Day trips

Day trips from Kenmare

Kenmare is the best base in the south-west that isn't Killarney: the Ring of Kerry one way, the Beara Peninsula the other. Here's where to point the car, with honest prices.

Photos for Kenmare are still on their way. Every listing below is real.

The Ring of Kerry, done right

Ring of Kerry full loop

179km loop · Self-drive free (no toll)

The famous one, and Kenmare is the smartest place to start it — you're already on the N71 at Moll's Gap. Go anti-clockwise like the tour buses don't: Kenmare → Moll's Gap → Ladies View → Torc Waterfall → Muckross → Killarney → Killorglin → Glenbeigh → Cahersiveen → Waterville → Sneem → back to Kenmare. Allow the whole day; the light is best late. A self-drive audio tour starts around €15 per car, private guided days from about €330 per adult or €500 per group. Compare guided Ring of Kerry tours from Kenmare.

Killarney National Park & Muckross House

Muckross House & Gardens

~35km · House adult €9, family 2+2 €26 · Gardens free

The 19th-century mansion at the heart of the national park — 2026 visits are self-guided, no booking needed for individuals, and the gardens and the whole park cost nothing to wander. Pair it with the Torc Waterfall walk (free, suitable for most fitness levels) and you've got a full day for the price of the house ticket. 2026 visitor details

The Beara Peninsula

Ring of Beara

Quieter than Kerry · Healy Pass · Dursey Island cable car

If the Ring of Kerry is the greatest-hits album, Beara is the deep cut — and it starts at Kenmare's back door. The Healy Pass switchbacks, Derreen Gardens, the cable car station to Dursey Island, Garnish Island by boat from Glengarriff. Private Ring of Beara tours from Kenmare run from about €240 per adult. Fewer buses, wilder scenery, better stories.

Dingle Peninsula

Dingle & Slea Head

~90km via Killorglin · Full-day drive

National Geographic once called Dingle ‘the most beautiful place on earth’ and the Slea Head drive makes the case in an afternoon. It's a long day from Kenmare — leave early, take the coast road slowly, eat in Dingle town. Combine with the Skellig Ring if you're doing the full south-west circuit.

Mizen Head

Ireland's south-west tip · Private tours from €270/adult

The signal station on the cliff edge, the famous bridge, and Atlantic views that make the Ring of Kerry look tame. Private tours from Kenmare start around €270 per adult — or drive it yourself via Bantry and Schull for the cost of fuel.

Skellig Michael

The bucket-list one: the 7th-century monastery on a rock pinnacle 12km off the coast. Boats run from Portmagee (about an hour from Kenmare via the Skellig Ring road) in season, weather permitting — and they sell out far ahead. This is the trip to book before you book anything else. Small-group photography tours run from Kenmare from about €410 per adult.

Getting around: drive it or be driven?

Drive yourself if you're comfortable on narrow Irish roads — the routes are well signed and the freedom to stop at every lay-by is half the point. Take a guide if you'd rather watch the scenery than the road: the local guides know the pull-offs the buses skip, and the Kerry Cliffs add-on (taller than the Cliffs of Moher, say the locals) is worth it. No car at all? Bus Éireann runs Kenmare–Killarney daily in summer (Mon–Fri off-season), and Killarney is the hub for everything else.

Browse Kenmare day tours — free cancellation on most bookings.

Common questions

What's the best day trip from Kenmare?

The Ring of Kerry loop — it's on the doorstep, it's free to drive, and Moll's Gap to Ladies View is the single finest stretch of road in the county. Second choice: the Beara Peninsula for wilder, quieter scenery.

Can you do the Ring of Kerry without a car?

Yes, but book a guided tour — there's no hop-on public loop. Private guided days from Kenmare start around €330 per adult; the self-drive audio tour (€15) needs your own wheels.

How long does the Ring of Kerry take?

The loop is 179km but plan 6–8 hours with stops. Leave Kenmare by 9am, go anti-clockwise, and you'll be back for dinner.

More to explore in Kenmare

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