Corners of Southern Ireland — Self-Launched

Land at Dublin Airport and take the Dublin Express or Aircoach into the city centre (~£7-9, 30-40 min, book on the app). Check into a hostel or budget guesthouse near the north Quays or Temple Bar fringe. Spend the late afternoon on a free self-guided loop: Trinity College and the Book of Kells exterior, Dublin Castle courtyards, Christ Church and St Patrick's Cathedral, then a pint in a proper old pub (The Long Hall, Mulligan's) rather than the tourist traps. Grab a €12-15 pub dinner or a €9 burrito/bowl. This replaces the tour's welcome dinner — a solo-friendly hostel social night or a Dublin walking pub tour (~£15 via GetYourGuide) is a good substitute.

🚌Dublin Express coach from airport ~£8; walk everywhere in the centre

🛏Budget hostel dorm or private single in a guesthouse, city centre (~£40-55/night)

• →Self-guided historic Dublin walk
• →Trinity College & Dublin Castle grounds
• →Optional evening pub history tour (~£15)

This is the trickiest transport day of the trip — the tour's Midlands stops aren't on one direct bus line, so plan it as a two-leg day. Option A (recommended): take an early Irish Rail commuter train from Dublin Heuston to Kildare (~£6, 35 min), walk 20 min or hop a local link to the Irish National Stud & Japanese Gardens and book the self-guided/audio ticket (~£14, open daily, book direct or on Klook). Then take Bus Éireann/Expressway Route 73 or a TFI Local Link connection west toward Birr (~£7-9, 1.5-2 hrs) for Birr Castle Demesne & Gardens (~£10-12 entry, book online). From Birr, Local Link or Expressway to Ennis (~£8-10, 1.5 hr). Option B, if you'd rather not juggle connections: skip Birr and go Dublin → Limerick → Ennis by Expressway (~£15 total, 3.5 hrs), then do a self-guided Ennis evening walk along the narrow lanes, Abbey Street and the Friary. Check into a hostel or B&B in Ennis (book a private single or dorm — Ennis has limited hostel beds, so book early).

🚌Irish Rail Dublin-Kildare ~£6; Local Link/Expressway Birr ~£8; Expressway to Ennis ~£9; total ~£23

🛏Ennis hostel/B&B, town centre (~£45-60/night)

• →Irish National Stud & Japanese Gardens self-guided (~£14)
• →Birr Castle Demesne & Gardens (~£11)
• →Evening self-guided walk of Ennis

Book the Cliffs of Moher day tour that departs Ennis (GetYourGuide/Klook, ~£35-45, includes the Burren and often the Aillwee or Doolin stops; the tour company will collect you in Ennis and drop you back). Alternatively, take Bus Éireann Route 350 from Ennis to Doolin (~£7, 1 hr) and walk/cycle to the cliffs — cheaper but slower. Entry to the Cliffs of Moher Experience visitor centre is ~£10 (included on most tours). Back in Ennis mid-afternoon, collect your bag and take the Expressway/Bus Éireann bus Ennis → Limerick → Killarney (~£13-16, 2.5-3 hrs) or the train Ennis-Limerick-Killarney (~£18). Arrive Killarney in the evening, check into a hostel (Killarney has good ones near the town centre), and eat at a pub — try the €14-18 stew or fish and chips. This stands in for the tour's group dinner.

🚌Cliffs day tour pickup ~£40; Ennis-Killarney bus ~£15

🛏Killarney hostel dorm or budget guesthouse (~£40-55/night)

• →Cliffs of Moher & Burren day tour from Ennis (~£40)
• →Cliffs of Moher Experience visitor centre entry (~£10)

Two ways to do the Ring of Kerry solo. Cheapest and most flexible: the public Bus Éireann Route 280 'Ring of Kerry' hop-on/hop-off style service loops Killarney → Kenmare → Sneem → Waterville → Cahersiveen → Killorglin → Killarney for roughly £18-22 for a day ticket — get off in Cahersiveen or Waterville, then use a Local Link or short taxi to the Skellig Experience on Valentia Island (~£8-10 entry, book direct) for the exhibition and mainland views of Skellig Michael (note: you cannot land on Skellig Michael — this is a viewpoint and heritage centre, exactly as on the original tour). Alternative: a guided Ring of Kerry day coach from Killarney via GetYourGuide (~£30-40) which includes the Skellig Experience — easier if you want narration. Back in Killarney for the evening; walk the Killarney National Park lakeshore or Muckross House grounds for free.

🚌Bus Éireann Ring of Kerry day ticket ~£20; local taxi/Local Link to Valentia ~£8

🛏Killarney hostel dorm or budget guesthouse (~£40-55/night)

• →Ring of Kerry self-guided bus loop (~£20)
• →Skellig Experience, Valentia Island (~£10)
• →Killarney National Park lakeside walk (free)

Check out of Killarney and take the bus to Kenmare (~£6, 45 min), then a Local Link or taxi (~£10-14) out to Molly Gallivan's Cottage & Traditional Farm near Bonane — a small, genuinely rural heritage stop with tea, bread and a storyteller (~£8-10 entry), bookable direct or by phone; ask them to help arrange a return lift. Then continue Kenmare → Cork by Expressway (~£14, 1.5-2 hrs) and Cork → Kinsale by Bus Éireann Route 226 (~£6, 45 min). Check into a Kinsale hostel or guesthouse. In the evening, do a self-guided wander of Kinsale's colourful lanes — the town is famous for its food; a €15-20 pub dinner or a food-truck meal is plenty, and the Kinsale walking heritage trail signage covers the history for free (a guided Kinsale walking tour via GetYourGuide is ~£12-15 if you want the local-guide version).

🚌Killarney-Kenmare bus ~£6; Local Link/taxi to Bonane ~£12; Kenmare-Cork ~£14; Cork-Kinsale ~£6

🛏Kinsale hostel/budget guesthouse (~£50-65/night)

• →Molly Gallivan's Cottage & Traditional Farm (~£9)
• →Self-guided Kinsale heritage lanes walk
• →Optional guided Kinsale walking tour (~£14)

Take the 226 bus back to Cork (~£6), then the commuter train from Cork Kent to Cobh (~£5, 25 min) — one of Ireland's prettiest rail journeys. In Cobh, walk the waterfront, see the cathedral, and visit the Cobh Heritage Centre / Titanic Experience (~£11-12, book online) to cover the emigration story the tour touches on. Train back to Cork (~£5), then Irish Rail Cork → Waterford (~£20-24, 2-2.5 hrs, book in advance for cheaper fares). Check into a Waterford hostel or B&B. Then head to the House of Waterford Crystal on The Mall for a factory tour (~£15-18, book direct or via Klook — last tours mid-afternoon, so consider doing it the next morning if you arrive late). Evening: the Viking Triangle is free to wander, with the Reginald's Tower and medieval walls lit up.

🚌Bus to Cork ~£6; Cork-Cobh train ~£5 each way; Cork-Waterford train ~£22

🛏Waterford hostel/budget B&B (~£45-60/night)

• →Cobh Heritage Centre / Titanic Experience (~£12)
• →House of Waterford Crystal factory tour (~£16)
• →Viking Triangle evening walk (free)

If you didn't catch the crystal tour yesterday, do the first morning slot. Then take the direct Expressway Route 4 bus Waterford → Dublin city centre (~£16-20, 2.5-3 hrs) or Irish Rail Waterford-Dublin Connolly (~£22-28, 2 hrs 20 min). Drop your bag at a Dublin hostel or left luggage and use any spare hours for the things you missed — Kilmainham Gaol (book online ahead, ~£10), the Guinness Storehouse (~£22-26, pre-book), or a walk along the Grand Canal. Head to Dublin Airport by Dublin Express/Aircoach (~£8) or the Aircoach from the city. Add a full day and night in Dublin if your flight is early.

🚌Expressway Waterford-Dublin ~£18 or rail ~£25; airport coach ~£8

🛏Optional extra Dublin night (~£40-55) if needed before an early flight

• →Kilmainham Gaol or Guinness Storehouse if time allows (~£10-26)
• →Grand Canal / city-centre walk (free)