Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Ireland: Dublin, Kerry, the Cliffs of Moher and Galway
9 days from Dublin: the Rock of Cashel, two nights in Killarney, a night in Dingle after the Slea Head Drive, the Cliffs of Moher, two nights in Galway with Connemara, and back to Dublin.
9 days · Round trip from Dublin · up to 12 guests
The Cliffs of Moher and O'Brien's Tower, County Clare Photo: Höstblomma, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CliffsofMoher_001.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 9 days, 8 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Dublin
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Easy
About 2 to 3 hours on foot most days, on city pavements, park paths and gravel cliff paths, with some slopes and steps at the Rock of Cashel, the Fahan beehive huts and Kylemore. Longer walks are optional: the Diamond Hill loop in Connemara (about 7 km, to 442 m) and the cliff path towards Hag's Head. You can sit any walk out and wait in the van or a cafe.
- Meals included
- 8 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 2 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 1,025 (estimated price)
- Season
- April to October
Highlights
Why this trip
- The Book of Kells at Trinity College at the first entry of the morning, before the queue
- The Rock of Cashel on the way to Kerry, with a sit-down lunch in the town below
- Killarney National Park before the coaches: Ross Castle on a still lake, Muckross House at one of its first tours, Torc Waterfall and Ladies View
- The Slea Head Drive in a minivan that can stop where it likes, then a night in Dingle with its music pubs
- The Cliffs of Moher in the quieter mid-afternoon, and Poulnabrone dolmen on the bare limestone of the Burren
- A full day in Connemara: Kylemore Abbey and its walled garden, Connemara National Park and Killary Harbour
- Traditional music evenings with your guide in Dublin, Killarney and Dingle
- Clonmacnoise on the Shannon on the way back to Dublin
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 1,025 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Dublin
Dublin Airport to your hotel in the city centre, then a first walk along the Liffey
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Dublin
- Drive about 30 min
Fly into Dublin Airport (DUB), about 10 km north of the city, and a driver meets you in arrivals for the ride to our hotel in the centre, within walking distance of Trinity College and Grafton Street. Land by about 2 pm if you can; arriving a day early is easy to arrange and gives you a spare day to get over the flight.
Afternoon
In the late afternoon your See Sight Tours guide takes the group on a gentle first walk: along the river to the Ha'penny Bridge, an iron footbridge from 1816, through the narrow lanes of Temple Bar and up Grafton Street to St Stephen's Green, a Victorian park in the middle of Georgian Dublin.
Evening
It is an easy hour on flat pavements and a chance to learn names before dinner. Then we sit down together for a welcome dinner, with a short briefing on the week ahead: what to pack for the west, how the days are paced and where the music is.
Included
- Private transfer from Dublin Airport (DUB)
- First walk with your guide: the Ha'penny Bridge, Temple Bar, Grafton Street and St Stephen's Green
- Welcome dinner and briefing
Free time: Free until the late-afternoon walk
Activity: About an hour on foot on flat city pavements.
Trinity College, Georgian Dublin and a music session
Dublin on foot: Trinity College, Dublin Castle, Merrion Square and O'Connell Street
- Breakfast
- Stay in Dublin
Morning
We walk to Trinity College for the first entry of the morning, before the queue builds, to see the Book of Kells, a gospel book made by monks around the year 800 and the best known of Ireland's medieval manuscripts, with the exhibition Trinity runs while the Old Library's Long Room is closed for conservation; we see what is open that season. Trinity was founded in 1592 and its cobbled squares are still a working university. A local guide then walks us through the city's story: the courtyard of Dublin Castle, Christ Church Cathedral from the outside, the painted Georgian doors of Merrion Square, and the GPO on O'Connell Street, headquarters of the 1916 Rising, with independence told where it happened.
Afternoon
The afternoon is yours. The National Museum of Archaeology on Kildare Street is free and holds the Ardagh Chalice and the Iron Age bog bodies; Kilmainham Gaol and the Guinness Storehouse are optional extras we book ahead at the price shown.
Evening
In the evening your guide takes the group to a pub with a traditional music session, the musicians around a table and the room listening.
Included
- The Book of Kells and the current exhibition at Trinity College, first entry of the morning
- Guided walk of historic Dublin with a local guide: Dublin Castle, Christ Church, Merrion Square and the GPO
- Evening at a traditional music session with your guide
Optional experiences
- Kilmainham Gaol guided tour (extra, booked ahead, price shown at booking)
- The Guinness Storehouse (extra, price shown at booking)
Easier option: Leave the walk after Dublin Castle and rest at the hotel before the evening.
More active option: Walk on from Merrion Square along the Grand Canal towpath, about 3 km, with your guide's map.
Free time: Afternoon free in Dublin
Activity: About 3 hours on foot on city pavements, with time to sit at the museum or a cafe.
The Rock of Cashel and on to Killarney
Dublin to Cashel, then Mitchelstown, Mallow and Killarney
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Killarney
- Drive about 4 h
We leave Dublin at about 8:30 and take the motorway south-west through the Midlands, about two hours to Cashel in County Tipperary. The Rock of Cashel rises out of flat farmland, a limestone outcrop crowned by a round tower, a roofless 13th-century cathedral and Cormac's Chapel, consecrated in 1134, with Romanesque carving and some of the oldest surviving wall paintings in Ireland. This was the seat of the kings of Munster until it was given to the church in 1101.
Afternoon
We spend about an hour and a half on the Rock, then sit down to lunch in Cashel town below. In the afternoon it is about two hours more through Mitchelstown and Mallow into County Kerry, with the mountains showing ahead as we near the coast. This is the longest drive of the trip apart from day 6, about four hours in all, split evenly by the Rock and lunch. We reach Killarney in the late afternoon.
Evening
The evening is free: the town is small, and in season its pubs have music most nights.
Included
- The Rock of Cashel: the round tower, the cathedral and Cormac's Chapel
- Sit-down lunch in Cashel
Free time: Evening free in Killarney
Activity: About an hour and a half on foot on the Rock, on grass and uneven stone with a short climb from the car park.
Killarney National Park before the coaches
Killarney to Ross Castle, Muckross House and Abbey, Torc Waterfall and Ladies View, and back
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Killarney
- Drive about 1.5 h
Killarney National Park begins at the edge of town, and today we take it slowly. Early, before the day tours arrive, we walk the shore path of Lough Leane to Ross Castle, a 15th-century tower house we see from the outside while the lake is still.
Morning
Then on to Muckross House for one of its first guided tours of the morning: a Victorian mansion finished in 1843, whose estate was given to the state in 1932 and became the core of Ireland's first national park. From the house a level path leads through the gardens and along the lake to Muckross Abbey, a Franciscan friary with an old yew tree growing in its cloister. A short drive takes us to Torc Waterfall, a ten-minute walk up a wooded stream, then we climb the road to Ladies View, the lookout over the Upper Lake named after Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting, who admired it in 1861.
Afternoon
We are back in town by about 2 pm, with the afternoon free for a late lunch and a rest.
Evening
Tonight we have dinner together, with live traditional music.
Included
- Ross Castle from the outside and the Lough Leane shore path
- Muckross House guided tour, its gardens and Muckross Abbey
- Torc Waterfall
- Ladies View over the Upper Lake
- Dinner with live traditional music
Optional experiences
- A guided tour inside Ross Castle (timed tours in season), in the free afternoon
Easier option: Ride from Muckross House to the abbey and back in the van instead of walking.
More active option: Climb the steps above Torc Waterfall to the viewpoint over the lakes, about 45 minutes up and down.
Free time: Afternoon free in Killarney
Activity: About 2 to 3 hours on foot on level park paths, with a short uphill walk at Torc Waterfall.
Inch Beach, the Slea Head Drive and a night in Dingle
Killarney to Inch Beach and Dingle, then the Slea Head loop and back to Dingle
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Dingle
- Drive about 2.5 h
We drive west out of Killarney, about an hour and a quarter to the Dingle Peninsula, stopping at Inch Beach, a sand spit of about five kilometres running out across Dingle Bay.
Afternoon
Dingle town is in the Gaeltacht, where Irish is spoken day to day, and we have lunch there before the Slea Head Drive. A minivan is the right size for this road: it is narrow, it hugs the cliffs, and we can pull in where we want. We stop at the clochans, dry-stone beehive huts on the hillside at Fahan, at Slea Head for the view to the Blasket Islands, and at Dunquin. The Great Blasket Centre tells the story of the island community, abandoned in 1953, that wrote a shelf of Irish-language books. Coming back past Gallarus Oratory, a dry-stone church shaped like an upturned boat, we reach Dingle by about 5 pm.
Evening
Tonight is for music: Dingle's pubs are known for their sessions, and your guide takes the group to one.
Included
- Inch Beach
- Sit-down lunch in Dingle town
- The Slea Head Drive: the Fahan beehive huts, Slea Head and Dunquin
- The Great Blasket Centre (in season)
- Gallarus Oratory
- Evening at a traditional music session in Dingle with your guide
Easier option: Skip the uphill field path to the beehive huts and watch the view from the van.
More active option: Walk the coast road from Dunquin pier to the Great Blasket Centre, about 2 km, and meet the van there.
Free time: Late afternoon free in Dingle before the music
Activity: Short walks at each stop, on sand, grass and a sloping field path at Fahan. Slea Head is exposed; bring a windproof layer.
The Shannon ferry, the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren
Dingle to Tarbert, the ferry to Killimer, the Cliffs of Moher, Poulnabrone and Galway
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Galway
- Drive about 5 h
Evening
This is the one day over the driving cap, about five hours at the wheel and 280 km, because it joins Kerry to Galway; the alternative is a one-night stop in Clare and another repack. No leg runs much past an hour and a half. We leave Dingle at 8:30 for Tarbert and the car ferry across the Shannon Estuary to Killimer, about twenty minutes on deck at around 10:30. Lunch is a sit-down meal in west Clare, then we reach the Cliffs of Moher at about 2, after the midday peak. The cliffs run for about 14 km and rise to about 214 m above the Atlantic, and we give them two hours: time to walk north to O'Brien's Tower, built in 1835, and south along the path towards Hag's Head. Heading north by Lisdoonvarna we stop at Poulnabrone, a portal tomb more than 5,000 years old on the bare limestone of the Burren, then follow Galway Bay by Kinvara into the city by about 6:30, with the evening free.
Included
- The Tarbert to Killimer car ferry across the Shannon Estuary
- Sit-down lunch in west Clare
- The Cliffs of Moher visitor centre and cliff paths, with two hours on site
- Poulnabrone dolmen in the Burren
Easier option: Stay on the paved paths near the visitor centre and the viewing platforms by O'Brien's Tower.
More active option: Walk south on the cliff path towards Hag's Head for about 30 minutes, then turn back, away from the busy central section.
Free time: Evening free in Galway
Activity: About 2 hours on foot at the cliffs on paved and gravel paths, with some slopes. Paths close in high wind.
A day in Connemara
Galway to Oughterard, Recess and Kylemore Abbey, Connemara National Park, Killary Harbour and back by the Maam valley
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Galway
- Drive about 3.5 h
Connemara is the reason to stay two nights in Galway. We head west on the N59 through Oughterard and out into open bog and lake country, with the Twelve Bens and the Maumturk mountains rising ahead. Connemara marble, the green stone used in jewellery and church floors, is quarried in these hills, including at Lissoughter near Recess.
Morning
By mid-morning we are at Kylemore Abbey, a castle built in the 1860s for the businessman Mitchell Henry and home to Benedictine nuns since 1920; the visit takes in the restored rooms, the small Gothic church and the Victorian Walled Garden.
Afternoon
Lunch is at Kylemore. In the afternoon we stop at Connemara National Park at Letterfrack, where the short trails take under an hour and the Diamond Hill loop is there for walkers, then drive along Killary Harbour, a long, narrow sea inlet, to Leenane and back through the Maam valley. If the day is very wet we swap the order and spend longer indoors at Kylemore.
Evening
We are in Galway by about 6 pm, with the evening free.
Included
- The drive through Connemara by Oughterard, Maam Cross and Recess
- Kylemore Abbey, its Gothic church and the Victorian Walled Garden
- Lunch at Kylemore
- Connemara National Park at Letterfrack
- Killary Harbour and Leenane
Easier option: Take the shuttle bus between the abbey and the walled garden, and a short level trail at the national park.
More active option: Walk the Diamond Hill loop, about 7 km and 2.5 to 3 hours, to the 442 m summit with views over Kylemore and the islands; the van waits for you.
Free time: Evening free in Galway
Activity: About 2 hours on foot on gravel garden paths and park trails; the Diamond Hill loop is steep and rocky near the top.
Galway's Latin Quarter, Clonmacnoise and back to Dublin
Galway on foot, then east across the Shannon to Clonmacnoise and on to Dublin
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Dublin
- Drive about 3.5 h
Morning
A last morning in Galway, on foot with your guide: from Eyre Square down Shop Street and Quay Street through the Latin Quarter, past St Nicholas' Collegiate Church, founded in 1320, to the Spanish Arch and the river mouth, with the Claddagh, where the ring comes from, across the water. We leave at about 11 and drive east across the Shannon to Clonmacnoise, a monastery founded by St Ciaran in the 540s on a bend of the river. Its round towers, ruined churches and carved high crosses, the originals now kept indoors in the visitor centre, make it one of the most important early Christian sites in Ireland.
Afternoon
Lunch is nearby. From there it is about two hours to Dublin on the motorway, arriving in the late afternoon with time to rest.
Evening
In the evening we gather for a farewell dinner in the city centre.
Included
- Guided walk of Galway's Latin Quarter, St Nicholas' Collegiate Church and the Spanish Arch
- Clonmacnoise monastic site and visitor centre
- Sit-down lunch near Clonmacnoise
- Farewell dinner in Dublin
Free time: Late afternoon free in Dublin
Activity: About 2 hours on foot, on pavements in Galway and grass paths at Clonmacnoise.
Depart Dublin
Your hotel in Dublin to Dublin Airport
- Breakfast
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
The last morning is free. Have breakfast at the hotel, take a final walk to St Stephen's Green or the doors of Merrion Square, or make a last stop at the shops on Grafton Street. Your guide arranges the transfer to Dublin Airport, about 10 km north of the centre and normally 30 to 45 minutes away depending on traffic, timed to your flight. Book a flight that leaves after about 11 am so you are not rushing breakfast; an earlier flight is fine too, and we time the transfer for it. If you are flying to the United States, allow extra time: Dublin Airport has US preclearance, so you pass US immigration and customs there before boarding. If you want more of Dublin, we can book extra nights at the same hotel. Your guide sees the group off and checks each departure before saying goodbye.
Included
- Private transfer to Dublin Airport (DUB)
Free time: Morning free until your transfer
Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 11 am; US-bound travellers should allow time for preclearance.
- Dublin2 nights
- Killarney2 nights
- Dingle1 night
- Galway2 nights
- Dublin1 night
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: Ireland's weather changes by the hour in every season, so we keep the order of a day flexible and switch Connemara stops around in heavy rain. The Cliffs of Moher and Slea Head are windy, and cliff paths can close in a gale. Seabirds, puffins among them, nest on the Cliffs of Moher from about April to July. Days are long in June, with light until about 10 pm.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- A first visit to Ireland that wants Dublin and the west coast without a big coach
- Travellers who would rather not drive on the left on narrow country roads
- Anyone who wants an evening in a pub with live traditional music
- Mixed groups: optional longer walks for some, a seat and a view for others
Not for you if you want
- Northern Ireland, Belfast or the Giant's Causeway: this trip stays in the Republic
- Travellers set on the full Ring of Kerry loop or kissing the Blarney Stone
- Sun seekers: rain is likely on some days in any month
- Anyone who wants a new town every night to see more places in less time
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
8 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Dublin2 nights
- Killarney2 nights
- Dingle1 night
- Galway2 nights
- Dublin1 night
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 8 nights: 2 in Dublin, 2 in Killarney, 1 in Dingle, 2 in Galway and a last night in Dublin
- Central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard with private bathrooms and a lounge or bar, within walking distance of the pubs and music; we name each hotel when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Private transfers from and to Dublin Airport (DUB)
- A private minivan and professional driver for the group from day 3 to day 8, sized for 7 to 12 guests
- The Tarbert to Killimer car ferry across the Shannon Estuary
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group for the whole trip, from the day 1 walk to the day 9 departure
- A local guide for the Dublin walk, and the site guides at Muckross House
Activities
- Trinity College Dublin: the Book of Kells and the current exhibition, first entry of the morning
- Guided walk of historic Dublin
- Three traditional music evenings with your guide: Dublin, Killarney and Dingle
- The Rock of Cashel
- Killarney National Park: Ross Castle from the outside and the shore path, Muckross House guided tour, Muckross Abbey, Torc Waterfall and Ladies View
- The Dingle Peninsula: Inch Beach, the Fahan beehive huts, Slea Head, Dunquin, the Great Blasket Centre (in season) and Gallarus Oratory
- The Cliffs of Moher visitor centre and cliff paths
- Poulnabrone dolmen in the Burren
- Connemara: Kylemore Abbey and its Victorian Walled Garden, Connemara National Park and Killary Harbour
- Guided walk of Galway's Latin Quarter
- Clonmacnoise
- All parking and site fees for included stops
Meals
- 8 breakfasts
- 5 lunches, on days 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8
- 3 dinners: a welcome dinner in Dublin, a dinner with live traditional music in Killarney and a farewell dinner in Dublin
Not included
- International flights to and from Dublin
- Visa, if your passport needs one (Canadian and US passports do not)
- Travel insurance
- Lunches on days 1, 2, 4 and 9, and dinners on days 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7
- Drinks, including at the music evenings
- Optional activities: Kilmainham Gaol, the Guinness Storehouse and jaunting car rides
- Tips
- Personal expenses
- Extra hotel nights before or after the trip
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 1,025 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
Prices in these answers apply from Jan 1, 2027. Black Friday offer: 15% off the small-group price for requests received by Dec 1, 2026. From CAD 5,120 per person. Dec 2 to Dec 31: from CAD 5,545. From Jan 1, 2027: from CAD 6,025.
What does the Ireland trip price include?
Eight nights in central hotels, 8 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 3 dinners, airport transfers, a private minivan and driver, the Shannon ferry, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, three music evenings and every visit in the day plan, from the Book of Kells to Kylemore Abbey. Drinks, tips and the few optional extras are not included.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests in a minivan, never a full-size coach. That size fits narrow roads like the Slea Head Drive, one table at lunch and a corner of a pub for the music sessions.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide is with the group for the whole trip, from the first walk in Dublin to the airport on day 9, with a professional driver at the wheel so the guide can focus on you. A local guide leads the Dublin walk, and site guides take the Muckross House tour.
How fit do I need to be?
Easy fitness is enough. Most days have 2 to 3 hours on foot on pavements, park paths and gravel cliff paths, with some slopes at the Rock of Cashel and the beehive huts. The longer walks, such as Diamond Hill in Connemara, are optional, and you can sit any walk out.
I'm travelling solo. Do I pay a single supplement?
Only if you want a room of your own, which is from CAD 1,025 more and shown before you book, with no surprise later. If you would rather share, tell us when you request to book and we will say whether a same-gender roommate match is possible on your date.
When is the best time to tour Ireland?
April to October. May, June and September have long days and fewer crowds than July and August, and the Great Blasket Centre and the longer opening hours at Kylemore and Muckross fall in this window. Rain is possible in any month, so the plan stays flexible.
How does booking work?
Choose a date and send a request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken when you send the request. Prices are per person sharing a room, taxes included: the small group starts from CAD 6,025, and private from CAD 10,845.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip runs as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, with your own guide and vehicle. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels and transfers.
Do I need a visa for Ireland?
Not with a Canadian or US passport for a tourist visit; bring a passport valid for your whole stay. Ireland is outside the Schengen area and sets its own rules, so other nationalities should check before booking. We will help with any questions when you book.
What happens if it rains?
It usually does on some days, and the trip is built for it. Your guide can swap the order of stops, spend longer indoors at Kylemore or Muckross House, and time cliff walks for the drier spells. If the Cliffs of Moher paths close for high wind, we use the visitor centre and viewing platforms.
Why the Dingle Peninsula and not the Ring of Kerry?
Dingle suits a small group better. The Ring of Kerry is a long loop that most coach tours drive in one day; Slea Head is shorter, so there is time to stop at the beehive huts, Dunquin and Gallarus. We also sleep in Dingle, a music town, and see the Killarney end of the Ring at Ladies View.
Will we hear traditional Irish music?
Yes, on three evenings with your guide: a pub session in Dublin, a dinner with live music in Killarney and a session in Dingle, a town known for them. Galway has sessions most nights too, and your guide will point you to them on the free evenings. Drinks are on you.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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