Howaya! So, this Ireland road trip guide took a fair whack of time to research, plan out, and write.
It’s also pretty damn long.
If you don’t have 4 weeks to explore, you’ll find much shorter road trip routes in our Ireland road trip guide section.
Below, you’ll find a detailed itinerary to follow if you have 28 days to road trip around Ireland. Here’s a look at the route.
4 weeks in Ireland: A rough route overview
The dodgy map above (Photoshop was never my strong point) shows a very rough outline of the route that you’ll find in the guide below.
Here’s what you’ll get if you take the time to read it:
- A useful, detailed guide that removes the pain from planning:
- You’ll get an hour-by-hour (literally!) guide to each day
- Clear, concise itineraries to follow
- Advice on things to do along with recommendations on where to eat, sleep and drink
Yep, it’s long – so, if you’re stuck for time, sign up to our mailing list (no spam – only good stuff) at the bottom of this page and I’ll fire it onto you to read later.
Table of Contents
I’ve split this post up into different pages – this has nothing to do with getting more pages read or ad revenue (apologies for the ads, by the way).
Personally, I hate when sites do this, but in this case, I had to. Although I’ve done everything in my power to make this website speedy, this guide is long and tends to load much slower than 98% of our other guides.
So, I’ve given each day a dedicated page, which should make it easier for you to browse.
Just click one of the days below to dive in
- Day 1 (Dublin) – Arrive in Dublin, Castles, Cliffs and Historical Pubs
- Day 2 (Dublin) – Trinity College, the Guinness Storehouse and so much more
- Day 3 (Wicklow) – Mountains, lakes, long walks, and a brewery
- Day 4 (Carlow & Kilkenny) – One of the best views in Ireland, historic walks, castles
- Day 5 – (Wexford and Waterford) Famine ships, haunted houses and ancient lighthouses
- Day 6 (Waterford) – The incredible Copper Coast
- Day 7 (Tipperary and Cork) – A looped walk, the Rock of Cashel, Cahir Castle and more
- Day 8 (Cork) – Exploring the historic town of Cobh before tipping on to Kinsale
- Day 9 (Cork) – Exploring glorious West Cork
- Day 10 (Cork and Kerry) – Crazy roads and a big aul chunk of the Ring of Kerry
- Day 11 (Kerry) – Beaches, the Slea Head Drive and some of the best pubs in Ireland
- Day 12 (Limerick) – Thatched Cottages, Castles and Kayaking
- Day 13 (Clare) – Cliff walks, caves and craic agus ceol
- Day 14 (Clare, Westmeath and a bit of Galway) – An unforgettable drive, the oldest pub in Ireland and plenty more
- Day 15 (Galway and Mayo) – A hike, one of the best drives in Ireland and on to Mayo
- Day 16 (Mayo) – Croagh Patrick, beaches, the most extensive Stone Age monument on earth and lots more
- Day 17 (Sligo and Leitrim) – The Knocknarea Queen Maeve Trail, the highest waterfall in Ireland and more
- Day 18 (Fermanagh and Donegal) – Ireland’s Stairway to Heaven, caves, cliffs and more
- Day 19 (Donegal) – Beautiful beaches, one of the bendiest roads in Ireland and more
- Day 20 (Donegal) – Sunrise on Marble Hill Beach, One of the best views in Donegal and plenty more
- Day 21 (Donegal and Derry) – Forts, panoramic views and loads more
- Day 22 (Antrim) – Taking the Ireland road trip to the Causeway Coastal Route
- Day 23 (Antrim and Down) – A cliff walk, a historic prison and more
- Day 24 (Down and Louth) – A hike up Northern Ireland’s highest peak, one of my favourite drives, and a night in Carlingford
- Day 25 (Louth, Cavan and more Louth) – Slieve Foye, a forest walk and Ireland’s oldest town
- Day 26 (Louth) – Exploring the medieval town of Drogheda
- Day 27 (Meath) – Newgrange, Knowth, Trim Castle and more
Click number ‘2’ below to be taken to day 1. (Use Pinterest? Pin the below for later!)
Thanks for visiting the Irish road trip! This site exists to inspire and guide you on an Irish adventure that’ll give birth to a lifetime of memories!
David Ward
Wednesday 18th of January 2023
This itinerary will be the basis of our upcoming trip this year. We prefer to base ourselves in a place for maybe a week and explore the surrounding areas. We will be picking up a car in Belfast on 26 May and have it for almost 6 weeks. We are unsure of our direction of travel, but leaning towards anti-clockwise. Excluding Dublin, can you suggest 5 or 6 "bases" for exploration. Small towns with a bit of character ideally.
Keep up the good work.
Jim
Sunday 1st of January 2023
I love the Incredible detail you go into and the many things to see that most guide books don't cover. We are heading to Ireland in 2023 and will certainly use some of your recommendations. Thank you
Barbara Nelson Jameson
Monday 26th of September 2022
I've been following your website and the information is invaluable! We are beginning a 30 day Wild Atlantic Way trip on Sept 29. I would love to download your 28 day itinerary so it's available in a pdf we can use without wifi, but I cannot find the link that you reference?? Can you send me the link?
Barbara Nelson Jameson
Monday 26th of September 2022
I would love to download the pdf of the 28 day tour, we are starting our 30 day tour on Sept. 29 but cannot find the link that you reference. I have been following the Irish Road Trip and your information is invaluable!!!!
Barbara Jameson
elisa
Monday 29th of August 2022
This is literally the best travel guide I have read in my entire life. You are an absolute hero, I hope great things only happen to you - like FOREVER! Now I am even more excited to come to Ireland.