10 Days in Ireland: The Wild Atlantic Way Itinerary
A realistic 10-day Ireland itinerary: 2–3 nights in Dublin, 2 in Galway (with a Cliffs of Moher or Aran Islands day trip), 2–3 working down through Killarney National Park and the Ring of Kerry, then a final night back toward Dublin, Shannon, or Cork depending on your flight out. It covers the country's headline sights without a single day of pure driving-only transit, and leaves the Dingle Peninsula and Donegal for a second trip.
Ten days is the number that comes up again and again for a first Ireland trip, and for good reason — it's enough to do Dublin properly, push the whole way to Kerry, and still sleep in the same town two nights in a row more often than not.
Why 10 days is the sweet spot
Seven days is workable but tight — you'll likely have to choose Dublin-plus-Galway or Dublin-plus-Kerry, not both. Ten days lets you do a genuine loop: Dublin, west to Galway, south along the coast through Clare into Kerry, and back out via Cork, Shannon, or Dublin depending on your flights. Fourteen-plus days is when Donegal, the Dingle Peninsula, and Northern Ireland realistically fit in without rushing everything else.
The day-by-day plan
| Day | Where | What you're doing |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrive Dublin | Land, settle in, an easy first evening — Trinity College area or a neighborhood pub |
| 2 | Dublin | Book of Kells, Trinity's Long Room, Grafton Street, Guinness Storehouse in the afternoon |
| 3 | Dublin → Galway | Drive or train (~2.5–3 hours), evening in the Latin Quarter |
| 4 | Galway | City day: Shop Street, the Spanish Arch, a trad session at night |
| 5 | Galway → Cliffs of Moher → Galway or Doolin | Day trip to the Cliffs and the Burren; overnight in Doolin if you want a Aran Islands ferry the next morning |
| 6 | Galway/Doolin → Killarney | Drive south (~3–3.5 hours) via the Wild Atlantic Way, arrive Killarney by evening |
| 7 | Killarney National Park | Muckross House, the Gap of Dunloe by jaunting car, Torc Waterfall |
| 8 | Ring of Kerry | The full 111-mile loop, counterclockwise, with stops at Ladies View, Moll's Gap, and Kenmare |
| 9 | Killarney → Cork | Morning drive to Cork (~1.5 hours), afternoon at the English Market, evening in Kinsale or Cork city |
| 10 | Depart from Cork (or drive back to Dublin/Shannon) | Fly out of Cork Airport, or budget a half-day drive back to Dublin/Shannon if your flight departs from there |
Book an open-jaw flight — into Dublin, out of Cork or Shannon — if your airline offers it. It removes the need to backtrack across the country on your last day and usually costs little or nothing extra over a standard round trip.
What this itinerary skips (on purpose)
The Dingle Peninsula, Donegal, and Northern Ireland's Giant's Causeway all get left out here — not because they're not worth it, but because adding any of them to a 10-day trip means cutting real time from Dublin, Galway, or Kerry instead. This itinerary prioritizes doing fewer regions properly over touching every region briefly.
Budget for this itinerary
| Item | Approx. cost for 2 people |
|---|---|
| Accommodation, 9 nights (mix of city hotels and B&Bs) | $1,400–2,400 |
| Rental car, 7 days (from Galway pickup) | $350–550 |
| Fuel | $150–200 |
| Food (mix of pub meals and one nicer dinner) | $700–1,100 |
| Attractions (Guinness Storehouse, Cliffs, Gap of Dunloe, English Market grazing) | $150–250 |
| Flights (round-trip, per person, varies by origin) | $150–800 each |
How to adjust if you have 7 or 14 days
- 7 days: cut Galway to a single night and skip the Ring of Kerry loop in favor of just Killarney National Park — you'll still get Dublin, the Cliffs, and the west coast's flavor without the longer drive south.
- 14 days: add the Dingle Peninsula (2–3 days) between Killarney and Galway, and/or a Donegal detour north of Galway if dramatic, less-touristed coastline matters more to you than ticking off every headline sight.
Common mistakes with this itinerary
- Renting the car in Dublin and driving it into the city — pick it up in Galway instead; Dublin's center is walkable and parking there is a real hassle.
- Booking a rigid one-night-per-town schedule — a flexible two-night stay in Killarney or Galway with day trips radiating out is more relaxing than moving hotels daily.
- Underestimating drive times on the coastal roads — Google Maps' estimate for Galway to Killarney is optimistic; add 30–45 minutes for stops you'll actually want to make.
- Flying home from the same airport you flew into without checking an open-jaw option first — it often costs the same and saves a half-day of backtracking.