Ireland is the land of picturesque green fields and hills. It is the home of St. Patrick’s Day, the shamrock, and endless pubs. Ireland has many stereotypes known around the world. For all these reasons and many more, Ireland deserves a spot on your upcoming vacations list. The following is the third part of a four-part Ireland Itinerary. This portion of the Ireland Itinerary covers the town of Dingle and the city of Galway. Dingle is a small fishing and farming community on the west coast of Ireland. Galway is quite oppositely a large city with major commercial and professional services. Galway also serves as the home of Queens College Galway, a major university.
- 2 Full Days in Dublin
- Twin K Cities: Kilkenny and Killarney
- Irish West Coast: Dingle and Galway (this post)
- Overview of Belfast in 2 Days
Post Contents
Day 5 – Dingle
Killarney National Park
Before leaving the Killarney area, there are several local sights worth another stop. Killarney National Park, Torc Waterfall, and Ross Castle are all located within the same area just outside of the city. In a country like Ireland, it’s very easy to see too many castles in one trip. For that reason, this morning is a great opportunity to explore the national park and Torc Waterfall which is within it. While Ross Castle is a great period estate, it has also become very touristy and some of the surrounding activities are very expensive.
Killarney National Park has many easy and moderate walking paths. Likely the most popular paths are the ones leading to Torc Waterfall. There are several trails that range from 1.5 km up to 7.5 km. This means that there is likely a trail available to suit your level of experience with hiking. Each path is named for a color (Red, Yellow, and Blue) as well as one more strenuous trail that climbs the summit. The more strenuous 3.5 km hike takes about 2 hours, which is the perfect amount of time to spend in the park. However, if a strenuous trail isn’t appropriate for you or your group, take one of the easy or moderate trails. With any time left over, spend some time walking along Lough Leane or Muckross Lake. In the morning, the views across the lake are stunning and tranquil.
Check-in and Lunch in Dingle
After exploring the Killarney National Park, it’s time to pack the bags and head to the next stop on the circuit of Ireland, Dingle. Dingle is a very small town of only 2,000 people. This really small town gives you the opportunity to explore a quaint downtown area. Dingle is the only town located on the Dingle peninsula, so it is the best place to stay while exploring this area. The peninsula is known for its ocean views and rolling hills of farmland. It is a relaxing location on this itinerary.
Upon arriving in Dingle after the short drive from Killarney, check into your accommodations. These will likely be a bed and breakfast or guest house as there aren’t any major hotel chains located in Dingle. A benefit of bed & breakfasts and guest houses is that they generally provide an opportunity for interaction with the local owners. These locals are great resources for getting activity recommendations as well as suggestions for meals.
After checking in, head to the downtown area of Dingle to get lunch. There are a few good restaurants located in the area. All of these are small and create an intimate space for dining and enjoying this new part of Ireland. If the guesthouse or B&B owners have recommendations, this is a great opportunity to try one. If you don’t have any recommendations and want seafood, a great spot to try is The Fish Box.
Slea Head Drive
One of the most popular activities around Dingle is the Slea Head Drive. This drive circles the Dingle peninsula and provides stunning views. Throughout the drive, visitors are presented with hilly, rolling farmland and amazing ocean views. A majority of this loop drive occurs right on the rugged coastline. Shear drops, cliffs, and crashing waves are a frequent sight against this landscape. In addition to the coastal view, the drive is well-known for its farmland including sheep pastures that are popular in this part of the country.
Here are some key tips about Slea Head Drive:
- The beginning of the drive starts near the Dingle Distillery. The route is well-marked; therefore, as long as you get to the distillery the drive will be obvious.
- The roads are narrow. Get comfortable driving in close quarters and look ahead on the road. There are some pull offs in the narrowest stretches to allow cars to pass. However, there may be places where you need to backup due to drivers coming the other direction.
- Drive Clockwise! The vast majority of visitors drive clockwise (including big tourist buses and vans that do the drive). If you don’t want to be constantly trying to get around cars, vans, and buses going the opposite direction on the narrow roads, go with the flow of traffic clockwise around the peninsula.
While a straight-through drive of Slea Head would take less than an hour, this is obviously not a drive to rush to a destination. This drive is all about the journey. Make stops at farms to see the sheep. Pull off the road near picturesque overlooks. Hike down to the small beaches and see the ocean up close. Enjoy this rugged ocean scene and cultivated farms/pastures in one landscape.
Downtown Dingle
With the remainder of your day, explore the downtown of Dingle. While you will have explored some of it for lunch, park the car and walk a couple of main streets in Dingle. It’s not very big, but it is filled with cute storefronts and brightly colored buildings. If you are in the mood for shopping, there are a few clothing, souvenir, outdoor gear, and knitwear shops throughout the downtown area. If food and drink are more your style, be sure to check out Murphy’s Ice Cream and any of the plentiful bars and pint houses.
Day 6 – Galway
Drive to Cliffs of Moher
The morning of Day 6 begins with one of the longer drives of the itinerary. After getting breakfast and packing up, the journey commences to the Cliffs of Moher. While one option is to take major motorways to the Cliffs of Moher, this is not the most scenic route. The motorway goes through Limerick and Shannon in a drive that is just over 3 hours.
An alternative is to take the more direct route on smaller roads. This journey takes you through the countryside, up and down hills, and by all manner of cute cottage homes and villages. This is a much better drive for getting a feel of the Irish way of life in rural areas. In addition, the rural route provides the opportunity to take a ferry across an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean into Ireland. This is a fairly unique experience. Also, the scenery from the ferry is great.
Cliffs of Moher
One of the most well-known landscapes in all of Ireland is the Cliffs of Moher. These sea cliffs located on the western side of Ireland display a lush yet rugged landscape that few places in the world can provide. While the cliffs stretch for many miles along the coast, the visitors center is located at their tallest points. They climb over 700 feet out of the ocean to the top.
The Cliffs of Moher are one of the most popular places to go in Ireland. This site will attract busloads of people and hundreds of personal cars so be prepared for a crowd. While it will be crowded (especially at peak times), the cliffs do a good job of managing the influx of people. For example, upon arriving you will be shown to a parking location within the vast car lot by parking attendants.
After arrival at the cliffs, there are several activities available to you. The first is the visitors center. The center provides an overview of the area and educates visitors on how the cliffs were formed. It also has great exhibits on the local flora and fauna. The visitor center is also home to gift shops, a craft center with local artisan wares, and a few restaurants/cafés. Since it will be approaching lunchtime around the visit to the cliffs, the dining options offered are pretty good. Also, if you are able to grab a seat with a view, all the better.
Finally, the real draw of this visit is actually being able to walk up to the edge of the cliffs and view their full splendor. There are paths along the top of the cliffs that enable views from many different perspectives. The portions of the cliffs within the complex have nicely paved pathways and protective barriers to offer a good, but safe viewing experience. However, in Ireland, the coastline is open to all. Therefore, if you are adventurous and your group is responsible, you can walk to the left at the end of the visitors complex and get views closer to the edge of the cliffs. This section has no guardrails and is just a dirt walking path. Even if you don’t get close to the edge, it can be fun to head out this direction to get away from the modern buildings and get some more seclusion.
Explore Galway
Arriving in Galway late means that touring the inside of churches, museums, and other sights will have to wait for tomorrow. However, that’s no reason not to get a feel for the city’s downtown area. The best places to explore first are the Latin District and Quay Street. The Latin District is what would be considered the downtown area of Galway. It has a bunch of old buildings, cobblestone streets, cafés, pubs, and independent shops. The Latin Quarter can also become busy at night as it is a destination for restaurants and nightlife. Find a car park nearby and walk the area on foot.
Within the Latin Quarter is Quay Street. This pedestrian-only street holds some great shops, restaurants, and cafés. While some of these can be touristy, many of them possess nice wares. If you are looking for some gifts to take home, a walk down Quay Street may be in order.
Finally, this is a great opportunity to grab dinner prior to heading to your hotel to check-in and turn in for the night.
Day 7 – Cabra Castle
Galway Cathedral
In contrast to the many cathedrals seen throughout Europe, the Galway Cathedral was constructed in the 1950s and 1960s. This gives the cathedral the recognition of being the last great stone cathedral to be constructed in Europe to date. While you won’t be seeing ancient architecture while visiting Galway Cathedral, it is still worth a visit. Seeing how a modern cathedral would be constructed so that it is just as magnificent as 500-year-old structures is a beautiful sight.
The cathedral is built in the Renaissance style despite being a recent construction. The architecture features a dome, columns, and rose windows throughout the space. Visitors are able to freely walk through the space anytime that mass is not being celebrated. Mass is generally celebrated at 11:00 AM and 6:00 PM on weekdays. For the weekend schedule and the most up-to-date mass times, check the Galway Cathedral website.
Finally, much of the cathedral is set up to support visitors. While walking around the cathedral provides amazing visuals, many cathedrals lack information on the significance of the space or how it was constructed. Given the recent construction of this cathedral, that information is well-presented on boards near the back of the church.
Cabra Castle
While this isn’t a necessary stop on a trip to Ireland, this falls into the category of fun experiences. Cabra Castle is a castle available for anyone to stay in like a hotel. While there are many castles you can visit and tour while in Ireland, few have the facilities to allow visitors to spend the night. This is just one of those fun experiences that don’t happen everywhere.
Cabra Castle is set on a large estate. This provides a fair amount of land and trails that you can walk while staying on the property. In addition to touring the property, the refurbished community rooms of the castle are great to explore. You almost feel like nobility while staying in the castle. An in-castle restaurant provides elegant dining for all guests. The dinners are served as multi-course meals. Since the experience is very elevated, one would expect to pay a lot more than what the meal costs. While it’s not cheap at €37 – 46 per person for dinner, this is definitely cheaper than what you would find in many cities around the world for a similar experience. Enjoy your time at the castle and splurge for the experience tonight.
The itinerary concludes in the next post with a trip to Belfast.
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