Vacation Tours of Ireland10-Day Wild Ireland Tour: Small Group Tours of Ireland Compared
Among small group tours of Ireland, this 10-day Wild Irish Experience from Irish Experience Tours takes the slow road. The group is capped at 16 travellers in an air-conditioned minibus, and you unpack less than most itineraries allow, with two-night stays in Clifden, Dingle and Killarney. Five entrance fees are in the price, along with breakfast from day two, a sheepdog demonstration on a family farm and the River Shannon ferry. This page sets out what the $3,301 covers, day by day, and where it falls short. Compare it with the rest of the vacation tours of Ireland before you book.
About This Tour
Irish Experience Tours runs this 10-day loop from Dublin through Wicklow, Tipperary, Cork, Kerry, Clare, Galway and Mayo, along the Wild Atlantic Way and into the Ancient East. The bus is a private air-conditioned minibus with a highly trained professional Irish Experience guide, and the group is capped at 16 passengers.
The pace is deliberately gentle. Two-night stays in Clifden, Dingle and Killarney mean three towns where you do not repack, and the listing describes the activities as easygoing and optional, suitable for all fitness levels. Breakfast is included from day two. Lunch, dinner and the tour options listed in the itinerary are not.
$3,301 per person, which buys a Classic B&B or hotel room in twin or double format. Solo travellers must take the single supplement option, amount not stated.
10 days, 9 nights, with overnights in Westport, Clifden (two nights), Lahinch, Dingle (two nights), Killarney (two nights) and Kilkenny.
Main entrance of The Point A Hotel, Parnell Street, Dublin City. A departure time is not stated.
Up to 16 passengers, with the services of a highly trained and professional Irish Experience tour guide in English.
Breakfast, all fees and taxes, entrance fees to Glendalough, the Rock of Cashel, Kylemore Abbey, Cahir Castle and the Cliffs of Moher, plus a sheepdog demonstration, an award-winning Westport walking tour, highlights of Killarney National Park and the River Shannon ferry.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the scheduled departure time for a full refund, the most generous rule among the multi-day listings compared here.
Check Dates and Availability
Enter your dates to see live availability and the exact price for your room type. The listed price of $3,301 is per person in a twin or double room.
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Quick answer Price, group size and refund rule
This 10-day small group tour of Ireland costs $3,301 per person, is capped at 16 travellers and is rated 5.0 from 119 reviews.
Key takeaways
- Five entrance fees, breakfast and the Shannon ferry are in the price, and you can cancel free up to 24 hours before departure. See what the price covers.
- Two-night stays in Clifden, Dingle and Killarney cut the packing and unpacking to six hotels in ten days. The day by day route shows where each night falls.
- If you would rather see Northern Ireland too, the 10-Day Ireland Tour adds Donegal, Derry and the Giant's Causeway.
- Short on time? The 5-Day South West Ireland Tour covers the Burren, the Cliffs of Moher and Kerry in half the days.
What the Price Actually Covers
The $3,301 is per person and buys one bed in a twin or double room, breakfast from day two, transport, the guide and a set list of admissions. Everything on the tour options list is extra, and lunch and dinner are on you.
Room Options
The listing sells two pricing options. Pricing A is a Classic B&B or hotel twin or double room at the listed price. Pricing B is the B&B single supplement, which is mandatory for solo travellers and is priced as a separate option, amount not stated, so solo travellers should check the supplement before booking.
The total number of nights is not stated beyond the itinerary's 9 overnight stops.
| Line | In the price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation | Yes | Classic B&B or hotel in twin or double rooms, with two-night stays in Connemara, Dingle and Killarney |
| Breakfast | Yes | Included. Other meals are not listed, so lunch and dinner are paid on the road |
| Transport | Yes | Private air-conditioned minibus, no hotel pickup |
| Guide | Yes | Highly trained professional Irish Experience tour guide, in English |
| Entrance fees | Yes | Glendalough, Rock of Cashel, Kylemore Abbey, Cahir Castle, Cliffs of Moher |
| Extras | Yes | Sheepdog demonstration on a locally run family farm, award-winning Westport walking tour, highlights of Killarney National Park, River Shannon ferry |
| Tour options | No | Any tour options specified in the itinerary, such as the Dingle Sea Safari at €65 or the Killarney jaunting car at €20 to €30 |
| Single supplement | Mandatory for solo travellers | A B&B single supplement is a separate option for solo travellers, amount not stated |
| Drinks | No | None stated as included |
What You Will Pay on the Way
Budget for lunches and dinners in Westport, Clifden, Lahinch, Dingle, Killarney and Kilkenny. The listing prices several options: the Inis Mor day trip via Rossaveal at €40 return for the boat plus €20 to €25 for a local bus or bike on the island, the Dingle Sea Safari at €65, Dingle Sea Kayaking at €55, Dick Macks Brewery Tours at €25, a guided horse ride near Ventry at €55, Dingle Tasting Tours at €80, the Killarney horse-drawn jaunting tour at €20 to €30, bike rental for Killarney National Park at €20 to €55 and the Ross Castle tour at €5. Tips are not included, and a common norm is €2 to €5 a day for guides on multi-day tours.
Sources: Ireland.com, Met Éireann
Clifden seen from the hills above, with its church spire and coloured houses. Photo: Bert Kaufmann from Roermond, Netherlands, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Day by Day
Ten days, six overnight towns and nine nights of accommodation. The listing gives average driving times for some days. Here is what each day contains and where you sleep.
Day 1: Dublin to Westport
The morning drive runs about 3.5 hours across the Hidden Heartlands to Westport in County Mayo, on the western edge of the 2,500 km Wild Atlantic Way, a coastal route through nine counties that launched in 2014. After arrival the afternoon is free to wander the town's streets, pubs and craft shops. Options include climbing Croagh Patrick, Ireland's Holy Mountain, a 3.5-hour climb from 3 pm to 7 pm, hiring a bike for the 25 km Great Western Greenway from Mulranny to Westport from 3 pm to 6 pm, or exploring Westport House.
Overnight in Westport.
Day 2: Historical Tour of the Connemara Region
After breakfast you join the award-winning Westport walking tour, then stop at the foot of Croagh Patrick, the National Famine Memorial and the Doolough Valley. Before lunch the route runs through the Delphi Valley to Killary Harbour, Ireland's only fjord, and the village of Leenane, where the listing suggests local mussels for lunch. The day ends via the Sky Road into Clifden, with live Irish music in local bars in season.
Average driving time is about 2 hours. Connemara is Ireland's largest Gaeltacht, with roughly 20,000 to 24,000 native Irish speakers. Two nights in Clifden.
Day 3: Full Day in Connemara
A second day and night in Clifden means no repacking. The guide leads a tour of the region with an optional gentle hike around Diamond Hill in Connemara National Park, which sits among the Twelve Bens mountains, and a visit to Kylemore Abbey and its landscaped gardens. Kylemore was built from 1867 as a private home for Mitchell Henry, and Irish Benedictine nuns bought it in 1920.
The Inagh Valley and Sky Road fill out the drive back. You arrive in Clifden by late afternoon. Overnight in Clifden again.
Day 4: Galway, The Burren and Lahinch
The bus follows Galway Bay to Galway city, where you spend several hours among the buskers and cobblestone lanes. Galway had 85,910 residents at the 2022 census and is the fourth most populous city in the Republic. The first photo stop is the 16th century Dunguaire Castle at Kinvara, then the glacial-karst landscape of the Burren, a 530 km2 limestone pavement about 325 million years old, past Corcomroe Abbey with views of the Aran Islands.
You reach Lahinch in the late afternoon. An optional full day on Inis Mor costs €40 return for the boat plus €20 to €25 for bus or bike. Overnight in Lahinch.
Day 5: Cliffs of Moher and a Kerry Farm
The morning belongs to the Cliffs of Moher, which run about 14 km and reach 214 m, or 702 ft, just north of O'Brien's Tower. The entrance fee is included. From Clare you take the ferry across the mouth of the River Shannon, at 360.5 km the longest river in the British Isles, watching for dolphins.
The afternoon brings the sheepdog demonstration on a locally run family farm before you roll into Dingle. Average driving time is about 3 hours 30 minutes. Overnight in Dingle, the first of two nights.
Day 6: Dingle and Slea Head Drive
The famous curvy Slea Head drive runs along the edge of the peninsula, with the Atlantic on one side and patchwork fields on the other, passing secluded beaches and ancient stone huts. At Dunquin, the most westerly parish on the peninsula, you can visit the Blasket Centre, which tells the story of the Blasket Islands, uninhabited since the 1950s. After lunch the afternoon is free in Dingle, or you can book the Sea Safari at €65, sea kayaking at €55, the Dick Macks brewery tour at €25, a horse ride near Ventry at €55 or Dingle Tasting Tours at €80.
Overnight in Dingle.
Day 7: Ring of Kerry and Skellig Views
A long day, about 5 hours of driving plus photo stops, covering roughly 180 km around the Iveragh Peninsula on the Ring of Kerry, a 179 km circular route. Tour buses on the Ring run counter-clockwise to handle the narrow roads. Weather permitting, the route takes in Skellig viewing points.
Skellig Michael lies 11.6 km offshore and was listed by UNESCO in 1996. The day closes with highlights of Killarney National Park, including Muckross Abbey and a short walk to Torc Waterfall. Overnight in Killarney, the first of two nights.
Day 8: Killarney National Park
A free day. Rise early or sleep in and explore Killarney park and town at your own pace. The park covers 102.89 km2, was Ireland's first national park and became a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 1981, and holds the only remaining wild native herd of about 900 red deer.
Options priced in the listing are a horse-drawn jaunting tour at €20 to €30, bike rental at €20 to €55 and the Ross Castle tour at €5. Overnight in Killarney again.
Day 9: Cahir, the Rock of Cashel and Kilkenny
After breakfast the drive runs east through North Cork to Cahir Castle on the river Suir, one of Ireland's largest and best-preserved medieval castles, which featured in Excalibur and The Tudors. The entrance fee is included. Next is the Rock of Cashel, the traditional seat of the kings of Munster, with a round tower about 28 m high and Cormac's Chapel dating from 1127 to 1134.
Its fee is included too. Kilkenny, 117 km from Dublin with 27,184 residents in 2022, closes the day with a self-guided walk of the medieval mile. Overnight in Kilkenny.
Day 10: Kilkenny, Glendalough and Back to Dublin
Free time first in Kilkenny, one of Ireland's oldest cities, with craft studios, cafes and the medieval mile. A self-guided cathedral tour at St Canice's, which has a 9th century round tower, is a tour option. The bus then crosses the Wicklow Mountains to Glendalough, the 6th century monastery founded by St Kevin, whose round tower stands about 30 m high.
The entrance fee is included. Average driving time is about 3 hours 30 minutes, and the tour ends at the Ashling Hotel in Dublin between 5 and 6 pm.
Who This Tour Rules Out
This is a gentle tour, but it is still ten days on a small bus, and a few hard limits in the listing will send some travellers elsewhere.
Check These Before Booking
The price buys a twin or double room, so solo travellers must take the single supplement option, the amount of which is not stated. If you want a guaranteed private room for one at a known price, the 5-Day South West Ireland Tour from Rabbie's publishes its single room rates from $1,929.96. There is no hotel pickup, so you make your own way to The Point A Hotel on Parnell Street.
Lunch and dinner are never included, and on the longest days, about 5 hours of driving on day 7, you should carry snacks. The tour is priced for ages 5 to 105, with infant seats available.
- Group of up to 16: fine for most, but if you want even fewer people, the 7-Day Ireland to Island Tour from Overland caps at 12
- No refund-free booking after the 24-hour window: buy cancellation cover for changes inside the final day
- Bad weather changes the day: Skellig viewing points are very much weather-dependent per the listing, and the Inis Mor boat crossing runs on the operator's schedule
- Walking on uneven ground: the Diamond Hill hike is optional and the listing says all activities suit all fitness levels
Who Should Look at a Different Tour
If ten days and $3,301 exceed your budget or your leave allowance, shorter and cheaper listings exist. The 6-Day All Ireland Tour from Paddywagon costs from $1,023.66 in a dorm bed and adds Northern Ireland, though it runs in a coach of up to 56 and has no refund. If Northern Ireland, the Giant's Causeway and Donegal are the point of the trip, this tour never crosses the border, so the 10-Day Ireland Tour from Overland, which includes Derry, the Titanic Experience and a night in a castle, fits better.
Compare every option on the vacation tours of Ireland homepage.
Muckross House and its gardens in Killarney National Park. Photo: Berthold Werner, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Getting to the Start and Making a Trip of It
The tour starts and ends in Dublin city, so flying into Dublin Airport is the simplest plan. Build a day either side rather than flying in on the morning of departure.
Reaching the Meeting Point
The meeting point is the main entrance of The Point A Hotel, Parnell Street, Dublin City. Dublin Airport is 7 km north of the centre. Dublin Bus routes 16 and 41 cost €2 to €3.30 and take 30 to 50 minutes, with route 41 running around the clock.
Aircoach route 700 costs about €8 to €10 for 30 to 40 minutes, and Dublin Express runs 4am to 12:30am for about €9. A taxi costs roughly €30 to €45 and takes 20 to 30 minutes. There is no hotel pickup, so leave margin for traffic.
- A day in Dublin before or after: the Glendalough and Kilkenny Tour covers two of this route's stops in one 9-hour day at $50, and the Cliffs of Moher Tour from Dublin does the Cliffs in 13 hours at $87
Extending the Trip
This itinerary stays entirely in the Republic, so the euro is the only currency you need on the road. If you add Northern Ireland separately, remember it uses pounds sterling, that speed limits switch to mph, and that visitors who need a UK ETA must hold one for Northern Ireland, so check gov.uk before travelling. The 2-Day Northern Ireland Tour from Dublin and the 5-Day Northern Ireland Tour both cover Belfast and the Giant's Causeway from $226.59 and $1,486.20 respectively.
The Enterprise train to Belfast runs hourly and takes about 2h 13m if you would rather go alone. Weather-wise, the west coast is wet: Valentia Observatory in Kerry averages 1,646.5 mm of rain a year against 772.5 mm at Dublin Airport, so pack a waterproof at any time of year.
The Ten Days at a Glance
One line per day, from the listing. Driving times are the averages the listing states.
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Day 1
Dublin to Westport
About 3.5 hours across the Hidden Heartlands. Free afternoon, with an optional Croagh Patrick climb or a 25 km Greenway bike ride. Overnight in Westport.
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Day 2
Connemara Region
Westport walking tour, Croagh Patrick foot, National Famine Memorial, Doolough Valley, Killary Harbour fjord and the Sky Road into Clifden. About 2 hours driving. Two nights in Clifden.
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Day 3
Full Day in Connemara
Diamond Hill hike in Connemara National Park, Kylemore Abbey and gardens, Inagh Valley. Back in Clifden by late afternoon. Overnight in Clifden.
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Day 4
Galway, The Burren and Lahinch
Several hours in Galway city, Dunguaire Castle, the Burren, Corcomroe Abbey, views of the Aran Islands. Overnight in Lahinch, with an Inis Mor option.
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Day 5
Cliffs of Moher to Dingle
Cliffs of Moher with entry included, Shannon ferry, sheepdog demonstration on a family farm. About 3 hours 30 minutes driving. Overnight in Dingle.
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Day 6
Dingle and Slea Head Drive
Slea Head loop, Blasket Centre at Dunquin, free afternoon in Dingle with priced options from €25 to €80. Overnight in Dingle.
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Day 7
Ring of Kerry
About 180 km around the Iveragh Peninsula with Skellig viewing points and Killarney National Park highlights. About 5 hours driving. Overnight in Killarney.
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Day 8
Killarney National Park
A free day in the park and town. Jaunting cars, bike rental and Ross Castle are priced options. Overnight in Killarney.
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Day 9
Cahir, Rock of Cashel, Kilkenny
Cahir Castle and the Rock of Cashel, both with entry included, then the medieval mile in Kilkenny. Overnight in Kilkenny.
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Day 10
Glendalough and Dublin
Free time in Kilkenny, Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough monastery with entry included. Ends at the Ashling Hotel, Dublin, between 5 and 6 pm.
Pros and Cons
An honest read of this listing against the others on the site.
What we genuinely like
- Five entrance fees, breakfast, the Shannon ferry, a Westport walking tour and a sheepdog demonstration are all in the $3,301, so the on-the-ground extras are small
- Two-night stays in Clifden, Dingle and Killarney mean only six hotels in ten days
- The group is capped at 16 in a minibus, far below the 56-seat coaches on the cheapest listings
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure is the most generous rule among the multi-day tours compared
- Rated 5.0 from 119 reviews
The honest downsides
- The single supplement is mandatory for solo travellers and its amount is not stated, so solos cannot price the trip until they enquire
- Lunch and dinner are never included, and the day 7 Ring of Kerry leg averages 5 hours of driving
- The tour never enters Northern Ireland, so Causeway and Belfast travellers need a different itinerary
- Several headline experiences cost extra, from the Dingle Sea Safari at €65 to a Killarney jaunting car at €20 to €30
- No departure time or hotel pickup is stated, so confirm the morning meeting time with the operator
Who it's NOT for: Travellers who need Northern Ireland, a published single price for solos, or every meal and activity bundled should book a different listing.
Questions About This Tour
How much does the 10-day Wild Ireland tour cost?
The listed price is $3,301 per person for a Classic B&B or hotel twin or double room with breakfast, and solo travellers must add the single supplement option, amount not stated. Compare it with the 10-Day Ireland Tour at $3,917.02.
What is included in the price?
Accommodation, breakfast, private transport, the guide, all fees and taxes, and entrance fees to Glendalough, the Rock of Cashel, Kylemore Abbey, Cahir Castle and the Cliffs of Moher, plus a sheepdog demonstration, the Westport walking tour and the Shannon ferry. The full breakdown lists what is excluded.
Can I cancel if my plans change?
Yes, for a full refund you must cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time, which is more generous than the no-refund rules on the 6-Day All Ireland Tour.
How big is the group?
Up to 16 passengers in a private air-conditioned minibus, which is why it sits among the small group tours of Ireland rather than the coach operators. See how the formats differ across vacation tours of Ireland.
Is this tour suitable for solo travellers?
Yes, but the B&B single supplement is a mandatory separate option for solos and its amount is not stated, so ask before booking. Rabbie's publishes single rates from $1,929.96 on the 5-Day South West Ireland Tour.
Where does the tour start and end?
It starts at the main entrance of The Point A Hotel, Parnell Street, Dublin City, and ends at the Ashling Hotel in Dublin between 5 and 6 pm on day 10. There is no hotel pickup, so see getting to the start for airport transfer options.
Do I need to be fit to enjoy this tour?
The listing says all activities are gentle and optional and suit all fitness levels, including the Diamond Hill hike. If you want a harder, more active format, the 7-Day Ireland to Island Tour builds in cycling and kayaking.
Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
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