Ring of Kerry

The Ring of Kerry is Ireland's most famous scenic drive, and for good reason. This 179km circular route around the Iveragh Peninsula showcases the very best of Ireland's southwest: dramatic mountain passes, pristine beaches, charming villages, and ancient monuments.

Why Drive the Ring of Kerry?

The Ring of Kerry offers an incredible variety of landscapes in a relatively compact area. You'll experience:

• Dramatic coastlines with views of the Skellig Islands
• Mountain passes through the MacGillycuddy's Reeks
• Traditional villages like Sneem and Kenmare
• Ancient history at stone forts and ogham stones
• Wildlife including seals, red deer, and seabirds

Where to Stay

The Ring of Kerry is a 179km loop around the Iveragh Peninsula, starting and finishing in Killarney. While it can be driven in a single long day, the 2-3 day recommended duration lets you linger at Valentia Island, Derrynane, and the mountain passes. Because it is a loop, a single well-placed base works perfectly.

Killarney

Killarney is Ireland's most established tourism town, with everything from five-star lakeside hotels to cosy town-centre B&Bs. As both the start and the finish of the Ring, it makes the most logical base. You can set off clockwise over Ladies View and Moll's Gap, spend the day working west through Sneem, Derrynane and Waterville to the Skellig Ring, then come home along the north coast through Cahersiveen and Killorglin in the evening. If you split the drive over two days, Killarney's restaurant and pub scene gives you plenty to enjoy on your rest evening.

Which Way Round, and Why

Drive the Ring clockwise: south from Killarney over Ladies View and Moll's Gap first, west through Sneem and Waterville, and back along the north coast through Cahersiveen and Killorglin in the evening.

The reason is the coaches. Tour operators run the Ring anti-clockwise — out through Killorglin first, back over Moll's Gap at the end of the day. That is a long-standing convention rather than a by-law: the road is too narrow in places for two coaches to pass, so they all go the same way round.

The choice that leaves you is a real trade-off, not a slogan:

• Clockwise, against them. You never spend the afternoon queued behind a coach, and you reach Moll's Gap, the Coomakista pull-ins and Derrynane before the tours do. The cost is meeting coaches head-on. That happens briefly and at passing points, and on most of the N70 there is room for both of you.
• Anti-clockwise, with them. You never meet a coach head-on. The cost is that you arrive everywhere at the same time they do, and the narrow stretch west of Waterville is exactly where you will be stuck behind one.

Clockwise has a second advantage. Ireland drives on the left, so going clockwise the sea is on the near side of the car all day — the coastal viewpoints and lay-bys are a left turn in rather than a right turn across oncoming traffic. Anti-clockwise the water is on the driver's side and every pull-in is on the far side of the road.

If meeting a coach on a narrow bend is the thing that worries you, go anti-clockwise and accept the queues. Otherwise, clockwise.

(Source: the published itineraries of two Killarney coach operators. Wild Kerry Day Tours describes its Ring of Kerry day tour "setting off in an anti-clockwise direction" via Killorglin, Glenbeigh, Kells and Waterville, then Coomakista, Derrynane, Sneem and Moll's Gap; Paddywagon Tours lists the same Killorglin–Waterville–Sneem order. No council by-law fixes the direction, and nothing on the road compels a car either way. Checked September 2026.)

Must-See Stops

In clockwise order, the way this page recommends driving it.

Moll's Gap & Ladies View

Spectacular viewpoints over the Lakes of Killarney and the surrounding mountains, and the first thing you reach leaving Killarney on the N71.

Sneem

A colorful village with two squares, quirky sculptures, and excellent craft shops.

Derrynane

Visit Derrynane House, the ancestral home of Daniel O'Connell, set in beautiful grounds with access to a stunning beach.

Waterville

Charlie Chaplin's favorite holiday destination, this seaside town has beautiful beaches and excellent golf.

Skellig Ring

A stunning detour along the coast with views of the UNESCO World Heritage Skellig Islands (where Star Wars was filmed).

Valentia Island

Take a short ferry or bridge crossing to this island with stunning views and the Tetrapod Trackway - 385-million-year-old fossilized footprints.

Cahersiveen

Visit the birthplace of Daniel O'Connell and explore the nearby Ballycarbery Castle ruins.

Killorglin

The last town before Killarney, a charming market town famous for the Puck Fair festival held each August.

Tips for the Ring of Kerry

1. Start early - Tour buses don't depart until 9am, so an early start gives you quieter roads
2. Allow two days - While you can drive it in a day, you'll miss too much
3. Book accommodation early - Especially in summer, Kenmare and Killarney fill up fast
4. Check the weather - Clear days reward you with views to the Skelligs
5. Bring layers - Weather can change quickly, even in summer

Before You Drive This Route

Plan on 2 days for the Ring of Kerry: the 179km takes roughly 3.5 hours at the wheel, and the rest is why you came. If this is your first drive in Ireland, read driving on the left in Ireland before you collect the car — the first roundabout is not the moment to work it out. At this length you will be filling the tank, and where you do it matters more than when — see where to buy fuel in Ireland. Coastal weather changes faster than the forecast admits — the all-season packing guide covers what to have in the boot year-round. If you have not booked a car yet, our guide to renting a car in Ireland covers what to choose and what the desk will ask for, and car hire excess insurance explains the excess you will be asked to cover. More drives in the same corner of the country are on the County Kerry page, and the Dingle Peninsula pairs naturally with this one.