The Ring of Kerry is the most famous drive in Ireland — 179 kilometres around the Iveragh Peninsula, past mountains, beaches, ancient stone forts and tiny painted villages. It gets busy in summer (200,000 tour bus passengers a year), but if you drive counter-clockwise, start early, and know where to stop, it's still magnificent. Base yourself in Killarney and give it three full days minimum.
Killarney town — your base
Killarney is unashamedly touristy — every second shop sells Aran sweaters and shillelaghs — but it's also the practical hub. The town has 25,000 beds, dozens of restaurants, and Kerry's main rail station. Stay in the town centre so you can walk to pubs like O'Connor's or the Laurels for evening trad sessions. B&Bs on Muckross Road are quieter and only 15 minutes' walk. Budget around €120-180 per night for a double in July-August, or €80-110 in May and October.
Killarney National Park
Before you even start the Ring, spend a full day in the 26,000-acre national park on Killarney's doorstep. This is Ireland's oldest national park (established 1932) and one of the last pockets of native oak forest in the country. Free entry, no ticket needed.
Start at Muckross House (€10.50), a 19th-century Elizabethan mansion where Queen Victoria stayed in 1861. The traditional farms in the grounds are a working reconstruction of 1930s rural Ireland. Walk 20 minutes to Muckross Abbey — a 15th-century Franciscan ruin with a 500-year-old yew tree growing in the cloister. Then continue to Torc Waterfall (short, easy walk from the car park). If you're feeling energetic, keep climbing above the waterfall for lake views. Finish at Ross Castle on Lough Leane (€6), a 15th-century tower house — you can take a boat across the lake to Innisfallen Island.
Jaunting cars (horse-drawn carts driven by "jarveys") work all these routes. Expect €40-70 for a short ride, and the jarveys are half the entertainment — many are third-generation drivers with memorised stories.
The Ring of Kerry — key stops
Drive counter-clockwise (Killorglin first, coming back through Kenmare). This puts the coast on your right and, more importantly, moves you against the tour buses, which all go clockwise. Start by 8:30 am.
Killorglin — small market town, famous for Puck Fair (in August a wild goat is crowned king; genuine ancient festival).
Cahersiveen — ruined Ballycarbery Castle and the astonishing Cahergall Stone Fort. Free to visit, on a narrow lane above the town.
Valentia Island — cross the bridge at Portmagee, drive around the island, see the tetrapod footprints from 385 million years ago (the earliest evidence of vertebrates walking on land).
Skellig Ring — an alternative detour off the main Ring, less driven and more dramatic. Views of Skellig Michael from the Kerry Cliffs (€5 to park).
Waterville — Charlie Chaplin holidayed here every year; there's a statue on the seafront.
Sneem — colourful pastel village worth a coffee stop.
Kenmare — the best town on the Ring for dinner. Foodie destination, some of the best restaurants in Kerry (Mulcahy's, Boathouse).
The last stretch back to Killarney takes you through the Molls Gap and Ladies View, with the classic panorama of the Killarney Lakes.
When to go
May to early October is the season. July and August are the busiest and the wettest (Kerry gets rain in summer). May and September are ideal — greener, fewer buses, evening light lasts until 9:30. Winter is fine to visit but many attractions and restaurants close.
One thing not to miss
Gap of Dunloe. Take a boat from Ross Castle across the Killarney Lakes, then hike or ride a pony trap through the glacial valley back to Kate Kearney's Cottage. Full day, about €50 per person with the standard tour operators. Best day out in Ireland if you get the weather.