Ireland was made for the scenic drive. A small country with an outsized coastline, it packs sea cliffs, mountain passes, empty strands and ancient stone into distances you can cross in an afternoon — and the back roads that link them are half the pleasure. These are the ten most beautiful drives in Ireland, from the world-famous loops of Kerry to quiet passes most visitors never find, with a sense of how long each takes and why it earns its place.
Several of them — the Kerry peninsulas and the Clare coast in particular — we've turned into GPS audio tours, so a traditional storyteller can narrate the legends and history as you drive. Where that's the case, we've linked it. The rest are simply too good to leave off the list.
The drives at a glance
New to Irish roads? Read our guide to driving in Ireland first — which side of the road, the narrow lanes and the rules — then pick your drive below.
1. The Ring of Kerry
The most famous scenic drive in Ireland, and for good reason. The Ring of Kerry is a roughly 179 km loop of the Iveragh Peninsula that strings together mountains, the Lakes of Killarney, ancient stone forts, island views and colourful villages like Sneem and Kenmare. It's the big, varied bucket-list day out — give it a full day, set off early to keep ahead of the tour coaches, and you'll see why it has topped these lists for a century.
Time: a full day · Where: County Kerry · Drive it with stories: Ring of Kerry audio tour
2. The Slea Head Drive, Dingle Peninsula
Shorter, wilder and more intimate than its famous neighbour, the Slea Head Drive rounds the tip of the Dingle Peninsula in about 30 km of pure drama: clifftop beehive huts, golden strands, the much-photographed Dunquin Pier, the perfectly preserved Gallarus Oratory and views out to the Blasket Islands — all in a living Irish-speaking Gaeltacht. Its narrowest stretches are too tight for coaches, so it stays gloriously peaceful. Torn between this and the Ring? See Ring of Kerry vs Dingle.
Time: half to a full day · Where: County Kerry · Drive it with stories: Slea Head audio tour
3. The Cliffs of Moher & the Burren coast, County Clare
If you only drive one stretch of the west, make it this one. The Clare coast runs from the lunar limestone of the Burren — where Arctic and Mediterranean wildflowers bloom side by side from bare grey rock — to the Cliffs of Moher, 214 metres of sheer Atlantic cliff and Ireland's most visited natural wonder. We've narrated it both ways: Galway to the Cliffs of Moher and back again, through Doolin and the oyster villages of the bay.
Time: a full day · Where: County Clare · Drive it with stories: Galway & Cliffs of Moher audio tour
4. The Skellig Ring
Tucked off the western end of the Ring of Kerry, the Skellig Ring is the area's best-kept secret: a narrow, coach-free loop of cliffs, remote beaches and the long, dramatic view out to Skellig Michael, the monastery island that doubled as Luke Skywalker's refuge in Star Wars. It's a short drive that feels like the edge of the world.
Time: half a day · Where: County Kerry · Drive it with stories: Skellig Ring audio tour
Don't just drive it — discover it
MacÉireann narrates the legends and history of the road as you reach each place, automatically and offline. Download on the App Store →
5. The Wild Atlantic Way
Not one drive but the mother of them all: the Wild Atlantic Way is the longest defined coastal touring route in the world, some 2,500 km running the entire western seaboard from Donegal down to Kinsale in Cork. Numbers 1 to 4 above are all stretches of it. You'd need ten days to two weeks to drive the whole thing — most people pick a region — but knowing how it fits together is the key to planning the trip. Our complete guide breaks it down region by region.
Time: 10–14 days for the lot · Where: the whole west coast · Plan it: Wild Atlantic Way guide
6. Connemara & the Sky Road, County Galway
West of Galway city lies Connemara, a land of bog, mountain and island where the light does extraordinary things. The Sky Road, a small looped drive out of Clifden, climbs to a headland with a giddy panorama over the Atlantic and its scatter of islands — one of the finest short coastal drives in the country. Pair it with the Twelve Bens mountains and Kylemore Abbey for a full day.
Time: a full day · Where: County Galway
7. Slieve League & the Donegal coast
In the wild, less-travelled northwest, the sea cliffs of Slieve League rise almost 600 metres straight from the ocean — nearly three times the height of the Cliffs of Moher, and far quieter. The drives around them, through Glencolmcille and the Donegal Gaeltacht, are some of the most remote and rewarding in Ireland. This is the route for travellers who want the coast to themselves.
Time: a full day · Where: County Donegal
8. The Causeway Coastal Route, County Antrim
Often rated among the great road trips of the world, the Causeway Coastal Route runs along the top of Northern Ireland from Belfast to Derry, past the basalt columns of the Giant's Causeway, the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, the ruins of Dunluce Castle and the dark tunnel of beech trees known as the Dark Hedges. (You're in the UK here, so speed limits switch to miles per hour.)
Time: one to two days · Where: County Antrim (Northern Ireland)
9. The Wicklow Mountains & the Sally Gap
The easiest great drive to reach — barely an hour from Dublin — the Military Road climbs into the Wicklow Mountains across high, empty blanket bog, over the Sally Gap and down to the monastic ruins of Glendalough in its glacial valley. Wild and atmospheric, it's the perfect day trip if the capital is your base and the west is too far.
Time: half to a full day · Where: County Wicklow
10. The Healy Pass, Beara Peninsula
For drivers who love a mountain pass, the Healy Pass zig-zags over the spine of the Beara Peninsula between Cork and Kerry, a ribbon of switchbacks through rugged, rock-strewn hills to a high saddle with views down both sides. The Beara itself is the quietest of the southwest peninsulas — the one the coaches forget — and all the better for it.
Time: half a day · Where: the Cork–Kerry border
How to fit them into a trip
You can't drive all ten in one visit, and you shouldn't try. The four southwestern drives — the Ring of Kerry, Slea Head, the Clare coast and the Skellig Ring — sit close together and make a natural week, the heart of any Wild Atlantic Way road trip; our 7-day Ireland itinerary threads several of them together with the historic south, and our pick of the best things to do on the Wild Atlantic Way covers what to stop for along the way. Coming from the capital, the cross-country Dublin to Galway drive turns the journey west into a story in its own right. And whenever you go, the weather and daylight shape what's possible — see the best time to visit Ireland.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most scenic drive in Ireland?
The Ring of Kerry is the most famous, but the Slea Head Drive on the Dingle Peninsula and the Clare coast past the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren are every bit as beautiful and often quieter. All three are stretches of the Wild Atlantic Way.
What is the best scenic drive in Ireland for first-timers?
The Ring of Kerry is the classic first choice — a full day of mountains, coast, lakes and villages. If you'd rather avoid the coaches, the shorter Slea Head Drive on the Dingle Peninsula is wilder and quieter.
How many days do you need to drive the scenic routes in Ireland?
The four great southwestern drives — the Ring of Kerry, Slea Head, the Clare coast and the Skellig Ring — make a comfortable week. Driving the full Wild Atlantic Way along the whole west coast takes 10 to 14 days.
Are the scenic drives in Ireland difficult?
The scenery comes on narrow, winding rural roads, and Ireland drives on the left, so take them slowly and allow more time than the distance suggests. Our guide to driving in Ireland covers everything a first-timer needs.
Can you do these drives with an audio guide?
Yes. The MacÉireann app narrates several of these routes — the Ring of Kerry, Slea Head, the Skellig Ring and the Clare coast — turn-by-turn using your phone's GPS, and it works offline where there's no mobile signal.
Drive the best of them with a storyteller aboard
MacÉireann turns Ireland's great drives into guided tours — legends, history and local lore narrated turn-by-turn as you reach each place, automatically and offline where the coast has no signal. Pick your routes and let a traditional storyteller ride shotgun.
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