Vacation Tours of Ireland

Trip Length at a Glance

The routes below come from the listing itineraries and the prices from the listings themselves, worked out for a private room. Match the days you have to the region each tour covers, then check the group size and cancellation terms on the card. A 2-day trip covers one corner, 5 to 7 days covers a region well, and 10 days goes round most of the island.

Two or Three Days, One Corner

Two to three days covers one corner of the island, and both options here start and end in Dublin. The 2-day Northern Ireland tour runs by coach to Belfast with an overnight in the city, then the Giant's Causeway and the Titanic Experience, with both visitor centre entries included. The 3-day rail tour leaves Dublin Heuston Station on reserved train seats, sleeps two nights in a Killarney B&B with a full Irish breakfast, and takes in the Ring of Kerry, Blarney Castle and the Cliffs of Moher.

Three days is enough for the south west rail route because the train does the long hauls. A private room on the 2-day trip costs from $340.45 against $226.59 for a hostel dorm bed.

Four or Five Days, a Region Done Well

Four to five days suits one region at an easy pace. The 4-day South West tour runs a 56-seat coach through Connemara and Galway to the Cliffs of Moher, then the Dingle Peninsula and Killarney, with a Blarney Stone stop on the return, from $854.01 in a private Economy room. The 5-day South West small-group tour is the pick on this site, with up to 16 guests, Cliffs of Moher admission and a Kilbeggan distillery tour in the price, from $1,464.67.

For the other side of the island, the 5-day Northern Ireland tour covers the Titanic Quarter, the Giant's Causeway, Derry, Donegal, Mayo and Connemara from $1,486.20, though admission fees are not included.

Six or Seven Days, the Wider Loop

Six to seven days lets you cover one or two regions properly, which matches the Vagabond Tours guidance of 7 days for one or two regions on a first visit. The 6-day All Ireland tour loops the whole island in 6 days on a 56-seat coach, staying in Belfast, Derry, Galway, the Dingle Peninsula and Killarney, from $1,023.66 in a hostel dorm or $1,706.86 in a private room. The 7-day Overland tour carries just 12 guests and builds in cycling, kayaking and hiking, from $2,823.90 plus $151.60 of extra charges the listing does not explain, so confirm the total at checkout.

Skellig Michael sits on its route but the experience fee is excluded.

Ten Days, Most of the Island

Ten days is the full loop, and Vagabond Tours suggests 11 or more days if you want to link several regions including Northern Ireland, so a 10-day tour is the most this catalog offers for both halves at an easy pace. The 10-day Overland tour takes up to 15 guests from Kinsale to Donegal, Derry and Belfast, with a night at Lough Eske Castle and admissions from the Cliffs of Moher to the Giant's Causeway and Titanic Belfast in the price, from $3,917.02. The 10-day Wild Ireland tour caps at 16 guests, includes entrance fees to Glendalough, the Rock of Cashel, Kylemore Abbey, Cahir Castle and the Cliffs of Moher, and breaks the driving up with two-night stays in Clifden, Dingle and Killarney, from $3,301 with cancellation to 24 hours before.

Which Tour Goes Where

The table below sorts the multi-day tours by the route each itinerary runs, using the places named in the operators' own day-by-day summaries. Read it alongside the length guide: 2 to 4 days covers one corner, 5 to 7 days covers one region well, and 10 days goes round most of the island.

The South West Loop

This is the route most tours of Ireland run, and for good reason. Galway sits on the edge of Connemara, then the road runs south through the Burren, about 530 square kilometres of karst limestone in County Clare where over 70 percent of Ireland's flower species grow. The Cliffs of Moher run for about 14 km and reach 214 m just north of O'Brien's Tower.

Beyond them lie Dingle and the Slea Head Drive, which loops past Ventry Beach and Gallarus Oratory with a full view of the Blasket Islands, then Killarney and the Ring of Kerry, a 179 km circular route through Killarney, Kenmare, Sneem and Waterville. Rabbie's 5-day South West tour, Paddywagon's 4-day version and Overland Ireland's 7-day trip all run this way, and the rail tour reaches Cork and Killarney by train before a coach day on the Ring.

The North and the Atlantic Coast

Northern Ireland is a separate trip from the South West, and it earns the days. Belfast's shipyards built RMS Titanic, and Titanic Belfast, on the old Harland and Wolff yard, is the most visited attraction in Northern Ireland. The Giant's Causeway has about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns formed 50 to 60 million years ago and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986.

Derry's city walls were built between 1613 and 1619 and run about one mile around. South of the border the route follows the Wild Atlantic Way, a 2,500 km coastal route launched in 2014, through Donegal, Mayo and Connemara, the largest Gaeltacht in Ireland with roughly 20,000 to 24,000 native Irish speakers. Rabbie's 5-day Northern Ireland and Atlantic Coast tour runs the full route, and Paddywagon's 2-day tour covers Belfast and the Causeway coast alone.

All of Ireland in One Trip

Three listings cover north and south in one trip. Paddywagon's 6-day coach tour loops through Belfast, the Giant's Causeway, Derry, Galway, the Cliffs of Moher, Dingle and Killarney, with Blarney Castle on the finish. Overland Ireland's 10-day small-group tour adds Donegal, Slieve League, the Rock of Cashel, Kylemore Abbey and a night in an Irish castle, averaging 2.5 hours of driving a day. Irish Experience Tours' 10-day trip takes the Wild Atlantic Way and the Ancient East instead, with two-night stays in Connemara, Dingle and Killarney and entrance fees to five major sites included. Vagabond Tours puts it this way: 7 days covers one or two regions well, and 11 or more days are needed to link several regions including Northern Ireland comfortably.

By Train Instead of Coach

One listing leaves the motorway to the trains. Railtours Ireland's 3-day tour departs Dublin Heuston Station with reserved seats and a host on board, then switches to a coach with a driver-guide in the south west. Day one reaches Cork and Killarney, day two is the 179 km Ring of Kerry loop, and day three runs through Limerick and Clare to the Cliffs of Moher and on to Galway. Cork is about 2.5 hours from Dublin by train on a typical service, and the long legs pass on a train seat instead of a coach.

Two nights of B&B with a full Irish breakfast and Cliffs of Moher visitor centre entry are in the price.

Rooms, Meals, Admissions and Refunds

The table sets the multi-day tours side by side on what the from price actually buys: the room the cheapest option gets you into, the admissions already paid, and how the operator treats cancellations. Breakfast is included on every one of them, lunch and dinner on none.

The Same Price, Different Rooms

A from price is a room, and the operators mean different rooms. On Paddywagon's tours the from figure is a bed in a shared hostel dorm: $1,023.66 for 6 days on the all-Ireland route against $1,706.86 in an Economy private room, $854.01 for 4 days in the south west in an Economy private room against $568.20 in a dorm, and $340.45 for 2 days in Northern Ireland against $226.59 in a dorm. Rabbie's from prices are already twin or double rooms: the 5-day south west tour starts at $1,464.67 in a B&B and $1,661.83 in a 3-star hotel, and the 5-day northern tour at $1,486.20 and $1,639.68.

Overland Ireland uses boutique hotels and guesthouses, with one night in an Irish castle on the 10-day tour, from $3,917.02. The rail tour sleeps in B&Bs with full Irish breakfast. Single travellers pay more: B&B singles from $1,929.96 on the 5-day South West tour and from $1,895.49 on the 5-day northern tour, Paddywagon Economy singles from $2,001.77, $1,053.28 and $407.63 on its three routes.

The supplement amounts themselves are not stated. One more caution: Overland Ireland's 7-day tour shows $151.60 of extra charges at checkout on top of $2,823.90, which the listing does not explain, so confirm the total at checkout.

The Refund Terms Vary Most

Cancellation is where the listings differ most. Rabbie's refunds in full up to 21 full days before departure on both of its tours, then keeps everything. Railtours Ireland refunds in full up to 6 days before and half from 2 to 6 days out.

Irish Experience Tours is the most forgiving, with a full refund up to 24 hours before. The Paddywagon and Overland Ireland listings are all sales final, with no refund once booked. GetYourGuide's day tours also refund up to 24 hours before departure.

If a listing is non-refundable, travel insurance with trip cancellation cover is the usual answer, so read what a policy covers before you book.

Meals: Breakfast Only

Every multi-day tour includes breakfast and none includes lunch or dinner, so budget for two meals a day on the road. The day tours are plainer still. The Cliffs of Moher day tour from Dublin has no dedicated lunch stop and recommends a packed lunch, with sandwiches available at rest stops. The Glendalough and Kilkenny tour builds in free time for lunch in Kilkenny, with a picnic spot on the castle grounds. The Aran Islands tour from Galway stops at a traditional pub or restaurant near the Cliffs, paid on the day, and the Ring of Kerry day tour breaks for lunch in Waterville. On the multi-day tours dinner is in the overnight town, from Dingle to Doolin to Westport, at your own cost.

One Island, Two Countries

Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. It uses the pound sterling while the Republic uses the euro, and its speed limits are in mph, 30 in urban areas, 60 on single carriageways and 70 on motorways, against km/h signs in the Republic. The Common Travel Area keeps border controls between the UK and Ireland minimal.

The one document to check is the UK Electronic Travel Authorisation. Visitors who are not Irish or British need an ETA to visit Northern Ireland, whether they arrive directly or via the Republic, and each family member, including children and babies, needs their own. It lasts two years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first, and decisions usually arrive within a day.

British and Irish citizens do not need one. No ETA is needed for the Republic of Ireland.

Pounds, and What the Tours Already Cover

Five listings cross the border: Paddywagon's 6-day all-Ireland tour, Overland Ireland's 10-day tour, Rabbie's 5-day northern tour, Paddywagon's 2-day Northern Ireland tour and the Giant's Causeway day tour from Dublin. Bring sterling for the entries the tours do not include. The Giant's Causeway visitor experience starts from £16 for adults and £8 for children aged 5 to 17, and its ticket covers parking, hourly guided tours and the exhibition.

Titanic Belfast charges £24.95 online for adults, against £26.95 at the door. The 2-day tour includes both visitor centre entries in its price, and Overland Ireland lists the Giant's Causeway experience and a Titanic Experience among its inclusions. On Rabbie's northern tour admission fees are not included, so budget separately. The Giant's Causeway day tour listing adds that most places in Northern Ireland take cards.

Temperatures by Season

The highs below are Met Éireann 1991 to 2020 averages for Dublin Airport on the east coast and Valentia Observatory in County Kerry, the station closest to the Ring of Kerry route. The range across the year is narrow, so daylight and rain decide more than temperature.

Daylight and Rain

Daylight swings more than temperature. Dublin has about 17 hours of daylight at midsummer against about 7 hours 30 minutes at midwinter, which is the difference between a full day on the Ring of Kerry and a short winter afternoon. Rain splits the island in two.

Valentia Observatory on the Kerry coast records 1,646.5 mm a year against 772.5 mm at Dublin Airport, about 2.1 times as much, and it averages 203.1 days a year with 1 mm or more against Dublin's 137.1. The sunniest months are May and June, at 5 to 7 hours a day, and the dullest is December. If you want the parades, Saint Patrick's Day falls on 17 March and is a public holiday in both the Republic and Northern Ireland.

Peak Against Shoulder

June to August is the peak season, with the best weather around 19 to 20°C and 16 to 18 hours of daylight, and also the highest crowds and prices. March to May and September to November are the shoulder seasons, and May and September are the usual compromise. May brings 14.8°C highs in Dublin and 6.4 hours of daily sunshine, and September holds 16.9°C. On a coach tour the season matters less than on a self-drive trip, because the operator handles the narrow roads in any weather, but the small-group tours still sell out earlier in summer.

Booking any of the multi-day tours well ahead matters most for June to August departures.

The Two Options Side by Side

The table sets a guided multi-day tour against hiring a car for the same trip, using the rental excess figures Irish hire companies publish. Cars drive on the left across the whole island, and the Republic's rural roads are narrow.

Who Each Option Suits

A tour suits a first visit, because the operator absorbs left-hand driving, narrow rural roads and the rental excess hold that Irish companies place on the card, which CARHIRE.ie says can take 21 or more days to clear after return. For seniors, the factors to check are the same whatever the operator: group size, daily walking, pace, accessibility, hotel quality and meal arrangements. On this page that means groups of up to 12 on Overland Ireland's 7-day tour and up to 15 or 16 on the Rabbie's and Irish Experience minibus tours, easygoing optional walks on the 10-day Wild Ireland trip, and breakfast included everywhere.

Solo travellers are priced explicitly too, with B&B single rooms from $1,929.96 on the 5-day south west tour and Economy singles from $407.63 on the 2-day Northern Ireland tour. A car suits travellers who want their own pace, their own room choice every night, and the freedom to stop where no coach can. The price of that freedom is the excess, the booking work and the driving itself.

Day Tours From One Base

A third way is to sleep in one place and take day tours out. Four depart from Dublin: the Cliffs of Moher day tour, the Giant's Causeway day tour, the Glendalough and Kilkenny tour and the three-castle tour to Blarney, Cashel and Cahir. Two run from the west: the Aran Islands and Cliffs of Moher tour leaves Galway at 9 AM, and the Ring of Kerry day tour starts in Killarney.

Getting to those bases without a car is straightforward by rail. On the Irish Rail timetable the train from Dublin Heuston to Galway takes about 2h 20m to 2h 50m, and Dublin to Killarney about 3h 21m with a change at Mallow. This option buys you the same city bed every night and no driving at all, at the cost of longer days on the coach to reach the coast.