One Week in Ireland: Perfect 7 Day Road Trip Itinerary

This summer, I set off on the ultimate 7 day road trip adventure through Ireland - and it was everything I hoped for and more!

Escaping the summer heat and wildfire season back home in Vancouver, my spouse and I traded the hot, dry days for the cool, lush landscapes of the Emerald Isle. With a little bit of Irish heritage discovered through our Ancestry DNA tests and a love of Hallmark movies filmed in Ireland’s magical scenery, we couldn’t resist. This resulted in an unforgettable one-week adventure visiting castles, cliffs and charming villages on a road trip journey across Ireland.

Day One - Dublin

We flew direct from Vancouver, Canada to Dublin, Ireland, arriving early the next morning. After picking up our rental car from the airport (and getting tips for driving on the opposite side of the road!) we drove a short distance into the city - glad it was Sunday and no traffic while my husband got used to maneuvering the car. We arrived safely at our hotel, Camden Court, to drop off our car and bags for the day, and indulge in a big, *Irish breakfast to start our day of sightseeing in the city.

*An Irish Breakfast - traditionally consists of scrambled eggs, cooked tomatoes, bacon (the ham-like kind), hash browns and white or black pudding, which are patties made of a mixture of pork, oats, and in the case of the latter, blood - a very strong taste that I didn’t like. You can usually get regular sausage links instead. I was not really a fan of this meal that was offered everywhere we stayed.

After breakfast, we walked from the hotel through St. Stephen’s Green, which is a very pretty park, around the grounds of Dublin Castle and Trinity College. There are tours that you can pay for to access the insides of the buildings but since we only had one day in the city, we decided to decline. From our hotel, the sights were all within a walkable distance and we loved exploring the impossibly narrow side streets lined with rows of Georgian townhouses with colourful doors, pubs and shops that reflect Dublin’s rich history.

We continued to make our way by foot on the cobblestone streets, past churches almost a thousand years old (it was overwhelming to us how old everything was!) towards the one tour we had planned on doing - the Guinness Storehouse, home of Ireland’s most famous pint. My husband, being a big Guinness beer fan, loved the self-guided interactive tour which took you through seven floors of exhibits telling about the brand’s history, brewing process and ingredients (barely, hops, water and yeast!) The price of admission gave you a ticket for a drink at the Gravity Bar, where we were taught how to pour the perfect pint and able to enjoy a 360 degree view of Dublin’s skyline. They say Guinness tastes different in Ireland, but not really being a beer fan, I couldn’t taste the difference. On the first floor there is a merchandise store - everything Guinness! so we bought a few souvenirs there.

After our long day of walking (but welcome after our 8 hour plane ride) we opted to take a horse and carriage ride - many of these “jaunty cars” line the street after exiting the storehouse. For 50 euros, we enjoyed a 15 minute relaxing ride back up towards our hotel.

After checking in, I had a long, hot shower! We soon realized that the room key had to be in a holder to obtain power and the charger cord we brought was wrong! We had a short nap (Allen would have slept all night) and then went out for dinner. We tried to get into the pub by our hotel that had the coolest name, “The Bleeding Horse”, but its was too busy. Luckily, we found another called “The Paramount”. It was pretty much empty and quiet. I had a Guiness Steak pie with mashed potatoes which was one of the best meals I have ever had! We had tiramisu for dessert (so rich because of the famous Irish dairy products). Once the live music started, a singer/guitarist who sang folksy Irish songs, the pub filled up so it was good we came early. We found many Irish people in Dublin to be like their movie/tv stereotypes - very loud, lively and fast speaking. The younger girls had false fluttery eye lashes, eyeliner, a lot of makeup in general, and dressed in tight dresses and heels. I felt very frumpy comparatively. The men were short-kings, muscular build with distinctive eighties hairstyles. There were lots of extended families around with wild kids running around. We then went back to the hotel to sleep and prepare for our early journey to Brú na Bóinne the next day.

Day 2 - From Brú na Bóinne to Kilkenny

We woke up and 5:30 am for our hour long drive to the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre. Make sure you purchase tickets online for a date and time before heading there. Our tickets were for 9 am so we arrived early - there was no traffic to get out of Dublin because it was a bank holiday. Like almost every day of our trip, it was a rainy start, a downpour actually, but the wind and sun soon dried our coats. We had booked a tour for both sites, which included Newgrange, which I would highly recommend. At Brú na Bóinne we were guided by a site archeologist who treated us to the stories of the peoples who built and visited the sites for thousands of years. These landmarks are actually older than Stonehenge and the pyramids! At this site, you can view the outside of the buildings, striking for the variety of rock used from white quartz to large, spiral carved slabs.

A tour bus then takes you to the other site called Newgrange. Here, you are allowed inside the structure with a guide. You walk through a narrow/claustrophobia inducing tunnel into a high ceilinged chamber where ancient peoples probably performed burial rites. I was struck by a large, basin like rock in a recess in the cave with beautiful spirals drawn on the ceiling. With a lamp, the guide recreated the unique winter solstice experience of the sun that shines into the tunnel and illuminates the chamber. Rather than feeling an energy of the place, as some visitors report, I was very aware of the history and really felt the stories of the people (maybe because our guide did such a good job of telling it!) The location is very quiet with peaceful views of the river and countryside. Overall, the site experience is very well organized so it does not feel overrun by tourists. We had lunch at the centre cafe - a very good goat cheese and vegetable quiche.

Because of the tour and lunch it was early afternoon when we began our two hour, mostly freeway, drive towards the Mt. Juliet Estate outside Kilkenny. We had planned to stop at a few other sites along the way but decided just to see the famous Medieval Mile and Kilkenny Castle. Following signs we ended up just driving up the mile - it was very busy with people and cars so there was nowhere to park. It seemed chaotic, a very narrow cobblestone road lined with colourful medieval style shops and so many places to eat! Since we couldn’t find anywhere to park on the road (it was unusual for us to see cars parked facing every which way along the sides of the street but did observe this in other parts of Ireland too), we finally found parking a few blocks past the castle in a residential area where we didn’t have to pay.

The weather was perfect by this time, sunny but not too hot. The castle was impressive - built of stone and surrounded by stone walls. You can enter for free to enjoy the grounds which are extensive and lovely. It was 8 euros to tour the castle which we did by ourselves. The history of the castle centres on the Ormond family, shown through the extensive portrait collection on the walls. The rooms had been updated throughout the years and included gorgeous tapestries. I decided that even if I could afford to live in a castle I wouldn’t - too many rooms! The room I liked the best was the reception room - it was long and had an intricately painted wooden beamed ceiling. After leaving the castle, we had ice cream from the stand outside. I had heard you should try Irish ice cream and it was creamy and delicious (as are all Irish dairy products I found out!)

After walking back to our car, it was a twenty minute drive to the Mt. Juliette Resort where we planned on staying for the next two nights. The estate is stunning - 500 acres originally owned by _____ and sold to ____ in _____. There are two places to stay at this upscale family oriented golf resort- the Manor House (which is the original home) and Hunters Yard (the former stables) where we stayed. Both buildings have an old world/European vibe, wild English country style gardens within enclosed stone walls. The golf course was designed by Jack Nicklaus and has hosted some major golf tournaments. There are other activities too like an equestrian centre, tennis Cours, archery, fishing and a health club with the best indoor pool I have ever seen!

The reception check in was personal and welcoming. Our room was gorgeous with light oak floors, leather chairs, a momma bear soft king sized bed and a large bathroom with tub, shower. The room was very quiet - we did not hear anyone or anything. After checking in, we went for a swim, we basically had the pool to ourselves. The indoor pool includes a hot tub, steam room, sauna, cold shower and ample lounges to relax. We had dinner at the resort clubhouse which served basic (but actually delicious) pub style food. I had seafood chowder, dark bread , a caesar salad and an unusual white negroni. After dinner we went for a walk of the grounds - there are many walking trails, a walled garden (which reminded me of my favourite book “The Secret Garden”) and a narrow river where you can fish.

Day 3 - Mt. Juliette Estate

We woke up at 9 am, hurriedly got dressed and went for our included breakfast at the The Hound restaurant before it closed at 10. The airy wood beamed are had two choices of breakfast, full Irish or Continental. I had the latter because I was craving fruit! They also offered the best selection of little cold pots - overnight oats, açai, and chia pudding. I had a full pot of coffee to myself because I had a bad sleep. I was surprised at the amount of people who ordered bottles of coke for breakfast - not really a thing in Canada. Afterwards, we went for another short walk and tried to find the river path again.

My husband had a tee time at 11:00 so he was off golfing. I was looking forward to spending a lazy, relaxing day on my own. (Husband said golf was fun but challenging due to the wind!) I read, did yoga and explored the resort for awhile, finding the tennis court and archery range. There are an assortment of bikes at the hotel that people borrow and ride around. When my husband returned, we went swimming - this time the pool was quite crowded this time. We had dinner at the Hound again which seems like the more casual, family oriented choice at the resort, in spite of the relatively high prices. I had mackerel with greens and a chocolate fondant with ice cream which was delicious. The only problem with our dinner was that we were sitting in the solarium by the windows and were frequently visited (terrorized) with bees! After dinner we had our digestive walk and went to bed early. I still had a hard time sleeping - even with melatonin and chamomile tea!

Day 4 - Kilkenny to Killarney

After another scrumptious breakfast at the Hound (chia seed and mango pudding!) we checked out and headed towards the Rock of Cashel about an hour away. This is the famous medieval cathedral ruin that has a connection to St. Patrick - it is where he is said to have baptized King Aengus, making him the first Christian ruler. It is a very imposing and impressive site sitting high on a hill above the town. I can’t imagine just living and going about your daily life below!

Parking in the car park is busy and costs 2 euros, but you could park in the town and walk up. The cost to get in to see the ruins is around 8 euros. You can explore the site yourself or go on a guided tour. We opted to explore the gothic stone structure full of old tombs ourselves and watched the informative videos provided. Afterwards, we grabbed a scone and jam (and cream) from Granny’s Cafe across from the car park.

To break up the drive we decided to stop halfway to Killarney at a spot off the highway called Mallows NC. This is a gas station/grocery store/food court with toilettes (which is what you say in Ireland if you need to go to the bathroom).

We reached Killarney National Park an hour later and decided to focus our time on the Torc Waterfall. This part of Ireland is foresty and lake filled. We did the hike that went beyond the waterfall towards the lake and Muckross Manor. This took about an hour, there were some steep parts, but it was very peaceful and lovely.

From there, it was a short drive to Randal’s Hotel, a townhouse from the 1920’s that is on the main drag. Killarney seems like a summer resort town, with a long boardwalk , park and access to the lake. We absolutely loved the vibe of this hotel - art deco I guess and just very classy and cozy. We ate in the bar and had a charcuterie selection and drinks. The room was good with a very nice shower and bathroom (although we do not understand why Irish showers are not enclosed all the way?)

Day 5 - Killarney - Cliffs of Moher

I hardly slept again because the fire alarm went off around 11:30pm and it scared me so much I could not go back to sleep (we later found out it was triggered by someone who took a very long, hot and steamy shower!) Also, our bed was too soft and the room was warm even though we had the windows open (and heard people talking all night).

We had an okay breakfast at the hotel then went for a walk into town to the highly recommended store, Christy’s, to get all our Ireland souvenirs from t-shirts to Christmas ornaments. The cashier reminded us that we could claim a sales tax refund for our purchases at the airport when we leave (which we forgot to do). The old town of Killarney is very cute. We explored the gardens behind the high stone wall - beautiful!

Then we began the long drive toward the Wild Honey Inn, just outside the Cliffs of Moher, our final stop. We had planned a halfway break at the Dennison Castle but missed our exit so we ended up stopping at the Adare Manor Golf Club for lunch. It is a private members’ club, although visitors can play for a fee, so we were not sure if we should be there but no one said anything! The golf club is worth mentioning because it is so cool - designed entirely around the castle ruins. It would be interesting to play there.

The rest of the drive was scenic - a mixture of highway and single lane roads (which my husband hated!) We arrived too early to check in so we walked down the hill to the Roadhouse pub for a dessert and Irish cream coffee. The Wild Honey Inn is a traditional Bed and Breakfast style building. Our room was very cute, cottage core style up three flights of stairs. Poor Allen had to carry all the bags! There was a view of horses in a field outside our window.

We decided to go to the Cliffs of Moher around 6:00 before sunset, which was a good decision because a lot less people. This famous attraction is very much worth seeing in person - photos do not do it justice! They are dramatic, jaggedy and awe-inspiring. The entire walk around (some of the more precarious paths are closed due to accidents (deaths!)) took about an hour. It was clear but very windy. There are some gift shops and restaurants/cafes but they were closed due to the time.

Because we wanted dinner, we drove into nearby town, Lisdoonvarna, to find a bar with live music which this area is famous for. A google search recommended the Cliffs of Moher Hotel but no one was there! I felt sorry for the talented musicians, a couple who sang and played a variety of instruments, so we stayed for a drink and tipped them well! Driving further into town we found Dani Macs that was open for food service (it was difficult to find a bar that serves food after 8 pm.) I had a huge bowl of pasta which I was craving! We got back to the Inn before dark at 9:30.

Day 6 - From the Cliffs of Moher back to Dublin