Let’s be clear up front: Ten days isn’t enough time to visit Ireland. But neither is two weeks or two months.
After spending 10 days there recently, my wife and I wanted to move there. Beauty surrounds you, everywhere you go. The pace is slow. The people are universally nice — and they actually like Americans. You cannot have a pint in a pub without the bartender engaging you in conversation. Tell them you’re from Boston, and they won’t let you leave.
What follows below is a 10-day itinerary for a first-time visit to Ireland, which we followed after soliciting advice from friends who’ve been there repeatedly and a colleague who grew up there. A counterclockwise road trip around the country that starts and ends in Dublin, this guide can serve as a baseline to get you started. It omits many, many spots to consider — key locales such as Belfast, Connemara National Park, and the Aran Islands. But you can save those for another trip, as will we.
Day 1: Dublin
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Your red-eye from Logan gets you to Dublin around breakfast, so you have a full day to explore the city, assuming you slept on the plane. Spend at least a few hours walking around the city, getting to know it while admiring the architecture and history. Wander the grounds of Trinity College and view the Book of Kells exhibit, whose centerpiece is two pages (ever changing) of the 1,200-year-old illustrated text. Take the 1916 Rebellion Walking Tour to see the sites associated with the Easter Uprising. Have fish and chips at one of the many pubs and, later, a pint of Beamish stout at the Independence Bar while taking in local music after your long first day. Stay at the Albany House just south of St. Stephen’s Green.
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Day 2: More Dublin
After breakfast at the Albany House, stop by the National Museum of Ireland and view the “bog bodies,” preserved human remains dating to 2,000 BC. Peruse the gardens of St. Stephen’s Green on your way to Kilmainham Gaol, the jail where Irish revolutionaries were imprisoned and executed. It’s a 2-mile walk and worth hoofing it. Pop into any number of majestic cathedrals, especially St. Patrick’s, founded in 1191. Have lunch and a pint at the Brazen Head, the oldest pub in Ireland. At night, find more music in the Temple Bar section of town.
Day 3: Galway
Pick up your rental car and head west toward Galway. On your way, pull off at Clonmacnoise and stand in awe of the ruins of a monastery established in 544. Once in Galway, walk around the Latin Quarter and explore the shops and cafes. Buy a wool sweater — or two — at the Aran Sweater Market. Amble in silence through Galway Cathedral, a jaw-dropping modern (1965) structure. Eat fish and chips (again) and quaff a pint or two at the Quays while listening to rousing local bands. (You haven’t lived until you’ve heard an Irish version of “Sweet Caroline” — punctuated, Fenway style, by the crowd shouting, “So good!”) Stay at the Western Hotel.
Day 4: Doolin, the Cliffs of Moher, and Ennis
Drive to Doolin, stopping in Kinvara for a snapshot at the photogenic Dunguaire Castle. You’re headed to the Cliffs of Moher, Ireland’s most popular attraction, but you will not do what most tourists do — drive to the visitors center and view the cliffs there. Instead, meet up in Doolin with Pat Sweeney, whom you will have texted a few days earlier to reserve a spot on his Doolin Cliff Walk. Pat will guide you in a small group as you follow a trail through farms and private property along the edge of the cliffs, rising from sea level in Doolin to the breathtaking apex 5½ miles away. After lunch in the quaint town of Doolin, traverse winding, narrow roads to get to Poulnabrone Dolmen, a tomb monument that’s at least 5,000 years old. Motor through the limestone-pocked landscape of the Burren on your way to Ennis, stopping now and then to admire the desolate beauty. Stay at the Old Ground Hotel, where you will have a superior breakfast in the morning.
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Days 5 and 6: The Dingle Peninsula
Take in the remains of the Ennis Friary, a 13th-century monastery in the center of town whose walls still stand, before leaving town. Drive to the Dingle Peninsula for some of the most gorgeous scenery on Earth. Spend a full day following Slea Head Drive, stopping to see the sights whenever the spirit moves you, and return the next day to visit what you missed or want to see again. One day is not enough here. Highlights of this picturesque route include the stone chapel Gallarus Oratory, the Fahan Beehive Huts, the ruins of Minard Castle, the solitude of Inch Beach, the ocean-lapped stone walkway of Dunquin Pier, the ruined monastery Kilmalkedar, and the stunning expanses at Dunmore Head and Sybil Head, where scenes from “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” were filmed. In the evening, walk around the town of Dingle, where you can enjoy delicious fresh seafood, a pint of ale at the legendary J. Curran bar and a wealth of local music. Stay at the Waterfront Hotel.
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Day 7: The Ring of Kerry
You’re going to have to cram a lot into one day — it takes more than three hours to drive the ring without stopping anywhere. In the Killarney area, take a guided tour through Ross Castle, visit Muckross House and its gardens, take a short hike to Torc Waterfall, and breathe in the scenery at Ladies View and Moll’s Gap. Driving counterclockwise, see Cahergall, a stone fort built in the 7th century; detour down the Skellig Ring to hit Ballinskelligs Beach and view the Kerry Cliffs; poke around the tiny villages of Sneem (population 386) and Waterville (population 555); and grab some quiet time at one of several beaches. After your long day, stay at the Rockcrest House in Kenmare, a bed-and-breakfast in a private home (the only place in Ireland where we couldn’t use a credit card).
Day 8: Kenmare to Kilkenny
Though this route takes you by Blarney Castle, skip it. (If you think Plymouth Rock is a letdown, wait till you see the Blarney Stone, my friends had warned.) Instead, keep going to the Rock of Cashel, a medieval fortress on a hill dating to the 12th century that includes a cathedral, tower, and chapel, all viewable from miles around. A stone’s throw away sits the ruined monastery Hore Abbey. Hit the road toward Kilkenny, where you’ll peruse the shops and walk through Kilkenny Castle. After dinner, hang out at The Field Bar & Restaurant, where you’ll catch anything from traditional Irish music to a blues band. Stay at the Club House Hotel.
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Day 9: Back to Dublin
Return your rental car; you don’t need it in Dublin. Grab coffee or lunch at Bestseller, a cafe that doubles as a theater. Speaking of bestsellers, browse the stacks two blocks north at Hodges Figgis, the third-oldest bookshop in the world, and Ulysses Rare Books a few doors down. Walk along Grafton Street, where you should stop and listen to the busking musicians — they are shockingly talented. If you aren’t all castled out, walk around Dublin Castle, which is not just a tourist attraction but a government office building. At some point, sample the goods at Murphy’s Ice Cream, with flavors such as Irish brown bread and chocolate whiskey; the original store is in Dingle, so you can get some there as well. If you’re not exhausted, spend the evening in Temple Bar, the liveliest section of Dublin, with its abundance of pubs, nightclubs, and revelers.
Day 10: Fly home
Have a final cafe Americano at Caffe Nero (there’s no such thing as drip coffee here), and head to the airport. Conventional wisdom says you need to give yourself three hours to get through security and customs — although we did that and sped right through, so we had to wait for more than two hours at the gate. If that happens, you can use that time to start planning your next visit, because you will already want to come back.
Steve Greenlee is a journalism professor at Boston University.