Visiting Ireland in 6 days might be a bit challenging. Be ready to skim the surface of this country. However, even in such a short time, if planned properly, you can easily visit the main highlights. Here you can find our 6-day, springtime itinerary.
Day 1
We wasted no time exploring this Celtic city! As soon as we landed in Dublin and checked in our hotel, we ran to the birthplace of the most iconic Irish beer – the Guinness Storehouse. Online tickets were already in our pocket. This is hands-down, the most famous tourist attraction in Dublin. Since 2000, 20 million beer lovers have walked through their doors!
The pint-shaped glass building has 7 floors. Each of the first 4 floors represents the main beer-making ingredients: water, hops, barley, and yeast. On the upper floors, there is an interesting Guinness beer advertisement exhibition together with an interactive exhibit of responsible drinking (to those who are interested in such things). On the top floor, there is a 360-degree rooftop bar with panoramic views of Dublin. There you can get a pint of Guinness beer that was included in the ticket price. Keep an eye on responsible drivers who can’t drink their free beer. This is how we ended up getting an additional two for ourselves.
Day 2
On our first full day in Dublin, we dedicated our time to orientation. As always, we joined a free walking tour with Sandemans. The 3-hour tour covered over 800 years old Dublin’s History: the Castle, Trinity College, Leinster House (Irish parliament), Christ Church Cathedral, Temple bar. The guide also introduced us to some stories about famous Irish writers (Joyce, Swift) and local living legends U2.
We always use free walking tours as a reference, which helps us to decide which locations we would like to revisit. After the introductory morning tour, we decided that we needed to circle back to Trinity College and The Temple Bar. That day, we dined in an Eastern European restaurant “Flagship”. This is how much I missed Lithuanian zeppelins and beer. Afterward, we stopped at the famous Temple bar to get some more beer and listen to live Irish folk music.
Day 3
In the early morning, we rushed to Trinity College – the oldest university in Ireland – to avoid lines. To be precise, we wanted to visit its famous 18th century Long Room, aka library, that hosts over 200,000 books. Amongst them, there is the manuscript of the Book of Kells from the 9th century. Entering this library is like traveling back in time. The huge vaulted space stacked with two floors of books would impress anyone, non-readers included. We spent less than an hour there. Afterward, we walked around Trinity College, admiring its numerous squares, gardens, and courtyards.
For an exceptional lunch, we chose The Brazen Head – the oldest pub, not just in Dublin, but in the whole of Ireland. This establishment dated back to 1198, hosting such famous writers as Swift and Joyce, who were frequent visitors. Unfortunately, the writers’ spirits did not inhabit me, but we stuffed our bellies with traditional dishes – Irish stew and Brazen Bangers & Mash. And more beer, of course.
And then what? To be honest, after wandering aimlessly in the streets of Dublin, Grafton street included, buying a souvenir postcard, and even getting closer to the Spire of Dublin (120 meters stainless steel pin-like monument) we ran out of things to do.
There was always an option to visit one of numerous museums or galleries in Dublin: The Little Museum of Dublin, The National Gallery of Ireland, The Irish Emigration Museum, GPO Witness History Museum, The James Joyce Centre, National Museum of Ireland, Irish Museum of Modern Art, The Irish Rock ‘n’ Roll Museum Experience, etc. We weren’t in the mood to dig seriously into more history or art, so we stopped to warm up and see some dead animals in the building of Natural history that belongs to the National Museum of Ireland.
Day 4
Departing from Dublin, and crossing Ireland from east to west in roughly 3 hours, we reached the Cliffs of Moher. These cliffs formed between 313 and 326 million years ago, and now reach 214 m at their highest point. The Cliffs of Moher stretch for 14 km, and on a clear day, Aran Islands and Galway bay can be visible.
From the modern visitor center, which hosts coffee and gift shops and an interactive Cliffs exhibition, multiple family-friendly pathways run in north and south directions. You can spend as much time as you please. 30 minutes might be enough time strolling along the coast. Alternatively, if you’re seeking more physical activity, you can try all the available pathways and viewing points. The scenery is somehow dramatic and slightly mysterious there. We spent nearly two hours on the Cliffs of Moher, and it was worth the drive.
Day 5
Right outside the city of Cork, there is the picturesque, medieval Blarney castle and its surrounding gardens. This is the third structure built on this site. The last one, built-in 1446 by MacCarthy of Muskerry dynasty, is the stone castle we see today.
Mostly, this castle is famous for its magical Stone of Eloquence built-in at the top of the castle. Legends say that whoever kisses it, gains a gift of eloquence. People literally stand in the line to get their turn to kiss this stone, or rather a piece of a wall. This procedure is not as easy as you might think, and some aid is needed. Anyway, I decided that I’m ok with my current speech gift and there’s no need for me to perform this.
From the top of the castle, we could see 60 acres of sprawling parklands including gardens, arboretums, waterways, and avenues. At the end of this huge area, there is a lake as well. Exploring this area is included in the ticket price to the castle, and it is highly recommended. Numerous pedestrian pathways are winding through there. However, the Poison Garden right next to the castle is the most famous in that area. For educational purposes, you can find multiple poisonous plants from around the world. All plants there have informational signs about their toxicity, traditional and modern-day uses.
We ended our day in Cork – the second largest city in Ireland. To be fair, the old town is far from being packed with sightseeing. The city center is easily walkable and offers a brief stroll by the Lee river. We also visited the famous Engish Market that offers a wide variety of artisan delicacies. The most attractive building in the old town probably was St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral finished in 1879, representing a Gothic Revival style.
Day 6
Small towns usually reveal a different side of a country. Without busy streets and masses of tourists, less populated places have their own particular vibe. Therefore, we decided to look for that vibe in the town of Kilkenny, right in the middle between Cork and Dublin.
This town with a population of fewer than 30,000 residents has a surprisingly high number of historical landmarks: St. Canice’s Cathedral and round tower, Rothe House, Black Abbey, St. Mary Cathedral, St. Francis Abbey, etc. However, the main tourist attraction is the impressive Kilkenny Castle from the 12th century.
In the evening, we ended our day in O’Faolains Kilkenny. This is a unique place since it was built over and around the ruins of an old cathedral. A lot of ex-church fragments are visible to the naked eye. If you ever dreamed about opening a cold can of beer in a church, this is the closest you can get.
Visiting Ireland in a nutshell
Even though I had high expectations about Ireland, I did not feel charmed. There was a constant feeling that something’s missing there. 3 days in Dublin is way too much unless you’re obsessed with museums and galleries. Two of my favorite places in Ireland were the Cliffs of Moher and the lesser known Kilkenny.
