An awesome day in the Dingle Peninsula: Road trip ideas

When we were our trip to Ireland, visiting the Dingle Peninsula was very high on my list. My travel plans to Ireland included visiting the countryside more than the bigger cities. I had only ever seen photos of the rugged coastline, beautiful coastal towns, and the scenic drives of Ireland’s western most peninsula. After years of waiting to visit Ireland, I had so many placed I wanted to visit and one of them was the beautiful Dingle Peninsula and the Dingle town. 

In the 16^th century, Dingle was an important trading port. The merchant ships traded wine and other goods with ports in Spain, France, and Britain. The town still has traces of the trading that once happened. Dingle bursts with cultural and traditional galore and is known for its fierce devotion to the Irish culture. You will find pastel-coloured homes all over this town. Ireland held a nationwide Tidy Town competition in the 1970s and the residents of Dingle changed the colour scheme of the whole town. 

Dingle Peninsula in Ireland is a delight to visit. Not only is it rich in culture but the scenic drives, quaint coastal towns, and the best seafood makes this area a must visit! The Dingle Peninsula drive can easily be done in a day, and I highly recommend this. 

I will share some note-worthy information that will help you plan your perfect day in the Dingle Peninsula. 

Where is Dingle in Ireland?

The Dingle Peninsula is the in the southwest corner or Ireland and is a 4-hour drive from Dublin. 

We stayed in a beautiful Airbnb in a town called Tullig and drove an hour to get to the town of Dingle. This house was our central point to visit the Dingle Peninsula as well as the Ring of Kerry loop. 

The town of Dingle is located on the southern part of the Dingle Peninsula and is right along the Dingle Bay. The Dingle Bay is extremely famous to view seals and cliffs. You can choose to take a scenic ferry ride around Dingle Bay from the town of Dingle.

Dingle Peninsula Drive

Before I start talking about driving in the Dingle Peninsula, I must mention that driving in Ireland is on the left-side. Keep this in mind if you choose to rent a car and if left hand side driving is new for you, practice on the inner roads and get confident before going on the narrow windy roads of the Dingle Peninsula. 

That being said, driving in the Dingle Peninsula is one of THE best ways to explore the area. Although there are bus tours with guided tours from most of the bigger cities, driving gives you the ability to stop whenever you want and for however long you chose to! Driving in Ireland means passing sheep farms, stone walls kissing the roads, the lush green fields, beautiful coastal towns, colourful homes and so much more! 

The Slea Head Drive was a one-hour drive, but we took well over 3 hours to drive on this road because of all the picturesque stops and beautiful views we kept coming across at every turn. Some of the stops were along the side of the road and buses were not able to stop at these spots. So if you are able to, definitely plan to drive around Ireland. It is such a fantastic way to see this beautiful country and all that it has to offer.

Aware of the amount of driving we were planning to do on this trip, we had a few one-night hotels. We literally just went to sleep at these hotels and were out early the next day. We packed only carry-on bags for this trip and it was a LIFE SAVER! We were able to take only one bag up to the hotel room each night rather than hauling all our bags. You will be amazed at how much fits in carry-on bags even if you are travelling with kids! We ended up shopping in Ireland and bringing back 2 times more clothes (thanks to some amazing deals!). You can find our tips on packing only carry-on bags with kids here.

Things to do in Dingle Peninsula

1. Slea Head Drive

The Slea Head Drive is part of the Wild Atlantic Way and it starts from the town of Dingle and loops around the Dingle Peninsula and brings you back to the town of Dingle. When planning our trip, I wasn’t sure if this drive would match up to the world-famous Ring of Kerry loop we had planned to drive on the next day. While driving on this road, I was left speechless at how beautiful it was. The coastline is so dramatic, and it was stunning to say the least. 

We were told by a local man that the Slea Head Drive can only be driven clockwise between certain hours of the day. This is because the roads are so narrow and right along the cliffs that it is hard for cars to pass each other. If you are planning to drive here, make sure you drive clockwise OR make sure you are aware of the house you can’t drive anti-clockwise. 

Stops on the Slea Head Drive

• Inch Beach – Although we did not stop here, this beach is extremely famous, and it looked beautiful and sandy and warm. 
• There is a sheep feeding farm along the way. This was such a fun activity for the girls (and us!). The views from this farm were so beautiful and you need to keep an eye out to make sure you don’t miss it.

• The beehive huts – this was another stop we did not stop at! We did see some beehive huts at the Kerry Cliffs, and it was very interesting to learn their history.
• Every so often, there is a little extra road on the side where you can park your car and admire the beauty of this place. Trust me, we stopped at each of these spots and saw the beautiful Blasket Islands from here. The views are breathtaking and worth the time you spend admiring it.
• There are a few stops along the way where you can hike up a mountain to see the beautiful views of the coastline. There hikes were so refreshing because you walk through fields of wildflowers and the mix of colours was such a pretty sight. 

2. Conor Pass

This is another beautiful drive after you finish driving on the Slea Head Drive. We ate lunch at Fishbox in Dingle town, explored the town a bit and then headed to Conor Pass. It was extremely foggy and cloudy, and the roads were hard to see BUT the drive was worth it. By now you know that windy, narrow roads are what most of Ireland’s countryside roads consist of and this drive was no different. 

There was a waterfall we stopped at along the way, and it was hard to see anything because of all the fog. 

The day we had planned to drive on the Dingle Peninsula, it was supposed to rain all day. The roads do get a bit trickier with rain and low visibility. I was very close to changing my itinerary around to visit the Peninsula on another day but everyday showed rain. With no other choice, we prayed for less rain that day. Irish luck was on our side! There was not a single drop of rain till we left the Dingle Peninsula. The minute we started driving back to Killarney, it started pouring. Irish weather is so unpredictable, and it rains quite a bit there so be prepared for this!

Tip: Some spots on the Slea Head Drive are very windy. I recommend you bring a hoodie and a rain jacket even if it is a warm day.

Dingle Peninsula or Ring of Kerry 

I decided to add this section in because while planning our trip, I kept wondering which drive was better. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to drive both these areas knowing that we were driving long distances with the kids. I was gearing more towards the Dingle Peninsula drive because it is a much shorter drive. But how could we go to Ireland and not drive the Ring of Kerry loop?

Unable to decide, we chose to do both. I am glad we did! Both these drives have different views, and both of them were amazing. You can find more information on the Ring of Kerry drive here! There is lots of information on the drive, where to stop, how long it takes and why exactly is the Ring of Kerry so famous!

My personal thought:

The Dingle Peninsula drive is short but packed with beauty at every corner and turn

The Ring of Kerry drive is a 180km loop and there are so many areas when you are just passing through cities and fields. However, I loved the south part of the Ring of Kerry drive. We also did the Skelling Ring, and this was WORTH the extra hours! I will be writing a blog post soon on our drive on the Ring of Kerry loop. Keep an eye out on our Instagram stories for when I release this blog!

Final thoughts

Well, I hope you enjoyed reading my post on spending a day in the Dingle Peninsula. If we go back to Ireland, we will be spending a lot more time in the Dingle Peninsula. Even the girls loved the Dingle Peninsula. They enjoyed the short drive, and they loved seeing all the vibrant colours in Dingle town. It was easily and undoubtedly our most favourite area in Ireland.

We love small towns, and we love experiencing the culture and traditions of the place we visit. The town of Dingle quenched this thirst of mine and did not disappoint one bit. I would love to return someday and stay in the town of Dingle for a few nights. I would love to take a ferry to Blasket Islands and soak in all the wildlife the Dingle Bay has to offer. 

There are so many things to do in the Dingle Peninsula and no trip to Ireland would be complete without a visit to the very famous and beautiful Dingle Peninsula. 

If you have any questions on visiting the Dingle Peninsula, please feel free to reach out to us!