Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Ireland for three generations: Dublin, Kerry, the Cliffs of Moher and Galway
9 days from Dublin for grandparents, parents and children 6 and up: Dublin Zoo and the Book of Kells, three nights in Killarney with a day on the Dingle Peninsula, 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
- Longest drive
- 4 h on day 6No drive day is longer than 4 hours.
- Activity level
Easy
Made so a 70-year-old and a 9-year-old can do every day. About 2 to 3 hours on foot most days, on city pavements, park and garden paths, beach sand and paved cliff paths, with benches and cafes close by. The only steep parts are the short path up the Rock of Cashel and the optional steps above Torc Waterfall. Longer walks, such as the Lower Diamond Hill loop in Connemara (about 3 km), are optional, and anyone can sit a walk out in the van or a cafe. The longest day in the van is about 4 hours, broken by a ferry, lunch and the cliffs.
- 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, then an afternoon at Dublin Zoo in Phoenix Park
- The Rock of Cashel on the way to Kerry, with lunch in the town below
- A jaunting car ride, the Muckross farms and Muckross House in Killarney National Park
- Three nights in one Killarney hotel, with a pool asked for and afternoons free
- Inch Beach, Dingle Oceanworld and the Slea Head view to the Blasket Islands
- The Shannon ferry and the Cliffs of Moher from the walled viewing platforms
- Kylemore Abbey and its walled garden, and the Salthill Promenade on Galway Bay
- Early dinners, including one with live traditional music
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day, and none is longer than 4 hours.
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
The longest drive is 4 h, on day 6.
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 short walk to St Stephen's Green
- Early 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 your family in arrivals for the ride to our central hotel, where we ask for family or connecting rooms.
Evening
Land by about 2 pm if you can; many families come a day early so the children sleep off the flight, and we can book the extra night. Around 4 pm your See Sight Tours guide takes the group on a gentle first walk of under an hour on flat pavements: over the Ha'penny Bridge, an iron footbridge from 1816, up Grafton Street, where buskers play most afternoons, to St Stephen's Green, a Victorian park with a duck pond and a playground. There are benches all the way, and grandparents can take a taxi to the park and meet us there. The welcome dinner starts at about 6 pm, early on purpose, so that nobody is falling asleep at the table and the briefing on the week is short.
Included
- Private transfer from Dublin Airport (DUB)
- First walk with your guide: the Ha'penny Bridge, Grafton Street and St Stephen's Green
- Early welcome dinner and a short briefing
Free time: Free until the late-afternoon walk
Activity: Under an hour on foot on flat city pavements, with benches on the way.
Dublin: the Book of Kells and Dublin Zoo
Trinity College and the old city on foot, then Phoenix Park by van
- Breakfast
- Stay in Dublin
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
We are at Trinity College for the first entry of the morning, before the queue, to see the Book of Kells, a gospel book made around 800, and the current exhibition about it; children usually like the animals painted in its margins.
Afternoon
A local guide then takes the group on an easy hour through the old city to Dublin Castle and its garden, with stories rather than dates, and we stop for a picnic-style or cafe lunch on your own. After lunch the van takes us about 4 km to Phoenix Park for the afternoon at Dublin Zoo, which opened in 1831 and has an African plains area, an Asian forest with elephants and plenty of benches and cafes. The zoo is large, so the group splits: grandparents can take the short loop and sit with a coffee, children and parents can cover more ground, and we meet at a set time at the gate.
Evening
The van brings everyone back by about 4:30 and the evening is free.
Included
- Trinity College Dublin: the Book of Kells and the current exhibition, first entry of the morning
- Guided walk of the old city to Dublin Castle with a local guide
- Dublin Zoo in Phoenix Park, entry and van transfers included
Optional experiences
- Kilmainham Gaol (timed tickets, better for children over about 10)
- The Little Museum of Dublin
Easier option: Skip the old-city walk and rest at the hotel; the van collects you for the zoo after lunch.
More active option: Walk part of Phoenix Park from the zoo to the Wellington Monument, about 2 km, and meet the van there.
Free time: Lunch and the evening free
Activity: About 3 hours on foot over the day, on flat pavements and zoo paths with plenty of seats; the zoo can be done slowly.
The Rock of Cashel and on to Killarney
Dublin to the Rock of Cashel, then Killarney
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Killarney
- Drive about 4 h
We leave Dublin at 9 am on the motorway south, about an hour and three quarters to Cashel in County Tipperary, with a comfort stop on the way. The Rock of Cashel is a cluster of medieval buildings on a limestone outcrop: a round tower, a roofless cathedral and Cormac's Chapel, consecrated in 1134. Children can count the carved faces and run on the grass inside the walls; the path up from the car park is short but steep, and grandparents who would rather not climb can see the Rock well from the town below.
Afternoon
We have a sit-down lunch in Cashel at about 12:30, then drive about two hours on to Killarney, with a stop to stretch our legs on the way. No leg of the day runs past about two hours.
Evening
We reach our hotel in Killarney town by about 4:30, and we ask for one with a swimming pool, so the children can swim before an early dinner on your own.
Included
- The Rock of Cashel, entry included
- Sit-down lunch in Cashel
Easier option: Stay in the van or a cafe in Cashel and see the Rock from the town; the guide brings photos and stories down.
More active option: Walk down from the Rock to the ruins of Hore Abbey in the fields below, about 1 km, and back up.
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free in Killarney, with the hotel pool where available
Activity: About an hour on foot at the Rock, including a short steep path and some uneven ground inside the walls.
Killarney National Park: jaunting car, farms and Muckross House
Killarney to Muckross, Torc Waterfall and back to Killarney
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Killarney
- Drive about 45 min
Killarney National Park starts at the edge of town, so this is a short driving day. We are at Muckross House for one of its first guided tours, a Victorian mansion of about 65 rooms where Queen Victoria stayed in 1861; the tour lasts about 45 minutes, and children are welcome. Next door are the Muckross Traditional Farms, working farmhouses from the 1930s and 1940s with animals, a blacksmith and kitchen fires lit in season, laid out along a level path. Then the whole family rides a jaunting car, the horse-drawn cart Killarney is known for, along the lakeshore, and grandparents sit the whole way.
Afternoon
Lunch is at the cafe at Muckross. On the way back we stop at Torc Waterfall, about 20 m high and a few minutes' walk from the road, and are in town by about 2:30 for a free afternoon.
Evening
Dinner is at about 6 with live traditional music, early enough for the youngest.
Included
- Muckross House guided tour
- Muckross Traditional Farms (in season)
- Jaunting car ride in the national park
- Sit-down lunch at Muckross
- Torc Waterfall
- Early dinner with live traditional music
Optional experiences
- A guided tour inside Ross Castle (timed tours in season), in the free afternoon
- Hiring bicycles for the flat lakeshore paths from Killarney town
Easier option: Ride the farm's shuttle between the farmhouses instead of walking the full path, where it runs, or wait in the cafe.
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, with the hotel pool where available
Activity: About 2 to 3 hours on foot on level park and farm paths, with a short uphill walk at Torc Waterfall.
Inch Beach, Dingle and Slea Head
Killarney to Inch Beach and Dingle, the Slea Head loop and back to Killarney
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Killarney
- Drive about 3.5 h
A day trip, so nobody packs. We drive about an hour west to Inch Beach, a sand spit of about five kilometres running out into Dingle Bay, and give it an hour: the sand is wide and firm, children can paddle and build, and grandparents can sit at the beach cafe.
Afternoon
Twenty minutes on is Dingle town, where we visit Dingle Oceanworld, an aquarium with Irish sea life, penguins and a walk-through tunnel tank, then have lunch together. In the afternoon we take the Slea Head loop, about 45 km on a narrow road along the cliffs, in a minibus that can pull in where it likes: Slea Head for the view to the Blasket Islands, Dunquin, and the Great Blasket Centre, which tells the story of the island families who left in 1953. We are back in Killarney by about 5:30, after about three and a half hours at the wheel across the day, with no leg longer than about an hour and a quarter.
Evening
The evening is free.
Included
- Inch Beach
- Dingle Oceanworld aquarium
- Sit-down lunch in Dingle town
- The Slea Head loop: Slea Head and Dunquin
- The Great Blasket Centre (in season)
Easier option: Stay at the beach cafe at Inch, and in Dingle town in the afternoon instead of driving Slea Head; the van collects you on the way back.
More active option: Walk the length of Inch Beach towards the point and back, about an hour, while the others paddle.
Free time: Evening free in Killarney
Activity: Short walks on sand and level paths, with some steps at the Blasket Centre. Slea Head is exposed; bring a windproof layer.
The Shannon ferry and the Cliffs of Moher
Killarney to Tarbert, the ferry to Killimer, the Cliffs of Moher and Galway
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Galway
- Drive about 4 h
This is the day that joins Kerry to Galway, about four hours at the wheel and 235 km in all, with no leg longer than about an hour and a half.
Evening
Moving in one day saves the family a one-night stop and another repack. We leave Killarney at 8:45 and drive about an hour and a quarter to Tarbert for the car ferry across the Shannon Estuary to Killimer, about twenty minutes on deck, where children watch for dolphins (sightings are not guaranteed). Another hour and a quarter brings us to lunch near the cliffs at about 12:15. The Cliffs of Moher run for about 14 km and rise to about 214 m; we give them an hour and a half, on the paved paths and viewing platforms by the visitor centre, which are walled on the sea side, and up to O'Brien's Tower for those who want the slope. The last leg follows the coast road through the Burren by Ballyvaughan and Kinvara into Galway at about 4:15 to 4:30, with time to settle in before an early dinner on your own.
Included
- The Tarbert to Killimer car ferry across the Shannon Estuary
- Sit-down lunch in north Clare
- The Cliffs of Moher visitor centre and cliff paths
Easier option: Stay on the level paved paths and the walled viewing platforms near the visitor centre, with the cafe close by.
More active option: Walk the cliff path north to O'Brien's Tower and a little beyond, about 40 minutes there and back.
Free time: Evening free in Galway
Activity: About 90 minutes on foot at the cliffs on paved paths with a gentle slope; the cliff edge is fenced near the centre but not further along, so children stay with an adult.
Connemara and Kylemore Abbey
Galway to Oughterard, Recess and Kylemore Abbey, then back to Galway
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Galway
- Drive about 3 h
We head west into Connemara, about an hour and a half on a good road past lakes, bog and the Twelve Bens mountains, with a stop in Oughterard. Kylemore Abbey sits on a lake under a wooded hill: a castle-like house built in the 1860s, home to Benedictine nuns since 1920. We see the restored rooms, then take the shuttle bus (or the level lakeside path, about 20 minutes on foot) to the six-acre Victorian Walled Garden.
Afternoon
Lunch is at the abbey restaurant. A few minutes away at Letterfrack, the Connemara National Park visitor centre has short, easy trails and play space for children before the drive back past Killary Harbour and Leenane. We are in Galway by about 4:30, time for the Salthill Promenade on the edge of Galway Bay: a flat seafront walk of about 2 km with a beach, a playground, and the local habit of kicking the wall at the end.
Included
- Kylemore Abbey, its restored rooms and the Victorian Walled Garden, with the shuttle bus
- Sit-down lunch at Kylemore
- Connemara National Park visitor centre and a short trail
- The Salthill Promenade with your guide
Optional experiences
- The Upper Diamond Hill trail to the summit (about 7 km, 442 m), for fit teenagers and adults
Easier option: Take the Kylemore shuttle both ways and rest at the visitor centre cafe in Letterfrack.
More active option: Walk the Lower Diamond Hill loop in Connemara National Park, about 3 km with gentle climbs, while the others stay near the centre.
Free time: Evening free in Galway
Activity: About 2 to 3 hours on foot on level garden paths and gravel trails, with optional climbs.
Galway's old town and back to Dublin
Galway's Latin Quarter, then the motorway to Dublin
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Dublin
- Drive about 2.5 h
Morning
A slow morning: breakfast without a rush, then a short guided walk of Galway's Latin Quarter, the medieval streets between Eyre Square and the river, with the Spanish Arch, Galway City Museum (free to visit) and the street performers on Shop Street. The walk is about an hour on flat, pedestrian streets.
Afternoon
Lunch is on your own in the Latin Quarter, where every taste is easy to find. At about 1:30 we board the van for Dublin, about 210 km and two and a half hours on the motorway, with a comfort stop half way.
Evening
We reach the hotel by about 4:30, in time for a rest and the farewell dinner at about 6, where the children can tell the table what they liked best and the grandparents get to say it was the cliffs.
Included
- Guided walk of Galway's Latin Quarter and the Spanish Arch
- Galway City Museum
- Early farewell dinner in Dublin
Easier option: Skip the walk and sit in a cafe on Shop Street; the guide meets you there.
More active option: Walk along the river from the Spanish Arch to the Salmon Weir Bridge and the cathedral, about 1.5 km, before lunch.
Free time: Lunch on your own in Galway
Activity: About an hour on foot on flat, pedestrian streets.
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 the children back to St Stephen's Green, or visit the National Museum of Ireland's natural history building on Merrion Street, known as the Dead Zoo, which is free to enter (it is closed on Mondays, so on a Monday departure the Green is the walk). 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 family's flight. Book a flight that leaves after about 11 am so nobody is rushing breakfast; an earlier flight is fine 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. Extra nights at the same hotel can be booked. Your guide sees each family off 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
- Killarney3 nights
- Galway2 nights
- Dublin1 night
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: Ireland's weather changes by the hour, so your guide keeps each day's order flexible: a wet morning in Killarney starts indoors at Muckross House, and the beach at Inch moves to whichever hour is drier. Cliff paths at Moher and Slea Head can close in a gale; the walled platforms at the visitor centre usually stay open. Seabirds, puffins among them, nest on the Cliffs of Moher from about April to July. June has light until about 10 pm, which helps children's bedtimes less than it helps photos.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Grandparents, parents and children 6 and up who want one trip that works for all of them
- Families who would rather not drive on the left or plan every lunch stop
- Grandparents who want a seat and a view on every day, and children who want a zoo, a beach and a horse and cart
- A family reunion: book the private version for your party alone
Not for you if you want
- Children under 6: the days are long for them and the van has a 12-guest cap
- Families who want a hiking or cycling holiday; see our other Ireland trips
- Northern Ireland, Belfast or the Giant's Causeway: this trip stays in the Republic
- Sun and swimming holidays: the sea is cold and rain is likely on some days in any month
Minimum age: 6
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
8 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Dublin2 nights
- Killarney3 nights
- Galway2 nights
- Dublin1 night
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 8 nights: 2 in Dublin, 3 in Killarney, 2 in Galway and a last night in Dublin
- Central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard with lifts and private bathrooms, family or connecting rooms on request, and a pool asked for in Killarney; 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 minibus (about 16 seats) and professional driver for the group from day 2 to day 8, sized for 7 to 12 guests, with child seats or boosters on request
- The Tarbert to Killimer car ferry across the Shannon Estuary
- The Kylemore Abbey shuttle bus to the walled garden
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 the old city to Dublin Castle
- Dublin Zoo in Phoenix Park
- The Rock of Cashel
- Killarney National Park: Muckross House guided tour, Muckross Traditional Farms (in season), a jaunting car ride and Torc Waterfall
- The Dingle Peninsula: Inch Beach, Dingle Oceanworld, Slea Head, Dunquin and the Great Blasket Centre (in season)
- The Cliffs of Moher visitor centre and cliff paths
- Connemara: Kylemore Abbey and its Victorian Walled Garden, and the Connemara National Park visitor centre
- The Salthill Promenade and a guided walk of Galway's Latin Quarter with Galway City Museum
- All parking and site fees for included stops
Meals
- 8 breakfasts
- 5 lunches, on days 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7
- 3 early 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, 8 and 9, and dinners on days 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7
- Drinks
- Optional activities: Kilmainham Gaol, the Little Museum of Dublin, a Ross Castle tour and bike hire in Killarney
- 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 5,170 per person. Dec 2 to Dec 31: from CAD 5,595. From Jan 1, 2027: from CAD 6,080.
What does the Ireland family trip price include?
Eight nights in central hotels, 8 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 3 early dinners, airport transfers, a private minibus and driver, the Shannon ferry, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, and every visit in the day plan, including Dublin Zoo, a jaunting car ride, Dingle Oceanworld and Kylemore Abbey. Drinks, tips and a few optional extras are not included.
Is this Ireland tour suitable for grandparents and young children?
Yes, that is who it is built for: children 6 and up and grandparents in their seventies. Most days have 2 to 3 hours on foot on level paths with seats nearby, every active stop has an easy option, departures are no earlier than 8:45 am and dinners start at about 6 pm.
How big is the group, and do children count?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests in a minibus (about 16 seats), and children count as guests, so a group might be two families of five or six. If your own family is seven or more, the private version is often the better fit, on a date you choose.
Can we get family rooms or connecting rooms?
We ask every hotel for family rooms or connecting rooms for each family and confirm what is possible on your dates before you pay. We also ask for a hotel with a swimming pool in Killarney, where we stay three nights. Children's prices depend on the rooms and are quoted at booking.
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 look after the group. A local guide leads the Dublin walk and site guides take the Muckross House tour.
How long are the drives?
No single stretch between stops runs past about two and a half hours, with comfort stops on the way. The longest day, Killarney to Galway, is about four hours in the van in all, broken by a twenty-minute ferry, lunch and an hour and a half at the Cliffs of Moher.
I'm a grandparent travelling with grandchildren but on my own. 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. Most grandparents share a family or connecting room with the grandchildren instead, and we quote that combination when you request to book.
When is the best time for a family trip to Ireland?
April to October. July and August suit school holidays but are the busiest months; late June and the Easter break are quieter. The Muckross farms, the Blasket Centre and Kylemore's longer hours 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 with the ages of everyone travelling. We check availability and provide the final quote, itinerary and booking terms before you accept. No payment is taken when you send the request. Adult prices are per person sharing, taxes included, from CAD 6,080 in the small group and CAD 10,945 private.
Can our family travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. The private version is for your party only, on a date you choose, with your own guide and van, and we can slow it down further. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels and transfers.
Do children need a passport or visa for Ireland?
Every child needs their own passport. Canadian and US citizens do not need a visa for a tourist visit. Children travelling with grandparents but without a parent should carry a signed consent letter from both parents; airlines and border officers can ask for one.
Is the Cliffs of Moher safe for children?
Yes, on the paths we use. Near the visitor centre the paths are paved and the viewing platforms are walled on the sea side. Further along the cliffs the edge is not fenced, so children stay with an adult there, and in high wind the outer paths close and we stay on the platforms.
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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