Wild Atlantic Way road trip: 10-day route from Shannon and driving tips

Route Shannon Airport, County Clare, Ireland → Shannon Airport, County Clare, Ireland

Distance 700 miles

Estimated fuel $155

Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way runs 2,500 km, so most first-timers drive its southern half: a 700-mile, 10-day loop from Shannon through Kerry, Dingle, Clare and Connemara. Here is the day-by-day route plus what American drivers need to know about insurance, the M50 toll, licences and speed limits.

A Wild Atlantic Way road trip does not mean driving the whole thing. Fáilte Ireland's defined touring route runs 2,500 km (about 1,550 miles) from the Inishowen Peninsula in Donegal to Kinsale in Cork, and Tourism Ireland recommends at least 10 days and points out that the route can be enjoyed in sections. The realistic plan for a first trip is the southern half: a loop of roughly 700 miles (1,130 km) from Shannon Airport through Kinsale, West Cork, the Ring of Kerry, the Dingle Peninsula, the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren, Galway and Connemara, in 10 days (or a tighter 7). This guide covers the day-by-day route, the Ring of Kerry coach convention, Ireland's credit card insurance trap for Americans, the M50 toll, licence rules, speed limits and the best months to go.

Wild Atlantic Way road trip at a glance

Item	Detail
Full Wild Atlantic Way	2,500 km (about 1,550 miles), Inishowen (Donegal) to Kinsale (Cork)
This section	Shannon loop via Kinsale, Kerry, Clare, Galway and Connemara
Distance	About 700 miles (1,130 km) before detours
Trip length	10 days recommended; 7 days possible
Rental pickup	Shannon Airport (on the route, no M50 toll); Dublin works but adds a cross-country drive each way
Driving side	Left; speed limits in km/h
Fuel estimate	About $155 (38 US mpg, explained below)
Best months	Summer for weather; late spring and early autumn for fewer crowds

Shannon or Dublin for your rental pickup?

Fly into Shannon if you can. The airport sits beside the route in County Clare, so the first and last drives are short, and you never touch Dublin's M50. Dublin works too, but plan for the cross-country drive and the M50 toll (see below). Whichever airport you choose, if you don't drive a stick shift every day, specifically book an automatic and book early. Changing gear with your left hand on narrow roads is a lot to take on at once.

10-day Wild Atlantic Way itinerary from Shannon

Daily distances come from a routing engine and exclude side trips. Irish roads are slow, so treat each day as a full day.

Day 1: Shannon to Kinsale (about 93 miles)

Drive south via Limerick and Cork to Kinsale, the official southern end of the Wild Atlantic Way. It is the trip's only long inland transfer.

Day 2: West Cork to Kenmare (about 88 miles)

Follow the coast west through Clonakilty, Skibbereen, Bantry and Glengarriff, then cross into Kerry over the mountain road to Kenmare. Overnight in Kenmare.

Day 3: Ring of Kerry, clockwise to Killarney (about 88 miles)

The Ring of Kerry is a 179 km (111-mile) loop around the Iveragh Peninsula. Because the roads are narrow, tour coaches run it anti-clockwise, going via Killorglin first. Starting from Kenmare and heading toward Sneem, Caherdaniel, Waterville and Cahersiveen puts you on the clockwise direction most self-drive advice recommends, so you are not stuck in a line behind buses. Finish in Killarney for two nights.

Day 4: Killarney National Park

A low-mileage buffer day for Muckross House, Torc Waterfall, Ladies View and Ross Castle.

Day 5: Inch Beach, Dingle and Slea Head (about 64 miles)

Drive west via Castlemaine and Inch Beach to Dingle, then do the Slea Head loop in the afternoon. The Dingle Peninsula Tourism Alliance asks visitors to drive Slea Head clockwise only (through Ventry first) and to follow local road signs rather than sat nav; the road is two-way for residents only. Overnight in Dingle.

Day 6: Conor Pass, the Shannon ferry and the Cliffs of Moher (about 148 miles)

The longest day. Leave Dingle over the Conor Pass on a clear morning. Local guidance says vehicles over 2 tonnes may not continue north-east of the summit car park, and the first 2 km of the descent is narrow with lay-bys for passing. Continue via Tralee to Tarbert and take the Shannon Ferries car ferry, a 20-minute crossing to Killimer in Clare. Then head up the coast through Kilkee and Lahinch to the Cliffs of Moher, and overnight in Doolin.

Day 7: The Burren to Galway (about 46 miles)

Take the coast road past Fanore and Black Head to Ballyvaughan, explore the limestone Burren, then continue via Kinvara to Galway city.

Day 8: Galway to Clifden via Roundstone (about 60 miles)

Head west into Connemara through Oughterard, turn south to the fishing village of Roundstone, then follow the coast to Clifden.

Day 9: Kylemore Abbey and Killary Harbour (about 63 miles)

Drive north to Kylemore Abbey and on to Leenaun on Killary Harbour, then return through the Maam valley and Oughterard to Galway.

Day 10: Galway to Shannon (about 53 miles)

An easy motorway run back to the airport via Gort and Ennis.

Doing it in 7 days

Drop the Killarney rest day, skip Kinsale and West Cork by driving straight from Shannon to Kenmare, and return from Clifden to Shannon on day 7. You keep Kerry, Dingle, Clare and Connemara but lose the buffer for bad weather.

Narrow roads and the Ring of Kerry coach convention

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) warns that many local roads are still very narrow with no hard shoulder, and that you will meet tractors and animals in rural areas.

Ring of Kerry: coaches go anti-clockwise. Driving clockwise means you meet them head-on at points rather than following them for miles.
Start early. Travelers report that being on the road by about 8am avoids most coach traffic (see below).
Rent small. A compact car makes village streets, stone walls and lay-bys far easier. If you have driven Scotland's single-track roads on the North Coast 500, the skills transfer, but Irish roads have more two-way traffic squeezed into the same width.

For American drivers: licence, driving side, tolls, speed limits and insurance

Your US licence and an International Driving Permit

The US is not one of the countries whose licences Ireland recognises for exchange. For drivers from those countries, Citizens Information (the Irish government's public information service) says you may drive in Ireland as a visitor for up to 12 months if you also have an International Driving Permit from your home country. The RSA adds that most rental companies require a licence from your country of residence and that an IDP may be required in some circumstances, so check with your rental company. The US State Department notes that IDPs are issued by AAA before you leave. Given the official wording, carry both your licence and an IDP.

Driving on the left

Traffic in Ireland drives on the left, and the RSA notes that modern road signs and speed limits are in kilometres. Seat belts are compulsory front and rear, and holding a phone while driving is illegal.

The M50 barrier-free toll (Dublin only)

There are no toll booths on Dublin's M50. Overhead cameras record your plate as you pass the toll point between Junction 6 (N3 Blanchardstown) and Junction 7 (N4 Lucan); use the M50 without passing that point and there is no charge. Driving from Dublin Airport south or west on the M50 toward Galway, Limerick or Cork usually means passing it. Transport Infrastructure Ireland lists these 2026 car tolls:

Account type	Car toll (2026)
Tag account	€2.60
Video account	€3.20
Unregistered (most tourists)	€3.80

If you are unregistered, you must pay by 8pm the day after your trip, online at eFlow, by phone, or at a Payzone outlet. Miss it and the toll rises by €4, then by a further €51, then a further €128. eFlow tells rental customers to first ask the rental company whether tolls are included in the agreement, since some bill you automatically and others leave it to you.

Speed limits are in km/h

Your rental's speedometer will show km/h. Default limits from the RSA and Citizens Information:

Road type	Limit	Approx. mph
Motorways	120 km/h	75 mph
National roads	100 km/h	62 mph
Regional roads	80 km/h	50 mph
Rural local roads (since 7 February 2025)	60 km/h	37 mph
Urban areas	50 km/h (30 km/h on many streets)	31 mph
Towing a caravan or trailer	80 km/h maximum	50 mph

Two changes are in progress: national secondary roads are due to drop from 100 to 80 km/h (Citizens Information says this has not been introduced yet), and many urban roads are moving to 30 km/h by 31 March 2027. Always follow the posted sign. Speeding carries a €160 fine and penalty points, which apply to foreign licence holders too. The drink-drive limit for fully licensed drivers is 50 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood, and Gardaí run random breath-test checkpoints.

Insurance: why your credit card may not cover you in Ireland

Collision damage waiver (CDW) is where US card benefits usually come in, and Ireland is a well-known exception. As summarised by NerdWallet, Visa's standard auto rental coverage excludes rentals originating in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland, and Mastercard's excludes vehicles rented there (alongside Israel and Jamaica). Some individual card issuers do extend cover to Ireland, but terms vary card by card. Before you book:

Call your card issuer and ask, in writing, whether its rental coverage applies in the Republic of Ireland, for how many days, and for what vehicle category.
If it does, get a letter or benefits document that names Ireland and bring a printed copy. Travelers report that Irish rental desks often ask for proof before letting you decline their CDW.
If it does not, price the rental company's CDW (and its excess-reduction add-on) into your budget from the start, or book a rate that already includes it.
Check whether buying any of the rental company's CDW voids your card's cover; some cards require you to decline it completely.

The State Department notes that US auto insurance generally does not cover you abroad either. Photograph the car at pickup, especially wheels and mirrors, and consider a dash cam for a record of any scrape.

Fuel costs

AA Ireland's October 2026 fuel survey puts the average pump price of petrol at 198.16c per litre. At the European Central Bank's 4 November 2026 reference rate ($1.1267 to the euro), that is about $2.23 per litre, or roughly $8.45 per US gallon. A compact rental averaging 38 US mpg (about 6.2 litres per 100 km) uses about 18.4 gallons over 700 miles, so budget around $155 for fuel. The AA updates its survey on the second Monday of each month and exchange rates move, so treat this as a ballpark.

Best months to drive the Wild Atlantic Way

Tourism Ireland says summer brings the mildest temperatures and most reliable conditions for sea swimming, island trips and boat tours, but it is also the busiest season. It also recommends spring and autumn, and warns of storms and unpredictable weather in winter. For a driving trip, the shoulder months around the summer peak (late May, June and September) balance long days against the July and August crowds. Outside summer, check the Shannon Ferries timetable; its current notice gives a 7.30pm last sailing from Tarbert.

What travelers report

Clockwise on the Ring of Kerry is the common choice, but it matters less than it used to. In a 2023 Rick Steves forum thread, one traveler said a co-worker who went anti-clockwise found passing buses on narrow roads stressful, and another preferred clockwise because you can pull into small car parks without crossing traffic. A long-time Ireland visitor said road upgrades mean "it really doesn't matter much which direction you go anymore."
Rick Steves' own guide prefers clockwise. In a 2018 thread, Rick Steves staff confirmed that a "counterclockwise" reference in that year's Ireland guidebook was a typo, and a visitor who spent a month in Kerry reported that on the rare jam you simply pull over and let the bus drivers direct you.
The Conor Pass is less scary than its reputation. Replies to a Rick Steves forum question about the Conor Pass describe it as narrow at the top but manageable if you use the pull-outs, with one regular suggesting the longer, wider road in rain or fog. Another found that being on the road by 8am meant having Slea Head almost to themselves.
Card coverage is a fine-print problem. In a 2020 Rick Steves thread on CDW in Ireland, one traveler discovered after buying a travel-insurance rental upgrade that Ireland was excluded. Another described a 2013 rental where the company charged about $4,500 for a scrape and a bent wheel, which the card benefit later refunded, but only after the full amount went on the card. A frequent Ireland visitor said they now simply take the rental company's zero-excess option for peace of mind.
Keep your M50 receipts. A traveler in a 2017 Rick Steves thread paid both M50 tolls on time but was still billed through the rental company, because one payment had been applied to the previous renter of the same car. Emailed receipts and calls to eFlow and the rental company got it reversed.

Common mistakes

Trying to drive all 2,500 km in one trip. Pick a section.
Assuming your credit card covers CDW. Get written confirmation that names Ireland, or budget for the rental company's waiver.
Forgetting the M50 toll. No booth means no reminder.
Reading 100 as mph. 100 km/h is about 62 mph.

Bottom line

Treat the Wild Atlantic Way as a route to sample. A 700-mile Shannon loop over 10 days covers Kerry, Dingle, Clare and Connemara without long days at the wheel and keeps you off the M50. Sort the insurance question with your card issuer before you book, carry an IDP with your licence, rent a small automatic, drive Kerry clockwise and Slea Head clockwise, and go in late spring or September if you can.