The Gloriously Green 1 Week Ireland Itinerary: Where Time Moves at the Speed of Guinness

Your Day-By-Day 1 Week Ireland Itinerary: Less Blarney, More Brilliance

This carefully crafted 1 week Ireland itinerary maximizes experiences while minimizing the time spent wondering if you’ve already passed your turn because all the road signs mentioned places that don’t appear on any map. The route forms a loose figure-eight, beginning and ending in Dublin – a design that ensures maximum scenery with minimal backtracking. Pack your sense of humor alongside your rain jacket; both will serve you equally well.

Days 1-2: Dublin – Where Literature Flows Like Guinness

Begin your Irish adventure in Dublin, a city that manages to be simultaneously cosmopolitan and parochial – like finding a sophisticated aunt who still believes in fairies. For accommodations, Temple Bar puts you in the thrumming heart of tourist Dublin (prepare for late-night renditions of “Sweet Caroline” from streets below), while Ballsbridge offers quieter quarters with more locals than selfie sticks. Budget travelers can find hostels from $25-45, mid-range hotels run $120-180, and luxury digs start at $250 for those who prefer Egyptian cotton with their continental breakfast.

The Book of Kells at Trinity College Library ($18) offers the chance to see medieval monks showing off their illustration skills like prehistoric graphic designers on deadline. The Guinness Storehouse tour ($30) teaches the sacred art of the perfect pour – a 119.5-second ritual performed with the reverence of a religious ceremony. St. Patrick’s Cathedral ($9) provides the obligatory dose of ecclesiastical architecture that European vacations demand by law.

For experiences beyond the tourist circuit, the EPIC Irish Emigration Museum chronicles the Irish diaspora without the sentimentality typically reserved for St. Patrick’s Day cards. The Little Museum of Dublin offers delightfully quirky history lessons, while The Cobblestone pub hosts traditional music sessions where musicians communicate through subtle eyebrow movements that speak volumes to those fluent in trad-music telepathy.

Getting from Dublin Airport to the city center costs $30-40 by taxi or $8 via Aircoach. Once settled, purchase a Leap Card ($10/day unlimited) for public transit, though Dublin’s compact center makes walking the preferred method for anyone with functioning legs and weather-appropriate attire. For meals, try an Irish breakfast at Bewley’s (the black and white puddings are not what Americans expect from “pudding”), affordable lunch at Cornucopia, and dinner splurge at The Winding Stair, where traditional Irish fare gets a contemporary remix without veering into pretentious territory.

Day 3: Dublin to Galway – Westward Bound

Depart Dublin after rush hour (post-8:30 AM) to avoid traffic scenarios that make Manhattan gridlock seem like a pleasant Sunday drive. The direct route to Galway takes about 2.5 hours, but what’s the rush? Ireland’s midlands offer worthy detours like Clonmacnoise, where 6th-century monks built a riverside settlement perfect for contemplation and Instagram backdrops, or Tullamore D.E.W Distillery, where whiskey education includes the crucial distinction between “smooth” and “going down like liquid fire.”

Car rental advice that will save your vacation: spring for the automatic transmission ($50-70/day extra) unless you enjoy grinding gears while simultaneously adapting to driving on the left while navigating roundabouts. Insurance is non-negotiable, and remember that credit card coverage often doesn’t apply in Ireland – a fact rental companies mention with undisguised glee while explaining their protection packages.

Driving on the left feels like trying to write with your non-dominant hand – technically possible but requiring conscious thought for every movement. Think Maine’s coastal roads but narrower, with more sheep, stone walls built approximately two inches from the roadway, and locals who handle these conditions at inexplicable speeds.

Upon reaching Galway, check into The Residence Hotel (mid-range: $140-170) in the heart of the action or Snoozles Hostel (budget: $25-40) if your priorities lean more toward pints than plush pillows. Spend your evening wandering Shop Street, where buskers compete for attention and euros, before settling in for traditional music at The Crane Bar and dinner at Ard Bia at Nimmo’s, where local ingredients get the respect they deserve without pretense.

Day 4: Galway and Cliffs of Moher – Vertical Drama

Fuel up at Café Espresso or Kai Café before deciding how to tackle the Cliffs of Moher – Ireland’s most famous geological feature and Mother Nature’s way of saying “look upon my works, ye mighty, and watch your step.” Tour buses ($45-60) offer commentary and freedom from navigating narrow roads, while self-driving provides flexibility and the ability to outrun the tour bus herds.

Timing is everything here – arrive before 10 AM or after 4 PM to avoid crowds that make Times Square look positively spacious. Entry costs $10, with another $10 for parking, making this Ireland’s priciest view of the ocean that doesn’t include a seafood platter. Weather reality check: the cliffs experience average wind speeds of 25mph, and fog frequently decides to play hide-and-seek with your panoramic views. Pack patience alongside that camera.

Photography tip: the Cliffs of Moher make California’s Big Sur look indecisive about its elevation. For perspective shots, have a friend stand near (but not too near) the edge – though perhaps explain the photo concept before positioning them there to avoid misunderstandings. If weather turns uncooperative, nearby Doolin Cave or Burren Perfumery offer sheltered alternatives to howling winds and horizontal rain.

Return to Galway for dinner at Loam (if your credit card needs exercise) or McDonagh’s Fish and Chips (if it needs rest), followed by a self-guided traditional music crawl. Listen for sessions at Tig Cóilí or The Quays, where you’ll witness musicians communicating through subtle head nods and eyebrow raises – an intricate language system developed over centuries of playing together while simultaneously monitoring pint levels.

Day 5: Galway to Killarney – The Scenic Route

Depart early with coffee and a pastry in hand, as this 1 week Ireland itinerary keeps moving like a session musician between pubs. Make a civilized stop in Limerick, a city working hard to overcome poetic associations with naughtiness and “Angela’s Ashes” gloom. King John’s Castle ($12) provides obligatory medieval history, while literary pilgrims can hunt for Frank McCourt landmarks throughout the city.

Lunch at The Locke Bar ($15-25) offers riverside views and satisfying Irish classics before continuing to Adare, where thatched cottages provide charming photo opportunities and proof that maintaining a roof made of dried vegetation in one of Europe’s rainiest countries represents either madness or dedication to tradition – possibly both.

Arrive in Killarney with time to introduce yourself to the National Park, where jaunting cars (horse-drawn carriages driven by “jarveys” with storytelling skills honed by generations of embellishment) offer 1-hour tours for $15 per person. Accommodation options range from the Victorian splendor of Great Southern Killarney ($180-250) to the comfortable, less bank-account-depleting Killarney Inn ($120-160).

For dinner, Bricín Restaurant serves traditional boxty (potato pancakes) that elevate the humble spud to culinary stardom, while Murphy’s Bar offers that perfect blend of food, drink, and music that forms the holy trinity of Irish evening entertainment. Save energy for tomorrow’s drive – the Ring of Kerry demands full attention and an empty memory card.

Day 6: Ring of Kerry – The Ultimate Road Trip

The pinnacle of any 1 week Ireland itinerary, the Ring of Kerry delivers scenery so dramatic it deserves its own movie trailer. Drive counter-clockwise, not from superstition but because tour buses go clockwise, and meeting one on a road barely wider than a bike path creates moments of terror incompatible with vacation relaxation.

Depart by 8:30 AM to maximize daylight. The full circuit requires 3.5 hours of pure driving time, but that’s like saying you could “see” the Louvre in 20 minutes if you jogged through it. Must-see viewpoints include Ladies View (named after Queen Victoria’s ladies-in-waiting who admired it in 1861), Moll’s Gap (a mountain pass with views worth the white-knuckle driving), and Kerry Cliffs ($5 entry), which offer Cliffs of Moher drama without Cliffs of Moher crowds.

For lunch, The Smuggler’s Inn offers ocean views with your seafood, or assemble a picnic from Sneem’s colorful shops for an impromptu roadside feast. Photography tip: capture Killarney Lakes in morning light and the Atlantic coastline in afternoon sun. The Kerry landscape makes California’s Pacific Coast Highway look suspiciously under-accessorized – PCH has convertibles and surfers, but Kerry has sheep that pose obligingly and ancient stone forts that photobomb your panoramas.

Return via Kenmare for dinner at Mulcahy’s, where local ingredients receive star treatment without pretension. This avoids Killarney’s evening crowds while still getting you “home” at a reasonable hour. If driving fatigue sets in, remember: in Ireland, it’s always acceptable to stop driving for tea – it’s practically a safety regulation.

Day 7: Killarney to Kilkenny – Eastward Bound

Begin with a morning visit to Blarney Castle ($18), where kissing the famous stone supposedly grants eloquence – though the required backward lean over a substantial drop might explain why recipients immediately become talkative with gratitude for survival. Hand sanitizer recommended, considering how many lips have preceded yours.

Choose between Cork City’s compact delights – the English Market for food souvenirs and Crawford Art Gallery for cultural credentials – or detour to Cobh, the Titanic’s final port of call, where the heritage center provides perspective on Irish emigration less cheerful than the leprechaun-festooned gift shop versions. The Jameson Experience in Midleton ($25) offers whiskey education with tastings that explain why “water of life” is an appropriate name.

Grab lunch at Farmgate Café in Cork’s English Market ($15-22) before heading to medieval Kilkenny, Ireland’s marble city, where streets lined with historic buildings make visitors feel they’ve wandered onto a movie set. The castle grounds ($15) and St. Canice’s Cathedral anchor the Medieval Mile, a walkable concentration of history denser than Boston’s Freedom Trail but with better pubs.

Dine at Kyteler’s Inn, where 14th-century witch trial history accompanies reasonably priced meals ($18-30) and pints pulled with precision. Accommodation options include the Georgian elegance of Butler House ($150-190) or the more budget-friendly Kilkenny Inn ($90-120), both offering strategic positions for exploring this compact city on foot.

Day 8: Return to Dublin – Reluctant Farewells

Squeeze final memories from your Irish adventure with morning activities in Kilkenny: the Smithwick’s Experience ($18) chronicles Ireland’s oldest beer brand with multimedia presentations considerably more engaging than they sound, or browse craft shops for woolens less itchy than historical accuracy would demand.

Fortify yourself with an Irish coffee at The Left Bank ($9-11) – the combination of caffeine and whiskey perfectly encapsulates the Irish approach to problem-solving – before the return drive to Dublin. Allow ample time, especially for international departures (minimum 3 hours before flight time), and consider routing through the Wicklow Mountains and Glendalough monastic site if time permits one final scenic detour.

Airport car rental returns require a full tank and patience during the inspection process, which sometimes feels designed to test how much Irish courtesy has rubbed off on you during your stay. If time allows, the airport offers final souvenir opportunities, though at prices suggesting the items were personally blessed by St. Patrick himself.