 12), fish restaurants and sailing boat views
  • Fota Wildlife Park — drive-through and walk-through zoo near Cork, free-roaming monkeys, cheetah run (€18.50/adult, €13.50/child 3-15). Ireland''s best family wildlife experience
  • Cobh — Titanic''s last port of call, Titanic Experience museum (€11/adult, €7/child), colourful cathedral town on Cork Harbour
  • Spike Island — ''Ireland''s Alcatraz'', ferry from Cobh (€22/adult, €12/child), 1,300 years of history from monks to convicts

Local tips

  • 💡Blarney Castle gets extremely busy 10am-3pm — arrive at 9am opening or after 4pm. The castle grounds (Poison Garden, Rock Close, Fern Garden) are as good as the stone itself and most families spend 2-3 hours total.
  • 💡Kinsale is a half-day trip from Cork (30 min drive) — walk the harbour, eat seafood at Fishy Fishy, explore Charles Fort. It''s one of Ireland''s prettiest towns and a perfect final-day highlight.
  • 💡If flying out of Dublin, leave Cork by 7am for the 3h M8 motorway drive to Dublin Airport. If tight on time, fly out of Cork Airport (ORK) instead — it has connections to London, Amsterdam, and Paris for onward flights to Sydney.
Suggested stay: Family hotel or B&B in Cork city or Kinsale harbour

Good to know

Estimated cost

The ~A$12,900 estimate covers accommodation across all 4 stops. Flights, daily spending, activities, and transport are additional — use SaveToRoam’s savings planner to track it all.

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