Day by day
All of Ireland in 20 days.
The ultimate Ireland road trip. Twenty days to absorb every corner of the island — the sunny southeast, the rebel south, the wild west, the hidden midlands, and the dramatic north. This is the trip people talk about for years.
Day 1
County Dublin
Dublin — Arrival Day
- Arrive Dublin Airport, collect rental car
- Check in to city centre hotel, light lunch
- Temple Bar & Grafton Street afternoon stroll
- Evening: Kehoe's or Mulligan's pub — oldest pubs in Dublin
Day 2
County Dublin
Dublin — Deep Dive
- Trinity College & Book of Kells (book tickets in advance)
- National Museum of Ireland — archaeology, Viking Dublin treasures
- DART coastal train: Dún Laoghaire to Howth for cliff walk
- Dinner in the Docklands at Bord Bia-listed restaurants
Day 3
County Wicklow
Wicklow — Mountains & Monasteries
- Glendalough — 6th-century monastic settlement, Round Tower, Upper Lake trail
- Powerscourt Estate & Waterfall — 68-acre formal gardens
- Sally Gap & Wicklow Mountains National Park scenic drive
- Overnight Wicklow town or Bray
Day 4
Kilkenny → Carlow
Medieval Kilkenny & Carlow
- Kilkenny Castle — Norman fortress, Butler Gallery, rose garden
- Medieval Mile — Black Abbey, St Canice's Cathedral, Round Tower climb
- Carlow: Browneshill Dolmen — largest capstone dolmen in Europe
- River Barrow walking trail at Leighlinbridge
Day 5
Waterford → Wexford
Viking Waterford & Sunny Wexford
- Waterford Viking Triangle — Reginald's Tower (oldest urban tower in Ireland), Waterford Crystal
- Copper Coast Geopark (UNESCO) — volcanic sea cliffs, coves
- Curracloe Beach (Wexford) — where Saving Private Ryan was filmed
- Hook Head Lighthouse — oldest operational lighthouse in the world
Day 6
County Cork
Cork City — Ireland's Food Capital
- English Market — artisan food hall, tripe & drisheen, fresh fish
- St Fin Barre's Cathedral — French Gothic, 3 rose windows
- Shandon Bells — climb the tower, play the bells yourself
- Crawford Art Gallery — free admission, Jack B. Yeats collection
Day 7
West Cork
Kinsale, Bantry & Mizen Head
- Kinsale — Charles Fort, gourmet restaurants, harbour walk
- Bantry Bay — Bantry House & Gardens (Italianate terraces)
- Mizen Head — Ireland's most southwesterly tip, signal station
- Schull or Skibbereen for the night
Day 8
County Kerry
Killarney & National Park
- Killarney National Park — 26,000 acres, native Irish oakwood, red deer herds
- Muckross House & traditional farms — furnished Victorian mansion
- Ross Castle — boat trip on Lough Leane to island monastery
- Evening Killarney town — jaunting cars, trad sessions on High Street
Day 9
Kerry — Ring of Kerry
Ring of Kerry — Full Circuit
- Gap of Dunloe — 10km mountain pass, Black Valley, glacial lakes
- N70 coastal road: Waterville, Caherdaniel, Kenmare Bay views
- Skellig Michael visible from Ballinskelligs Bay (UNESCO heritage)
- Kenmare stone circle (Bronze Age) & suspension bridge
Day 10
Kerry — Dingle
Dingle Peninsula — Slea Head
- Slea Head Drive — ancient stone beehive huts (clocháns), Iron Age forts
- Gallarus Oratory (c.700 AD) — dry-stone boat-shaped oratory
- Brandon Mountain walk (optional — Ireland's 2nd highest peak)
- Dingle Distillery, artisan ice cream at Murphy's, evening trad
Day 11
Limerick → Tipperary
Limerick & Rock of Cashel
- King John's Castle Limerick (1200 AD) — interactive history exhibition
- Adare village — Ireland's prettiest village, thatched cottages
- Rock of Cashel — 5th-century seat of Munster kings, Romanesque chapel
- Cahir Castle — one of Ireland's best-preserved Norman castles
Day 12
County Clare
Cliffs of Moher & The Burren
- Cliffs of Moher — arrive early, walk the coastal path south of the visitor centre
- Poulnabrone Dolmen — ancient portal tomb on the Burren limestone plateau
- Burren Perfumery — artisan cosmetics using rare Burren botanicals
- Doolin village — O'Connor's pub, Ireland's most authentic trad session
Day 13
County Galway
Galway City — Arts & Trad
- Latin Quarter — medieval arch, independent boutiques, buskers on Shop Street
- Galway City Museum — free, covering 1,000 years of city history
- Salthill Promenade — 2km seafront, kick the wall at the end (tradition!)
- Dinner: Aniar or Cava Bodega — Galway's Michelin-starred restaurants
Day 14
Galway — Aran Islands
Aran Islands Day Trip
- Ferry from Rossaveel or Doolin to Inis Mór (40–50 min)
- Dún Aonghasa — Iron Age cliff fort on 100m sheer Atlantic drop
- Cycle 13km of island roads — limestone walls, no cars, pure peace
- Inis Meáin or Inis Oírr: optional smaller island hop
Day 15
Connemara
Connemara — Kylemore & Sky Road
- Kylemore Abbey — Gothic castle on lake, walled Victorian garden tours
- Sky Road loop above Clifden — considered one of Ireland's finest views
- Twelve Bens mountain range — bog cotton, blanket bog, otters
- Clifden town overnight — Connemara's capital, arts festival venue
Day 16
Mayo
Westport & Achill Island
- Westport — Georgian planned town, Matt Molloy's trad pub (owned by The Chieftains)
- Croagh Patrick — Ireland's holy mountain, pilgrimage walk (765m)
- Achill Island causeway drive — Keem Bay (Ireland's best beach), sea cliffs
- Slievemore abandoned village — deserted pre-Famine ghost village
Day 17
County Sligo
Sligo — Yeats Country
- Benbulben — iconic flat-top mountain, walk the circular trail
- Carrowmore — Europe's largest megalithic cemetery (30+ passage tombs)
- W.B. Yeats grave at Drumcliffe churchyard ("Cast a cold eye...")
- Strandhill surf beach & Voya Seaweed Baths
Day 18
County Donegal
Donegal — Slieve League & Glenveagh
- Slieve League cliffs (601m) — Europe's highest accessible sea cliffs, coastal walk
- Glenveagh National Park — castle, gardens, golden eagle viewing
- Ardara — tweed capital of Ireland, traditional weaving demonstrations
- Gaeltacht area: hear Irish spoken as a first language
Day 19
Antrim — Northern Ireland
Giant's Causeway & Antrim Coast
- Giant's Causeway — 40,000 interlocking basalt hexagonal columns (UNESCO)
- Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge — 20m suspension bridge over Atlantic chasm
- Dunluce Castle — clifftop medieval ruin, visible from the Causeway Coastal Route
- Dark Hedges — famous beech avenue on the Game of Thrones filming route
Day 20
Belfast → Dublin
Belfast & Return to Dublin
- Titanic Belfast — world's largest Titanic visitor experience
- Cathedral Quarter & Black Cab political mural tour
- St George's Market (Friday–Sunday) — Belfast's Victorian covered market
- Return Dublin via M1 (2 hrs) — drop car, depart or final night
Book the complete Ireland circuit
20 nights. 20 tonnes CO₂ removed.
Book all 20 hotels through IMPT at the lowest price guarantee — same as Booking.com or better. Every booking retires 1 tonne of CO₂ on Ethereum. €5 free credit for new members.
Common questions
About the 20-day itinerary.
Is 20 days really enough to see all of Ireland?
Twenty days covers Ireland more thoroughly than any standard tour itinerary — you'll visit all four provinces (Leinster, Munster, Connacht, and Ulster), experience the Wild Atlantic Way in full, and reach places most visitors never see. You won't spend two days in every county, but you'll have a genuine feel for every region. For complete coverage of all 32 counties including every Northern Ireland destination, you'd need 28+ days.
How much driving is involved in this 20-day itinerary?
Total driving is approximately 2,400km (1,500 miles). The daily average is around 120km — most days involve 90 minutes to 2 hours of driving, leaving 6–8 hours for sightseeing. The longest single driving day is Day 19 (Donegal to the Giant's Causeway, around 180km but worth every kilometre). Ireland's roads are generally good; the west coast roads are slower but scenic.
What's the best way to budget for a 20-day Ireland trip?
For a mid-range trip per person (couple sharing): Hotels via IMPT €80–130/night per couple. Rental car €35–55/day. Fuel total approximately €200–240. Entry fees €300–400 (Titanic, Guinness Storehouse, Kylemore Abbey, Rock of Cashel etc.). Food and drink €50–70/day per person. Total per person estimate: approximately €2,500–3,800 for 20 days excluding flights.
What should I pack for a 20-day Ireland trip?
Ireland's weather changes rapidly — pack layers, a waterproof jacket, and waterproof walking boots. Even in summer, evenings are cool (12–16°C). Good walking shoes are essential for cliff walks and monastic sites. A power adapter (Ireland uses Type G plugs), a reusable water bottle (tap water is excellent), and a detailed road atlas or offline maps app. Broadband mobile coverage is good everywhere except remote mountains.
What are the hidden gems on this 20-day route?
Highlights most tourists miss: Carlow's Browneshill Dolmen (largest capstone in Europe, no entry fee, one other car in the car park), West Cork's Mizen Head signal station, Achill Island's Slievemore abandoned village, Ardara tweed weaving in Donegal, and Slieve League cliffs in Donegal — three times the height of the Cliffs of Moher with a fraction of the crowd. Also: arrive at Glendalough before 9am for 30 minutes of silence before the day-trippers arrive.
Sustainable & green accommodation: IMPT lists eco-friendly hotels, green-certified stays, sustainable guesthouses, and responsible travel options — from carbon-neutral hotels and eco lodges to environmentally friendly B&Bs and net-zero accommodation. Every booking removes 1 tonne of verified CO₂ at the lowest price guarantee — same as Booking.com or better.