7 Day Ireland Tour: Overland's Ireland to Island Small Group

In the Price

Six nights of accommodation in boutique hotels and guesthouses and breakfast from day 2 are the base. On top of that the operator includes all the activity and entry items: Rock of Cashel, Blarney Castle and Gardens, the Midleton Whiskey Distillery experience, Muckross House and Gardens, the Walk Talk Taste Tour of Galway, cycling tours, kayaking in Killarney National Park, a Cliffs of Moher hike, the return ferry to Inis Oirr with the Cliffs of Moher cruise on the way back, the Shannon ferry crossing and a sheepdog demonstration. Air-conditioned transport and all relevant taxes are also listed as included.

One important catch: the booking system shows $151.60 of extra charges on top of the $2,823.90 fare, taking the total from price to $2,975.50, and the listing text does not say what they cover. Confirm the full amount at checkout before you commit, because once booked there is no refund.

Not in the Price

Lunch and dinner are yours to buy every day, along with drinks. Gratuities are excluded. The Skellig Michael Experience fee is excluded even though the landing tour is on the day 3 itinerary.

Pre and post-tour accommodation in Dublin is also excluded, so you cover your own nights before and after. A solo traveller pays a supplement for a private en-suite room, and the listing does not state the amount.

What You May Pay on the Way

Budget for lunches and dinners, tips, and the Skellig Michael fee in season. A tip of €2 to €5 a day for guides on multi-day tours is a common norm in Ireland. Pack light layers, a raincoat and sunscreen, and bring comfortable walking shoes, because the week includes hikes, a cycle and a kayak.

Baggage is capped at one suitcase of up to 65 liters and one carry-on per traveller.

Day 1: Medieval Castles, Distillery Experience, Titanic

The first stop is the Rock of Cashel, the medieval stronghold that rises above the Golden Vale in County Tipperary. Entry is included and the site's round tower stands about 28 m high, with Cormac's Chapel dating from 1127 to 1134. A typical visit lasts 1 to 1.5 hours, and the chapel can only be seen on a guided tour.

From there the group travels to the Midleton Distillery in County Cork for a whiskey tour and tasting. The day ends in Cobh, the harbour town that was the Titanic's last port of call on 11 April 1912, where 123 passengers boarded. You overnight at the Commodore Hotel in Cobh.

Breakfast is not included on day 1.

Day 2: Kiss The Blarney Stone, Ring of Kerry

After breakfast the route calls at Blarney Castle, whose keep dates from 1446. You can climb to kiss the Blarney Stone, leaning backward over the drop, and walk the gardens and the Rock Close. Lunch in the area is at your own cost.

In the afternoon the tour enters Kerry through Kenmare, which sits 32 km from Killarney at the junction of the Iveragh and Beara peninsulas, and follows the Ring of Kerry, a 179 km circular route. The night is at the Smugglers Inn in Waterville, a village on the route's Atlantic stretch.

Day 3: Skellig Michael Landing Tour, Streets of Killarney

The headline day. The group crosses to Skellig Michael, the island monastery 11.6 km west of the Iveragh Peninsula that UNESCO listed in 1996. Landings are capped at 180 visitors a day and run May to October, weather permitting, so the crossing depends on the season and the sea.

Remember the Skellig Michael Experience fee is not in the tour price. Afterwards the minibus moves on to Killarney for the evening, with food and music in town at your own cost. You sleep at the Killarney Towers, the first of two nights there.

Day 4: Explore Killarney National Park

The morning is a kayak on the Lakes of Killarney beneath Ross Castle, part of a park that covers 102.89 km2 and was Ireland's first national park, made a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 1981. The park holds about 900 red deer of the native Irish subspecies, the only remaining wild herd in the country. If kayaking is not for you, a free morning in Killarney town is the stated alternative.

In the afternoon the group visits Muckross House and Gardens, a 65-room Tudor Revival manor given to the state in 1932, and walks to Torc Waterfall. Second night at the Killarney Towers.

Day 5: Cliffs of Moher and the Burren

A sheepdog demonstration opens the day, then the group takes the Shannon Ferry across the river, which at 360.5 km is the longest in the British Isles, into County Clare. The landscape becomes the Burren, about 530 km2 of karst limestone roughly 325 million years old, where over 70 percent of Ireland's flower species grow. Then the Cliffs of Moher, which run for about 14 km and reach 214 m at their highest, with an off-the-beaten-path hike led by a local guide.

The night is at the Doolin Inn Hotel in Doolin, a village about 4 miles from the Cliffs known for nightly traditional music.

Day 6: The Aran Islands and Galway

A short ferry from Doolin takes the group to Inis Oirr, the smallest of the three Aran Islands, which together cover about 46 km2 and had 1,347 residents in 2022, mostly Irish speakers. You explore by bike on quiet roads past stone walls, beaches and shipwrecks, and the return ferry includes a cruise along the base of the Cliffs of Moher. Back on the mainland the tour drives to Galway, a city of 85,910 residents at the 2022 census and European Capital of Culture for 2020.

The night is at the Hyde Hotel Galway.

Day 7: Galway and Back to Dublin

Breakfast first, then free time in Galway to browse for Claddagh rings and woollen shawls. After that comes the Walk Talk Taste Tour, a guided food and culture walk through the city, included in the fare. In the afternoon the minibus returns to Dublin City, arriving in the early evening.

If you are staying on in the capital, the guide will share recommendations. The drive from Galway to Dublin takes roughly two to two and a half hours by road, so plan onward travel from the early evening.

Ages and Fitness

The listing prices this tour for ages 18 to 99 only, so families with children need another option. The operator asks for at least a moderate level of physical fitness and does not recommend it for travellers with poor cardiovascular health, because the week includes cycling, kayaking and a coastal hike. Tell the operator about health issues at booking and they will arrange alternatives.

If you want a relaxed week with children, the 6-day All Ireland Tour prices ages 0 to 99 and takes infant seats.

Money and Cancellation

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations, and if weather cancels an activity no refund is provided either, which matters for the Skellig Michael crossing. Travellers who want an escape hatch should look at the 5-day South West Ireland Tour, which offers free cancellation up to 21 days before departure and charges from $1,464.67.

Buy standalone cancellation cover if you book this Overland week, since the operator offers none.

Rooms and Solo Travellers

The price covers boutique hotels and guesthouses chosen by the operator. A solo traveller who wants a private en-suite room pays a supplement, and the listing does not state the amount, so ask before booking. If you want a confirmed single room at a published price, Rabbie's sells B&B single rooms from $1,929.96 and hotel singles from $2,125.88 on its 5-day route.

Pace and Weather

Driving averages 2.5 hours a day, but the itinerary stacks an activity onto most days, and the weather on the west coast can change plans. Valentia Observatory in Kerry records 1,646.5 mm of rain a year, about 2.1 times Dublin Airport, and averages 203.1 days a year with at least 1 mm of rain. Pack layers and a raincoat, and accept that the Skellig landing depends on sea conditions.

If you would rather see the Cliffs without a hike, the Cliffs of Moher Tour from Dublin does it in a 13-hour day for $87.

Arriving in Dublin

Dublin Airport sits 7 km north of the city centre and handled over 36.4 million passengers. Dublin Bus routes 16 and 41 cost €2 to €3.30 and take 30 to 50 minutes, with route 41 running around the clock. Aircoach route 700 costs about €8 to €10 and takes 30 to 40 minutes, and Dublin Express runs 4am to 12:30am for about €9.

A taxi costs roughly €30 to €45 and takes 20 to 30 minutes. Because there is no hotel pickup on this tour, book a night in the city before day 1, which you pay for separately.

Before or After the Week

If you arrive early, a day tour is an easy filler. The Glendalough and Kilkenny Tour runs 9 hours for $50, and the Blarney Castle Tour covers two of the same stops as this week for $95 if you want a taster. After the tour, Killarney is reachable directly if you want more time in Kerry, with trains from Dublin taking about 3h 21m with a change at Mallow, or 3h 17m by car over 301 km.

Adding the North

This week stays in the Republic, which uses the euro. To see Belfast, the Giant's Causeway and Derry as well, the 10-day Ireland tour from the same operator adds the north and Donegal, or the 5-day Northern Ireland Tour covers Antrim, Derry and Mayo in five days. Northern Ireland uses the pound sterling, and visitors who need a UK ETA must hold one even if they arrive via the Republic, while no ETA is needed for the Republic itself.

Each traveller, including children, needs their own ETA. Compare every option on the homepage among the Ireland vacation tours.