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50 Shades of Green: A One Week Ireland Itinerary

The beauty of Ireland will take your breath away--- I mean, how could it not? The lush green countryside, welcoming people, and laid-back pubs that draw you in for a pint with their charming facades. To get the most out of your time in the Emerald Isle, renting a car is a must. Driving gives you the freedom to travel off the beaten path and find hidden gems as you get lost navigating your way through the narrow roads. If you find yourself heading to Ireland anytime soon, make the most of your time and steal my jam-packed Ireland Road Trip Itinerary. Hopefully the luck of the Irish is on your side and you won’t lose a side view mirror! The Globetrotting Giant contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you

Day 1: Hello, Ireland!

  • Land in Dublin and pick up your rental car from the Airport

  • Drive to the cute fishing village of Howth (30min)

    • Explore the town and enjoy a fresh fish&chips lunch at Beshoffs Bros

    • Get those legs moving post flight by walking the Howth Cliff Walk green route

  • Drive to Dublin (40 min)

    • Check into The Marlin Hotel Dublin (I previously stayed at The Kilronan House, which I also highly recommend!) Both are a great location and short stroll to everything Dublin has to offer

    • Walk 10 min to the Temple Bar area for pre-St. Patrick's Day festivities. Enjoy a few pints and live music at Quay's. It is more of a touristy area, but it is still a must experience and worth a visit.

  • Grab a slice at Bambino's Pizza to end the night

Day 2: St. Patrick's Day

  • Spend the day in Dublin celebrating St. Patrick's Day!

    • Put on your best tacky, green apparel (cause ain't no pinching going on here) and walk to breakfast at Lemon Jelly Cafe (15 min walk). On the way, stop off at the iconic Temple Bar to get pictures of the calm before the storm... ya know. If that's your thing

  • Walk to and around Trinity College, Ireland's oldest surviving university (10 min walk) It was founded in1592..we're not in America anymore!

  • Visit the Molly Malone Statue (3 min walk). Legend says if you give the statue's titties a little rub, you will have good luck, but I just couldn't degrade her like that. To each their own. Poor Molly

  • Continue to the famous shopping area, Grafton Street (3 min walk). Window shop, or actually shop, and take in the voices of the talented buskers. Hey, who knows? You could hear the next Ed Sheeran.

  • Take in all the beautiful St. Patrick's Day decorations---buildings glowing green, balloons hanging from pub awnings, and simple alleyways dressed up with the colors of Ireland

  • Walk towards O'Connell Street Bridge (10 min walk) by the river to fight the crowds and watch some of the St. Patrick's Day Parade, which starts at 12 noon. Expect elaborate costumes, performers from all over the world, and plenty of people watching opportunities. **If this is really important to you, then stake out your spot earlier. 500,000 people come to Dublin and some start to line up around 10am for the parade

  • Walk to the Brazenhead Pub (18 min walk), known as Ireland's oldest pub, for a pint (or 2) and lunch

  • Walk to Darkey Kelly's (10 min walk) for more drinks and trad Irish music. Do yourself a favor and order a baby Guinness here. Yummmm. Note: They do not serve food here on St. Patrick's Day

  • Walk past St. Patrick's Cathedral (10 min walk), the national cathedral of the church of Ireland. It is also Ireland's tallest church.. and I mean, how could I not visit the country's tallest . We tall folks gotta stick together.

  • Walk around St. Stephens's Green (10 min walk)

  • End the night with a spice bag from Xian Street Food (4min walk). You can't leave Dublin without trying a spice bag. It is a local fav

** If you want to do the Guinness Storehouse Tour, you could easily fit it in this day too. You need reservations well in advance though. I am not a Guinness drinker (I know. Shocking. Sue me) , but I have been before and still enjoyed the experience and the view from the top. I would recommend it!


Day 3: Making My Way DT, Driving Fast, Faces Pass, and I'm Cork Bound

  • Get up early and drive to Kilkenny (1hr30 min)

    • Explore Kilkenny Castle on a self-guided tour. I didn't find my Prince Charming, but still worth it

  • Drive to Cashel (48 min)

    • Park and walk up to the Rock of Cashel. Check out the historic site and surrounding scenery from the top.

    • Grab a quick tea and sandwich to-go at Granny's Kitchen

  • Drive to Blarney (1hr 15 min)

    • Walk around the Blarney Castle and Gardens. Climb the narrow corridors of the castle and kiss the well-known Blarney Stone for good luck and the gift of gab, but also take time to walk around the gardens. They really are spectacular. I recommend purchasing your tickets ahead of time online. You don't need to choose a time, only a day.

    • Souvenir shop at The Blarney Woolen Mills. It has the best selection of souvenirs and not just the cheap, tacky ones. High quality options as well such as wool blankets and sweaters

  • Drive to Killarney (1hr 15min)

    • Check in at the Killarney Lodge,a full Irish breakfast and parking included. This was an amazing B&B. It was our favorite in all of Ireland. 10/10 recommend!

  • Walk to dinner at the Laurels Pub (6 min walk). Enjoy traditional potato cakes, Irish stew, and fried brie cheese

  • Walk to the Killarney Grand Pub for post dinner drinks and trad Irish music

Day 4: The Ring of Kerry

  • Enjoy a full Irish breakfast at the B&B

  • Drive into Killarney National Park (5 min drive)

    • Drive to Torc Waterfall lower main lot in Killarney National Park. Park and walk the short trail to the waterfall. The sound of the flowing water and the abundance of green moss growing on the trees is quite enchanting. It'll make you think a leprechaun could pop out at any minute. Note: there is a bathroom here

  • Hop back in the car and drive to the Torc upper car park (3 min drive). Hike the red trail, aka Cardiac Hill. I’m gonna be honest. This isn’t for the faint of heart. No wonder why they call it "cardiac hill". There are hundreds of steps. You will be huffing and a puffing, but the views are spectacular and you’ll feel accomplished at the end! Earn those pints!

  • Drive back down to the main road to start your drive on the Ring of Kerry. The Ring of Kerry is a must do when in Ireland and very simple to follow with plenty of labeled road signs. You’ll feel like you’re in a screensaver it is so picturesque. As you drive along the curvy roads and stone bridges, you can expect to be surrounded by fluffy sheep, jutting mountains, and an abundance of waterfalls that seem to be coming out of nowhere. It is truly magical. Besides the natural beauty of the Ring of Kerry, you’ll pass plenty of cute towns and castles too. If something is calling your name, just park and explore. That’s one of the biggest perks of driving, you’re calling the shots.

  • Drive to Dingle, a small village with some serious seaside charm. Woah. Try saying that 10x fast. (1hr drive)

    • Check into the Dingle Bay Hotel, a full breakfast and parking included

    • Walk around the town of Dingle. Enjoy dinner at a pub and then dessert at the famous Murphey's Icecream. Maybe treat your self to some Dingle Bay Distillery vodka too.



Day 5: Dingle, Lingle, Lingle

  • Enjoy breakfast at the B&B

  • Start the coastal Slea Head Drive, a 30 mile circular route that starts and ends in Dingle. The views are spectacular the entire time. I would bargain to say even better than the Ring of Kerry. Something about the bright blue water hitting the coastline and shooting up onto the lush green landscape *heart eyes. Note: This is a VERY narrow route, proceed with caution and prayers.

    • Ventry Beach

    • Hold a baby lamb---look for the big blue sign.. I promise you it's not the American version of a sketchy white van trying to lure you in with candy. It's legit.

    • Cross at Slea Head

    • Dunmore Head

    • Coumeenoole Beach

    • Dunquin Pier

    • The Blasket Center (For quick grab and go food and the loo)

  • Drive to Adare (1hr 57 min)

    • Walk around the tiny town

    • Drive to and explore the grounds of Adare Manor (5 min drive), a visually stunning five star hotel on a golf course... and man did I think someone was going to yell at me over the intercom to "get off the grass" like in Princess Diaries


Day 6: The Cliffs of Moher

  • Enjoy the included eggs benedict (or any breaky of your choice) at the hotel

  • Drive to the Cliffs of Moher (1 hr 27 min drive)

    • Get on those wind breakers and waterproof gear, you're gonna need it. Time to explore the famous Cliffs of Moher, located literally in the middle of nowhere. When I say middle of nowhere, I mean rolling green fields for days surround it, and the only clue we knew we made it were the plethora of tour buses parked in the parking lot... well and a couple signs gave it away. There is a new-ish visitor center there with toilets and a snack bar.. or just a place to escape the wind after walking the cliffs.

Luckily, even with the buses, it didn't seem crowded.

There are 10 years between both of these photos of me.. I guess once windy, always windy! With that being said, majority of the cliffs today have barriers, however there are still segments with no barriers, so be careful if you choose to go near the edge. On the same note, if you bring kids, you might want to keep them on a leash.. you know if you're one of those people who does that.

  • Drive to Galway (1 hr drive)

    • Check into the Ash Grove House, parking and full breakfast included

    • Walk to Quay Street and The Latin Quarter (13 min walk)

    • Pub hop.. I mean it is a university town after all! We liked the King's Head Pub a lot. Also enjoy traditional Irish music later in the night


Day 7: One with the Dublin Orangutan

  • Eat breakfast at the inn

  • Drive to Dublin (2hr)

    • Visit the Dublin Zoo. Everyone who knows me, knows I love animals. Dublin zoo was fantastic. I've never been to a zoo where the animals have been so active. Most of the time they're snoozing. It wasn't busy at all either!

    • Drive to John Kavanaugh the GraveDiggers (10 min drive) for what is known as the best guinness in all of Dublin. Amazing service, an old pub, and they have a tapas style restaurant right next door. We had great seafood stew and garlic potatoes there.

    • Walk around Glasnevin Cemetery right behind the pub (1 min walk)

    • Check into the Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport Hotel (12 min drive)

Day 8: Goodbye, Ireland

  • Flight back to the USA


By the end of the week we had many miles under our belt and were stuffed to the brim with potatoes and pints. But when you have a short amount of time and a lot to see, you have to make the most of it! Here's our road trip in map form:

Go ahead now, steal it

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