A two-week loop from Dublin that crosses the island westwards to follow the Wild Atlantic Way: Connemara, the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher, the Dingle Peninsula, the Ring of Kerry, then back via Kinsale, Kilkenny and the Wicklow Mountains. You drive on the left, often on narrow roads squeezed between hedges and stone walls.
Road route calculated from the stops (OpenStreetMap). Driving times assume no stops and no traffic: add time for photo breaks.
May to September, when the days are long and the Killimer ferry doubles its sailings (until 30 September). In winter, the days are short, Atlantic storms are frequent, and the Wicklow mountain roads (Sally Gap, Wicklow Gap) can close in snow or ice.
🚗 209 km · 2h30 of driving from Dublin
M4 then M6 motorways, two barrier tolls. Leaving the airport, the barrier-free M50 toll, to be paid online by 20:00 the next day.
🚗 82 km · 1h20 of driving from Galway
N59 via Oughterard and Maam Cross, narrow, between lakes and bogs. Slower coastal alternative via Roundstone (R336 then R341).
🚗 156 km · 2h30 of driving from Clifden
N59 towards Galway, N67 via Kinvara, then the coastal R477 via Fanore or the R480 via Poulnabrone. Narrow roads between dry-stone walls.
🚗 213 km · 4h15 of driving from Doolin
N67 to the Killimer ferry (20 min to Tarbert), Tralee, then Conor Pass (R560): single track in places, and you sometimes have to reverse.
🚗 171 km · 2h45 of driving from Dingle
Ring of Kerry (N70) anticlockwise, like the coaches, via Killorglin and Waterville. A long, winding day, so set off early.
🚗 141 km · 2h20 of driving from Kenmare
N71 over the Caha Pass and through its tunnels, Glengarriff, Bantry and Skibbereen, then the coastal R600. Winding as far as Glengarriff, easier going after that.
🚗 183 km · 2h30 of driving from Kinsale
Cork's southern ring road and the Jack Lynch Tunnel (free), the M8 with a toll at Fermoy as far as Cahir and Cashel, then the small roads of Tipperary.
🚗 123 km · 2h10 of driving from Kilkenny
Carlow, N81, then the exposed Wicklow Gap (R756) at 475 m. Return via the Sally Gap (R759) or, in bad weather, the N11.
🚗 49 km · 1h of driving from Laragh
Skip Connemara, Kinsale, Kilkenny and Wicklow: Dublin (1 night), Galway (1), Doolin (1), Dingle (2), Kenmare (1), then straight back to Dublin via Killarney and the M7 motorway.
| Car hire only, August | ≈ €49 a day |
|---|---|
| Car hire only, February | ≈ €15 a day |
| Car hire only, annual average | ≈ €35 a day (Kayak, Sept. 2026) |
| Super CDW, extra | €12 to €35 a day |
| Vehicle | A city car or small compact, manual gearbox. Automatics cost more and should be booked early. Nothing over 2 tonnes (Conor Pass). |
|---|---|
| Where to pick it up | At Dublin Airport, on the morning you head west. A loop, so no one-way fee. |
| Insurance | CDW excess of €1,500 to €2,500 (compact); super CDW (€12 to €35 a day) removes it. |
| Without CDW | Deposit of €1,000 to €2,500, a letter from your bank sometimes required; some cards exclude Ireland. |
| Age | 21 minimum (22 at Dan Dooley); under 25, €22 to €50 in fees a day. |
| Licence and card | Licence held for 2 years, a credit card (not debit) in the driver's name. A medical certificate may be required over 75. |
⚠️ Rental companies generally refuse credit card insurance (Visa Premier, Gold Mastercard) in place of their own CDW.
Any valid EU licence is enough, with no International Driving Permit. Rental companies require a licence held for 2 years. Other licences: check whether an International Driving Permit is required.
Right-hand drive. Roundabouts go clockwise; give way to vehicles already on them, coming from the right.
60 on local roads, 50 in town. The 80 limit voted for secondary N roads is not in force yet, so follow the signs.
0.2 g/l for novice drivers (licence held under 2 years) and professional drivers.
Barrier-free, between junctions 6 and 7. Pay on eflow.ie by 20:00 the next day; the rental company rarely does it.
Walls hidden in the hedges. Keep to the left, slow down before blind bends, and watch out for tractors and livestock.
Like the coaches, via Killorglin first: the road is too narrow for them to pass each other.
Conor Pass is single track in places. The Gap of Dunloe is crowded with jaunting cars in summer, better on foot or by bike.
In the front and the back. Holding a phone while driving is banned.
≈ €1.87 per litre of petrol, €1.94 for diesel
Price recorded in September 2026: it changes every week, sometimes by 10 to 20 cents in a month. Check it before you go.
⛽ 1,327 km at 7 l per 100 km: about €170 at September 2026 prices, to share between passengers.
AA Ireland survey, September 2026. Fill up in the towns before the peninsula loops. 47 kW rapid charger at the Killimer ferry.
| M50 in Dublin, barrier-free (outbound and return) | €3.80 without an account, €3.20 with an account, by 20:00 the next day |
|---|---|
| M4 Kilcock-Enfield | €3.60 (car, 2026) |
| M6 at Cappataggle | €2.30 (car, 2026) |
| M8 at Fermoy | €2.30 (car, 2026) |
| Killimer-Tarbert ferry | €25 per car and passengers, €22.50 online |
| Cliffs of Moher | €15 per adult at the ticket office, parking included |
| Glendalough | €5 at the Upper Lake, free in Laragh |
| Sally Gap, Military Road, Wicklow Gap | Snow or ice in winter; fall back on the N11 and M11 |
|---|---|
| Conor Pass (R560) | All year round; in fog or storms, take the N86 via Annascaul |
| Killimer-Tarbert ferry | Every day except 25 December; second boat until 30 September |
| Ferry in September | Last sailings 20:00 from Killimer, 20:30 from Tarbert |
| Gap of Dunloe | Open all year; avoid by car from June to August |
Allow 10 to 14 days for this loop of 9 stages and 13 nights from Dublin, via Connemara, the Burren, Dingle, Kerry and Cork. In 7 days, stick to Galway, the Burren, Dingle and Kerry. The full Wild Atlantic Way, 2,500 km, takes much more than two weeks.
You get the hang of it in a day on the M4 and M6 motorways towards Galway. The trickier part comes later: narrow roads with no verges, walls right at the edge of the tarmac, clockwise roundabouts where you give way to vehicles coming from the right. An automatic helps, but costs more and needs booking early.
The car alone in August: about €640 of hire over 13 days (€49 a day, Kayak average), €160 to €450 of super CDW, around fifteen euros of tolls, €25 for the ferry and about €170 of petrol at September 2026 prices for 1,330 km at €1.87 a litre. In February, hire drops to around €15 a day.
There is no barrier: a camera reads your number plate between junctions 6 and 7. Pay €3.80 per trip on eflow.ie, through the app or at a Payzone outlet by 20:00 the next day, otherwise there is a €4 penalty, then €51 more. Most rental companies do not pay on your behalf and charge an admin fee.
Rarely: Irish rental companies generally refuse the insurance of a Visa Premier or Gold Mastercard in place of their CDW, and several cards exclude Ireland. Without CDW, expect a deposit of €1,000 to €2,500 and a letter of cover from your bank. The rental company's super CDW costs €12 to €35 a day.
Not with a valid European Union licence. Other licences: check whether an International Driving Permit is required. Rental companies require a licence held for 2 years, a minimum age of 21 (young driver fee of €22 to €50 a day under 25) and a credit card in the driver's name.
Driving rules, prices and closures checked in September 2026; hotels checked on OpenStreetMap and then on Booking. Rules change: read the official source before you leave, and check your own government's travel advice for the country. Stop photos: Wikimedia Commons, authors and licences under each image.
Off We Gooo road trip guide · offwegooo.com/en/road-trips/ireland · by Pierrick, updated 1 October 2026
