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Dingle

Does anyone know if there is a place in Dingle to rent a car for a day.

Posted by
1091 posts

I don't think you'll find one. There's car hire at Kerry Airport, Killarney, and Tralee. Maybe an e-bike would get you where you want to go? For whatever reason you arrive in Dingle without already having a car, Dingle is as bad a place to drive as you'll find.

Posted by
2757 posts

I have driven in Dingle numerous times and do not find it difficult at all. Suggest you rent a car perhaps in Trailee but not sure how you would plan this. Perhaps rent there go to Dingle for a day or two then return to Tralee

Posted by
1091 posts

I've driven all over Ireland, and I think Slea Head and Conor Pass are in the top ranked places for passenger anxiety and slow drivers in all of Ireland. Priest’s Leap just west of Kenmare is another good one.

Posted by
3212 posts

Renting a car is the best way to see rural Ireland and the Dingle peninsula in particular if you're an independent traveler.
There are no rental car outlets in Dingle town that I'm aware of. There are several at the Kerry airport near Killarney, and those would be convenient if you elected to fly in and out of there from Dublin to save yourself a half day of cross-country driving. There are at least two rental car concessions in Killarney that I know of: Avis & Budget, and the airport would be only about a 20 minute cab ride from town.
I usually preview unfamiliar rural roads by using the Street View feature on Google maps before setting out - helps me to have already seen road conditions in advance before I have to negotiate them at speed. It was a tip from another RS poster that has served me well. I highly recommend it.
The drive over Conor Pass north of Dingle can indeed be a white-knuckler if it's foggy or rainy, and even in fair weather it can be daunting for the unitiated due to the narrowness of the track - it shrinks down to a single lane in places requiring one approaching driver to give way to let the other pass. No big deal once you get the hang of it but the first time thru can spike your heart rate a bit.
Slea Head has never been a problem in my experience.

Posted by
2909 posts

I remember many years ago driving over the Conor Pass in fog. Husband was muttering the whole time "I'm not enjoying this"... Fortunately we didn't meet anything. Even in good weather I would think this could be quite a scary experience. They only other road we found like that was the that up to Slieve League.

Posted by
259 posts

Thank you all for your replies. I knew it was probably a long shot. We actually have driven in Ireland a number of times but this time we are not renting a car. Just thought maybe we could rent one for the day to drive Slea Head.

Posted by
3212 posts

Just a thought, but the area isn't that big - the Slea Head Loop drive is only about 35 miles around for example - so hiring a car and driver for the day might be a cost-effective alternative for you. If a Google search doesn't turn something up I'm sure the helpful people at the TI in Dingle can probably suggest someone.