Ring of Kerry Guide

The Ring of Kerry is a roughly 179km signposted road looping around the Iveragh Peninsula, and it's the single most famous driving route in Ireland. It's mostly the N70, with the interior mountains — the MacGillycuddy's Reeks among them — on one side and the Atlantic on the other for long stretches.

The route and the towns along it

Starting and finishing in Killarney, the traditional route runs through Killorglin, Glenbeigh, Cahersiveen, Waterville, Caherdaniel, Sneem and Kenmare before returning to Killarney over Moll's Gap. Along the way it passes Ladies View — a viewpoint over the lakes said to have impressed Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting on an 1861 visit — and skirts close to Derrynane Beach and the Skellig Experience centre on Valentia Island.

Which direction should you drive it

This is the one piece of Ring of Kerry advice worth taking seriously rather than skimming past. Tour coaches have long travelled the route in one direction by informal industry convention, partly because the road is genuinely too narrow in places for two coaches to pass comfortably. Plenty of self-drive guides recommend going the opposite way specifically to avoid meeting a line of coaches head-on on a blind bend. There's no legal one-way system — it's convention, not law — but it's worth picking a direction on purpose. If in doubt, ask locally or check current advice before you set off, since the practical answer can shift with which operators are running that season.

What it actually feels like to drive

This is not a route you can rush. The road narrows considerably in stretches, particularly around Coomakista Pass near Waterville and on parts of the Cahersiveen–Waterville stretch, and pull-ins for photos are limited and often shared with everyone else doing the same drive. Non-stop, the full loop takes around three hours; with any reasonable number of stops, it's a full day.

The Skellig Ring — the quieter alternative

If you want a taste of the Iveragh Peninsula's coastline without the coach traffic, the Skellig Ring is a shorter loop around the Portmagee and Valentia Island area, on roads too narrow for coaches, that can be added onto (or substituted for part of) the main route. It passes the Kerry Cliffs, which give the best mainland view of the Skellig Islands without a boat trip.

What's not really "on" the Ring of Kerry

The Gap of Dunloe, on the edge of Killarney National Park, is often lumped in with Ring of Kerry itineraries but isn't part of the signposted N70 loop — it's a separate, narrower pass usually done on foot, by bike or by jaunting car. Killarney National Park itself (Ross Castle, Muckross House, Torc Waterfall) is likewise best treated as its own outing rather than squeezed into a Ring of Kerry day. See our Killarney National Park guide for that.

Planning tips

• Fill up with fuel before you set out — options thin out between the larger villages.
• If you're set on photographing the coastal views from the passenger side of the car, that should factor into which direction you choose to drive.
• Consider a guided coach tour if you'd rather not deal with the narrower sections yourself — plenty run as day trips from Killarney.
• Weather closes in fast on this coast; a clear morning is no guarantee of a clear afternoon at Coomakista Pass or on Valentia Island.

Related reading

• Things to Do in Kerry
• Killarney Guide
• Killarney National Park Guide
• Cliffs of Moher Guide