Ireland's Legendary Landscapes & Cities — Self-Launched

Land at Dublin Airport and take the Aircoach or Dublin Express bus into the city centre (~€8-10, 40 min) rather than a taxi. Check into a hostel in the Temple Bar or St Stephen's Green area — Barnacles, Generator Dublin or Jacobs Inn all have dorm beds from around £20-30/night. Spend the late afternoon on a free self-guided wander past Trinity College, Dublin Castle and along the Liffey. In the evening do a self-guided literary pub crawl — the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl runs nightly and costs about €15 with student discount, or just pick two or three pubs (Davy Byrne's, Mulligan's, The Long Hall) and read a bit of Joyce between pints. Eat a cheap-but-good dinner at a chippy or a pub carvery (~£12).

🚌Aircoach/Dublin Express airport bus ~£8

🛏Hostel dorm (Barnacles Temple Bar or Generator Dublin), ~£25

• →Self-guided Trinity College & Liffey walk (free)
• →Dublin Literary Pub Crawl (~£13 via GetYourGuide)

Book the Book of Kells & Trinity College Old Library ticket online in advance (~€18.50, sell out fast — book via the official Trinity site or GetYourGuide). In the late morning, join a Gaelic games taster session — Dublin GAA clubs and city-based experiences like 'The Gaelic Games Experience' offer hurling and Gaelic football introductions from about €35-45. Alternatively watch a club match for free. After lunch, join a social-enterprise walking tour of the north inner city — the 'Welcome to the North Inner City' tours run by former homeless guides (book via GetYourGuide or directly with the social enterprise) cost about €15-20 and cover the same ground as the tour's community tourism walk. Finish with a browse of Sweny's Pharmacy (free, donations welcome). Pick up groceries for tomorrow's bus.

🚌Walking + Leap Card for short hops ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm, ~£25

• →Trinity College Book of Kells (~£16, book ahead)
• →Gaelic games taster session (~£35)
• →Social enterprise city walking tour (~£15)
• →Sweny's Pharmacy visit (donation)

Morning at EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum in the Docklands (~€16, pre-book online) — an hour and a half well spent. Then take the JJ Kavanagh or Bus Éireann bus from Dublin to Kilkenny (~2h, €12-15) — cheaper and more direct than the train. Check into a guesthouse or hostel in the medieval centre (Kilkenny has good B&Bs from ~£35-45 for a twin). Optional afternoon: the Ballykeefe Distillery tour, about 15 min by taxi from town, runs farm tours with tastings (~€20-25, book direct). Otherwise explore the medieval mile on foot and eat dinner in a pub.

🚌Bus Dublin–Kilkenny ~£12; local taxi ~£10

🛏Guesthouse in Kilkenny, ~£40 (twin share)

• →EPIC Museum (~£14)
• →Ballykeefe Distillery tour & tasting (~£20, optional)
• →Medieval Mile self-guided walk (free)

Self-guided day in Kilkenny's medieval core. Start at Kilkenny Castle (OPW site, ~€8) — the Long Gallery and Butler dynasty rooms are the highlight. Walk the Butter Slip and the lanes of the medieval city, then climb the round tower at St Canice's Cathedral (~€6 with cathedral entry) for the best view in town. The castle stables now house the Kilkenny Design Centre — free to browse. Have lunch at Kyteler's Inn on St Kieran's Street, a pub on the site of Dame Alice Kyteler's 14th-century home. Evening free for riverside walks or a trad session in Cleere's or The Hole in the Wall.

🚌Walking

🛏Guesthouse in Kilkenny, ~£40 (twin share)

• →Kilkenny Castle (~£7)
• →St Canice's Cathedral & round tower (~£5)
• →Butter Slip & medieval lanes (free)
• →Kyteler's Inn lunch

Take an early Bus Éireann or JJ Kavanagh bus from Kilkenny to Cashel (~1h, ~€8). Visit the Rock of Cashel (OPW, ~€8) — allow 90 minutes for the Romanesque chapel and high crosses. Continue by bus towards Cork and then on to Killarney — the connection via Cork is the easiest, total journey roughly 4.5-5h. Alternatively, split it: bus to Cork, then a separate bus to Killarney (~€20 total for the day). Ballyvourney is awkward by public transport; if you're keen on the archaeology, book a small-group Dingle/Kerry archaeology day from Killarney with a local guide instead (~€60-75, via GetYourGuide) which covers holy wells and clocháns. Arrive Killarney and check into a hostel (Killarney International or Neptune's Hostel dorms ~£22-28). Pub dinner in town.

🚌Buses Kilkenny–Cashel–Cork–Killarney ~£20

🛏Hostel dorm, Killarney, ~£25

• →Rock of Cashel (~£7)
• →Optional small-group archaeology day (~£65)

Book a Dingle Peninsula day tour from Killarney — the Slea Head drive with stops at the Gallarus Oratory, beehive huts (clocháns), Inch Beach and Dingle town runs about €45-60 with a local operator (book via GetYourGuide or direct with a Dingle tour company). Alternatively, take the regular Bus Éireann 275 from Killarney to Dingle (~1h45, ~€12 each way) and hire a bike in Dingle for the Slea Head loop (~€20/day) — this is the cheapest and arguably best way to see the coast. Dingle is a living Gaeltacht town; pop into a pottery studio and have a pub lunch (fish and chips ~£12). Back in Killarney, catch a trad session in a music pub.

🚌Dingle tour coach or Bus Éireann 275 ~£12-25

🛏Hostel dorm, Killarney, ~£25

• →Dingle Peninsula & Slea Head tour (~£50)
• →Beehive huts & Gallarus Oratory
• →Dingle town & pottery browsing
• →Trad session (free entry, buy a pint)

Bus to Limerick (~2h, ~€12), then a local bus to Adare for a quick look at the thatched cottages (Adare is 20 min from Limerick on the 13 bus). Continue to Ennis (~40 min). In Ennis, join an Irish dance class or céilí night — Ennis has regular set-dancing and sean-nós classes at the Glór centre and local pubs; a trial class is around €10-15, and many pubs run free set-dancing nights where you'll be pulled in regardless. Then take the 333 bus to Ennistymon (~30 min), where you'll base yourself in a B&B or hostel (Ennistymon and nearby Lahinch have plenty at ~£35-45 twin). Dinner in a local pub.

🚌Buses Limerick–Adare–Ennis–Ennistymon ~£18

🛏B&B or hostel, Ennistymon/Lahinch, ~£40 (twin share)

• →Adare village stop (free)
• →Irish dance class / céilí night in Ennis (~£12)

Take the 350 Bus Éireann along the coast — it stops at the Cliffs of Moher and continues through the Burren to Doolin (~€10-15 return). Cliffs of Moher visitor centre entry is ~€12; walk the cliff path beyond the visitor centre for free views. From Doolin, hire a bike or join a Burren walking tour to see Poulnabrone Dolmen — the dolmen is best reached by car or by a guided Burren walk (small-group day ~€40-55, via GetYourGuide). Alternatively, the Cliffs of Moher cliff walk and the Burren way-marked trails are free and self-guided; pick up a Burren trail map at the Doolin tourist office. Long, memorable daylight evening in Doolin with a trad session in McGann's or O'Connor's.

🚌Bus Éireann 350 ~£12

🛏B&B or hostel, Ennistymon/Lahinch, ~£40 (twin share)

• →Cliffs of Moher (~£10)
• →Poulnabrone Dolmen & Burren walk (free self-guided, or ~£45 guided)
• →Doolin trad session (free)

Contact a Burren farm directly — several Burren farmers run farm walks and heritage-pasture talks for small groups (the Burrenbeo Trust and Burren Ecotourism Network can point you to one; farm tours typically €15-30). Alternatively, join a Burren Food Trail farm experience (book via GetYourGuide or the Burren Ecotourism Network website) — the farm-to-table lunch option runs about €45-60. A cheaper route: the Burren Perfumery and the Burren Smokehouse both welcome visitors for free or a small fee, with lunch at a local café. Spend the rest of the day on foot or with a book — this is deliberately a slower day to match the original's pace.

🚌Local bus / taxi / bike ~£10

🛏B&B or hostel, Ennistymon/Lahinch, ~£40 (twin share)

• →Burren farm walk & heritage pasture talk (~£20)
• →Burren Perfumery & Smokehouse (free/small fee)

From Doolin, take the ferry to Inis Oírr (Aran Islands) — Doolin Ferry or O'Brien Ferry, ~€30 return, 20 min, book online ahead. Hire a bike on the island or walk the dry-stone lanes to the wreck of the Plassy and the 14th-century church ruins; a local walking tour runs about €15-20. Cross back, then take the bus to Galway (~1h, ~€12). Wander Galway's Latin Quarter on foot — free — then take the CityLink or Bus Éireann bus to Westport (~1.5h, ~€10-12). Check into a hostel or B&B in Westport (~£35-45 twin), and eat in town — Matt Molloy's pub is the trad-session landmark.

🚌Aran ferry ~£26 return; buses Galway and Westport ~£20

🛏Hostel or B&B, Westport, ~£40 (twin share)

• →Inis Oírr ferry & island walk (~£26)
• →Galway Latin Quarter (free)

Spend the morning walking Westport's Georgian streets and the Carrowbeg river bridges, and browse the harbour galleries (free). Book a Clew Bay cruise — operators run 1.5h island cruises from Westport Quay (~€25-30, book direct or via GetYourGuide); Croagh Patrick is the backdrop. For the Inagh Valley/Connemara scenery, the cheapest option is the 423/direct Connemara bus or a small-group Connemara-Kylemore day tour from Westport (~€40-50 via GetYourGuide). Alternatively, climb Croagh Patrick for free if the weather is good — allow 3-4h round trip. Evening pub dinner in Westport.

🚌Local bus/taxi ~£10

🛏Hostel or B&B, Westport, ~£40 (twin share)

• →Clew Bay cruise (~£25)
• →Croagh Patrick climb (free, weather dependent)
• →Optional Connemara/Kylemore day tour (~£45)

Bus to Sligo (Bus Éireann ~2h, ~€15), then a short local bus to Drumcliffe to see Yeats' grave beneath Ben Bulben (free, church open daily — check opening times). Back into Sligo for lunch, then take the Bus Éireann 64 or 66 north to Donegal Town (~1h30, ~€12). Book a guesthouse or hostel in Donegal Town (~£35-45 twin). In the evening, visit Donegal Castle or simply settle into a pub — Donegal town is small and much easier on the budget than the original's Lough Eske Castle. A self-guided walk along the River Eske and the friary ruins is free.

🚌Buses ~£25

🛏Guesthouse in Donegal Town, ~£40 (twin share)

• →Drumcliffe Church & Yeats' grave (free)
• →Sligo town and Ben Bulben views
• →Donegal town self-guided walk (free)

Getting to Slieve League is the main challenge without a car — book a small-group Slieve League day tour from Donegal Town (around €40-55, via GetYourGuide or a local operator), which typically includes Teelin, the cliffs and a stop at Glencolmcille. If you're confident on rural roads, the local bus network and a taxi share can do it, but the tour is usually the better value. Slieve League's cliffs are nearly three times the height of the Cliffs of Moher. In the evening, back in Donegal Town, book a whiskey tasting at a local bar or distillery instead of the castle cellar — the Sliabh Liag Distillers tasting room in Ardara (short taxi, ~€20) runs tastings from about €20-30.

🚌Slieve League tour/van ~£45

🛏Guesthouse in Donegal Town, ~£40 (twin share)

• →Slieve League cliffs day tour (~£45)
• →Sliabh Liag Distillers tasting (~£25, optional)

Bus from Donegal Town to Derry (~1h15, ~€10; note currency switches to sterling in Northern Ireland). Check into a hostel or B&B in the walled city (~£30-40 twin). Walk the city walls (free, 1.5km circuit) then join a Bogside History walking tour — the Free Derry Tours run by local guides cost about £10-15 and cover the same ground as the museum talk. Visit the Museum of Free Derry (£7.50) and the Bloody Sunday memorial. Explore the murals of the Bogside independently. Dinner in the Craft Village or a pub near the Diamond.

🚌Bus Donegal–Derry ~£10

🛏Hostel or B&B, Derry, ~£35 (twin share)

• →Derry city walls walk (free)
• →Bogside history walking tour (~£13)
• →Museum of Free Derry (~£7)

From Derry, take the train to Coleraine and then the bus to the Giant's Causeway (~1h30 total, ~£12). Entry to the causeway is free if you walk down — the visitor centre charges ~£14, which is optional. Allow 2-3h to walk the stones and the cliff path. Continue by bus and train down to Belfast (~2h, ~£12). Check into a hostel (Belfast International Youth Hostel or Vagabonds — dorms from ~£22-30). Evening in the Cathedral Quarter: the Duke of York and the Sunflower are the classic pubs, and the Black Box often has free events.

🚌Train and bus Derry–Causeway–Belfast ~£20

🛏Hostel dorm, Belfast, ~£25

• →Giant's Causeway (free on foot; visitor centre ~£12 optional)
• →Cathedral Quarter evening

Book a Black Cab political tour (murals and peace walls) — about £40-50 for a shared tour, £70-90 for a private cab, book direct with one of the taxi companies or via GetYourGuide. The Titanic Belfast museum is ~£25 and needs 2-3h — pre-book online. If time allows, the Clifton House heritage centre (free entry, small fee for tours) is a worthwhile stop. Finish with a look around St George's Market (weekend) before the bus or train to Belfast City or International Airport for your flight home.

🚌Airport bus ~£5-9

🛏None (departure day) — or one extra hostel night ~£25

• →Black Cab political tour (~£45)
• →Titanic Belfast (~£25)
• →Clifton House visit (free/small fee)