Author & Photographer: George Mitchell
Our recommendations are not influenced by affiliate links – we have none. Our content and advice is derived from our personal expertise, experience, and knowledge based on living in Europe for seven years and studying its art and architecture. All the places recommended in this post are pinned on our Ireland’s Best Sights Map. The place names are appended with the Google Maps Rating (G0 to G5).
How Should You Plan the Best Ireland Itinerary
Some of you have limited time or budget and are looking for a one week or ten-day trip. But where should you go with so many choices? How should you decide which places to include? Out of all these gems, how do you find Quintessential Ireland?
The purpose of this tool is to help you plan your Best of Ireland trip, but this approach applies to anywhere you travel. First of all, do not be swayed by name recognition or one person saying you must go to Cork. Just because you have heard of Cork, Galway or Dublin does not mean those are the must-see places. In fact, do not start by identifying the places where you will sleep over. The towns are not what is special about Ireland and will not let you experience Quintessential Ireland.
In Italy, Spain, and Britain — first timers should start with the famous cities because they are historically and culturally the most significant sights. But in Ireland you should focus on natural sights and scenery that comprise Quintessential Ireland.
Planning Process
How do you plan your itinerary? Here are the steps you could follow:
1. Determine the characteristics that make the country you plan to visit special. For example, check out the characteristics we believe make Quintessential Ireland.
2. Determine your own interests and the focus of your trip. For instance, we live 1000 km from the ocean so enjoying coastal roads and scenery is special to us.
3. Find places that match your interests. Make lists of the places that most people think are the best and track how many mentions are given to each. We developed our original list from Facebook posts, Lonely Planet’s Top Experiences and Sights web page, other in-depth blog sites — AND confirmed these using the Google Map ratings for these sights. Any place over 4.0 is very good; any place over 4.5 is excellent. This applies to restaurants and hotels as well as sites.
Unfortunately many visitors and locals alike are almost dogmatic about promoting the area they come from or have visited as the Best of Ireland. But if you haven’t seen all the places how do you know how one place compares to another? We are trying to bridge that gap for you.
4. View our list of the top places below, which was based on our 5Σ rating system. Click the link to see the details and photos so you can see for yourself what each day trip has to offer.
5. Do not worry about seeing everything. You cannot, so don’t even try. On the other hand, wherever you go from the selection below, you will enjoy the Best of Ireland.
Where Should We Go?
Sigma is our rating system. We have rated nine of our day trips at the maximum 5Σ. These are the places that should be the foundation of your trip.
The location of each day trip is shown on the Ireland Top Sights Map. We won’t state that there is ONE best route because we all have different interests and we don’t want everyone going to the same places. Make your own combination of the places below and you will have a great experience in Ireland.
5Σ trip from Cashel or Kilkenny
5Σ trip is so spectacular it could be 6Σ.
5Σ trip from Kenmare or Portmagee
5Σ trip from Dingle is so spectacular it could be 6Σ
5Σ trip from Doolin, Ennis or Galway
5Σ trip from Galway or Clifden
5Σ trip from Galway or Clifden
5Σ trip from Westport
5Σ trip from Ramelton, Letterkenny, Derry or Ballintoy
Even with a 36-day road trip, we did not see everything. So we have not rated the rest of the Antrim Coast, Belfast and Carrickfergus Castle — places we planned to go but ran out of time. They are shown on the Ireland Top Sights Map.
Logistics
If you only have a week, can you see all of these best sights? The answer is no. Can you do 4 places? Four changes of location requires at least a half day each for meal time, check out time and travel time plus one day at the end to drive to a place near an airport. In other words, 4 locations means 3 travel days and 4 sightseeing days.
Can you do all the top 9 sights in 14 days? You would have to skip Dublin and Belfast. It would require 6 travel days leaving 8 sightseeing days for 9 sights. Again the answer is no.
The road trips above actually do take one full day. So you have to make a choice here. Do you want to spend your time driving continuously with minimal stopping? Or do you want to allow two nights for each stopover location to allow sufficient time to hike, beach-comb, photograph and explore each region more thoroughly?
Also note that many of these places will not be on the way to your next destination, so you have to stay at a nearby town to allow a full day to explore. Places that can be done on the way to the next location include Rock of Cashel, Healy Pass, Killarney NP, and Cliffs of Moher. But you would have to get there early and limit your time sightseeing.
Do not underestimate the force of travel logistics. Forget the estimates provided by Google Maps. You cannot expect to travel faster than 70 km per hour except on the motorways.
Departure Sleepover
Trim is an interesting alternative to Dublin for your final night(s). The town is as close to the airport as Dublin (40 minutes) but without the traffic. Plus, you can visit the Norman-era Trim Castle or even Neolithic Newgrange. As an extra, you can stay in a less expensive B&B and enjoy a quieter town than Dublin.
Custom Maps and Facts to Plan your Itinerary
This post answers questions such as:
- When should I go?
- What is the best season for travel?
- Where should I go?
- Can I see everything in a week?
- How much time do I need ?
- How much cash should you take?
- Should I pay in Euros or my own currency?
- How safe is Ireland?
- Should I get a SIM Card?
- What apps are useful for travel?
- Should I rent a car? Take a Taxi?
Terra Encounters 
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