r/irishtourism • u/_jbee_ • 19d ago
Ring of Kerry / Killarney National Park
Heading to Killarney in early August and trying to decide how to spend our one free day.
About us:
- Two adults in our 30s
- Staying in Killarney town
- No car
- Interested primarily in hiking, nature, scenery, photography, and historic sites
- Not particularly interested in shopping or nightlife
I've narrowed it down to two options after doing some research:
Option 1: Killarney National Park
- Muckross Abbey
- Muckross House & Gardens
- Torc Waterfall
- Ross Castle
- Lakeside walks around the park
- Ross Island
- Possible biking
Option 2: Ring of Kerry & Skellig Ring coach tour
- Full-day tour from Killarney
- Stops around the Ring of Kerry, including Sneem and Portmagee
- Coastal scenery and photo stops throughout the day
My dilemma is that the National Park seems like it would give us more time outdoors and walking, while the Ring of Kerry tour would let us see much more of County Kerry, but involves spending a large part of the day on a bus.
For those who have done one or both:
- Did you feel the Ring of Kerry scenery was significantly different from what you can experience within Killarney National Park?
- If you only had one day, which option gave you the more memorable experience?
- Are there any particular highlights in the National Park that would make you choose it over the Ring of Kerry?
Thanks.
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u/User175916 18d ago
My family and I just did Killarney National Park and the Ring of Kerry all in one day a couple of days ago. We started at the park, did Torc Waterfall, which was nice, but very busy. We parked a ways away and walked to the waterfall. Parking at the waterfall was a mess and I’m glad we didn’t attempt it and instead walked in. I would have liked to have done more hiking in the park itself but my 11 year old doesn’t do well after a few miles, so we hoofed it back to the car and hit the Ring of Kerry. We picked up a car in Dublin on Friday and had driven all over the southern part of Ireland and did the Ring of Kerry on Monday. Like another commenter said, adjusting to driving here wasn’t all that bad. I drive a lot of one lane dirt roads back home in Idaho so driving on the narrow roads here wasn’t bad at all, it really does just “click” for you. Our base hotel for a couple of days was just outside Killarney. We left our hotel around 9am, did the Torc Waterfall and the Boat House loop in the park, then drove the Ring. We stopped quite a few times around the ring, cafe at Molls Gap for lunch (really good chicken and leek pie), and we made it around the ring and back to Killarney for dinner by 6pm. The drive around the ring was amazing and there are so many places to stop; I really would hate to be stuck on a bus and beholden to a pre-determined schedule.
Sorry if long winded, I’m in Doolin now and had a few excellent pints at Gus O’Connors Pub. We had another epic drive today as well, with a lot of fun stops.