Ring of Kerry or Dingle Peninsula loop?

When we were in Ireland in April, my husband and I just did the Dingle Peninsula. Before we left, I posed the same question you did, and everyone who answered said if you do one, do the Dingle loop. I'm glad we did just the one this time, as it does take a lot of driving. Also, if I were you, I would add one more night to Kenmare, rather than spending three nights in Dingle. I loved Dingle, but I think two nights is enough.

I agree with Nicole, add a day to Kenmare and leave Dingle as it is.

I vote for An Daingean Peninsula (Dingle)!!! To get the most out of your time in Dingle I would suggest that you take the Sciurid Archaelology Tour. Tim Collins does a fantastic tour in and out of areas before the "buses" decend. We did his tour one day and then did our own of the An Daingean loop the next day at our own pace and it was fab! The tours are about 2.5 hrs long. I did this tour off of Rick Steves suggestion in his 2006 book and have suggested it to many myself. You can book your tour at Kirray B&B at Dyegate and Greys Lane. Its right behind the Pink Garda Station!

Have done both. I vote with Nancy who votes with Nicole.

When you are in Kenmare, you can easily drive the southern part of the Kerry loop one day, then explore the Beara Peninsula another day. We liked the Beara the best because it is less traveled than the other two peninsulas. If you just want to see everything, one full day of Dingle (two nights) will give you enough time. If you want to travel at a very leisurely pace (personally, we like to keep moving), than you might want two or three days. Beara has lots of standing stones, Dingle has some and also an interesting ruined church complex on the northern edge. Both Dingletown and Kenmare are good for shopping, Killarney is VERY touristy. The jogging carts through the Gap are an interesting experience, although very hard on the tailbone.

Kenmare has a stone circle, also. And you should visit the Kenmare Lace place where you can watch them make lace.

Justin,

My wife and I went to Ireland in May, and we did both peninsulas. If you have time, I think that they are both very much worthwhile.

I know that it is fashionable here to say that the Ring is overrated, but I thought it was fantastic. The scenery is just jaw dropping.

Dingle, by contrast, is less majestic but more homey and welcoming. It has its share of great scenery, for sure, but overall the feel is more of a quaint fishing village.

In general, I do believe that one should allow time for R and R, but not seeing your itinerary I can't know if you need to cut one of these drives.

If you do have to cut one, I would absolutely spend the additional time in Dingle. It is a wonderful town to spend a few days in, and you will never feel that you've stayed too long.

Kenmare, by contrast, was pretty ordinary to me. It's a nice little Irish town, but there's no reason to stay more than one night unless you're using it as a base for day trips.

Best of luck with your planning.

Enjoy your trip!

I second driving through the Beara peninsula a bit if you can. On our way up to Dingle from Kinsale we drove over Healy Pass, and it was beautiful and very different from Dingle.

I also second that Killarney is very touristy--it was our least favorite town throughout the entire trip.

Justin, you don't say what time of year you plan to travel. If it is next summer then I would suggest a trip to Skellig Michael. That would warrant the extra day in Kenmare. If you drive to the boat launch area at Portmagee where most trips to Skellig start then it will be a 2 hr drive from Kenmare. The boat trips are very weather dependant so you might not get to go afterall -- but by staying in Kenmare you will have plenty of other options on how to fill your day. Skellig Michael is an amazing World Heritage site. In the summer months -- until early Aug the island abounds with puffins.

Even if you don't get to the Skelligs -- the south part of the ROK loop is gorgeous -- especially near Derrynane harbor Staigue fort and aslo the drive between Kenmare and Killarney.

We stayed in Kenmare 3 nights and Dingle 2 and wished for at least one more night in BOTH places. It is very hard to make those decisions. Wherever you stay you will love it and have plenty of things to do.

Good advice given above. On our most recent trip, we did both the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula. Did not do the Beara Peninsula, which I would like to do on a future trip.

If I could only do one (Ring of Kerry or Dingle) I would pick Dingle. But both are great.

On our trip, we spent 3 nights in Dingle and 2 in Kenmare. Both are great towns. You have one less night in each place than we had. That makes things tough.

I'd say if you pick one drive over the other, pick Dingle. But you really can't go wrong with either one.

I've only done Kerry. I liked Ft. Staig (a pre-Roman fortification) on the Kerry penninsula.

While there is more traffic and certainly more busses on Kerry, the traffic generally skips Ft. Staig. Since I did Kerry, I missed some things I would really like to see on Dingle so will do that next time.

I wouldn't do both in one trip. They are essentially a scenic drive that can take most of a day.

I stayed in Killarney and was pleasantly surprised. I found good traditional music at the Grande Hotel Pub and had a great hike through the national park from the church in town to Muckross house and back. I was there in early May and found the numbers of tourists were reasonable and the weather was great. I'm not sure what to expect if you are in high season.

Hi Justin,
I was in Ireland in September. I spent one night at Bantry House then drove the Beara Peninsula. It is very rugged & rocky, very different than Dingle. I drove out as far as Dursey Island, but the wind and rain were lashing down, and there were two guys welding the cable car so I did not get over to the Island. The next night I stayed at a really great B&B called Tahilla Cove. It is between Kenmare and Sneem. I had a great dinner at The Blue Bull in Sneem. The next day was incredibly rainy again, so I drove through Killarney National Park, visited Muckross House and went on to Murphy's Farmhouse and drove the Dingle the next day. I think I got the best of both worlds.

Hi Justin,
Do either one. Then do the other on your next trip. I say this because you will fall in love with Ireland, the people, the culture, and everything else associated with your visit and long for the day you return. I am just back from 19 days,(Sept & Oct) which was not near enough time. If you can only do one loop, do the Dingle. And do not be afraid to take as many back roads as you can. We were speechless at the beauty of the country and the simple everyday life of those we met. We stayed in Tralee and did the loop counterclockwise cutting south from Camp to Aughils then Anascaul, An Daingean and Dunquin. The NW coast via back roads eventually to R549 back to Dingle and R560 on the return trip.

The best advice I can give you is to relax and take it all in with wide open eyes and heart. It is bound to be a trip you will remember forever.

I took my adult chorus to Ireland and fought with my tour co. to do Dingle instead of the R of Kerry, based on Rick's rec. We did Dingle and loved it, the town and the drive - but the next AM our British guide insisted that we just couldn't miss the Ring, so we did it too! None of us enjoyed it as much - at least in part b/c we had spent the previous day doing somewhat the same thing! SO - I wouldn't do both again, and would choose Dingle, but I don't think you can go wrong with either.