Dingle Day Trips

Dingle Day Trips

Below you will find a summary of these day trips. Please note, on booking your package with us you will receive a much more detailed document with maps, attraction discounts and detailed directions. 

Day 1: Shannon Airport to Dingle
The journey from Shannon to Dingle will take you in the region two hours and 3o minutes to complete but there is plenty of stops en-route to keep you and the kids amused! Very close to Shannon you will find Medieval Bunratty Castle and its informative folk park. One of Ireland’s best family attractions, the fortress was built in 1425 by the McNamara Clan and is one of the country’s most complete castles – completely furnished on the inside. Continuing on your tour route, the town of Adare has plenty of activities for discerning families. 

Day 2: Exploring Dingle Town
Dingle town has a host of touring possibilities for you and your family to enjoy. Foremost is a boat trip to see Ireland’s most famous bottle-nosed dolphin, Fungie! Across from Dingle harbour you will find Dingle Ocean World which has been keeping the kids of Ireland and abroad amused from the early 1980’s. Dingle town is full of brightly painted craft shops, cafes and restaurants for you and your family to enjoy. At night the pubs come alive with traditional music, song and dance and children accompanied by their parents are welcomed in pubs until 9pm

Day Trip3: Exploring the Dingle Peninsula
Undoubtedly, the Dingle Peninsula contains some of Ireland’s most beautiful scenery but it also contains a wealth of historic sites and attractions and your Irish Tourism tailor made driving itinerary will help you discover them all in detail. Your first stop on this scenic driving tour might be Ventry village with its 5 mile long pristine white sandy beach.  Next on your tour you will find Dunbeg Fort which dates from the Iron Age and further onward you and your family will be able to experience remarkable sea views from Slea Head. The Blasket Islands come into full view here, one of the islands is nicknamed ‘The Sleeping Giant’ and all kids enjoy searching for him! 

Day Trip 4: The Ring of Kerry & Killarney
The Ring of Kerry, one of Ireland’s most famous driving tours is an ever popular family day out with visitors to Ireland and Irish families alike. Follow the simple directions in your Irish Tourism travelling pack from Dingle to Killarney and one of your fist stops should be Muckross House, Gardens & Traditional Farms.  Use your Irish Tourism itinerary to explore the town of Kenmare for example with its many traditional shops and pubs, Valentia Island where you will find the Skellig Experience which allows you to experience the beauty and heritage of the offshore Skellig Islands whilst remaining on dry land!

Day Trip 5: The Cliffs of Moher, the Burren & Aillwee Caves
The most direct route to Clare from this part of Ireland is through Annascaul where the Artic adventurer Tom Crean was born. You might decide to stop for a bite to eat in the pub that he owned ‘The South Pole Inn’ before continuing with your tour. Next on route will be the town of Tralee which has plenty of activities for adults and kids alike, including the newly opened Tralee Bay Wetlands Centre where visitors can take a safari boat ride through reed and freshwater channels, discovering the natural life in these fresh and saltwater habitats. Continue through Listowel to the port of Tarbert and take the 30 minute scenic ferry journey across to Clare and then the coast road as far as the Cliffs of Moher. Of course you might wish to stop in any of the coastal towns en-route including Kilrursh, Kilkee or Miltown Malbay which is famous for its traditional music scene. The Cliffs of Moher are certainly one of Ireland’s top visitor attractions and have spectacular views across the sea to the Aran Islands and Galway Bay, the onsite visitor centre provides a range of interactive displays and exhibits which tell you more about the cliffs unique history. 

Day Trip 6: Discovering Cork
On today’s tour you will have another opportunity to explore Killarney which will be directly on your touring route to the magnificent Blarney Castle! Blarney Castle was built by Cormac McCarthy more than five hundred years ago and since then millions of visitors have come to kiss the famous Blarney Stone! Not far from Blarney you might choose to visit Cork City which has a wealth of places that you might like to visit including Cork Gaol where visitors are transported to a time when the Gaol once housed 19th century prisoners. From here you may venture further into Cork City which is regarded by its inhabitants of the People’s Republic of Cork! The City has many interesting visitor attractions which your Irish Tourism itinerary will help you explore.