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99+ Free Ireland Self Drive Tours (All Done For You)

99+ Free Ireland Self Drive Tours (All Done For You)

We spent 8 months and €16,000 creating the world’s largest collection of free Ireland self drive tours.

Why? Well, planning an Ireland itinerary can be stressful – especially if you don’t know the lay of the land.

So, we’ve done all the hard work for you! Each of our self driving tours of Ireland:

  • Can be filtered by length, how fast you like to travel + more
  • Have been meticulously planned
  • Have hour-by-hour itineraries
  • Follow logical and scenic routes

Some quick need-to-knows about our Ireland self drive tours

driving tours of ireland

WAIT – please take 10 seconds to read the points below before you scroll. It’ll help when it comes to browsing our Ireland self drive tours:

1. They cover every possible angle

We’ve tried to cover every possible want or need with our itineraries. Below, you’ll be able to pick a free driving tour of Ireland based on:

  • Trip length: From 2 to 28 days
  • Start point: All major ferry terminals and airports in Ireland
  • How fast you like to travel: Fast or slow
  • Your fitness level: High fitness or medium-to-low fitness

2. Our free self drive tours vs what other companies charge for

There are countless companies that charge for creating self guided tours of Ireland. You’ll generally pay them a hefty fee and they’ll customise a trip based on your likes and dislikes. Some also help you book hotels along with renting a car in Ireland

We don’t do any of this. We’ve simply created an extensive library of detailed road trip itineraries that we definitely could charge for – but we don’t.

3. Jump to the tour length you want

Right – time to get stuck in! The easiest way to browse our self drive Ireland tours is to select how much time you have and work from there. Select a trip length below:

3 day driving tours of Ireland

3 days in Ireland is a tiny chunk of time so you need to be careful – it’s easy to end up trying to do way too much.

With this trip length, the danger is that you’ll end up with a packed schedule, and most of your time will be spent in the car.

The best Ireland self drive tours for 3 days is one that uses a central base and that sees you explore around you on day trips.

4 day Ireland self drive itineraries

Those of you with 4 days in Ireland have the ability to explore a corner of Ireland in depth. 

However, a word of caution – if you have the ability to choose when to visit Ireland, try and visit during spring or summer.

These seasons have the advantage of long and mostly bright days, so you’ll have plenty of time to explore.

These shorter road trips can be tricky to map out at times so, when it comes to planning a trip to Ireland with only 4 days to work with, take your time.

The best Ireland self drive tours for 4 days is one that uses 1 – 2 ‘bases’ max and that explores a specific corner of Ireland, e.g. Kerry and West Cork.

5 day self driving tours of Ireland

5 days in Ireland is arguably the ideal length of time to explore a specific corner of Ireland, e.g. Galway and Mayo.

These 5 day trips our most popular self guided tours of Ireland. The reason for this is people often panic trying to squeeze in too much.

Chill! Each of our 5 day self guided tours of Ireland follow clear and logical routes.

6 day self guided Ireland tours

6 days in Ireland is a lovely amount of time that provides you with endless opportunities.

The best Ireland self drive tours for 6 days, in my opinion, is one that doesn’t stretch itself too thin.

If you’re starting in Belfast, for example, tackle the Causeway Coastal Route and then explore the many places to visit in Donegal.

7 day self guided tours of Ireland

If you’re spending 7 days in Ireland you’re in for a treat. A week gives you lots of options and a good whack of time to play with.

Longer Irish road trips like these give you loads of flexibility in terms of what you can do (even if it means the cost of a trip to Ireland increases).

If you’re visiting for 7 days, try and visit during summer or spring as the weather in Ireland tends to be better then and you’ll get more bang-for-your-buck.

8 day self drive tours of Ireland

Those with 8 days in Ireland have options, which is a luxury. 

You’re not overly constrained by time, and 8 long days guarantee that you won’t need to hurry at any point (unless you want to, that is!).

With 8 days, you have the chance to explore multiple counties in depth. Or, if you like, you can go all-out and pack in as much as is physically possible.

The best driving tours of Ireland for 8 days, for me, would be starting in Dublin and then working down through Wicklow, Wexford, Waterford and then around through Cork and Kerry.

9 day Ireland self drive tours

So, you’re spending 9 days in Ireland. Wonderful! However, you want to see all of the ‘main’ attractions during this time and you’re worried it’s too much.

It’s likely (and I’m basing this on getting emails from endless visitors) that you’re trying to pack in too much to the point that you’ll spend all your time moving accommodation and travelling.

9 days is a lovely chunk of time. But don’t get carried away. You can see and do a lot during this time frame. You just need to decide how much travelling about is ‘too much’.

10 day driving tours of Ireland

Our 10 days in Ireland guides are the second most popular trip length and we first published them several years back.

Since then, they’ve been edited based on endless feedback and they have now been refined into tours that we’re proud of!

This is a mighty amount of time for an Irish road trip and it gives you a huge amount of flexibility.

For this trip length, you could easily pick 3-4 bases and fit a huge amount in while still taking it nice and handy. Or, you could go full whack and try and see as much of the island as possible!

11 day Ireland self drive itineraries

Those spending 11 days in Ireland are the envy of many. This is a lovely chunk of time and it allows you to really explore until your heart’s content.

You can pick one of our Ireland self drive tours based on your starting point (e.g. Shannon or Belfast), your fitness level and how fast you like to travel.

Many people doing a trip of this length tend to edge towards fitting in as much as possible. However, avoid going overboard if you can.

12 day self guided Ireland tours

If you’re spending 12 days in Ireland, you’re in for a treat. You can see a whole lot in 12 days, from the many castles in Ireland to islands, cliffs and lots more.

You don’t have to worry too much when it comes to picking a start point for a trip of this length, as you’ve a bit of room for error.

If I had the option, I’d start in Cork and drive the Wild Atlantic Way, taking in the likes of Kinsale, the Beara Peninsula, Doolin and Achill Island.

13 day self driving tours of Ireland

If you have 13 days in Ireland you’ll be the envy of many, and for good reason – you can cover a lot of ground on one of our 13 day driving tours of Ireland.

We’ve created 56 different self guided tours of Ireland for a 13-day trip (yes, 56) and they’ve been used by over 100,000 people in only a few short months.

The different routes take in everywhere from County Mayo and County Clare to some of the most charming small towns in Ireland. Check ’em out below!

14 day Ireland self drive tours

Our 14 day self guided Ireland tours were some of the most enjoyable to research, plan and write as we had a fair idea that this trip length would be popular.

Thankfully, it was! Those of you planning a 2-week Ireland trip itinerary are on the cusp of a bucket list road trip that you’ll remember for a life time.

Although I’d argue that there’s no best Ireland itinerary for a trip this length, we’ve created 56 different options for you to choose from at the link below.

15 day self guided tours of Ireland

15 days in Ireland poses an endless amount of adventure opportunities. You have a trip that’ll be the envy of many ahead of you.

Now, with 15 days you have a lot of flexibility. You could easily explore opposite ends of Ireland with this amount of time (e.g. 5 days in Donegal, 3 in Antrim and then remainder in Cork and Kerry).

We spent a huge amount of time mapping out our 17-day Ireland self drive tours and, based on initial feedback, they’re going down very well already!

16 day self guided Irish road trip

16 day Irish road trips give you the chance to see a huge amount of Ireland.

As was the case with all of our self guided tours of Ireland, we spent a lot of time planning our 16-day guides.

At the link below, you’ll be able to pick a trip based on start point, fitness level, mode of transport and how fast you like to travel.

17 day self drive vacations Ireland

Although we don’t encounter many people spending 17 days in Ireland, this trip length does crop up from time-to-time.

To be honest with you, we found the 17 day self guided Ireland tours tricky to plan out.

However, we published and then heavily edited again after 5 months of feedback and our 17-day tour guides have now been read well over 30,000 times.

The best Ireland self drive tours for this length of time are ones that use carefully selected bases and avoid moving accommodation too frequently.

18 day self drive Ireland itinerary

18 day Irish road trips are the stuff of dreams. It’s worth comparing our ‘Fast’ and ‘Slow’ 18-day driving tours of Ireland to see what’s possible with a trip of this length.

Those of you looking to see and do as much as possible will fit plenty into 18 days.

Those looking to explore at a leisurely pace might be surprised at what’s possible when following one of our 18-day self guided Ireland tours.

19 day self guided Ireland tour

A 19 day Irish road trip is hard to bate, however, and I know I’m like a broken record at this stage, it comes with pros and cons.

Planning self guided tours of Ireland of this length often lead people to think, ‘Ah, we’ve plenty of time – we can just head to Ireland and take it as it comes’.

Don’t be that person as you’ll regret it when you get here. A trip of this length requires careful consideration and a lot of planning.

Luckily, we’ve 50+ 19-day driving tours of Ireland for you to browse at the link below.

20 days self driving tours of Ireland

Very few people, aside from those of us who live here, have the chance to spend 20 days in Ireland. This is bucket list territory. 

This trip length provides you with two options:

  1. Explore a specific region of Ireland in depth
  2. Cram in as much as possible

For example, you could explore Kerry (the Ring of Kerry, Dingle Peninsula, etc.) and then progress through West Cork, Waterford, Wexford, and more.

The best self guided tours of Ireland for 20 days is one picks an adequate number of bases near key areas of interest and that avoids falling into the trap of trying to ‘fit everything in’.

21 days in Ireland self guided

If you have the luxury of spending 21 days in Ireland, you’re in for a treat. An unforgettable experience awaits.

This was one of the hardest of our Ireland self drive tours to map out as there’s a danger of doing either too much or too little with a trip of this length.

It took us 8 days to research these 21-day itineraries and twice that to write and edit them. Enjoy!

FAQs about the best Ireland self drive tours

We’ve had a lot of questions over the years asking about everything from Ireland vacation ideas to detailed train itineraries.

In the section below, we’ve popped in the most FAQs that we’ve received. If you have a question that we haven’t tackled, ask away in the comments section below.

Can I tour Ireland on my own?

Yes. Although many people tackle driving tours of Ireland with friends or family, many people go it alone. Ireland is relatively small which means that you can see a lot, even on day trips.

How many days do you need to drive around Ireland?

Although we have free self drive Ireland tours ranging from 2 to 28 days, the minimum we’d recommend for driving around Ireland is 7 days. Just keep in mind that you’ll be very limited in what you can see and do.

How do I plan a driving tour of Ireland?

Start with how long you have to play with and work from there. Once you have your trip length, move to when you can visit and then proceed to what part of Ireland you can arrive into.

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