Slieve League Cliffs
Irelandscenic

Wild Atlantic Way

1,600 miles of Ireland's western coast: cliffs, castles, traditional music, and rain

Distance
736 mi
1184 km
Driving
20 hr 12 min
excl. stops
Suggested
9 days
balanced split
Stops
10
curated

Distance and driving time are measured along the mapped route through the 10 stops listed below. Officially signed versions of famous routes often quote a longer figure, since they include promoted detours this line doesn't take.

Slieve League Cliffs · Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Opens the planner with every stop loaded. Free, no card needed.

Day by day

Distances are measured along the actual road geometry, not straight-line. Drive times exclude stops, traffic and ferry waits.

What the drive is like

It's split between the N59, the N71 and the N15, with no single road carrying more than 13% of it.

Expect gentle hills rather than climbs. The high point is around 181 m near Kenmare.

The bigger places on the way are Bandon, Bantry, Kenmare and Tralee, handy for fuel and food between the stops.

Part of the drive follows the Moll's Gap.

  • N5913%
  • N717%
  • N157%
  • N217%

How high it goes

~181 m near KenmareKinsaleMalin Head · 1,142 km
Height above sea level along the driving route, measured at about 50 points. Total climb roughly 1,694 m.

Passes and famous roads

From the 500-plus roads drivers collect in the Plan Your Road Trips app.

Mountain pass · On the route

Moll's Gap

Famous road · 0 km off the route

Dingle Peninsula

Mountain pass · 5 km off the route

Conor Pass

Summit
456 m summit

Famous road · 5 km off the route

Corkscrew Hill

Famous road · 5 km off the route

Gleniff Horseshoe

Before you go

Best time to drive it

May to September

Long evenings and the best chance of dry days. It's open all year, but winter brings short days and Atlantic storms on the exposed headlands.

Indicative costs

  • Fuel (40 mpg petrol)£126
  • Tolls£14

Tolls assume ~65% of the distance on tolled road. Fuel prices move constantly: treat these as a range, not a quote.

Driving rules

Emission zones, mandatory equipment and licence requirements change country by country, and in 2026 several of them changed mid-year.

Driving in Ireland

Every stop on the Wild Atlantic Way

  1. Kinsale

    Start

  2. Mizen Head

    +111 km from the last stop

  3. Killarney

    +113 km from the last stop

  4. Dingle

    +64 km from the last stop

  5. Cliffs of Moher

    +152 km from the last stop

  6. Galway

    +74 km from the last stop

  7. Connemara National Park

    +87 km from the last stop

  8. Achill Island

    +113 km from the last stop

  9. Slieve League

    +257 km from the last stop

  10. Malin Head

    +171 km from the last stop

Worth a detour

Curated places within 25 km of the road.

Show 6 more

  • Gap of Dunloe

    scenic viewpoint

    Narrow mountain pass carved by glaciers through the MacGillycuddy's Reeks, best experienced by pony trap or on foot along its 11-kilometre length.

  • Croagh Patrick

    scenic viewpoint

    Ireland's holiest mountain at 764 metres, where St Patrick is said to have fasted for 40 days, with sweeping views over Clew Bay.

  • Cliffs of Moher Coastal Walk

    scenic viewpoint

    Dramatic 20km trail along the cliff edge from Hags Head to Doolin, offering ever-changing perspectives of Ireland's most famous sea cliffs.

  • Blarney Castle

    castle

    Medieval stronghold famous for the Blarney Stone, which legend says grants the gift of eloquence to all who kiss it while leaning backwards.

  • Torc Waterfall

    waterfall

    Beautiful 20-metre cascade in Killarney National Park, set in ancient oak woodland at the base of Torc Mountain near Muckross House.

  • Dingle Peninsula

    famous road

    Rugged Atlantic peninsula with ancient beehive huts, dramatic Slea Head Drive, Gaeltacht culture and the westernmost point of mainland Europe.

Common questions about the Wild Atlantic Way

How long does the Wild Atlantic Way take?

The driving itself is about 20 hr 12 min across 736 miles (1184 km). Most people spread it over 9 days: the day-by-day breakdown on this page splits it into balanced stretches rather than equal ones, so no single day is all driving.

How many miles is the Wild Atlantic Way?

736 miles, or 1184 km, measured along the actual road rather than straight-line between towns.

When is the best time to drive the Wild Atlantic Way?

May to September. Long evenings and the best chance of dry days. It's open all year, but winter brings short days and Atlantic storms on the exposed headlands.

What does the Wild Atlantic Way cost in fuel?

Roughly £126 in fuel for a petrol car averaging 40 mpg, plus about £14 in tolls. Indicative only: fuel prices move.

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