Starting in Shannon? The Ultimate Gateway to Ireland’s Southwest A 7-Day Itinerary
Fly into Shannon and you can be standing at the Cliffs of Moher within the hour no three-hour drive across the country first. This 7-day loop covers Clare, Galway and Connemara, and Kerry, starting and finishing at Shannon Airport so you can book a standard round-trip flight rather than a one-way rental.
Most Ireland itineraries assume you’re flying into Dublin, which means a good chunk of day one disappears just getting to the west coast. Shannon skips that entirely. I’m based in Donegal, and even I’ll admit the west coast punches well above its weight for how little driving it takes to reach from this airport you can be on the Wild Atlantic Way in under an hour of landing, which is hard to beat if that coastline is the actual point of your trip.
This itinerary is a genuine loop Clare, Galway and Connemara, then Kerry, back to Shannon built to avoid backtracking and keep daily driving realistic rather than aggressive.
- Starting in Shannon? The Ultimate Gateway to Ireland's Southwest A 7-Day Itinerary
- Fast Facts: 7-Day Shannon Itinerary
- Day 1: Shannon Airport to Ennis (via Bunratty)
- Day 2: The Cliffs of Moher and the Burren
- Day 3: Doolin to Galway City via the Coast
- Day 4: Connemara and Kylemore Abbey
- Day 5: Galway to Killarney (via Adare)
- Day 6: The Ring of Kerry
- Day 7: Killarney to Shannon Airport
- Getting Around: Car, or Let Someone Else Drive
- Accessibility Along This Route
- Frequently Asked Questions About This Shannon Itinerary
- Exploring the fascinating regions of Ireland
Fast Facts: 7-Day Shannon Itinerary
| Starts and ends | Shannon Airport (round-trip flight, no one-way rental fee) |
| Regions covered | County Clare, Galway & Connemara, County Kerry |
| Total driving | Roughly 12–15 hours across the week |
| Longest driving day | Galway to Killarney worth splitting with a stop in Adare |
| First stop from the airport | Bunratty Castle, about 10–15 minutes away |
| Cliffs of Moher from Shannon | About 1 hour by car |
| Best for | First-time visitors whose trip is centred on the Wild Atlantic Way |
Day 1: Shannon Airport to Ennis (via Bunratty)
Land, collect your rental car, and ease into the trip rather than racing anywhere. Bunratty Castle & Folk Park is barely ten minutes from the airport and makes an easy, low-effort first stop a 15th-century castle with a reconstructed village of cottages and shops around it, ideal for shaking off jet lag without much walking. The Shannon Airport lies between the cities of Limerick and Ennis.
From Bunratty, it’s a short drive to Ennis, County Clare’s county town and one of Ireland’s most walkable medieval centres. Settle in, get dinner, and save the driving for tomorrow.
- Overnight: Ennis
- Driving today: under 30 minutes
Day 2: The Cliffs of Moher and the Burren
From Ennis, it’s about 40 minutes to the Cliffs of Moher, Ireland’s most-visited natural attraction and genuinely worth the hype sea cliffs running for 14km along the Atlantic edge of the Burren. Arrive early if you can; tour buses build up through the day. I’ve covered the wider landscape in more depth in Exploring the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher Geopark, including the karst limestone scenery that makes this region so strange and beautiful.
From the cliffs, continue into the Burren itself for the afternoon before dropping into Doolin, a small coastal village famous for traditional music sessions. Stay the night here rather than pushing on.
- Overnight: Doolin
- Driving today: around 1–1.5 hours
Day 3: Doolin to Galway City via the Coast
Take the coastal route north from Doolin into County Galway rather than the faster inland road it takes longer, but it’s a genuinely scenic drive worth the extra time on a trip built around the coastline. Galway City itself is compact and best explored on foot: the Latin Quarter, Eyre Square, and Galway Cathedral are all walkable from a central base.
- Overnight: Galway City
- Driving today: around 1.5–2 hours
Day 4: Connemara and Kylemore Abbey
A full day trip from Galway rather than a moving day Connemara National Park and Kylemore Abbey are both under an hour and a half from the city, and the scenery here is some of the wildest on this whole route. If you have time take a drive past Ireland’s Killary fjord I’ve mapped out the highlights in Best Things to Do in Connemara, Ireland: A Road Trip, which pairs well with this as a day-trip route rather than a full relocation.
Return to Galway City for a second night rather than relocating it keeps the day’s driving reasonable and gives you a second evening in the city.
- Overnight: Galway City (second night)
- Driving today: around 3 hours round trip
Day 5: Galway to Killarney (via Adare)
This is the longest driving day of the trip, so it’s worth breaking up rather than pushing straight through. Adare, roughly half an hour south of Shannon on the way, is one of Ireland’s prettiest villages thatched cottages, and Adare Manor just outside it, which has hosted US presidents and is set to host the 2027 Ryder Cup. A coffee stop here breaks up the drive nicely before continuing on to Killarney.
- Overnight: Killarney
- Driving today: around 2.5–3 hours including the Adare stop
Day 6: The Ring of Kerry
A full day built around the 179km Ring of Kerry, the scenic drive circling the Iveragh Peninsula. Start early to stay ahead of the tour coaches, which mostly run the route counter-clockwise going the opposite direction keeps you out of their way at the narrowest pull-offs. For more detail on pacing this drive properly, see my Tips for a Ring of Kerry Road Trip, and for the wider county, Best Things to Do in Kerry, Ireland.
- Overnight: Killarney (second night)
- Driving today: the full Ring, roughly 4–5 hours with stops
Day 7: Killarney to Shannon Airport
Head back toward Shannon for your departure flight, with enough buffer built in for one last stop if you have time Bunratty again if you skipped anything on day one, or simply a slower drive back through Adare. Since this is a loop back to your arrival airport, there’s no one-way rental drop-off fee to worry about.
- Driving today: around 2 hours to the airport
Getting Around: Car, or Let Someone Else Drive
A rental car is close to essential for this route none of the scenic stops on this itinerary are realistically reachable by public transport. My full guide to Renting a Car in Ireland covers what to know before booking, including insurance and the narrow-road adjustment most visitors need to make.
If you’d rather not drive yourself, this exact loop also works well with a private driver-guide for the week see How to Hire a Private Driver in Ireland for realistic pricing and how to vet a driver properly.
Accessibility Along This Route
More of this itinerary is accessible than people expect. The Cliffs of Moher visitor centre and main viewing platform, Bunratty’s grounds, and several Ring of Kerry viewpoints are genuine park-and-see stops requiring minimal walking. Connemara’s trails and Doolin’s village centre involve more uneven ground. See my full Accessible Ireland guide for destination-by-destination detail and for the itinerary-building principles capping stops per day, building in rest windows that apply directly to a route like this one.
Frequently Asked Questions About This Shannon Itinerary
Why fly into Shannon instead of Dublin for this itinerary?
Shannon puts you directly on the west coast, close to Clare, Galway, and Kerry. You can be standing at the Cliffs of Moher within an hour of landing, compared to roughly 3 hours of driving if you fly into Dublin and head west. For a trip built entirely around the Wild Atlantic Way, Shannon saves genuine time.
Is this itinerary a loop, or do I need a one-way flight?
It’s a full loop, starting and ending at Shannon Airport, so you can book a standard round-trip flight into and out of the same airport rather than arranging a more expensive one-way rental car drop-off.
How much driving is involved in this 7-day Shannon itinerary?
Roughly 12–15 hours of driving spread across the week, with most individual days under 2.5 hours. The longest single driving day is from Galway to Killarney, which is worth breaking up with a stop in Adare.
Do I need to rent a car for this itinerary?
Yes, for practical purposes. Public transport connects the main towns but doesn’t reach most of the scenic stops the Cliffs of Moher, Connemara, and the Ring of Kerry are all built around having your own car. See my full guide to Renting a Car in Ireland for what to know before booking.
Can this itinerary work for travellers with mobility challenges?
Much of it, yes the Cliffs of Moher, Bunratty, and several Ring of Kerry viewpoints are genuinely park-and-see stops with minimal walking required. See my Accessible Ireland guide for destination-by-destination detail and itinerary-building principles before you finalise your route.
Seven days is enough to genuinely experience Clare, Galway, and Kerry without feeling like you’re chasing your own tail from town to town. If you have extra time, the natural extension is west into Dingle before Killarney, or north from Galway into Mayo but as a standalone week landing and departing from Shannon, this loop holds together properly on its own.
Join 7,500 Ireland travellers in my Ireland Uncovered Facebook Group and 1,897 on my XYUandBEYOND PAGE