Slea Head Drive, Dingle Peninsula. All photography is ours.
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Ireland with Kids
If you’re planning Ireland with kids, rent a car and drive the Wild Atlantic Way. We spent ten days on it, from the Antrim Coast in the north down through Connemara, Galway, the Cliffs of Moher, Dingle, and Kinsale. It’s one of the most stunning places we’ve ever traveled. Give Dublin two or three days at the start or the end.
Ireland is easy with kids. English everywhere, castles that let you climb on them, and a road trip where the next stop is never more than an hour away. The driving can be tricky at first, but don’t let that deter you. Ireland by car is the best way to do it.
Destination guide · Updated November 2026 · Last visited June 2019
Best months
May–June, September
Fly into
DUB · SNN · ORK
How long
3 days for Dublin, 10 for the Wild Atlantic Way
Getting around
Rental car, and drive on the left
Book ahead
Carrick-a-Rede · Book of Kells · Celtic Nights
Dublin was the last stop on our 2015 Europe trip, and it had been on Carrie’s list for a long time. We saw the Book of Kells in the Long Room at Trinity College. The kids came along to the Guinness Storehouse, and they loved the views from the Gravity Bar. We also spent a spontaneous day in Howth. Our favorite night was the Celtic Nights dinner and dance show at the Arlington Hotel. Cadence, our tap dancer, was enthralled.
We came back in 2019 for a ten day road trip. We landed in Dublin, drove straight to Northern Ireland for Carrick-a-Rede and the Giant’s Causeway (skipping the rope bridge wasn’t an option with a Carrick in the family), then followed the Wild Atlantic Way south through Donegal, Connemara, Galway, the Burren, Dingle, and Kinsale. It was an all-time road trip we’ll never forget!
Your Ireland guide
Enjoy exploring Ireland with kids!
Keep scrolling for the essentials, three road trips, and where to stay.
Essential Ireland
Why we love Ireland
We think you’ll love it too.
Ireland is where we’d send a family that wants a real road trip with a castle or a cliff at every stop. The seafood is delicious, the Guinness is cold, the sheep are friendly, the music is exciting, and the views are stunning. What’s not to love? Dublin, the Antrim Coast, and the whole Wild Atlantic Way are the ones we’ve done ourselves. Belfast and the Ring of Kerry we’ll do next time.
The Causeway Coast Guide
We saw Carrick-a-Rede, the Giant’s Causeway, and the Dark Hedges in one day from Dublin. It’s nature’s jungle gym for the kids, and on a clear day you can see Scotland.
The Wild Atlantic Way Guide
We spent ten days along 1,600 miles of coast. Our route planner covers every stop from Derry to Kinsale, with where we stayed and what we’d skip.
The Cliffs of Moher and the Burren Guide
The cliffs give you postcard views, and the Burren next door is a moonscape of limestone. It’s rugged and beautiful, and it’s the stop everyone asks about first.
And the rest we’d cross the country for
Connemara and Kylemore Abbey Guide
Connemara is where wild meets refined, with an easy summit walk in the national park. Kylemore Abbey has a walled garden the kids can run through.
Galway Guide
Galway is Ireland’s youthful melting pot, with buskers on Shop Street and plenty of fish and chips. It’s a good home base for the Burren and the Cliffs.
Dingle Peninsula Guide
The Dingle Peninsula feels like the edge of Europe, with Slea Head Drive, beehive huts, and a small town full of music. Ballyseede Castle in Tralee makes a fun stop on the way.
Kinsale and County Cork Guide
Stop at Blarney Castle to kiss the stone, then head to Kinsale’s colorful harbor for dinner. It’s the end of the Wild Atlantic Way and a gentle way to finish.
Howth Guide
Howth was our most spontaneous day in Ireland. It’s a short train ride from Dublin to a fishing village with a cliff walk and fresh fish on the pier.
Donegal Guide
Donegal has tweed weavers and wide, empty beaches. If you have the time, drive up the Inishowen Peninsula to Malin Head.
Belfast
Titanic Belfast is the reason to stop, but we skipped the city and headed straight for the coast. It’s on our list for next time.
The Ring of Kerry and Killarney
We skipped the Ring of Kerry for Dingle, so Killarney National Park, Muckross House, and the Gap of Dunloe are still on our list. Next time!
Browse
Find your next adventure in Ireland
Tell us what you’re planning and we’ll match it up with some great trip ideas.
AftT’s Wild Atlantic Way Route Planner
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Ireland’s Causeway Coastal Route – Driving the Antrim Coast
Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coastal Route and Antrim Coast are home to some of the most stunning scenery in all of…
Making Memories in Dublin with Kids
Our last stop on our European vacation 2015 was to a location that had long been on my travel bucket…
Routes
Three Ireland road trip itineraries
One country gives you three very different trips. Pick Dublin with a day trip north, the full Wild Atlantic Way, or a week in the southwest. See all the best stops on a map.
Home base
Dublin
Give it two or three days. Start with Trinity College first thing, then the Guinness Storehouse and Celtic Nights. Our Dublin guide has the details.
Then head to
Carrick-a-Rede and the Giant’s Causeway
It’s three hours north of the airport. Cross the bridge, scramble the basalt columns, and eat at the Bushmills Inn. Our Causeway Coast guide has the details.
Add on
Derry
It’s an hour and a half west. Walk the old city walls and sleep here if you’re continuing onto the Wild Atlantic Way.
Start
Derry to Donegal
Follow the Wild Atlantic Way signs south. You’ll find tweed in Ardara, beaches, and the first of many sheep in the road. Our route planner has every stop.
Then head to
Connemara, Galway, and the Cliffs of Moher
Visit Kylemore Abbey, stay a night in Galway, then see the Burren and the cliffs. This is the heart of the drive.
Finish
Dingle, Cork, and back to Dublin
Take the Slea Head Drive, visit Blarney Castle, and have dinner in Kinsale. Then stop in Cobh, Waterford, and Glendalough on the way back to the airport.
Start
Shannon
Fly into SNN and you’re forty minutes from the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren.
Then head to
Dingle and the Ring of Kerry
Two nights on the Dingle Peninsula, then the Ring of Kerry and Killarney National Park, which we haven’t done yet.
Finish
Cork and Kinsale
End with Blarney Castle, the English Market in Cork, and a last night on Kinsale’s harbor. Fly home from Cork or drive to Dublin.
When to go
Time your visits with the weather and the region
We’ve done Dublin in July and the Wild Atlantic Way in summer, and the weather did what Irish weather does. Pack layers and a rain jacket in any month. Late spring and September give you long days without the peak crowds at the Cliffs and Carrick-a-Rede.
Swipe the chart sideways to see the full year.
May – June
You get the longest days of the year and the gardens at Kylemore in bloom. It’s our pick for the road trip.
July – August
Warmest and busiest. Carrick-a-Rede uses timed tickets, so book online. Still the easiest time to travel with school-age kids, and when we went.
September
The crowds thin, the weather holds, and the B&Bs have rooms again.
October – April
Expect short, wet days and some coastal sites on winter hours. Dublin is great any month. The Antrim Coast is moody and empty, which some families will love.
Where to stay
Pick a good base to start your Ireland adventure
Ireland is a road trip country, so plan on a different bed most nights outside Dublin. Here’s where we’d stay for each.
City trips
Dublin
Ballsbridge is the quiet neighborhood we’d pick, a short walk or tram from the center. Dublin has plenty of chain hotels, which makes it an easy points stay at the start or end of a trip.
- Our Dublin guide
- Ballsbridge for quiet, Temple Bar for walking (and noise)
- The Merrion if you’re splurging
Road trips
Castles and B&Bs
This is Ireland, so sleep in a castle at least once. Ballyseede Castle near Tralee is the one in our route planner, and B&Bs and small hotels fill in the rest. Book the summer weekends early.
- Ballyseede Castle for the Dingle leg
- The Bushmills Inn on the Antrim Coast
- B&Bs everywhere else, with a full Irish breakfast
West coast trips
Galway
The best base if you’d rather unpack once. The Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, and Connemara are all day trips, and the city is fun at night.
- Our route planner
- City center for walking to dinner
- Two or three nights, then move south
Good to know
Questions families ask us about Ireland
Ireland at a glance
The practical stuff families ask us before they book.
Language: English and Irish, English everywhere
Population: About 5 million
Capital: Dublin
Currency: Euro (EUR), pounds in Northern Ireland
Power outlet: Type G, 230 V
Time difference: 6 hours ahead of Central (summer)
Entry for US passports: Passport only, up to 90 days
Driving: On the left
Emergency number: 112 or 999
Tipping: About 10 percent at restaurants, discretionary
Ten days for the Wild Atlantic Way with a couple of days in Dublin, which is what we did and it felt about right. A week works if you fly into Shannon and stay in the west. Three days is enough for Dublin and one day trip.
Easier than you think after the first hour, but pad your drive times. The roads past Belfast and along the west coast get narrow and curvy, and you’ll be on the left. We rented through Auto Europe both times. Navigation with Google Maps never let us down, and the Wild Atlantic Way is well signed. Our planner has the rental tips.
Yes, and you should. Carrick-a-Rede and the Giant’s Causeway are three hours from Dublin Airport, and there’s no passport control at the border, though that could change. Remember Northern Ireland uses pounds, not euros. Our Causeway Coast guide covers the drive.
It surprised us. There were lots of families, the exhibits are about the farming and the history more than the beer, and the kids got a soda at the Gravity Bar with the best view in Dublin. Carrie doesn’t like beer and still thought it was interesting.
Celtic Nights was probably our favorite experience in Dublin. The Giant’s Causeway was the kids’ kind of place, a rocky playground with waves crashing in. Carrick-a-Rede was a must with a Carrick in the family. And the Wild Atlantic Way had somewhere to climb at nearly every stop.
No, they don’t. A passport is enough for stays up to 90 days. Northern Ireland is part of the UK, though, and the UK now requires an ETA. Check the current rules before you cross the border.
Map
Essential Ireland, mapped
Keep exploring
Where to go next
United Kingdom with Kids
London, the day trips, and Scotland’s Highlands on the Jacobite steam train.
