The Wild Atlantic Way: Ireland's Ultimate Road Trip

Ireland — coastal road trip, flexible length

At 1,600 miles, the Wild Atlantic Way is one of the longest defined coastal driving routes in the world, running from Donegal in the north to Cork in the south — nobody drives all of it in one trip, and the route is designed in signposted segments specifically so visitors can pick a stretch rather than attempt the whole thing.

The Clare and Galway stretch is the most-visited for good reason: the Cliffs of Moher, the limestone lunar landscape of the Burren, and Galway city’s compact, walkable center with genuinely good live-music pubs. For travelers who’ve already done that stretch, or want it without the coach-tour crowds, the Donegal section delivers the same drama with far fewer visitors.

A rental car with a manual transmission is meaningfully cheaper than automatic in Ireland — worth knowing before booking if that’s not a dealbreaker.

Sephari’s Outdoors & Country Living collection carries the binoculars and weatherproof gear this stretch of Atlantic coastline rewards.