The Ring of Kerry
The Ring of Kerry is a signposted 179km (111-mile) circular route around the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, passing Killarney, Kenmare, Sneem, Waterville, and Killorglin. Most people drive it in one long day (7–9 hours with stops) or, better, spread over two. The best individual stops — Kerry Cliffs (€5/~$5.50 entry), Ladies View, and Moll's Gap — cost little to nothing, and driving counterclockwise avoids the worst of the tour-coach traffic.
The Ring of Kerry is the drive people picture when they imagine Ireland's west coast — but it's also 111 miles long, packed with tour coaches in high season, and genuinely easy to do badly if you treat it as a box to tick rather than a full day out.
How long does the Ring of Kerry actually take?
Driving the full 179km loop non-stop takes about 3.5–4 hours, but nobody actually does that — budget 7–9 hours for a single, satisfying day with stops at the main viewpoints, or spread it over two days with an overnight in Kenmare, Waterville, or Sneem if you want to add the Skellig Ring detour or linger properly at Killarney National Park along the way.
Which direction should you drive it?
Counterclockwise — starting from Killarney via Killorglin, then around through Waterville and Kenmare back to Killarney. Large tour coaches are legally required to travel the ring clockwise, so going the opposite direction means you meet them on the wider stretches of road instead of getting stuck behind, or squeezed past, one on a narrow single-lane bend.
This single piece of advice — drive counterclockwise — is the most useful thing you'll read before doing the Ring of Kerry, and most generic guides skip it entirely.
The best stops along the way
- Ladies View — a panoramic overlook inside Killarney National Park, named for Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting who admired it in 1861; free, with a small car park and café.
- Moll's Gap — a dramatic mountain pass between Killarney and Kenmare with sweeping views over the MacGillycuddy's Reeks, named after a woman who ran an unlicensed pub here during the road's 1820s construction.
- Kerry Cliffs — near Portmagee on the Skellig Ring detour, a genuinely dramatic clifftop viewpoint over the Skellig Islands, often quieter than the Cliffs of Moher; entry €5 (~$5.50).
- Killarney National Park — Muckross House, Ross Castle, and the Gap of Dunloe all sit right at the ring's starting point; see our full guide if you want to build in extra time here.
- Kenmare and Sneem — two of the route's most photogenic small towns, both good lunch or overnight stops.
| Stop | Approx. cost (EUR / USD) |
|---|---|
| Ladies View | Free / Free |
| Moll's Gap viewpoint | Free / Free |
| Kerry Cliffs (adult) | €5 / ~$5.50 |
| Killarney National Park entry | Free / Free (paid attractions inside cost extra — see our full guide) |
Is the Skellig Ring detour worth it?
If you have the extra hour, yes. The Skellig Ring is a smaller loop off the main Ring of Kerry route, taking in Waterville, Ballinskelligs, and Portmagee — the departure point for Skellig Michael boat tours — plus the Kerry Cliffs viewpoint. It adds real time to an already long day, so it's a better fit for a two-day Ring of Kerry than a single rushed loop.
Common mistakes
- Driving clockwise and getting stuck behind (or squeezed past) tour coaches on narrow bends — go counterclockwise instead.
- Trying to also fit in the Skellig Ring and a Skellig Michael boat trip in the same single day as the main ring — that's two full days of content, not one.
- Underestimating driving time because the map distance looks short — narrow, winding roads with passing bays routinely take 30–50% longer than a GPS estimate.
- Not booking a Kenmare or Waterville overnight far enough ahead in July–August, when the whole route books up fast.
Where to stay along the route
Killarney is the obvious base if you're doing the ring as a single long day trip — plenty of hotels, and it also anchors the national park. For a two-day version, Kenmare (upscale, good restaurants) or Sneem and Waterville (smaller, quieter, closer to the Skellig Ring) make better overnight stops than backtracking to Killarney.
Mobile signal drops out repeatedly along the more remote stretches of the Skellig Ring and parts of the Ring itself — download offline maps before you set out, and don't rely on real-time navigation the whole way.