County Kerry

The classic road-trip county: the Ring of Kerry, the Dingle Peninsula and Killarney's lakes under the Reeks. Start early and the big drives are yours for a while.

County Kerry facts

Province: Munster
County town: Tralee
Setting: Atlantic coast
Touring region: Wild Atlantic Way
Best for: scenic drives, coast, hiking, castles, history, family
Golf: Ballybunion, Tralee, Waterville and Killarney: Ireland's densest great-golf county. Our golf guide
Places in the planner: 15

The classic road trip runs through here: mountain passes, island views and peninsulas reaching into the Atlantic in Ireland's south-west. Killarney National Park protects lakes, oak woodland and Ireland's highest range, the MacGillycuddy's Reeks, while the Ring of Kerry circles the Iveragh Peninsula past coastal villages.

To the north, the Dingle Peninsula combines the Slea Head Drive, early Christian sites and a famous harbour town, and offshore lie the Blasket Islands and Skellig Michael, a UNESCO-listed monastic island. Tralee, the county town, and Listowel, known for its literary tradition, anchor the north of the county. Kerry rewards early starts: the famous drives and viewpoints are at their best before the day-trip coaches arrive, and the light on the peninsulas in the morning and late evening is the light photographers come for. Build in walking time, not just driving time.

Top sights in Kerry

Killarney National Park

Lakes, woodland and mountains around Killarney, with Muckross House and Torc Waterfall.

Ring of Kerry

A classic circular scenic drive around the Iveragh Peninsula through villages and coastal scenery.

Dingle Peninsula and Slea Head

A scenic loop past beehive huts, cliffs and views to the Blasket Islands.

Skellig Michael

A dramatic island monastery and UNESCO World Heritage Site, reached by boat in season.

Carrauntoohil

Ireland's highest mountain, in the MacGillycuddy's Reeks above Killarney.

Towns & cities in Kerry

Killarney

The town runs on the national park: lakes at the end of the street and mountains behind them. Killarney sits beside Killarney National Park in County Kerry, and the park is the reason to stay.

Tralee

Kerry's county town fills up for the Rose of Tralee festival and settles back to everyday business the rest of the year.

Dingle

The harbour comes first here: boats in front, pubs and food behind them, and the peninsula's hills over it all. Dingle is the main settlement on the Dingle Peninsula.

Portmagee

Boats leave here for the Skellig Islands, and the village runs on their timetable in season. Portmagee is a village on the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry.

Kenmare

Two great drives meet here, the Ring of Kerry and the Ring of Beara, and the town itself earns the stop: good food on quiet streets. Kenmare stands at the head of Kenmare Bay.

Best time to visit

May to September offers the best conditions for boat trips, mountain walks and the peninsulas. Shoulder seasons are quieter, and Killarney works well as a base almost year-round.

Getting there

Kerry Airport near Farranfore serves the county, with Cork and Shannon airports also within reach. Killarney is about three and a half hours from Dublin by road or rail.

Places for your trip

Killarney: The town runs on the national park: lakes at the end of the street and mountains behind them. Killarney sits beside Killarney National Park in County Kerry, and the park is the reason to stay.
Tralee: Kerry's county town fills up for the Rose of Tralee festival and settles back to everyday business the rest of the year.
Dingle: The harbour comes first here: boats in front, pubs and food behind them, and the peninsula's hills over it all. Dingle is the main settlement on the Dingle Peninsula.
Killarney National Park and Torc Waterfall: Killarney National Park protects lakes, oakwoods and mountains in County Kerry and includes Torc Waterfall.
Muckross House: A 19th-century mansion on Muckross Lake, within Killarney National Park. The house and gardens are the park's formal face.
Ladies View: Pull in on the Ring of Kerry road and the Killarney lakes and mountains do the rest. Ladies View is the classic stop on the drive.
Gap of Dunloe: The Gap of Dunloe is a narrow mountain pass between MacGillycuddy's Reeks and the Purple Mountain range.
Conor Pass: A high mountain road over the Dingle Peninsula, with Brandon Bay on one side and the lakes below on the other. Drive it in clear weather.
Skellig Michael: Monks built their settlement on a rock in the Atlantic, and seabirds hold it now. Skellig Michael stands off the Kerry coast, with boats running from Portmagee in season.
Portmagee: Boats leave here for the Skellig Islands, and the village runs on their timetable in season. Portmagee is a village on the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry.
Kenmare: Two great drives meet here, the Ring of Kerry and the Ring of Beara, and the town itself earns the stop: good food on quiet streets. Kenmare stands at the head of Kenmare Bay.
Ballybunion: The Old Course at Ballybunion, the pilgrimage links of the south-west.
Tralee Golf Club: Arnold Palmer's links at Barrow: “I may have designed the first nine, but surely God designed the back nine.”
Waterville: An Eddie Hackett links, later enhanced by Tom Fazio, on Ballinskelligs Bay at the end of the Ring of Kerry.
Killarney (Killeen): The Killeen course at Killarney Golf & Fishing Club: championship parkland on the lakes.

What's on

No anchor festival is based here, but the Irish year is full: next up nationally is TradFest (20–24 Jan 2027, Temple Bar, Dublin). See the full events calendar

What we would choose ourselves

High Street, in Killarney town centre

Hotel in Killarney

The Killarney Park, Killarney

The Killarney Park stands in the town centre, a two minute walk from the edge of the national park, and it is the hotel other Killarney hotels get measured against. It is a five star with the Peregrine restaurant, a Garden Bar, a spa and a 20 metre pool, and the service is what reviewers talk about most. TripAdvisor rates it 4.9 from 2,583 reviews, the strongest score of any hotel on this page. Rooms are priced at the top of the Killarney range, and for a special trip, this is where we would put the money.

Best for: Special trips, and anyone who wants the national park two minutes from the door. Rooms sit at the top of the Killarney price range, so it is a splurge rather than a base you barely sleep in.

See it on Hotellook

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