Ten days along Ireland's most dramatic coastline, from Galway's colourful streets through the Cliffs of Moher and Loop Head Peninsula to the ancient tracks of Dingle and the wooded lakes of Killarney.
Ireland's west coast is one of the world's great drives. Over 10 days, this Wild Atlantic Way road trip itinerary takes you from Galway's colourful waterfront south through County Clare's seacliffs, across the Shannon Estuary by ferry and into the ancient landscapes of the Dingle Peninsula before finishing at Killarney National Park.
The route covers roughly 530km of driving, but the road is rarely the point. You spend your time at cliffs, on walking paths, at music sessions and on remote peninsulas. Keep the car slow and the days long.
When to go: May and June offer the longest daylight and lowest crowds; September gives warm evenings with a post-peak calm. July and August are busy at the Cliffs of Moher and Dingle; book accommodation 2 to 3 months ahead for peak season.
Car hire: Any standard car handles the route. A compact model is easier on the narrow lanes around Loop Head and Slea Head. Pick up in Galway, drop off in Killarney or Kerry Airport.
Budget: Expect around €120 to €160 per night for mid-range accommodation. Seafood restaurants are excellent throughout, especially in Dingle. The Killimer-Tarbert ferry costs approximately €25 per car.
Galway is the right place to start. The Latin Quarter packs independent shops, seafood restaurants and traditional music pubs into a few walkable streets; the River Corrib runs through the centre and the bay opens west toward Connemara.
Day 2 is best spent on a fast ferry from Rossaveal to Inis Mór, the largest of the Aran Islands. Hire a bike at the pier and spend the day cycling to Dún Aonghasa, a 3,000-year-old stone fort perched on a 100-metre Atlantic cliff. The island feels genuinely remote despite being under 45 minutes from shore. Return to Galway for dinner.
Ferries from Rossaveal (40 minutes, more reliable than Doolin departures) run several times daily in summer. Book ahead and leave early.
Doolin is 90km south of Galway along the coast: a small village with three classic trad music pubs and one of the best day trips in Ireland 15 minutes up the road.
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The Cliffs of Moher reach 214 metres at their highest and run for 8km along the County Clare shore. Arrive before 10am to beat the coach tours. Walk south from the car park toward Hag's Head: the path narrows, crowds thin quickly and the viewpoints looking north along the cliff face are the most dramatic on the route.
The Burren fills the second day. This limestone plateau covers 250km² of County Clare and supports an improbable mix of Arctic, Alpine and Mediterranean plants in the same landscape. Poulnabrone Dolmen, a 5,000-year-old portal tomb standing alone in the limestone, is free to visit year-round. Allow half a day for a Burren loop, then return to Doolin for the evening session.
The drive south from Doolin to Kilkee takes about 80km through the farmland of south Clare. Kilkee is a horseshoe-bay town with a Blue Flag beach and some of the coast's most accessible cliff walking along the Kilkee Cliff Walk west of town.
Spend the afternoon driving Loop Head Peninsula. The route runs 30km to the lighthouse at the tip, passing the Bridges of Ross sea arches along the way. Dolphins are regularly spotted from the headland. Return to Kilkee for dinner before the ferry stage the next morning.
Today is a travel day but a pleasant one. Drive south from Kilkee to Killimer (about 60km) and take the car ferry across the Shannon Estuary to Tarbert. The crossing takes 20 minutes, runs hourly April to October and saves 90km of inland driving. After landing, drive 50km to Tralee.
Tralee is County Kerry's main town and a comfortable one-night base. Use the evening to plan the Dingle Peninsula: check whether Conor Pass is open and book dinner in Dingle for the following night.
The Dingle Peninsula is the route's centrepiece. Three nights gives you time to drive Slea Head properly, walk Inch Beach and sit long enough in a Dingle restaurant to understand why this corner of Kerry has a loyal following.
Drive west from Tralee on the N86 and consider Conor Pass if the weather is clear. The mountain road climbs steeply to 456 metres with panoramic views over Dingle Bay and Brandon Bay below. Coaches are not permitted but the road is narrow; check conditions before departure.
Dingle town is colourful, walkable and built for slow afternoons. The harbour produces excellent fresh fish and every restaurant knows it. Murphy's ice cream has its original shop on the main street.
Drive Slea Head anti-clockwise from Dingle (38km loop, allow 3 hours with stops): past Ventry, Iron Age beehive huts above Coumeenole, Dunquin Harbour with views to the Blasket Islands and the 6th-century Gallarus Oratory. Use the third day for Inch Beach or a walk on Brandon Mountain.
The route ends in Killarney. Ireland's oldest national park covers 25,000 hectares of oak woodland, blanket bog and three interconnected lakes at the foot of Macgillycuddy's Reeks, the country's highest mountain range.
Hire a bike in town to ride through the park to Ross Castle and along the Lough Leane shore. Gap of Dunloe is the classic Killarney day: cycle into the 8km mountain pass from Kate Kearney's Cottage, walk through the Black Valley to Lord Brandon's Cottage, then take the rowboat across the lakes back to Ross Castle. Allow 6 to 7 hours and book the boat ahead.
From Killarney, Kerry Airport serves Dublin and London. Cork is 85km east by road and has wider flight options and a regular Aircoach service.
Driving: Ireland drives on the left. All speed limits are in km/h. Rural lanes on Loop Head and the Dingle Peninsula can be very narrow; pull into passing places and allow time to reverse if needed.
Fuel: Fill up in Galway, Kilkee and Tralee. Dingle has a petrol station on the main road; fill up there before driving Slea Head. No stations on the outer Conor Pass section or Slea Head loop.
Accommodation: Book Doolin, Dingle and Killarney well ahead of travel. These towns fill quickly from June onward, particularly at weekends.
Mobile signal: Good in towns; patchy on Loop Head and parts of the outer Slea Head Drive. Download offline maps before departing each stop.
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The full route — stops, maps, and driving times — is on Routebook by Kington.
Ten days along Ireland's most dramatic coastline, from Galway's colourful streets through the Cliffs of Moher and Loop Head to the Dingle Peninsula and Killarney National Park.
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