Dreaming of travelling Ireland by campervan? Imagine exploring the rolling green hills, stone castle ruins, and coastal cliffs of Ireland at your own pace. Ireland is the perfect country to traverse in a campervan. The locals are so kind, the landscape is heavenly, and the campsites are perfect. Here I’ll outline for you: when to go, Ireland camper van rental, the best campsites in Ireland, and the essential stops to make along the way. I’ll also list a separate Ireland Hiking Trip Itinerary as well.
When to Visit Ireland by Campervan:
The summer months, May-August, are the most popular time to visit. The weather is typically the best at this time, but the crowds are large. We visited in early March and although it was a bit cold and rainy, we avoided crowds, and often had campsites to ourselves. Overall, I’d recommend travelling Ireland by campervan between March and October.
Ireland Camper Van Rental:
We rented the “Aero” van from Bunk Campervans. The van had everything we needed: bed, bedding, towels, kitchen utensils, stove, fridge, bathroom, table, and storage. The bathroom has a toilet, a sink, and a shower. The crew at Bunk was fantastic, walked us through use of the van, and were so patient and kind. Be aware, this van is MANUAL. You may be able to reserve an automatic Aero Plus Van if it’s available but that van is a bit larger and honestly the smaller the better on the tiny Irish backroads. Pick-up was 11am and drop off was between 9am and 11am. The cost was about $100 per night plus the cost of insurance and a can of gas for the stove/heat.
The Best Campsites in Ireland:
Our Stays in Order:
- Five Foot Way Car Park, Cobh
- This is spot is different from the rest. It’s actually a parking lot next to the ocean. It’s a beautiful spot and there is designated overnight parking for campervans
- 10 Euro/Night
- No hook-ups or facilities
- 10 minutes walk to the to the town of Cobh
- 5 minutes walk to the train station which you can take into Cork for a few Euro, leaves every 30 minutes
- Five Foot Way Car Park Motorhome stopover in Cobh
- Wave Crest Caravan Park, Ring of Kerry
- Beautiful campsite on a cliff overlooking the ocean
- On the beautiful Ring of Kerry, located in the town of Caherdaniel
- 25 Euro/night
- Electric hookups, hot showers, and all the facilities
- Eat at The Blind Piper Pub down the street
- wavecrestcamping.com
- Inch Beach Campsite, outside of Dingle
- Located just across the street from Inch Beach, a big surf spot in Ireland
- 25 Euro/night
- All the facilities and hookups available
- 30 minutes drive from the awesome town of Dingle
- inchbeach.com/campsite
- Nagle’s Campsite, Doolin, views of Cliffs of Moher
- Located 10 minutes drive from the pubs in Doolin which are home to the best Irish Trad Music in Ireland
- Views of the Cliffs of Moher from the campsite and only 10 minute drive to the Cliffs
- 25 Euro/ Night
- All the facilities and hook-ups
- doolincamping.com
- Lough Ree Caravan Park, 10 minutes from Athlone
- Located on the lake Lough Ree, the 5th largest lake in Ireland
- All the facilities and hookups
- Just a 10 minute drive from the town of Athlone- good food and pubs
- loughreeeastcamping.wixsite.com
Other Great Campsites (South to North):
- Roundwood Caravan & Camping– Wicklow National Park
- 50 minutes from Dublin, located in the Wicklow Mountains
- A good base for hiking in Wicklow Mountains National Park
- dublinwicklowcamping.com
- Cronins Yard – Killarney, Co. Kerry
- Located at the base of Carrountoohil, the tallest peak in Ireland
- This would be the perfect home base for exploring Killarney National Park
- croninsyard.com
- Clifden Eco Beach Camping and Caravan Park- Connemara National Park
- Ocean Views
- Located near the town of Clifden which is the start of the scenic “Sky Road Drive”
- Near Connemara National Park
- 25 Euro/Night
- Clifdenecocamping.ie
- Keel Camping – Achill Island, Co. Mayo
- beautiful island campsite
- 30 Euro/night
- keelcamping.ie
- Sliabh Liag Camping, Donegal county
- Check our their website for activities nearby
- Glenmore Caravan and Camping- Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
- 20 minutes drive from the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
- 30 Euro/night
- Hook-ups and facilities available
- glenmore.biz
6 Day Ireland Itinerary:
Day 1: Dublin to Cobh
- When you land in Ireland, first, pickup your campervan from Bunk Campers, about 1 mile from the airport. You can take a taxi or just walk.
- Next, hit the road towards Cobh.
- Stop at the Rock of Cashel Castle near Tipperary. Admittance is about 8 euro each.
- You can also stop about 20 minutes down the road from Cashel at the Cahir Castle
- When you get to Cobh, park at your overnight spot at Five Foot Way Carpark, pay the 10 Euros to the machine, and then walk into town to explore and eat.
- Cobh is an adorable port town and is known as the last site the titanic stopped before heading to sea. There is a titanic museum you can tour. We walked around, saw St. Colman’s Cathedral, grabbed a pint of Guinness, and then ate dinner at The Commodore Hotel.
Day 2: Cork and the Ring of Kerry
- On day 2, we went to Cork by train. Walk about 10 minutes to the train station in Cobh and take the train into Cork. The ride is about 30 minutes long and the train leaves every 30 minutes
- We did a walking tour in Cork with Get Your Guide: Cork Guided Walking Tour. The tour was 75 minutes long and our tour guide was fantastic
- Make sure to walk in the English Market in Cork
- Then take the train back to your van in Cobh and drive to see Blarney Castle
- Blarney Castle is a big tourist attraction but it is beautiful and I recommend stopping to see it if you have time
- Next, drive to your campsite at Wave Crest Caravan park. This drive is along the famous Ring of Kerry. Enjoy the scenery. The Blind Piper Pub down the road has great food.
Day 3: Ring of Kerry, Killarney National Park, and Dingle
- Drive the rest of the Ring of Kerry in the morning making sure to stop at the Skellig Islands Viewpoint to catch a glimpse of the island where Star Wars was filmed. In the summer, you can take a boat trip out to the island
- We stopped for lunch at Camo’s in Cahersiveen and then drove to Killarney National Park
- In my opinion, Killarney National Park deserves 1-2 days to fully explore and I definitely recommend adding a day or two to your trip to do so or skipping Cork and Cobh to make time for it. The park is home to Ireland’s tallest peak, Carountoohil which you can hike to the top of. The hike is strenuous at about 7.4 miles roundtrip with 3000 feet of elevation.
- If you stay a couple nights in Killarney, camp at Cronin’s Yard
- Another popular spot in the park is the Gap of Dunloe mountain pass. The best way to travel the pass is by foot (5 hours walk), bicycle, or by horse and buggy which you will have to arrange ahead of time. A great option is The Gap of Dunloe: Guided Boat, Jaunting Car, and Bus Tour by Get Your Guide. This 5 hour tour includes a 7 mile horse and buggy ride through the Gap of Dunloe to Lord Brandon’s cottage where you’ll have lunch and then hop on a boat for a 2 hour tour through the lakes. You’ll end at Ross Castle. I am told you can drive the Gap of Dunloe but signs at the start discouraged visitors from doing so. The road is small and winding and full of horse drawn carriages and cyclists.
- After seeing the park, we drove the Dingle Peninsula out to Dunquin Pier– a striking stone pier overlooking the ocean. The pier was once a lifeline for the people who lived out on the Blasket Island up until the 1950’s. When water was calm they made contact with the mainland by way of the pier. When weather was bad, they were often isolated for months on end.
- After seeing the pier, we drove back to the town of Dingle. Grab a pint at Foxy John’s Bar or Dick Mack’s Pub. There’s often live music at 9/10pm in town. We then drove about 30 minutes to our campsite at Inch Beach
Day 4: Cliffs of Moher and Doolin
- Day 4, we drove 3 hours to the Cliffs of Moher. We stopped for lunch in Lahinch on the way. Entrance to the cliffs is about 8 euro each.
- After hiking around the cliffs, we drove 10 minutes to Doolin. This little town seems to be a favorite of many. McGann’s, McDermotts, and Fitzpatrick’s pubs in town have some of the best Irish “Trad” (traditional) music played nightly. Nagle’s Campground is just 10 minutes drive from town.
Day 5: Galway, Kilbeggen, and Athlone
- In the morning, we drove an hour to Galway, grabbed coffee and walked around for about an hour. There were street performers and lots of people out for the local market. If you have time, grab the local oysters from The Quays or one of the nearby seafood restaurants. They are world renowned.
- We then drove to the Kilbeggan Distillery and did the hour long tour. This is the oldest distillery in Ireland. The tour was fun and informative. Then we drove 15 minutes to the Tullamore D.E.W. Distillery and had a look around. You can do a tour here as well.
- Next, we drove to Athlone, a little town that was recommended to us by a fellow traveler.
- Athlone is a small, cute town on the river. It’s about a hour outside of Dublin so it was a good last night spot for us as we needed to return the campervan the next day before 11am. There are plenty of bars and restaurants plus a castle in the town center.
- We had an amazing dinner at a Michelin Guide Restaurant called Thyme and had drinks at Peddler Mac’s across the street. Our campsite at Lough Ree Caravan Park was just 10 minutes outside of town.
Day 6: Dublin
- We returned our van in the morning and took a taxi to our hotel in Dublin. We stayed at The Morrison Dublin, Curio Collection by Hilton. The hotel is perfectly located and we were able to walk to The Temple Bar district, Dublin Castle, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Jameson Distillery, and the Ha’ Penny Bridge.
- We ate dinner at another restaurant on the Michelin Guide: BigFan. It’s a Chinese Tapas/ Bao restaurant. The food was amazing and the atmosphere was fun.
- Also make sure to check out The Quays Bar for late night music and the Brazen Head Pub. The famous Temple Bar really is worth a visit as well. It’s crowded and touristy but there is always live music and it’s a lot of fun.
Overall, our trip to Ireland was amazing! I’d love to go back in the summer and do a hiking trip.
If you’ve got longer than 6 days in Ireland, skip Athlone and keep driving north. I’d stay a night or two at Clifden Eco Beach Camping and explore Connemara National Park. Then I’d head out to Achill Island and stay at Keel Camping or head straight up to Northern Ireland and hike the Giant’s Causeway, see The Dark Hedges, and walk across the famous Carrick-a-Rede Rope bridge. You can camp 20 minutes from Giant’s Causeway at Glenmore Caravan and Camping. After that you can drive back to Dublin stopping in Belfast on the way.
If you’re more into hiking and less into seeing the cities/towns, follow this Ireland hiking trip itinerary:
Ireland Hiking Trip:
- Spend 2 nights at Wicklow National Park and camp at Roundwood Caravan and Camping
- Make sure to hike to the top of Lugnaquilla which is 3207 feet tall. There are several routes to take. The Zig Zags to Lugnaquilla route is 8 miles long
- Hike Conavalla and Camenabologue Loop, 9.6 miles
- Hike the Spink Loop, 3.7 miles
- Spend 2 nights at Killarney National Park and camp at Cronin’s Yard
- Hike to the top of Carrountoohil, 8 miles roundtrip
- Walk or bike the Gap of Dunloe. You can also arrange for a horse and buggy to take you as listed above
- Or hike Gap of Dunloe to Strickeen, 4.4 miles total
- Spend 2 nights at Connemara National Park and camp at Clifden Eco Beach Caravan Park
- Tons of great hiking here:
- Hike through the gardens at Kylemore Abbery, 4.1 miles total
- Connemara and Diamond Hill Loop, 4.5 miles total
- Connemara National Park Loop, 12.2 miles
- Spend 1 night at Sliabh Liag, near Donegal and camp at Sliabh Liag Camping
- Hike Slieve League Cliffs, 8 miles total
- Spend 1 night in Northern Ireland and camp at Glenmore Caravan and Camping
- Hike the Giant’s Causeway to Dunseverick Castle, 11.2 miles out and back or the shorter Giant’s Causeway blue trail, 3 miles
- Hike to the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge and back, 1.6 miles
Ireland has truly been one of my favorite countries to visit. I can’t wait to go back. I hope this information helps you plan an amazing adventure!
Cheers!
Alanna