Extraordinary Sites to See With 5 Days in Ireland

Extraordinary Sites to See With 5 Days in Ireland

Ireland is a beautiful destination with many popular tourist sites all worth visiting! It can be hard to choose where to go and what to see when visiting. Here is my 5 day Itinerary from late October 2025.

We chose to rent a car for the majority of our trip and returned it when we got back to Dublin, opting for public transport.

Just like with any trip I felt I could have stayed longer and explored more but overall I was very satisfied with everything we did and saw. You know, like at the end of trip when it’s time to go home and your sad to leave but at the same time feel successful, satisfied, and at peace? I feel like this Itinerary will give you that!

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Transportation

There are many ways to get around Ireland. Rental car, train, and/or bus and taxi, whichever works best for you!

Personally, I prefer to do things at my own pace. We rented a car and stayed in a few different accommodations around the country.

If you’re more like my husband and prefer to stay in one accommodation throughout your trip, it’s totally doable to stay in Dublin and take day trips either by rental car, train, or tour bus.

For the best Ireland day tours, use Viator!

Rent a Car

If you are feeling up to driving on the left side of the road and braving the narrow, winding streets, renting a car is good option.

My husband drove each time we visited Ireland and as he put it he would “drive on the left side of the road or drive stick shift, not both at the same time”. If your also from the U.S. and used to driving automatic, make sure to budget a little extra to rent an automatic car.

You also will want to budget for the insurance. The roads are very narrow and in some areas, there are stone walls super close to the side of the road and it is easy to get too close and scratch the car or take out a side mirror. Not that we did that! We just got stuck in a VERY narrow alleyway that took lots of maneuvering to get out and also probably aged us 5 years due to the stress of the situation haha!

Train

Trains connect most of the major cities in Ireland. From there you can take a taxi or public bus to get to specific destinations like the Cliffs of Moher, Blarney Castle, or Killarney.

Taxi

Download the taxi app ahead of time, in Ireland it is called Freenow. The app works just like Uber or Lyft. It is easy to call a taxi when you need it.

Tour bus

It only takes about three to four hours to get across the country so day tours are very doable and there’s plenty to choose from. As I mentioned earlier, it’s very doable to stay in Dublin and book day tours through Viator.

5 Days in Ireland Itinerary

Day 1

If you’re flying in from the U.S. chances are you’ll have an overnight flight and land in the morning. This is perfect because you get almost a full day when you arrive.

Take advantage and enjoy the beautiful scenery as you drive across the country! We stopped and got lunch in Athlone along the way to Doolin, where we stayed the night to be close to the Cliffs of Moher so we could go early the next morning.

I highly reccommend the Doolin Village Lodges! The private, three bedroom, lodge was perfect for our group of 7.

Click Here to book the Doolin Village Lodges!

Day 2 – Cliffs of Moher

A very popular tourist spot, the Cliffs of Moher are worth the visit! If you plan on visiting in summer, I recommend purchasing tickets in advance. If you are visiting in an off season, you can get tickets when you arrive.

Pro tip: Get there right away in the morning to avoid large tour bus crowds.

Traveling in the off season and purchasing tickets at the gate will give you flexibility with weather. Ireland is often cloudy and foggy making it very difficult to see the cliffs. The first time we went, it was so foggy that when we arrived at the cliffs, the ticket agent told us not to bother buying tickets because it was too foggy to see anything.

If the weather is bad for you, check out local shops or pubs in Doolin or take the time to drive to Galway and explore the city!

Getting There

Parking is available if you drive. It’s about a three and half hour drive from Dublin.

If your taking the train, you can book fare to Ennis or Galway and take either public bus or a taxi from there.

Day 3 – Killarney National Park

This beautiful national park is free to all visitors. We hiked a small loop to the Torc Waterfall and stopped to see Muckross House, a stunning mansion in the park.

Getting There

There are many parking lots (or car parks, as they say) around the park with maps of nearby trails. It’s about a two and half to three hour drive from Doolin to Killarney and about a three and half hour drive from Dublin.

You can get to Killarney by train! The train station is also pretty close to Killarney National Park but you can also order a taxi to take you to a specific trail head.

Day 4 – Blarney Castle

Another popular tourist site! I highly recommend getting there when they open to avoid a long line up to the Blarney Stone. Go straight to the entrance to the stone then take your time exploring the castle and the surrounding gardens.

Staying at the Blarney Woollen Mills Hotel gives you walking access to the castle!
We stayed here the night before and walked to the castle right when it opened. This hotel also has Ireland’s largest Woollen shop! A perfect place to get your authentic cozy wool sweater.

Book your stay at Blarney Woollen Mills Hotel!

The Blarney website says it takes the average visitor about three hours to explore the grounds. We easily could have stayed longer and seen more but give yourself at least three hours and maybe more if your going later in the day. The line to get to the Blarney Stone can get long.

The Blarney Stone is at the top of the castle and the staircase is narrow and steep. When you reach the Blarney Stone there will be a worker to assist you if you wish to kiss it for the gift of gab. You can also just walk by and take a picture.

We opted out of kissing a stone that has been kissed by too many people haha and there’s a legend that locals pee on it though I have no idea if that’s true.

Getting There

If you’re following our route from Killarney, it’s about a one hour drive. If you’re coming from Dublin it’s about a three hour drive.

If you’re taking the train, book fare into Cork and take a bus or taxi to Blarney Castle.

Day 5 – Dublin

From Blarney, it take about three hours to drive to Dublin without traffic. Avoid getting into the city around rush hour.

There’s so much to see in Dublin and it’s a very walkable city. You can also take the public bus or a taxi.

I recommend staying in Temple Bar, it’s a very central location and it’s close to the Dublin Castle, Trinity College, and Grafton Street.

The Dublin Zoo is also worth a visit. The enclosures for the animals are spacious and the animals are active and happy!

You can also book tours of the Jameson Distillery and the Guinness Factory.

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Make it 7 Days

If you’re staying longer, here’s a few good options to add to your itinerary!

Giants Causeway

Located in Norther Ireland, this World Heritage site is a rock formation on the coast and it is amazing! Be prepared, Northern Ireland uses a different currency than the Republic of Ireland.

Getting There

If you’re renting a car the drive from Dublin is just over three hours.

Taking a train or bus will turn this into an overnight excursion unless you book a tour bus.

Doolin Cave

Climb down 125 steps and into a winding cave system to see Europe’s Largest Stalactite!

You will be wearing a hard hat and ducking through trunnels. This stalactite is the third largest in the world and easiest of the three to get to. It was totally worth it.

It’s important to note that children under 3 years old cannot enter the cave. I was also told by the tour guide that I could not carry my 4 year old at any point in the cave, she would have to walk the whole thing by herself.

Pro tip: Use the bathroom before the cave tour starts. My 4 year old made it to the very last room of the cave when she announced that she needed the bathroom! We had to run back through the cave and up the 125 steps to the visitor center. Luckily we made it without an accident.

Getting There

The Doolin Cave is close to the Cliffs of Moher and is easy to do in the same day. If your driving there is parking at the cave.

If your taking the train, you can book fare to Ennis or Galway and take a taxi from there.

Wild Atlantic Way

You will need a rental car to drive through the back roads along the coast for this spectacular drive. The Wild Atlantic Way is a scenic drive along the entire coast of Ireland.

You will need this site for directions because The Wild Atlantic Way is not known to google maps!

If you plan on doing this, it may take you longer than seven days. You can also just hop on the route for a short time to fit your time frame. We only took the Wild Atlantic Way from Doolin to Killarney.

Make it 3 Days

If you only have three days in Ireland, I highly recommend prioritizing the Cliffs of Moher and Blarney Castle. Both places were beautiful and fun to explore. Take time to talk to the workers and the locals to learn all bout the stories and history of each place. And of course, don’t forget to go to a local pub and enjoy live music and a Guinness!

Recap: Extraordinary Sites to See in 5 Days in Ireland

Ireland has so much to do and see and the locals are very friendly. Whatever you choose to do on your trip you won’t be disappointed, as long as you keep an open mind when weather changes your plans 😉