Self-Drive the Connemara Escape from Dublin and beyond

Day 1 - Tuesday 9^th September - Welcome to Dublin

Arriving in Ireland today, a private transfer will pick you up from the airport and whisk you into the city to your boutique hotel in the city centre.

Head out in the afternoon on your own two feet and explore all that our viking capital city has to offer. We’ll arm you with plenty of suggestions to mold your day.

Overnight: Dublin 2 | The Green Hotel
Room Type: Green King
Meals Included: None

Day 2 - Wednesday 10^th September - Killary Fjord & Connemara National Park

Start your Wild Atlantic Way self drive trip off with a treat, feasting your eyes upon the breathtaking shores of one of Ireland’s only three fjords before heading to the expanses of Connemara. Once described as “a savage beauty” by author Oscar Wilde, explore the wild, windswept region. Stops include a sheep farm and a neo-gothic abbey before hiking in the Connemara National Park.

Overnight: Clifden | Clifden Station House Hotel
Room Type: Double Room
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 3 - Thursday 11^th September - Connemara & A Pirate’s Island

Explore the ancient mysteries of Connemara with a local archeologist who will bring the landscape, traditions and mythology of the region alive. Our route takes us to a hauntingly beautiful island where you’ll hear tales of pirates and invasions. Be sure to taste some of the spectacular local seafood in an idyllic island pub.

Overnight: Clifden | Clifden Station House Hotel
Room Type: Double Room
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 4 - Friday 12^th September - Galway City’s Colourful Centre

With its cobbled pavement and street performers, Galway is the west coast’s most vibrant urban centre and a great place to visit. As you continue your adventure south, visit such places as botanical perfumeries, perfectly preserved historic cottages complete with thatched roofs and turf fires or short hikes to breathe some of Europe’s freshest air right off the Atlantic!

Overnight: Doolin | Doolin Inn
Room Type: Double Room
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 5 - Saturday 13^th September - Discover the Flavours of the Burren

Today, you’ll visit a charming, locally-owned working goat farm for an immersive tour and tasting experience. Enjoy meeting and feeding the herd, and explore the milking parlour, all while learning about the rich history of goat farming in Ireland. Discover the traditional methods used to care for the goats, enabling them to produce award-winning cheese, all inspired by the surrounding landscape. You’ll also witness the cheese-making process firsthand and more importantly, indulge in a tasting of their full range of delicious Irish cheeses, right on the farm.

**Please note this tour is dependent on availability, we may suggest a different farm tour if need be.

Overnight: Doolin | Doolin Inn
Room Type: Double Room
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 6 - Sunday 14^th September - Cliffs of Moher & North Kerry

Start your day off at Ireland’s most-famous cliffs, the Cliffs of Moher, before the crowds arrive, enjoying a walk along the dramatic cliff edge on a background of coastal panoramas. Leaving County Clare behind, keep an eye out for dolphins and other marine wildlife as you cross the mouth of the mighty River Shannon. As you make your way south through North Kerry, we’ll recommend a great beach walk along one of Kerry’s best-kept secret coastlines, as well as a few other great stops to make a leisurely day of it. Alternatively, you may prefer to head straight to Dingle where you could join an afternoon boat trip to spot the marine wildlife and the spectacular coastlines of the Dingle Peninsula.

Overnight: Dingle | Heatons Guesthouse
Room Type: Double Room
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 7 - Monday 15^th September - Dingle & the Blasket Islands

The best way to discover the best of the Dingle Peninsula? By boat, of course! Spend the day with a charismatic wildlife expert boating around Slea Head and the Blasket Islands, an abandoned archipelago famous for rich literary heritage and unique cultural insight about life in Ireland’s westernmost fringes. Spot seabirds and marine wildlife such as whales, seals and porpoises and dolphins.

Overnight: Dingle | Heatons Guesthouse
Room Type: Double Room
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 8 - Tuesday 16^th September - Dingle Town & Departure to Dublin

Today, say goodbye to the wilds of Dingle and the Wild Atlantic Way. We will provide you with a few suggested stops along the way.

This evening you’ll stay near Dublin Airport to catch your flights in the morning.

Overnight: Dublin 2 | The Green Hotel
Room Type: Green King
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 9 - Wednesday 17^th September - Iconic Dublin

This morning relax in Dublin on your own, grab a coffee and stroll the streets or check out Trinity College and the Book of Kells Experience on your own.

Head out in the afternoon to enjoy a walking tour with a local private guide through this vibrant capital city, with its mix of 1,000 years of architecture from the mediaeval to Georgian to modern. See the Georgian style Merrion Square, lush St. Stephen’s Green and Fitzwilliam Square, as well as O’Connell Street, the site of the ‘1916 Uprising’ that led to Ireland’s independence in 1922. Your guide is also a historian who will bring the city to life with colourful tales of life in the city in times gone by.

Overnight: Dublin 2 | The Green Hotel
Room Type: Green King
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 10 - Thursday 18^th September - Depart

Head to the airport to drop off your car and make your onward connections. Waving farewell for now but taking with you special memories and wonderful stories of your explorations.

Meals Included: Breakfast