7 or 14 day tour????

Maybe this will help - we did the 14 day Ireland tour and were so glad we did. Going in a big circle around both the Republic and Northern Ireland was great. Several years later we did the 7 day Scotland tour and wished we had sprung for the 14 day version. We felt like we missed so much of the country. If you spend the money and time to cross the ocean (assuming you live in the US,) it makes sense (finances allowing) to maximize your time there if you can.

A 7-day tour is really only five full days (first day starts in late afternoon, last day is over after breakfast). So if you’re really short of time, it’s better than nothing, but a longer tour is way better. I have also found that tour groups “gel” better on longer itineraries. People really get to know each other and become friends (or, as one tour guide said, “one big dysfunctional family!”)

I agree with everything Renee said.

In 2024, we took the 7 day tour (more like 5.5), and in 2026 we took the 14 day tour. Both were great, but the 14 day tour was better. For the 14 day, we stayed in more places for 2 or 3 days, and really enjoyed the Northern Ireland part a lot. We had to take a bus from Belfast back to Dublin, but that was easy and an enjoyable ride. Three days in Dingle was great.

Probably, in 2027 we'll take the ireland My Way tour.

We did a Gate 1 Travel 10 day tour that included 8 full days in the Republic of Ireland. It was great, cost was $2000 pp.
We had visited Dublin and Belfast twice before. Need 3 days in N. Ireland, do the Giant's Causeway and Rope Bridge.

Recommend the 14 day for the whole island.

We did the 7 day and yes it was too short, but that was all the time we had. You could do the 7 day and add extra time on your own.

We did a 12 day tour with Vagabond Tours of Ireland. They have about 15 different tours at two different pace/fitness levels (Driftwood and Vagabond). They use Mercedes vans so can get to places that larger busses can't navigate or aren't allowed. We added on close to a week on our own in the Dublin area. We like RS tours, but for Ireland I would recommend at least looking at what Vagabond offers.

...if you’re really short of time, it’s better than nothing...

Agree with Renee. However, if at all possible, opt for the 14 day tour. It will be much more enjoyable than just "hitting it a lick and a promise" as my grandmother used to say. That's in addition to being much more cost effective since the air fare is usually about the same for either one.,

We (husband and me) just got back from the 7 day tour, and agree it is more like 5.5 days. We arrived a couple days early and did a few things the tour did not (quite happy we did that). We know others on our tour did the same, or they planned on staying past the tour date for a couple days. On our free time during the tour, we planned a couple of activities (also happy we pre-planned and did that). For us, the time we spent we were satisfied with, and we were ready to go home.

We did the 7 day last year (in September 2025) and really enjoyed it. We chose to fly in 6 days before the tour (staying in Athlone and Limerick), then joined the tour and stayed for another 4 days in Dublin at the end of the tour. Apologies if I just added a third option for you to consider!

No regrets on our part for not doing the 14 day. We are not “morning people”, so it was a real push for us to get going super early; glad to not have stressed a tour guide and driver for twice as long.