A week in Ireland: Dublin, Galway and Killarney

Day by day

1. Day 1

   Arrive in Dublin and keep the first outing central

   Start in central Dublin and choose a short walk around Grafton Street and St Stephen's Green if the arrival leaves useful sightseeing time. Leave the main booked attraction for the next day unless your arrival leaves enough time. The park and shopping streets provide a flexible introduction, while the indoor collections can wait for the next day. Stay around the Green or Merrion Square for this city portion.

   Overnight: Dublin

2. Day 2

   Trinity and the museum quarter

   Make Trinity's Book of Kells Experience the booked priority if manuscripts and the library setting appeal. Choose the National Gallery or Kildare Street archaeology museum for the next substantial visit, with St Stephen's Green as an outdoor break. On a shorter day, give one collection time instead of rushing through both. Keep the same Dublin overnight so this is a sightseeing day without an accommodation transfer.

   Overnight: Dublin

3. Day 3

   Move west to Galway

   Travel from Dublin to Galway, allowing time for the journey and arrival. After arrival, use the Latin Quarter for a local walk around Shop Street and the Spanish Arch area instead of adding a remote excursion. Leave time to explore Galway itself between the longer journeys. Stay centrally in Galway for this night and the following two nights.

   Overnight: Galway

4. Day 4

   A Connemara National Park outing

   Drive or take a suitable bus or booked tour to reach Connemara National Park near Letterfrack. Choose a trail from the park's current information according to the group's ability and the conditions. If travelling by bus, settle the return before choosing the walk, so the journey from Letterfrack, the walk and the return all fit between buses. Return to the same Galway base rather than moving rooms after the outing.

   Overnight: Galway

5. Day 5

   Give Galway a full local day

   Spend the day in Galway rather than adding a second distant region. Choose Galway City Museum by Spanish Arch for local history, with Shop Street and St Nicholas' Church as landmarks for a Latin Quarter walk. This day can also absorb a Connemara weather change by swapping the two Galway outings, with Galway Atlantaquaria as another indoor choice if marine life appeals. Stay in Galway again before the move to Kerry.

   Overnight: Galway

6. Day 6

   Transfer to Killarney

   Use the day to move from Galway to Killarney and keep a longer detour through Clare out of this version. After arrival, choose Killarney House and the town-side park area if visitor arrangements and the remaining time suit. Leave Muckross and the larger park outing for the next day with time for them beyond the arrival journey. Stay centrally in Killarney for both Kerry nights.

   Overnight: Killarney

7. Day 7

   A Killarney National Park day

   Choose Muckross or Ross Castle as the main park area, with transport to that area and any building visit arranged separately. Use the official park routes for a suitable walk and give the lakes and woods time without adding the entire Ring of Kerry. Stay in Killarney again if spending the full day in the park. If departure is required today, shorten the park visit to fit your onward journey.

   Overnight: Killarney

Want a route that fits your own dates? Try the trip planner.

What this week covers

Dublin, Galway and Killarney give this first trip city days, a Connemara outing and time in the national park. Dublin supplies museums, Trinity and central walking. Galway gives the holiday its own city days plus a selected Connemara outing. Killarney adds the town-side gateway and the distinct park areas around Muckross and Ross Castle. Use the same room for several outings from each base, with two days in Dublin, three in Galway and the final two days in Killarney.

Belfast, the Causeway Coast, Cork, Donegal and the Cliffs of Moher are omitted from the daily route. Leave them for another trip so there is time for the sights around Dublin, Galway and Killarney. Use the national stay guide when one of those regions matters more than the chosen western combination. A first visit can be a northern route instead. For the north, choose the Causeway Coast route instead and give Belfast and the coast their own time.

Day seven ends in Kerry. If a flight or other fixed departure falls that day, leave enough time for the journey and shorten the park visit to fit. Arrange that journey separately and remove part of the sightseeing if it falls on the same date. Allow time for the airport drive or rail transfer within the day, with sightseeing fitted around that departure.

Getting between the bases

Dublin to Galway has an Irish Rail route from Heuston, so the first city move can be made by train. TFI's maps are useful for the transfer to Heuston from the chosen Dublin district. A car can also be used for the western portion when that fits the wider holiday. Keep the Dublin museum day on foot and public transport, with the car collected when you leave the capital if that fits.

Use day six for the journey from Galway to Killarney. Irish Rail publishes Galway-to-Limerick connections with Cork and Tralee routes, so use the connecting routes for a rail journey to Killarney. Use the actual journey planner before choosing the car-free version, including changes and the final arrival. If driving, leave time for the journey and a short town-side park visit after arrival, with the larger sights left for tomorrow.

Connemara National Park lists Letterfrack access and buses from the Galway and Clifden side. Choose the operator's outward and return journeys for your travel date before choosing a trail. Killarney House is town-side, while Muckross access is off the N71 south of town. Arrange transport for each park entrance you want to use. From central Killarney you can focus on the town-side park, with Muckross as a separate outing beyond it.

Rain and family changes

Use Dublin's national collections when the city day is wet, with the park walk left flexible. In Galway, swap the local day and the Connemara day if that helps with conditions and bookings. Use Galway's museums for a day indoors. Save the Connemara mountain walk for suitable conditions, even though the park has a visitor centre. The route deliberately leaves a local Galway day available for that change.

In Killarney, check the historic buildings' visitor arrangements before you go if you want an alternative to a longer walk. A national park day can focus on one area instead of every major attraction. Families can keep the Dublin museum visit shorter and the Green as a break. At Kildare Street, select suitable galleries before including the bog-body displays. Choose one museum or park area the family wants to explore, with room for breaks.

What to cut when there is less time

For a shorter trip, stop after Dublin and Galway. That removes a regional transfer and preserves time in the west. If Kerry is the main reason to visit, replace the Galway portion with more Killarney time instead. Do not retain all the bases by turning each park day into a brief roadside stop. Spend the saved days around Galway or Killarney, depending on which region you keep.

If the flight or other departure falls on the seventh day, remove the full Muckross or Ross Castle outing before making the transport rushed. If the arrival day is short, keep Dublin's first outing to the central walk and use the following day for the main attraction. Keep the same overnight bases where the shorter plan allows. Use the time you have for nearby sights instead of adding another journey and room change.

Choose the Wild Atlantic Way itinerary for a holiday devoted to staged coastal travel. It follows a selected coastal route from Kinsale to Westport, with overnight bases along that journey. The Causeway Coast itinerary likewise belongs to a northern holiday. Choose one of those routes as its own holiday, with time for its overnight stops. Keep this week's Galway-to-Killarney day for the transfer.