The first step to start your walking holiday adventure is organising your journey to Ireland. As Ireland is an Island in the Atlantic Ocean, you will need to either fly or take a ferry. Ireland has five international airports but by far the most connected is Dublin with flights from North America, Asia and Africa as well as Europe. Shannon Airport in the west of Ireland also has direct flights to North America. The other three airports Cork, Kerry and Knock have international flights but from Europe only.
Included in all our walking holidays is a private transfer on your arrival. For our Wicklow Way walking holidays this is from Dublin Airport or Dublin City if you are already in Ireland. For our Dingle Way walking holiday, we can meet you at Kerry Airport, Tralee Train Station or Farranfore Bus Station. For our Beara Way and Kerry Way walking holidays we can meet you at Kerry Airport or Killarney Train Station. We can also arrange a transfer from Shannon or Cork Airport for an additional charge if required.
If coming from North America, Dublin and Shannon are the only two airports with direct flights. For our Wicklow Way walking holidays, Dublin Airport is the ideal choice and our driver can meet you on your arrival to bring you directly to your first guesthouse in Wicklow.
For our Dingle Way, Kerry Way and Beara Way walking holidays you can choose to fly into either Dublin or Shannon Airport. If flying into Dublin, you then have the choice to take a connecting flight to Kerry Airport or you can take the train from Dublin to Tralee (Dingle Way) or Killarney (Kerry Way & Beara Way). You can also take a bus directly from Dublin Airport to Farranfore (for Dingle Way) or Killarney with Flightlink.
As Dublin Airport is not connected to the rail network you will need to take a taxi from Dublin Airport to Dublin’s Heuston Train Station. The taxi journey can take between 25 to 40 minutes and should cost around 30 euros in total depending on traffic. When you arrive at Dublin Airport you will see the sign for the taxi rank well marked. Trains depart Dublin Heuston for Killarney and Tralee every 2 hours and it is the same train for both locations. Tralee is two stations beyond Killarney. You can see the rail network map below.
Tickets can be purchased from about 3 months before travel at Irish Rail and if coming directly from the airport we recommend getting a flexible ticket in case there are any delays to your flight. With a flexible ticket you can cancel or amend your journey up to 60 minutes before your train departs. The train journey to Killarney and Tralee involves a change of train at Mallow but this is very straightforward. Mallow station is very small and the other train is normally visible when you arrive at the station. When you arrive at Killarney or Tralee our driver will be waiting for you with a sign with your name. Both stations are small with just one exit door. Just let us know what time you expect to arrive and the driver will be there to bring you to your first guesthouse.
If you did not want to take the train, it is possible to get a coach directly from Dublin Airport to Farranfore (Dingle Way) or Killarney (Kerry Way & Beara Way). The journey to Farranfore takes 3 hours 45 minutes and the journey to Killarney takes 4 hours. Tickets can be purchased directly from Flightlink.
Although Shannon is closer to Dingle, Kerry and Beara, it is not that much quicker if you fly to Shannon Airport. Shannon has no train so you will need to take a bus to Tralee or Killarney and change at Limerick Bus Station on the way. Bus timetables and tickets can be found on Bus Eireann Expressway. You take the bus first from Shannon Airport to Limerick Bus Station (30 minutes) and then change at the station for the 13 bus to Tralee or 14 bus for Killarney (2 hours 5 minutes). The whole journey can take as short as 2 hours 50 minutes or as long as 3 hours 50 minutes depending how long you have to wait at Limerick Bus Station for your connecting bus. Limerick bus station has a cafe, small shop and toilets. Just let us know what time you are arriving in Tralee or Killarney and our driver will be waiting for you at the station.
The final option is to fly to Kerry Airport. There are direct flights from the UK, Germany and France to Kerry with Ryanair and this is an ideal way to get to the west of Ireland. There are also two flights a day from Dublin Airport to Kerry Airport. For connecting passengers, the only risk with flying from Dublin Airport to Kerry is that you cannot get a connecting flight with Ryanair. When you land at Dublin you will need to pass through immigration and customs, collect your luggage and then check in again for your Ryanair flight in departures. You will need to make sure you have plenty of time between your arrival in Dublin and your departure flight to Kerry. Ryanair will not offer any refunds if you miss your flight due to a late incoming flight. Note with Ryanair flights you will need to pay extra for your seat and luggage. There is also the option of getting fast track which allows you a shorter journey time to through security when boarding for your flight to Kerry.
As all our transfers are private you can choose whichever way you wish & whatever time to arrive and our driver will be at the station or the airport to meet you. So to recap, for our Wicklow Way walking holidays our driver can meet you at Dublin Airport. We can also meet you at your hotel in Dublin City if you are already in Ireland. For our Dingle Way walking holidays, we can meet you at Tralee Train Station, Farranfore Bus Stop or Kerry Airport and for our Kerry Way & Beara Way walking holidays, our driver can meet you at Killarney Train Station & Kerry Airport. Whichever way you choose to arrive, just let us know beforehand and we look forward to seeing you soon.
