The four big routes get the headline because they earn it. They also get crowded in July/August in a way that turns photo-perfect views into car park snake-pits. The good news is Ireland is bigger than the headlines suggest, and three or four hours' drive away from the famous bits there are routes that feel like the country before tourism scaled up. This piece covers both.
For full stage-by-stage breakdowns of the big four, see the main routes page. Below is the trip-planning version: which one's right for which kind of trip, and what the alternatives are.
The big four — quick comparison
1. Wild Atlantic Way (Kinsale to Malin Head, ~2,500 km)
Best for: 14–21 day epic. The set-piece — everything from cliffs to Connemara to Donegal beaches. Worst for: a week. You'll see two coast-stops and miss the soul of it. Crowds: heavy in tourist hotspots (Cliffs of Moher, parts of Connemara), low elsewhere outside July/August.
2. Ring of Kerry (Killarney loop, 179 km)
Best for: a 3–5 day post-card-Ireland highlight reel. Most-photographed scenery in the country. Worst for: July/August driving in a slow van — tour buses everywhere. Anti-clockwise direction is essential. Crowds: heavy in season; quieter in May, September.
3. Causeway Coastal Route (Belfast to Derry, 190 km)
Best for: 4–6 days, value-for-money trip. Cheaper than the Republic, fewer crowds outside high season. Worst for: if you don't want to think about UK driving / sterling / a different mobile network. Crowds: moderate in season; outside July/August this route is quiet.
4. Dingle & Beara peninsulas (combined, ~180 km)
Best for: 5–7 days at a slow pace, two contrasting peninsulas. The connoisseur's pick. Worst for: people in a hurry — these roads aren't fast, and the point is the slowness. Crowds: Dingle gets busy in summer; Beara is quieter year-round.
Three under-the-radar alternatives
1. Hook Head Loop (Wexford, 2–3 days)
The forgotten peninsula. Hook Head Lighthouse is the oldest working lighthouse in the world (founded ~1245). Around it: Tintern Abbey, Duncannon Beach, the Saltees viewpoint, and a string of pretty harbour villages (Slade, Fethard-on-Sea, Arthurstown). Far less Instagrammed than anywhere on the WAW.
Highlights: Hook Lighthouse tour, Slade Castle ruins, Baginbun Beach (where the Normans first landed), the long sandy expanse of Curracloe (where Saving Private Ryan opening sequence was filmed).
Where to sleep: Fethard-on-Sea has a small caravan park; Hook Lighthouse car park (off-season, with discretion); the harbour at Slade is tolerated. Plenty of pub car parks if you eat in.
2. Inishowen Peninsula (Donegal, 2–3 days)
Often considered an extension of the WAW; usually skipped. Don't. Inishowen is a 100-mile loop in the very north, with Malin Head (Ireland's most northerly point) at the top. The peninsula has the best Donegal beaches (Five Fingers Strand, Pollan Bay, Doagh Famine Village), the dramatic cliffs at Glashedy, and the unspoilt fishing villages of Greencastle and Moville.
Highlights: Malin Head clifftop walk at sunset, Five Fingers Strand, Doagh Famine Village (genuinely moving), Inch Island bird reserve.
Where to sleep: Tullagh Bay caravan park (small, friendly), several public car parks at the major beaches tolerate off-season overnight, harbour at Greencastle is welcoming. Off-season Inishowen is one of the quietest places in Ireland; we've spent November weekends here without seeing another van.
3. Boyne Valley Loop (Meath/Louth, 2 days)
The history alternative. Newgrange (older than the Pyramids), Mellifont Abbey, Monasterboice round tower, the Hill of Tara, Trim Castle (where Braveheart was filmed). Different vibe from the coastal routes — more drives between heritage sites, fewer dramatic vistas, but proper substance for anyone interested in Irish history.
Highlights: Brú na Bóinne visitor centre and Newgrange tour (book in advance — tickets are timed), Trim Castle, the high crosses at Monasterboice, Slane Castle and the village.
Where to sleep: Trim has a caravan park; Slane village tolerates overnight in the public car park; Drogheda has a few options. Easy proximity to Dublin makes this a very feasible long-weekend.
How to plan a route around your time
- 3–4 day weekend: Hook Head Loop, or Boyne Valley Loop, or the Ring of Kerry done quickly.
- 1 week: Ring of Kerry + Dingle, or the Causeway Coastal Route at proper pace, or one segment of the WAW (Donegal alone, or West Cork + Beara).
- 2 weeks: southern half of the WAW (Kinsale to Galway), or the full Causeway Coast + Inishowen, or the WAW + a Dingle/Beara dip.
- 3 weeks: the full WAW. This is the only route that genuinely needs three weeks to do justice; doing it faster is doing it wrong.
- One month: WAW + Causeway Coastal Route (drive Donegal to Derry to make the connection). The full Irish coastal experience.
Seasonal notes
- April–May: the goldilocks months. Long daylight, fewer crowds, most caravan parks open, weather genuinely improving.
- June: still good. Crowds starting to build but bearable.
- July–August: peak season; book ahead for sites, expect tour-bus convoys on Ring of Kerry and Cliffs of Moher.
- September: arguably the best month. Weather usually still good, schools back so crowds drop dramatically. Many sites still open.
- October–November: quiet, often beautiful (autumn light on the west coast is spectacular), some sites starting to close. Bring the diesel heater.
- December–February: only attempt with a winterised van; many sites closed. The reward is total solitude in places that are mobbed in July.
- March: shoulder. Variable weather, fewer crowds, sites starting to reopen.
One opinion before you go
Doing fewer routes more slowly beats doing more routes faster. Almost everyone who's regretted a van trip in Ireland regretted trying to fit too much in. A two-week Wild Atlantic Way that gets you halfway, lingers, eats well, has actual conversations with locals at three different pubs, and skips three of the bigger headline stops — that's the trip you'll talk about. The "we did all 2,500 km in 9 days" trip is a podcast, not a memory.