Visiting Ireland Without a Car (Includes Itineraries)

Getting around Ireland without a car is easy if you plan your itinerary carefully to ensure everything runs smoothly when you arrive.

In this guide, you’ll find:

• The reality: The real pros and cons of exploring Ireland with no car
• Car free itineraries: For trips ranging from 3 to 21 days

What to expect from getting around Ireland without a car

If you read the points below, first, they’ll get you up-to-speed quickly on what to expect:

1. If you’re visiting main cities/towns a car isn’t needed

Most of the main towns and cities in Ireland, like Dublin, Limerick and Galway, are, for the most part, wonderfully walkable. You will, at times, need to use public transport, but a car is by no means necessary.

2. It’s possible to get around without a car, but you need to plan

If you’re planning a trip to Ireland and you’re going to be relying on public transport to get around, a finely tuned itinerary pays dividends. Public transportation in Ireland has its limitations, especially when you step off-the-beaten-path.

3. Public transport availability varies greatly

You’ll be grand getting around Ireland’s cities and towns on public transport, but services are heavily reduced in certain parts of the country. The likes of Donegal, in particular, can be a nightmare to get around without a car.

4. Buying tickets in advance has pros and cons

When you decided on your Ireland itinerary, it’s worth weighing up the pros and cons of buying your bus/train tickets in advance. The advantage of buying tickets ahead of time means a guaranteed seat but also often, in the case of trains, a cheaper fair. Buying a ticket on the day gives you flexibility to change your plans, but you’ll also risk higher fares and limited seating.

The advantages of exploring Ireland without a car

There are plenty of pros and cons to travelling in Ireland without a car. I’ll tackle the pros first, as there are several.

1. Car rental is expensive

Renting a car in Ireland is expensive – especially in the high season months of July and August.

Most cars are manual; automatic cars are also available, but tend to cost more to hire. 

Additional petrol and parking eat into your spending money and make the cost of a trip to Ireland skyrocket.

2. Ireland has a good train network

One of my favourite ways of getting around Ireland is via train, as it is, for the most part, comfortable.

Ireland’s train network is good and serves all major cities and towns (though you may have to change trains in some spots).

Belfast, Sligo, Galway, Limerick, Cork and Waterford are all reached direct from Dublin and it’s a much faster way to travel than by bus or coach. 

3. You can use a combination of public transport and day tours

There will invariably be some places that public transport won’t reach (or, if it does, will take far too long).

A good way to combat this is to book a combination of public transport alongside day tours. 

Use public transport where it’s logical, and then book on a day tour to visit more remote but famous attractions in Ireland such as the Cliffs of Moher, for example.

The disadvantages of exploring Ireland without a car

Many guides on how to get around Ireland without a car are packed with negatives, and I can’t blame them.

There’s definitely a lot of limitations to public transport road trips, as you’ll discover below.

1. You’ll find it much harder to go off-the-beaten-path

From spectacular mountains to gorgeous fishing villages, some of Ireland’s greatest treasures lie well off the beaten path and reaching them without a car is almost impossible, unfortunately. 

This isn’t a densely populated country, and if you want some great experiences outside of the major cities and towns then you may have to look into car hire (some of Ireland’s coastal roads and mountain passes are stunning, after all). 

2. Some organised tours only run during the peak season

Organised tours are a great way of seeing sights that are difficult to reach without a car, but if you’re travelling here outside of the peak season then you may run into a spot of bother. 

Some tours won’t be running in off-season months like January and February, so bear that in mind if you’re planning a car free trip to Ireland. 

3. Certain counties have poor public transport

Parts of Ireland remain incredibly rural and, while in some ways that’s a good thing, it’s a nightmare if you’re attempting a car-free trip.

There’s no train service in West Cork for example, and entire counties like Donegal, Monaghan and Cavan have no network at all.

Car free itineraries

Last year, I spent €10,000+ euro researching and writing Ireland’s largest collection of public transport itineraries.

In my Irish Road Trip hub, you’ll find hundreds of car free itineraries that range in length (3 days – 21 days), start point and style.

Here are some of the itineraries that’ll save you a lot of time if you’re wondering how to go about getting around Ireland without a car!

4 days

4 days in Ireland without a car can be tricky to plan, as it’s not a lot of time.

You need to pick your start point carefully, as it has to serve as a logical base that allows you to explore from.

One of the example itineraries from my Itinerary Library is:

• Day 1: Fly into Dublin. Explore some of the city
• Day 2: Exploring Dublin
• Days 3 + 4: Day trips to Wicklow, the Boyne Valley or Kilkenny

5 days

5 days in Ireland without a car is a little easier to map out

With 5 days, you can either pick one base (e.g. Shannon) or two bases, as you have more time to play with.

One of the example itineraries from my Itinerary Library is:

• Day 1: Fly into Belfast. Explore the city
• Day 2: Explore more of Belfast
• Day 3: Antrim Coast day tour
• Days 4 + 5: Train to Dublin for final 2 days and fly from there

7 days

7 days in Ireland without a car is considerably easier to plan.

While your starting point isn’t as important, it’s still key in ensuring you make the most of your time.

One of the example itineraries from my Itinerary Library is:

• Day 1: Fly into Shannon and take the bus to Killarney. Explore Killarney
• Day 2: A Ring of Kerry day tour
• Day 3: Dingle Peninsula day tour
• Day 4: Train to Dublin. Explore Dublin
• Day 5: Wicklow day tour
• Day 6: Train to Galway. Explore the City
• Day 7: Either fly home or, if you have this day to explore, an Aran Islands day tour

14 days

2 weeks in Ireland without a car is ideal. You can plenty of buffer time to allow you to change locations without ever feeling hurried.

You can be more flexible with your starting point as you have time on your side.

One of the example itineraries from my Itinerary Library is:

• Day 1: Fly into Dublin. Explore some of the city
• Day 2: Dublin
• Day 3: Train to Galway. Explore some of the city
• Day 4: Day trip to the Aran Islands
• Day 5: Cliffs of Moher and Burren day trip
• Day 6: Train to Galway. Explore the City
• Day 7: Connemara day trip
• Day 8: Train or bus to Killarney then an evening in Killarney’s pubs
• Day 9: Explore Killarney National Park
• Day 10: Slea Head day trip
• Day 11: Bus to Cork City. Explore the city
• Day 12: Bus to Kinsale for the day
• Day 13: Bus to Cobh for the day
• Day 14: Head back to your departure point

Still struggling to figure out how to get around Ireland without a car? Pop a question in the comments below and I’ll do my best to help!