Our problem is this: we have friends in Ireland, people who we can go to when we need an injection of the charm and coziness that I swear Ireland has in spades. But this convenience of friends situated conveniently in Dublin, means that we have yet to venture anywhere else in Ireland. Our typical 48 hour trip to the Emerald Isle includes a quick flight in (well, it used to be a quick flight from London…from China, not so much), a drive straight to the heart of Dublin, lots of eating and drinking and chatting, and a quick flight out.

So we’ve been to Ireland, several times in fact, but we haven’t ever really experienced the ruggedness and vibrancy one of Europe’s most charming countries.

Next week, we change all that.

We are celebrating China’s Golden Week (remember last year when we fell in love with Japan?) with our very own Ireland road trip. And we’re tacking on a couple days for Dublin, of course.

There are actually a ton of resources out there that cover how to road trip in Ireland. There are almost too many resources. Is that a thing? Well yes, when every Google search result yields a gazillion options and pages on pages of charming B&B’s and can’t miss villages and hikes, the decision fatigue sets in hard.

We’ve had this trip booked for almost six months and we couldn’t commit to a plan until literally last week. Should we go north or south? How much should we drive each day? Should we stick just to AirBnB rentals or hotels or a combination of both? Should we be based in one place and take day trips/hikes from there or move a little every day? We have six days/five nights on the road, we can’t see everything or even close. What do we prioritize?

There’s nothing like massive time pressure to make decisions, so I’m happy to say that we have a route and a plan for our Ireland road trip. Finally. Next time you’re find yourself cross-eyed at Google, and overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of can’t-miss Irish villages that begin with a ‘K’, fear not. Take our itinerary, tweak it a bit (or not!) and hit the road.

With a country this beautiful, it’s impossible to mess it up. (Right? Right? Dear god we hope so!)

Our Ireland Road Trip Itinerary

Day 1: Dublin to Galway

Galway is another of Ireland’s quintessential cities, directly west of Dublin (about 2 hours by car). I can’t tell you exactly what has caught our fancy about Galway, but it was first on our list of road trip destinations. We’ll stay in a B&B, and our visit coincides with the Galway Oyster & Seafood Festival, so it’s like we’ll be back to our Maine roots, albeit with a lilting Irish accent.

Day 2: Galway to Killaloe

Killaloe is one of those charming Irish villages beginning with a ‘K’ that popped up in the many hours of research. We plan on spending most of Day 2 exploring the peninsula south of Galway, with an obligatory stop at the Cliffs of Moher. We will also be close to Lisdoonvarna village, where, every September, the town is home to a matchmaking festival, which brings 60,000 visitors annually. Yes, you read that right. Drew and I are both looking for upgrades, so…

On our way to Killaloe, where we’ve booked an AirBnb yurt (yes, we are staying in a yurt…very exciting!), we may stop off to see Bunratty Castle and village, which, next to the Cliffs of Moher, is one of County Clare’s most famous attractions.

Day 3: Kllaloe to Killarney

While our total drive time on Day 3 is less than two hours, we’d love to spend most of the day hiking around Killarney National Park. We’d also like to see Ross Castle, just outside of Kilarney town. This area of the country, County Kerry, has many famous drives, and if you look up Ring of Kerry or the Dingle Peninsula, you’ll find a ton of resources committed to astounding you with the drive of your life. If the weather doesn’t cooperate for a day in the park, we’ll take to the roads and venture down the peninsula.

In Killarney, we’re staying in a large lakeside resort, of which there are many in the area. The hotel options in this area are so fantastic we just couldn’t pass it up.

Day 4: Killarney to Kinsale

We have another short drive day on Day 4, just 90 minutes if you drive straight there and under three hours if you meander along the coast. As we were researching, it seemed to us like the bulk of the adorable drives and dramatic coastline is on the west side of Ireland, so we made the executive decision to hang out on the west as long as possible, saving a long distance drive until the end.

We picked Kinsale as our stopping point because we read that it is one of Ireland’s most food-centric towns. With a population of just a few thousand, the number of serious diners who come to Kinsale for the food is up there with the country’s much bigger cities. To be fair, when a town declares itself “the gourmet capital of Ireland” it gets a target the size of a dinner plate as food writers aim to cut said tiny village back down to size. That said, we’re intrigued. We’ve booked an AirBnb right in town and we will eat the day away.

Day 5: Kinsale to Brittas Bay

On Day 5 we drive. We need to get back to Dublin in two quick days, so we will haul ourselves all the way around the cusp of the south coast to Brittas Bay, in County Winslow. We need to travel about 3.5 hours, but on our way we have a couple plans. First, we will likely stop off in nearby Cork. Cork is home of the Blarney Stone (the stone that you need to kiss upside down to gain eloquence in your life), as well as many other charming and historical treasures.

During our drive up the coast, we’ll also stop here and there. High on my list is Wexford, is a charming southeast village, close to Johnstown Castle and Rosslare Harbour. I’ve also read that this southeast drive in Ireland, home to some of the country’s only sand beaches, is quite underrated.

I love all things underrated, so we will hopefully find ourselves uncovering the next best thing to do in Ireland that you’ve never heard of.

We’ll spend our last night at a charming AirBnb with ocean views.

Day 6: Brittas Bay to Dublin 

Bright and early on Day 6, we’re heading back to the airport, just about an hour away. We’ll drop of our rental car, and strap in for twelve hours back to Hong Kong. I’m sure I’ll spend the first hour moaning to myself that if we still lived in London, we’d be home by now.

Ireland, here we come!