Taste of Ireland: Self-Launched 5-Day Dublin to Shannon
5 days · Ireland
CIE Tours charges £1,955
No-markup version: ~£430 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of CIE Tours' "Taste of Ireland" itinerary — Dublin, Blarney, Killarney and the Ring of Kerry, the Cliffs of Moher and a finish near Shannon — done with hostel/guesthouse beds, public buses and trains, and self-booked tours instead of a coach group. You'll still climb to the Blarney Stone, drive the Ring of Kerry, meet a sheepdog herding demo and stand on the Cliffs of Moher, but you control the pace, the stops and the budget. Costs are rough backpacker/budget estimates for Western Europe, assuming shared dorm or budget guesthouse beds and self-catering where possible.
Day-by-day
Dublin: Trinity College, the Little Museum and a trad music night
Dublin
Start in Dublin city centre rather than a 4-star hotel out in Ballsbridge. Drop bags at a hostel in Temple Bar or around Parnell Square, then walk the city yourself: Trinity College and the Book of Kells, the Georgian doors around Merrion Square, and the Little Museum of Dublin on St Stephen's Green (book a timed ticket online, roughly £10-12). In the evening skip the coach-group pub dinner and pick your own trad session — the Cobblestone in Smithfield or O'Donoghue's on Merrion Row are free-entry and full of real music. If you want a step-dancing show like the tour's Merry Ploughboy night, that pub runs its own dinner-and-show evenings bookable directly (around £50-60), but a free trad session plus a pub dinner is the budget-friendly swap.
🚌Dublin Airport to city centre: Airlink/Dublin Express bus or public bus 16, ~£7 one-way; or a taxi-share ~£25 total. All day-1 sights are walkable.
🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Dublin city centre (approx £25-40pp dorm / £55+ private)
- →Trinity College & Book of Kells (book online)
- →Little Museum of Dublin
- →Georgian townhouses walk, Merrion Square
- →Free trad music session at the Cobblestone or O'Donoghue's
Dublin to Cork/Blarney — kiss the stone, photo-stop at the Rock of Cashel
Blarney & Cork
Take an early Irish Rail train from Dublin Heuston to Cork Kent (about 2h35, roughly £20-30 if booked in advance on irishrail.ie). From Cork, local bus 215 runs out to Blarney village in ~25 minutes. Book a Blarney Castle ticket directly online (approx £18-20) and pre-book a slot — you queue to kiss the stone and can wander the gardens and poison garden. If you want the Rock of Cashel photo stop the tour does, it's an easy add-on: a Dublin–Cork train stops at Limerick Junction/Thurles, and the Rock is a short taxi or bus from Thurles — otherwise save it for another trip. Evening: cheap eats and live music in Cork city, then overnight there or back in Blarney village.
🚌Irish Rail Dublin Heuston–Cork Kent ~£20-30 advance; Bus Éireann 215 Cork–Blarney ~£3 each way. Optional Rock of Cashel detour via Thurles.
🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel in Cork city / Blarney (approx £25-35pp dorm, £55-70 private)
- →Blarney Castle & kiss the Blarney Stone (pre-book)
- →Blarney Castle gardens & Rock Close
- →Optional Rock of Cashel ruins (via Thurles)
- →Cork city evening pub crawl
Cork to Killarney — Ring of Kerry day tour with sheepdog demo
Killarney & Ring of Kerry
Bus or train from Cork to Killarney (Bus Éireann 40 takes ~1h40, about £10-12; train is similar). Base yourself in Killarney town — it's walkable and hostel-rich. The Ring of Kerry is a 179km loop that's best done as a small-group day tour rather than trying to drive it yourself: book a Ring of Kerry day tour via GetYourGuide or directly with a local Killarney operator (approx £35-50), which typically covers Killarney, Killorglin, Cahersiveen, Waterville, Sneem, Moll's Gap and Ladies' View, and many include the Kerry Bog Village or a sheepdog herding demonstration (confirm at booking). The Skellig Experience on Valentia Island is a small visitor centre — most day tours stop or you can add it — and Gap of Dunloe can be visited separately by jaunting car or on foot from Kate Kearney's Cottage. Evening: pub dinner and music in Killarney.
🚌Bus Éireann 40 Cork–Killarney ~£10-12. Ring of Kerry small-group day tour ~£35-50pp.
🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Killarney town (approx £25-35pp dorm, £55-75 private)
- →Ring of Kerry small-group day tour
- →Moll's Gap & Ladies' View photo stops
- →Sneem village stroll
- →Skellig Experience, Valentia Island
- →Sheepdog herding demonstration (check tour inclusions)
- →Optional Gap of Dunloe by jaunting car
Killarney to Doolin — Cliffs of Moher and a Shannon ferry crossing
Cliffs of Moher & Doolin
Travel Killarney to Limerick by bus or train (roughly £12-18, 1.5-2h), then take Bus Éireann route 350 along the Clare coast to Doolin and the Cliffs of Moher (~£12-15, around 2h) — the same coastal run the tour does by coach, but you can hop off. Spend the afternoon at the Cliffs of Moher visitor centre (approx £10 entry, book online) and walk the cliff path towards O'Brien's Tower. To replicate the tour's River Shannon ferry crossing, take the Shannon Ferry at Killimer–Tarbert (car ferry, foot passengers around £5-8) if you're routing via Kerry, or simply enjoy the views across the Shannon estuary from the Clare side. Optional trad-music feast: book a night in Doolin, the trad music capital, with a pub dinner instead of the castle banquet (Dunguaire Castle's medieval banquet in Kinvara runs seasonally, roughly £50-60, bookable direct if you want the full experience). Overnight in Doolin or Ennis.
🚌Killarney–Limerick bus/train ~£12-18; Bus Éireann 350 Limerick–Doolin/Cliffs ~£12-15; optional Shannon Ferry foot passenger ~£5-8.
🛏Hostel or small B&B in Doolin / Ennis (approx £28-40pp dorm, £60-80 private)
- →Cliffs of Moher visitor centre & cliff walk
- →Bus Éireann 350 coastal route through County Clare
- →Optional Shannon Ferry crossing (Killimer–Tarbert)
- →Doolin trad music pub night
- →Optional Dunguaire Castle medieval banquet
Doolin to Shannon Airport — slow morning and departure
Shannon / Ennis
A relaxed final morning: a Doolin cliff walk or a wander round Ennis's medieval lanes and abbey before heading to Shannon. Bus Éireann 350 runs from Doolin/Ennis to Shannon Airport (about 1h-1h30 from Ennis, roughly £10-12). If you're flying out of Dublin instead, take the bus or train back to Dublin (allow 3.5-4h). If you have a late flight, Ennis is a good lunch stop — cheap, friendly and walkable.
🚌Bus Éireann 350 Doolin/Ennis–Shannon Airport ~£10-12; or Ennis–Dublin bus/train ~£20-30 if flying from Dublin.
🛏None (departure day)
- →Doolin coastal walk
- →Ennis town & Ennis Friary
- →Departure from Shannon Airport
Self-launched vs. CIE Tours
| This itinerary (self-launched) | CIE Tours | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£430 | £1,955 |
| Duration | 5 days | 5 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £1,525 per person (78%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more CIE Tours-style trips? Check them out here.~£430
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
Customise with Tour BusterCreated by
Travel Crew
0 trips
Frequently asked questions
How much does Taste of Ireland: Self-Launched 5-Day Dublin to Shannon cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £430 per person for 5 days in Ireland. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with CIE Tours?+
Yes — CIE Tours charges around £1,955 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £430 — a saving of roughly £1,525 (78%) per person.
How long is the Ireland trip?+
This itinerary runs 5 days, covering 5 day-by-day stops through Ireland.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, slow-travel, budget trip through Ireland, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
No comments yet — be the first to share your take.
Sign in to leave a comment.