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Five days · Ireland

Five days driving in Ireland

Atlantic coast peninsulas and mountain gaps, driven slowly because the surfaces demand it.

Five days is the sweet spot for a mountain region. Build in one day with almost no driving so the trip does not become a transport exercise.

Days

5 days, 4 nights

Rough distance

932.1 mi

Daily average

186.4 mi

Best months

May to September

Checked by the Drivers Atlas desk

Scored and written by the Drivers Atlas editorial desk, drawing on driven routes across the UK and Europe, mapping data and member road reports. Daily distances are set for enjoyable driving rather than maximum ground covered. How we score roads.

Last reviewed 3 May 2026

Day by day

How the trip breaks up

Day 1

Healy Pass and Conor Pass

  • Healy Pass · 7.5 mi · 9.3 / 10. Tight hairpins over the Caha Mountains linking Cork and Kerry above two bays.
  • Conor Pass · 7.5 mi · 9.3 / 10. Ireland's highest pass, a shelf road with lakes hanging above the Atlantic.

About 186.4 mi and 4 hr 43 min behind the wheel including transit.

Day 2

Ring of Kerry and Wicklow Military Road

  • Ring of Kerry · 68.4 mi · 9.1 / 10. The classic Irish coastal loop, best at dawn before the tour buses wake.
  • Wicklow Military Road · 28 mi · 9.1 / 10. Empty moorland tarmac over the Sally Gap, minutes from Dublin but utterly wild.

About 186.4 mi and 6 hr 13 min behind the wheel including transit.

Day 3

Sky Road and Slea Head Drive

  • Sky Road · 9.9 mi · 8.9 / 10. A narrow loop climbing over headland above the drowned islands of Connemara.
  • Slea Head Drive · 18.6 mi · 8.9 / 10. Cliff edge tarmac facing the Blasket Islands and the open Atlantic.

About 186.4 mi and 4 hr 47 min behind the wheel including transit.

Day 4

Sally Gap Road

  • Sally Gap Road · 12.4 mi · 8.7 / 10. A lonely blanket bog crossing through the wildest heart of the Wicklow Mountains.

About 186.4 mi and 4 hr 30 min behind the wheel including transit.

Practical

Where to start and what it costs

Base yourself

Killarney, Galway or Dublin

Nights to book

4 nights. On anything longer than five days, book two nights in the best base rather than moving hotel every evening.

Fuel and tolls

Budget for roughly 932.1 miles of driving plus any vignettes or tunnel fees for the countries you cross.

Plan this tripFind driver friendly hotels

Other lengths

More time, or less, in Ireland

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