Ireland,  Itinerary

How to Spend Two Days in Dingle, Ireland

dingle ireland harbor front buildings

Located on Ireland’s popular Wild Atlantic Way in County Kerry, Dingle, Ireland is an ideal Irish village for a two-day stay. The main reason for visiting is to do the Slea Head Drive around Dingle Peninsula. In addition to this scenic drive, there are plenty of restaurants, traditional pubs, and a mishmash of smaller attractions to check out during your time in Dingle!

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Via N86

N86 is the route we took to visit Dingle. This road is the easier and quicker option compared to R560. The drive on N86 takes you along the southern coastline of Dingle Peninsula with some nice views to take in of Dingle Bay during your drive.

The other reason I recommend this route is because it takes you by Inch Beach, Minard Castle and South Pole Inn, making it easy to visit all three of these while coming into town.

Via R560

R560 takes you along the northern part of the peninsula before cutting across the land through the mountains via Conor Pass.

The distance is actually the same as N86, but because of the nature of this road, it will likely take longer than N86. Conor Pass is described as a difficult drive, particularly if you are not used driving on the opposite side of the road. There are sections where it is single lane as it winds up the steep mountain.

One thing in R560’s favor is it has some great views of the peninsula from some of its lookouts. Despite that, we said no thanks due to everything I read about the nature of the drive itself and opted for the easier N86.

Inch Beach

Inch Beach is a 4-mile-long strand of land reaching into Dingle Bay. I’m not much for beaches to be honest, but this is a stunning beach. It’s much different from most beaches I’ve seen in America.

What makes it so unique is how flat it is along its entire length. There are sand dunes as you first walk onto the beach. Once you pass these, it’s an almost imperceptible descent to the water. From there, the coast is a mostly straight line in either direction giving great views of the shore. As if the beach weren’t enough, there is also a backdrop of majestic mountains from across the bay to really make your eyes go wide with wonder.

Inch Beach is just about 20 minutes away from Dingle. Parking is available either directly on the sand or in a small car lot about 25 yards away from the beach access.

view across the bay from inch beach
The views across the bay from Inch Beach

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South Pole Inn

Ten minutes west of Inch Beach is South Pole Inn in the small village of Annascaul. South Pole Inn’s claim to fame is its former owner: Tom Crean.

Tom Crean was an Antarctic explorer who was a member of three different expeditions in the early 20th century to reach the South Pole. While he never reached the South Pole, his heroic exploits (read more here) earned him great prestige among other explorers.

In South Pole Inn, you can view photos and other memorabilia from Tom Crean’s life and adventures while enjoying a Guinness and some pub food.

Unfortunately, when we attempted to visit, the inn was not open yet for the day. At least when we attempted to visit, they didn’t open till 1:00 p.m., so keep that in mind if you are planning a visit for lunch.

Minard Castle

This small castle was one of my favorite spots in all of Ireland. It’s a single three-story tower house sitting atop a promontory overlooking Dingle Bay and the Ring of Kerry on the opposite shore.

Just below the castle is a small sandy beach strewn with boulders that have been shaped by years of high tides. The entire landscape is utterly captivating and worth the small detour from N86.

Make sure to take the road leading behind the castle for more dramatic views of the area. There’s also a small fairy fort you can visit across the road via a short path. Fairy forts are small circular structures built by Iron Age people and believed to be protected by fairies. Honestly, this particular fairy fort is little more than a small hole in the ground. It’s not worth the short hike unless you really like old things. I do like really like old things, but this one was pretty underwhelming.

ruined castle atop a green bluff overlooking the sea
Minard Castle
looking at the bay from behind minard castle
From the small road behind Minard Castle

Dingle Walk

Much of the allure of Dingle is simply how quaint and attractive the town and its buildings are. Asides from the Slea Head Drive, there aren’t any major attractions.

Nevertheless, here are several things worth making a point to see while exploring Dingle.

St Mary’s Church

Located on Green Street, this church has an evocative little garden that is free to walk through. This garden offers a nice reprieve from the crowds on the road.

You can also wander into the chapel behind the church to view 12 stained-glass windows created by Harry Clark in 1922 showing various biblical scenes.

Art Galleries

Dingle has a thriving artist’s community with several art galleries through town to admire their works. Make sure to stop in at least a couple to see what some of the local artists have to offer.

Fungie Statue

Dingle’s most famous local character is a dolphin named Fungie. Fungie is a bottlenose dolphin that first appeared in Dingle Harbor in 1983, pleasing locals and tourists alike.

Sadly, Fungie has not been seen since October 2020. Locals believe he either passed away or else moved to different waters. Either way, you can visit his statue near the harbor to get a sense how much the local community enjoyed Fungie’s presence.

michelle standing next to a statue of a dolphin in dingle, ireland
Michelle with the Fungie statue

Dingle Harbor

A visit to the harbor is a perfect way to get some time away from other tourists while you take in some views of Dingle Bay. There’s a lovely promenade to walk along with several benches if you’d like to sit and rest for a bit. This is also a great spot to catch the sunrise if you are an early riser. More on that in a bit.

Another activity to do at the harbor is to take a cruise around the harbor. Several companies run boats out of the harbor with tours designed around your interests.

harbor view in dingle, ireland
Views from Dingle Harbor

Oceanworld

Near the edge of town across from the harbor is Oceanworld, an aquarium featuring local and some less-than-local marine life. We did not visit, but I wanted to include this here as it is a popular attraction in Dingle.

If you are visiting with small children, this could be a good distraction for them if their interest in walking around town starts to wane.

Temperance Hall and Marie Antoinette Plaque

Near the western edge of Main Street are two interesting reminders of Dingle’s past. If walking west on Main Street, on your right you’ll see Temperance Hall. This is from a 19th century movement in Ireland whose aim was to reduce the country’s alcohol consumption.

Across the street is an even more fascinating relic of the past. It’s a plaque on the side of a building that was to act as a safe house for the French queen Marie Antoinette. In 1792, a plan was hatched to rescue Marie Antoinette from French revolutionaries and bring her to Dingle where she would be safe from the guillotine. However, Marie refused to leave her family, and the rest is history, as they say.

plaque describing marie antoinette's connection to dingle
Plaque commemorating the plan to bring Marie Antoinette to Dingle

Dingle Walk of Fame

Outside of Dick Mack’s Pub on Green Street is this quirky little sight. It’s a Hollywood-style sidewalk with tiles dedicated to some of Dingle’s famous visitors.

Some of the more well-known visitors include Julia Roberts, Sean Connery, Robert Mitchum and Sir Timothy Dalton.

Pub Crawl

Intermixed with our walk through town, we also made sure to take a closer look at two of Dingle’s more famous pubs.

Foxy John’s

Foxy John’s is famous for doubling as a pub and a hardware store. It’s old school in the truest sense of the phrase. Even if you don’t drink, you should still walk in to admire the wares.

I was looking forward to sitting inside the pub. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this was not allowed. Instead, we were directed to a beer garden in the back. The beer garden was nice. Nonetheless, I couldn’t help but be disappointed I wasn’t able to review the prices and sizes of carpentry nails while enjoying my Guinness!

We actually ventured into Foxy John’s twice during our trip. The second time was later that night as we were walking by and heard live music.

foxy john's pub facade
Michelle in front of Foxy John’s

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Curran’s

Similar to Foxy John’s, Curran’s is another traditional pub that also caters towards people who want to look at hardware while drinking a pint. I personally preferred Foxy John’s hardware selection, but you really can’t go wrong with either pub. And really, you are doing yourself a disservice if you don’t stop in each for at least a quick look.

windowfront of curran's irish pub
Window display at Curran’s Pub

Early Morning Run Through Dingle, Ireland

If you’ve been reading along, you know I’m a big proponent of early morning runs or walks while I travel. It’s the perfect way to see the sights with no one else around. Dingle is no different!

Go past all the pubs with their fun facades as you make your way to the harbor. There’ll be plenty of spots for a short break while you take photos of the pubs without throngs of tourists in your way.

The harbor will likely be the highlight of your morning run. Before going down to the water, though, stop to admire the painted buildings lining the road across from the bay. This stretch of buildings is the prettiest in Dingle and well worth stopping to snap some photos.

After you’re done here, make your way across the road to the water’s edge. I got here right as the sun was coming up over the hill to the east of the bay. My run took a bit of a hit here as I stopped to admire the sunrise for about 20 minutes. It was so peaceful and beautiful. Every couple minutes, as the sun rose higher and higher, the colors on the water changed to create an ever-evolving mural of shimmering hues. I could have stayed till the sun was all the way in the sky, but we had things to do that eventually pulled me away!

sun starting to peak over a hill
Sunrise over Dingle Bay
painted buildings on dingle's harbor
Some of the cute buildings along the harbor

Slea Head Drive

Don’t plan to do anything on your second day besides the Slea Head Drive. This drive around the Dingle Peninsula is going to take up the majority of this day. It’s worth the time, and, honestly, either this or the Ring of Kerry is why you came to Dingle anyways.

I have a full guide to the Slea Head Drive you can read by clicking here. In a nutshell, it’s a 30-mile drive around the peninsula filled with stunning views of the Atlantic coast and ruins from Ireland’s early Christian and neolithic past. A few of my highlights are Gallarus Oratory, the beehive huts, Clogher Head, Reasc Monastery and Kilmalkeder Church.

Along the way, be sure to stop at West Kerry Brewery for a pint and a small lunch. The brewery itself doesn’t have food. Fortunately, we planned ahead and grabbed some meat, cheese and a baguette at the grocery store in Dingle. It turned out to be quite the pleasant meal with a craft beer in hand as we admired the views from the brewery’s patio.

old small oratory on slea head drive
Gallarus Oratory
view from clogher head on the slea head drive
View from Clogher Head

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Pub Crawl Part Two

After finishing the Slea Head Drive, you will likely be pretty mentally and physically exhausted and done with sightseeing for the day. Go back to your room for a short nap before heading to check out more of Dingle’s excellent pub scene.

The Dingle Pub

The Dingle Pub is hard to miss. Its exterior can be described as stereotypically Irish to the point of almost being garish. In America, it would probably be described as over-the-top but here in Dingle, it works.

They have some seats out front overlooking Main Street for some good people watching while drinking your Guinness. It was a nice pub near our B&B to have a couple pints while Michelle napped. Like most pubs here, they have live music, but I wasn’t there when anyone was performing.

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Dick Mack’s

If you’re looking for a change of pace from Guinness or Smithwick’s, Dick Mack’s is a good place to go. They do have those beers, but they also make their own ales to try. I enjoyed the stout they were making at the time. It wasn’t the best stout I’ve ever had, yet it was certainly serviceable.

They brew their beer on-site. You can even take a tour of the brewery during your visit while sampling their beer if you want some behind-the-scenes action.

An Droichead Beag

We wrapped up our second night in Dingle at An Droichead Beag. This is a pretty neat pub to say the least.

When we entered from the street and made our way towards the back where the live music was, we both were confused by how far we walked to our table. It turns out An Droichead Beag is much larger than it seems from the road because the owners have purchased the surrounding buildings to create a labyrinthine assortment of hallways and cubbies with seating. There’s also an entire outdoor courtyard with a performance stage.

Where to Eat in Dingle, Ireland

We had three proper, sit-down meals while in Dingle not counting our breakfasts at the B&B.

Bob Griffin’s Bar

This was our first stop when we got to Dingle. We were both starving and walked into the first pub we saw that had fish and chips.

Bob Griffin’s Bar has a cute courtyard with seating placed higgledy-piggledy wherever there’s space. There are tables out in the open, tables tucked away in the side of the building, and little seating areas designed to look like traditional snugs.

The food came from a food truck in the back of the courtyard. The fish and chips were good. The Guinness was Guinness. Overall, a good experience.

John Benny’s Pub

We had dinner at John Benny’s Pub our first night in Dingle. The main draw of this pub is its prime spot right across from the harbor. We were lucky enough to get seats outside for our meal.

I had the steak. It was alright, nothing spectacular. It was a little more done than I wanted. Michelle had the fish pie and remembers it as being good. Honestly, besides the views it wasn’t very memorable. However, the views of the sun setting over the harbor were lovely.

The Boatyard

The Boatyard was easily the best meal we had in Dingle. Like John Benny’s Pub, it’s right across from the harbor. There is some seating outside, but we sat inside because it was cold that night.

This is a much fancier restaurant than the other two places we ate at. It’s not over-the-top, but you should plan to dress nicely and spend a fair amount of money (whatever three dollar signs is, this is it). It’s worth the splurge.

I had mussels and fries while Michelle had the hake. The mussels were very, very good. I had these at a couple different places in Ireland, and I must say, these were the best. For dessert I had them make me a hot chocolate with Bailey’s (I don’t drink coffee, so no Irish coffee for me, thank you very much). Nothing crazy, but it was a nice way to end the meal.

Where to Stay in Dingle, Ireland

There are a handful of bed and breakfasts to choose from when staying in Dingle. For our stay, there was no other option but my namesake: O’Neill’s Bed and Breakfast on the main road as you first enter town.

First and foremost, it had a great traditional Irish breakfast. If you don’t know what a traditional Irish breakfast is, it’s pretty damn amazing. But seriously, it’s a fried egg, a tomato, sausage, white pudding, black pudding, thick bacon (kind of like ham for my fellow Americans) and a hash brown.

O’Neill’s didn’t have my favorite Irish breakfast in Ireland, but it was a close second. It also had fruit, cereal and muffins available at a small buffet to either eat there or pack away for snacks later in the day.

Second, it’s conveniently right on the main road as you enter Dingle (assuming you’re coming from N86). It’s also close enough to be walkable to everything while being far enough away to be quiet at night.

Third, the owner was very pleasant. This was a trend with everywhere in Ireland, but I still think it’s worth repeating here. I had a nice little chat with him both mornings before Michelle came down for breakfast. He was also helpful with some driving directions to an off-the-beaten path ruin we were trying to find.

Honorable Mention: Puicin an Chairn

This is an honorable mention because we never actually saw Puicin an Chairn. We set out to see Puicin an Chairn as we were leaving Dingle on the way to Kinsale based on information we received from the owner of O’Neill’s and then the clerk at a nearby gas station.

Puicin an Chairn is a neolithic wedge tomb found atop a mountain overlooking Dingle Bay. I had read about it in a guidebook before our visit to Ireland, and it sounded like a pretty cool location to experience some of Ireland’s ancient past. It is also supposed to have great views of the bay.

However, it turned out to be extremely difficult to find.

To get there, you have to drive up some remote backroads, park at the correct farm (this is not obvious), cross the farm on foot, climb a mountain, and then hope you chose the right spot.

On the morning we were trying to find Puicin an Chairn, it was cold, raining and foggy. We parked at what I’m pretty sure was the right location, but the weather deterred me from taking the trek through the farm and up the mountain.

We did get to see a portal dolmen (another type of burial stone) during our drive but no wedge tomb.

portal dolmen outside dingle
Burial stones outside Dingle

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20 Comments

  • Mitch - Very Tasty World

    Dingle is absolutely delightful! I enjoyed your post on the Slea Head drive so it was nice to see other attractions in the area – especially such a variety of things to do. Inch Beach looked perfect for a long walk and Minard Castle looked gorgeous. What a shame about Puicin an Chairn. We had similar problems finding some of the standing stones when we visited Ireland – there was one time we stomped through a muddy field but couldn’t see the stones without crawling through a hedge (which we didn’t do!). We’re always up for a pub crawl and it looked as though there were some really good options after a full day’s sightseeing.

    • paulpassingthrough

      It’s almost crazy to think anyone has discovered some of these ruins, let alone the fact that people go out to visit them! In a way, it’s a good thing they’re so difficult to get to lest they become overcrowded.

  • Wanderingkellers

    Seems like a cute little place and oh my that sunrise you saw on your run was magnificent. I also appreciate your candor when describing places to eat and drink. Great post as always.

    • paulpassingthrough

      That’s one thing I debated with myself when starting this. I wasn’t sure if I should give “poor” reviews or just not talk about them at all. In the end, I decided to just be honest, and if that comes across as a “poor” review, then so be it. Besides, someone else might go and love it! So much of it comes down to personal taste and mood.

  • Barry

    Maybe you should rename this post “How to Spend Two Days in Dingle, Ireland – via the pubs”! Just joking!
    Loved the pics, as they bring out the character of the town and the scenery. I was in Dingle many, many years ago and it certainly was much more rustic and less touristy. It seems much more painted and well maintained now.
    Lots of info here for eateries, drinks and stays which helps us all to know where to go. Like you we often just stumbled into a pub because we heard live Irish music playing and enjoyed the craic.
    Similarly, we stopped off at named attractions only to find there was little left of it (but they were over a thousand years old!). The area is very rugged and somewhat desolate in areas, which I found quite attractive

    • paulpassingthrough

      I loved the remoteness and desolation of so much of Ireland. That overall mood of the land was my favorite thing. I do sometimes think places like Dingle shouldn’t remake themselves into what tourists want (i.e. painted and made to look cute but, at the same time, it does make the area look stunning.

  • Shireen

    I’ve never heard of Tom Crean but I love a pub/restauarnt where you can learn about someone associated with the area. Similarly, I’d like to see Dingle Walk of Fame. I really hope Fungie returns to Dingle Harbour!

  • Stephen & Andie

    Dingle looks absolutely lovely!

    I’m not much for running, but I do love the idea of getting out there early to explore while most folks are asleep. The photos from your run are fantastic, and for me, the showstopper of the whole visit. Or, at least I imagine it would be the most memorable highlight. Not only the sights of the town (which are gorgeous!), but the experience of catching that sunrise and watching it unfold as you did. Just awesome. The photos of it are beautiful, too. I would love to spend a couple of days in Dingle!

  • Carolin

    I hope nothing has happened to Fungie! But then not sure how old dolphins get? He would be around 38 by now at least. The beach is stunning and right up my street. I take it you rented a car and drove around Dingle or can you get there by public transport, too? I’m pleased to see you’ve had nice weather in Ireland, usually, it is pretty grey and rainy over there but everything looks more friendly and fun in the sunny weather.

    Looking forward to your new adventures from your Italy trip!

    Carolin | Solo Travel Story

    • paulpassingthrough

      That’s about exactly right as far as Fungie’s age. Sadly, he likely passed away, but who knows. We had a car through all of Ireland. There isn’t great public transport like in a lot of other parts of Europe. There’s a train that goes east/west across the country but nothing substantial along the coast. Fortunately, it was pretty easy country to drive around.

    • paulpassingthrough

      Those little quirks of history always fascinate me. There’s no reason to think of Dingle being used (well, almost used) for that reason. Not to boast, but I can’t imagine many other people see that plaque. It’s kind of out of the touristy area.

  • Stefan

    You had me at pub crawls haha… That South Pole Inn’s background story is pretty cool, too. I would have enjoyed a stroll along Inch Beach.