Rick Steves Calls Ireland's Mountainous, Lake-Filled, Serpentine Coastal Road Trip 'Undeniably Scenic'

The nickname "Emerald Isle" doesn't begin to express the utter, soul-striking majesty of Ireland's natural beauty. From the uniquely crafted peaks, valleys, and bogs of Connemara National Park in County Galway and the flat rockiness of the Aran Islands off the coast to the indomitable face of the tourist-favorite Cliffs of Moher – a location as jaw-dropping as it is dangerous — Ireland's landscapes leave an everlasting impression. But as travel author Rick Steves reminds us on his website, one destination in particular has drawn travelers as notable as Queen Victoria herself: The Ring of Kerry along the Iveragh Peninsula in Ireland's southwest region. 

Essentially a 111-mile-long road trip route around Ireland's N70 roadway, the Ring of Kerry is a winding, sinuous path through and atop mountains, along stony cliffs in view of the Atlantic Ocean, and past lakes and ruins that speak to Ireland's deep history. It's a mini-trip in and of itself — a sampling of some of the best Ireland has to offer that does nothing to diminish the rest of the island's substantial grandeur. 

While tour buses often loop around the Ring of Kerry counterclockwise, Steves recommends traveling clockwise. The city of Killarney, next to Killarney National Park at the ring's east, makes a common starting point, although Steves suggests starting at nearby Kenmare.

Besides endless roadside pull-offs in sight of "undeniably scenic" views, as Steves puts it on his website, the Ring of Kerry has a bit of every kind of terrain and manmade structure. There's the narrow, lake-studded mountain pass of the Gap of Dunloe, the ancient Staigue Stone Fort (dating from 400 to 300 B.C.), the brightly-painted village of Sneem, and much more.

The Ring of Kerry is so densely packed with sights and sites that we can only cover some highlights here. But bear in mind that the whole ring — barring diversions and stop-offs — will only take about 3.5 hours to traverse, which you can extend to 4 hours if you connect with the smaller loop at the Iveragh Peninsula's western tip. As Steves mentions on his website, it's somewhat traditional to do the ring in one day. But if you want it to take multiple days, go for it.

Moving roughly clockwise from Killarney or Kenmare at the ring's east, travelers first pass through Moll's Gap, a narrow, winding mountain pass surrounded by mossy hills dotted with stony outcrops. Ireland is home to a gobsmacking 30,000 or so ruined castles and pre-Christian stoneworks, many of which you'll see along the Ring of Kerry as you pass along the southern coast to the village of Sneem, a Steves-recommended spot that's a good point to pause and admire the landscape before heading to Ballinskelligs, one of Ireland's few Irish-speaking areas.  The town also launches boats to nearby Michael Skellig island off the coast, a craggy, green mountaintop sticking out of the ocean, settled by monks in the 6th or 7th century. 

The last leg of your trip passes through the Gap of Dunloe, a lakeside mountain pass (pictured above), and leads to the Muckross House,  where Queen Victoria stayed on a state visit to Ireland in 1861. Steves also recommends stopping by Killarney National Park, where travelers can do some hiking or have a ride in a horse-drawn carriage.

The first step to circling around the Ring of Kerry is getting to the Iveragh Peninsula. While both Cork and County Kerry have their own international airports within driving distance of Killarney (about 15 minutes and an hour, respectively), those airports have limited international flights. Flying into Shannon Airport, which is an hour and 45 minutes away, is a better option. From there, you'll need a car rental to make the sojourn to the Ring of Kerry. 

Then, we come to the tricky part. Travelers wanting to see prominent destinations along Ireland's western coast — the Cliffs of Moher, the Aran Islands, the Burren, Galway, etc. — will have to backtrack north from the Ring of Kerry or else cut a different route north. After following Rick Steves' suggestion to travel clockwise around the ring, travelers can head along the southern Irish coast out to Dublin, then circle around counterclockwise to the above-mentioned west-coast destinations. It's beautiful, and there'll be endless bed-and-breakfast options. It also won't take an incredibly long time because even if you circle around the entirety of the Republic of Ireland, it'll only take you about 14 hours. If you're ambitious and also clever with your routes, you can practically do it on one longish vacation, Ring of Kerry included.

Then again, taking your time is nice. You can lounge in whatever pub you want, linger at whatever scenic outcrop you want, or evade the majority of humanity altogether by reaching one of Ireland's most isolated places, Erris Head in County Mayo. So have at it — the Emerald Isle awaits.