What is the best month for this tour?

June and September offer the best combination of light, weather, and manageable visitor numbers. July and August are the warmest but also the busiest at the Cliffs of Moher and the Ring of Kerry. May is excellent for wildflowers in the Burren.

What happens after I request this trip?

You'll complete a short planning form. A specialist responds within one business day with a personalised proposal and exact pricing. No obligation.

8-Day Private Package Journey

Wild Atlantic Way

The Beara Peninsula, Ring of Kerry, Dingle, Cliffs of Moher, and Connemara — the full Atlantic coast.

Available as Private Semi-Private Self-Guided

From €2,990 per person 8 days / 7 nights

View Itinerary

Tour Overview

8 days across Ireland.

The Wild Atlantic Way is the longest defined coastal route in the world — 2,500 kilometres from the Inishowen Peninsula in Donegal to Kinsale in Cork. This eight-day private journey takes its southern half: the coast that concentrates the Atlantic drama, the prehistoric monuments, the Gaelic-speaking communities, and the landscape that Irish writers have been trying to describe in poetry for a thousand years. Kinsale is where the Wild Atlantic Way officially begins: a harbour town of painted houses and fish restaurants that represents the best of south Cork's food culture. The Beara Peninsula — less visited than the Ring of Kerry and more dramatic for it — has a coast road that circles one of the wildest landscapes in Ireland. The Ring of Kerry follows in full. The Dingle Peninsula is narrower and wilder still: Slea Head faces the Blasket Islands, the last inhabited land before Newfoundland. The Cliffs of Moher and the Burren bring the limestone plateau of Clare into the journey. Connemara is where the Atlantic ends — the bog and mountain landscape of the west coast that has been the subject of Irish landscape painting since the 19th century.

Detailed Itinerary

Your journey, day by day.

Every day is designed with breathing room. Sleep in, take a detour, linger at lunch — the itinerary flexes around you, not the other way around.

Day 1

Arrival in Cork and Kinsale

The real capital and the harbour town where the Atlantic Way begins.

Cork announces itself from the air: a city built on islands in the River Lee, surrounded by farmland that supplies the food culture that Cork people will tell you is better than anywhere else in Ireland. Your private driver meets you at Cork Airport. The afternoon belongs to the English Market — the covered food market established in 1788 that has been the heart of Cork's food identity for two centuries, selling tripe and drisheen alongside the finest artisan cheeses, dry-aged beef, and seafood from the south coast. Kinsale is forty minutes south: a natural harbour town of painted Georgian houses that was the first landing point in Ireland for the Spanish Armada in 1601 and is now the most celebrated food town in a county that takes food seriously. Welcome dinner at one of the restaurants that made Kinsale's reputation — Atlantic fish, Cork beef, and the exceptional dairy that Irish cheesemakers have been quietly perfecting.

Private airport transfer to Cork
English Market Cork — the 1788 covered food market
Kinsale harbour — the painted town where the Atlantic Way begins
Welcome dinner in Kinsale

4–5★ hotel, Cork city or Kinsale

Day 2

The Beara Peninsula

The coast road that the tourist buses cannot reach.

The Beara Peninsula is the southernmost of Kerry's five peninsulas and the least visited. That is its greatest advantage. The coast road from Glengarriff circles the peninsula past Hungry Hill — the mountain Daphne du Maurier named her novel after — and the copper-mining harbour of Allihies, whose abandoned engine houses stand against the Atlantic as conspicuously as the rock stacks. Dursey Island, at the tip of the peninsula, is reached by Ireland's only cable car — a six-person box suspended above the Dursey Sound that runs on a fixed schedule regardless of weather. The Healy Pass cuts across the central ridge between Kerry and Cork at 334 metres with views of both coastlines simultaneously. Kenmare for the night: a Georgian planned town at the head of Kenmare Bay that has the best accommodation-to-population ratio in Kerry and a food culture that rivals Kinsale.

Beara Peninsula coast road — Glengarriff to Allihies
Dursey Island cable car — Ireland's only cable car crossing
Healy Pass — dual-coast views from 334 metres
Kenmare — the Georgian planned town on the bay

Meals: Breakfast 4–5★ hotel or country house, Kenmare

Day 3

Ring of Kerry

The 179-kilometre circuit of the most celebrated peninsula in Ireland.

The Ring of Kerry is the coastal circuit of the Iveragh Peninsula — the largest of Kerry's five peninsulas and the one that gave the county its international reputation. The drive anticlockwise from Kenmare takes a full day and covers the Atlantic headlands south of Waterville, the Skellig Ring loop with its view of Skellig Michael offshore — the sea rock where Augustinian monks built a monastery in stone beehive cells between the 7th and 12th centuries, recognisable from its appearance in Star Wars — and Ladies View, the panorama above the Killarney Lakes that Victorian tourists made the most photographed viewpoint in Kerry. The Gap of Dunloe is the glacial pass through the MacGillycuddy's Reeks, the highest mountains in Ireland at 1,038 metres — navigable on foot, by jaunting car, or by private vehicle on the Black Valley road. Your private guide navigates the circuit and stops at the points that repay the stop.

Ring of Kerry anticlockwise — the full 179km circuit
Skellig Ring and the offshore view of Skellig Michael
Ladies View above the Killarney Lakes
Gap of Dunloe — the glacial pass through the MacGillycuddy's Reeks

Meals: Breakfast 4–5★ hotel, Killarney

Day 4

The Dingle Peninsula

The westernmost road in Europe.

The Dingle Peninsula is narrower and wilder than the Ring of Kerry and receives a fraction of its visitors. The Conor Pass — at 456 metres, the highest mountain pass in Ireland accessible by road — crosses the central spine with views of Tralee Bay on one side and Dingle Bay on the other. Dingle town is a working fishing port that happens to have more good restaurants per capita than anywhere else in Ireland outside Dublin. Slea Head at the western tip is one of the westernmost points of continental Europe: the Great Blasket Island visible two kilometres offshore, the last inhabited land before the Atlantic reaches Newfoundland 4,800 kilometres west. The Blasket Centre at Dunquin explains the community of Irish-speaking islanders who lived on Great Blasket until the last evacuation in 1953 — a community that produced three writers whose memoirs are among the defining documents of oral Gaelic culture. The beehive cells above Fahan: dry-stone corbelled huts built by early Christian hermits, some dating to the 8th century, still standing without mortar in hillside fields.

Conor Pass — 456 metres, highest road pass in Ireland
Slea Head — the westernmost road in Europe, Blasket Islands offshore
Blasket Centre — the last Gaelic island community evacuated 1953
Dingle beehive cells — 8th-century hermit huts in working farmland

Meals: Breakfast 4★ hotel, Dingle or Tralee

Day 5

The Burren

The limestone plateau where Arctic and Mediterranean flowers grow in the same field.

The Burren is 250 square kilometres of karst limestone plateau in County Clare — a landscape so unusual that Oliver Cromwell's surveyor famously wrote that it had not water enough to drown a man, wood enough to hang one, nor earth enough to bury one. He was not entirely wrong about the rock, but he missed the flowers: the Burren supports Arctic, Alpine, and Mediterranean plant species in the same hectare because the limestone acts as a heat store through winter. The Poulnabrone dolmen — a portal tomb built around 4,200 BC, older than Stonehenge, standing in the open limestone pavement — is the most photographed megalithic monument in Ireland. The Aillwee Cave system beneath the plateau runs 600 metres into the rock with stalactites, a frozen waterfall, and the bones of bears that used it as a hibernation chamber. Lisdoonvarna — the spa town at the Burren's western edge, better known for its annual matchmaking festival — sits below the cliffs road to Moher. Accommodation tonight near the cliff edge.

Poulnabrone dolmen — 4,200 BC portal tomb in open limestone
Burren limestone plateau — Arctic and Mediterranean flora together
Aillwee Cave — 600 metres beneath the plateau
Lisdoonvarna and the road to the Cliffs of Moher

Meals: Breakfast 4★ hotel, Clare coast

Day 6

Cliffs of Moher and Galway

The 214-metre cliff face and the city where the west begins.

The Cliffs of Moher rise 214 metres from the Atlantic along eight kilometres of Clare coastline — the most visited natural sight in Ireland and, on a clear morning before the tour coaches arrive, one of the most dramatic cliff faces in Europe. The coastal path from O'Brien's Tower north toward Hag's Head has the full Atlantic horizon; on a clear day the Aran Islands sit in the bay and the mountains of Connemara rise beyond them. The drive north to Galway follows the coast road past the Burren shoreline and into the city at the mouth of the Corrib River by lunchtime. Galway's medieval Latin Quarter, the Spanish Arch — the remnant of the 16th-century city wall through which Spanish wine arrived by ship — and the shops and pubs of Shop Street represent the most concentrated expression of west-coast Irish character in an urban setting. The afternoon and evening at leisure in one of Ireland's most energetic cities.

Cliffs of Moher — 214 metres, eight kilometres of Atlantic cliff face
Morning cliff path walk from O'Brien's Tower to Hag's Head
Galway city — the Latin Quarter and the Spanish Arch
Galway evening — the pub culture and the Corrib waterfront

Meals: Breakfast 4–5★ hotel, Galway

Day 7

Connemara

The bogland and mountain landscape of the Irish Atlantic coast.

Connemara is the name for the landscape of western County Galway — a vast expanse of blanket bog, mountain, and Atlantic inlet that stretches from Galway city to the Mayo border. The Twelve Bens are the quartzite mountains at its heart; Kylemore Abbey, built as a Victorian castle on the shore of Kylemore Lough in 1867 and now a Benedictine monastery, is the most photographed building in Connemara. Killary Harbour is Ireland's only fjord — a 16-kilometre sea inlet between the mountains of Mweelrea and Maam Turk that was carved by glaciation and filled by the sea. Clifden is the capital of Connemara: a small town of coloured houses on a bay with a Saturday market and the surviving walls of the castle where John D'Arcy founded the town in 1812. The Connemara coast road returns to Galway through the Gaelic-speaking villages — the Gaeltacht — where Irish remains the daily language of the community.

Kylemore Abbey — Victorian castle and Benedictine monastery
Killary Harbour — Ireland's only fjord
Twelve Bens mountain circuit — Connemara's quartzite spine
Gaeltacht villages — the Irish-speaking communities of the coast

Meals: Breakfast 4–5★ hotel, Galway

Day 8

Departure from Galway

One final Atlantic morning.

The morning belongs to Galway: Shop Street and the buskers who have been playing there since before the tourists arrived; the salmon weir below the cathedral where Atlantic salmon run in season; Eyre Square and the market. The Aran Islands are visible from the waterfront on a clear morning — the three limestone islands in Galway Bay whose prehistoric forts, early Christian monuments, and Gaelic-speaking population represent the most concentrated expression of the Irish west. Your private driver transfers you to Galway or Shannon Airport at the agreed time, following the coast road past Galway Bay for a final view of the Atlantic.

Galway morning — the salmon weir and Shop Street
Aran Islands visible from Galway Bay on a clear day
Private transfer to Galway or Shannon Airport

Meals: Breakfast

Where You'll Stay

Hand-picked hotels, every night.

We choose properties for character, location, and the kind of service that makes you feel looked after — not just checked in. Every hotel can be swapped for an alternative if you prefer.

Cork / Kinsale

1 night

4–5★ hotel

City centre or harbour

Kinsale is the stronger choice for the welcome dinner and Wild Atlantic Way atmosphere

Kenmare

1 night

4–5★ hotel or country house

Town centre

Kenmare has the best accommodation in Kerry outside of Killarney — quieter and more atmospheric

Killarney

1 night

4–5★ hotel

Town centre

Central to the Ring of Kerry circuit and the Gap of Dunloe

Dingle / Tralee

1 night

4★ hotel

Town centre

Dingle town is the stronger choice for its restaurant culture and harbour atmosphere

Clare coast

1 night

4★ hotel

Near Cliffs of Moher

Lahinch or Doolin allows an early morning cliff walk before tour groups arrive

Galway

2 nights

4–5★ hotel

City centre

Two nights allows the full Connemara day and a proper Galway evening

Hotels shown are indicative of the standard we book. Upon request, we will provide a detailed itinerary with specific hotel options tailored to your preferences and budget.

What's in the Price

Included

7 nights in 4–5★ hotels and coastal properties
Daily breakfast at each property
Private airport transfer at Cork
Private vehicle and driver throughout
Cork city and English Market guided visit
Beara Peninsula guided circuit
Ring of Kerry full-day circuit with guide
Dingle Peninsula guided circuit
Burren guided visit including Poulnabrone dolmen
Cliffs of Moher entry
Connemara full-day guided circuit
All entrance fees for guided visits
24/7 travel specialist support
Hamilton & Chase digital travel booklet

Not Included

International flights to Cork / from Galway or Shannon
Travel insurance (required — we can arrange on request)
Meals not listed
Personal expenses
Gratuities for guides and drivers
City tax (collected by hotels)

Good to Know

The Beara Peninsula coast road is narrow and slow by design — allow a full day and treat it as the experience, not the transit.
Skellig Michael boat trips operate June–August only and are weather-dependent — advance booking is essential.
The Cliffs of Moher are at their best in early morning before tour coaches arrive. Staying near Lahinch or Doolin the night before makes the early start possible.
Connemara light changes rapidly — the bog landscape in rain and low cloud is as dramatic as it is in sunshine, sometimes more so.

Make It Yours

Optional add-ons & upgrades.

Every trip is different. These extras can be woven into your itinerary — just let your travel specialist know what catches your eye.

Skellig Michael boat trip

The UNESCO World Heritage island seven miles off the Kerry coast — where monks built a monastery in stone beehive cells at 180 metres. Weather-dependent, June–August. Pre-booking essential.

From €75 pp

Aran Islands day trip

Ferry from Galway or Doolin to Inishmore — the largest Aran Island, with Dún Aonghasa (the Iron Age fort on the 90-metre cliff) and the world's densest concentration of early Christian monuments

From €65 pp

Connemara pony trekking

A two-hour guided ride across Connemara bog on native ponies — the breed that has existed here since the Bronze Age and is uniquely suited to the terrain

From €85 pp

Irish whiskey distillery

Private visit to one of the new-generation Cork or Kerry distilleries — Ireland's whiskey industry has expanded from 2 to over 40 distilleries since 2010

From €55 pp

"Eight days on the Atlantic coast and I feel like I have only scratched the surface. The Beara Peninsula alone was worth the trip — no coaches, no queues, just the road and the Atlantic and our guide explaining why the copper miners left. Hamilton & Chase found us places to stay that we would never have found alone."

Catherine & David M.

Edinburgh, Scotland · Wild Atlantic Way, August 2024

Common Questions

Questions about this trip.

How does this differ from the Essence of Ireland tour?

The Wild Atlantic Way tour goes deeper on the coast and adds the Beara Peninsula — the least-visited of Kerry's peninsulas and arguably its most dramatic. It also adds a full Connemara day and two nights in Galway. Dublin and Kilkenny are not included — this tour starts in Cork and is entirely focused on the western Atlantic coast.

Is the Beara Peninsula accessible for all fitness levels?

The Beara circuit is driven, not walked — all the key viewpoints are accessible from the vehicle. The Dursey Island cable car requires a short walk on each side. The peninsula is perfectly accessible for guests who prefer not to walk long distances.

Private Package Journey

Wild Atlantic Way

8 days / 7 nights

From €2,990

per person

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