Driving times - Ireland
 

I know that Google driving times are not always accurate, so I am hoping to get some feedback on more accurate times for the following drives:
- Dublin to Killarney (We may stop at Rock of Cashel along the way)
- Killarney to Portmagee
- Portmagee to Dingle
- Dingle to Doolin
- Doolin to Shannon Airport

Thank you so much for any information! We are from the US and will be in Ireland for the first time.

add google +40%

My experience from last fall on similar routes is that google maps times are quite accurate, depending of course on current traffic conditions, assuming no stops.
When you factor in stops to take in small villages you pass, or stopping at sights or vistas or shops or for food along the way, +40% is spot on. Add more if anybody in your groups likes to shop for woolen goods.....

Apart from getting to the airport on time at the end of the tour does it really matter how long you take to get somewhere? Can't the journey be a part of the trip?

Hopefully you will be spending time in Dublin before driving through Ireland, which is not for the faint hearted at the best of times, and certainly should not be done straight off a long flight, or while jet-lagged, same as anywhere else.

Agree - we will be in Dublin for 2 days before heading to Killarney. Yes, we intend to enjoy each drive as part of the journey - I was just thinking if we have approximate drive times we can make sure we get to where we are going so we can get dinner, walk around each new town when we arrive. When we travel and arrive at a new destination we always want to get there in time to drop our luggage and wander the town and to acquaint ourselves - possibly find a pub and some food!

Thank you!!

Thank you!!! That is super helpful!

IME GoogleMap seems better than it used to be. But its still pretty optimistic. One issue many North Americans may not take into account is because of the time difference, when checking a drive time in the comfort of home Google is providing 'real rime' estimates. So it may be 11PM or 3 AM in Ireland and there is no traffic or construction of any kind. The same search at 10AM Ireland time with current traffic/road conditions many journeys could calculate significantly longer.

So Goole is more accurate when one is 'on the ground' than when one is route planning back home.

When times are synched I tend to add 10% to 25/30% (a few years ago it would be 25% to 50% or more)

Thanks for sharing that - didn't even think about the time difference while mapping it out right now. That can definitely make a big difference!!

You can modify your search by clicking on the 'Leave Now' and on the drop down change it to 'Depart at' where you can set time of day and date and get a better estimate. For instance 4 PM on a Bank Holiday Monday will be wildly different than say 8 PM on a Thursday evening.

I suppose everyone has different experiences, but last year I used Google Maps extensively in Ireland and found its arrival estimates to be every bit as accurate as in the USA. No added time needed.

Full disclosure: I find it to be extremely accurate in my US driving also, and also in Spain and France. Maybe I drive fairly consistently. Certainly fast.

In my experience, Google driving times are pretty accurate. However, be sure to indicate the appropriate day of the week and time of day you'll be doing the drive.

If you're estimating the driving time after supper on a Sunday evening in Cincinnati, you have to be aware that this may be 2 AM on Monday morning in Dublin, and that Google assumes you're leaving immediately unless you specify otherwise. In that case, you may very well have to add 40%.

If you open the options menu (on my phone, 3 vertical dots to the right of the starting point) you'll see the option to indicate the starting time. Indicate a weekday or weekend as appropriate, and the approximate time of day you'll be leaving. This will give you a more accurate driving time.

I see that several other people have made this point. I'll just add that I made this illustration:

Dublin to Killarney at 2 AM on Monday: 3 hours 30 min.

Dublin to Killarney at 8 AM on Monday: 3 hrs and 50 min. but with a warning that it could take up to 4 1/2 hours.

It really depends on which roads you will be taking and there is a big difference between main roads and highways and quiet, scenic, country roads. I prefer the latter b/c for me, enjoying the scenery is the main reason for driving and I am never in a hurry to get anywhere.

Driving on country roads is very pleasurable but it takes much longer to get to places. I learned this the hard way when I drove in Ireland b/c I hadn't figured on the slower driving and frequent stops for photo ops or just soaking in the beauty. All I used when I went was a Michelin map. It was pre GPS and pre Cell phones, etc. It served me just fine.
Enjoy your trip!

Sounds like a wonderful trip!
Very good advice here, make sure when you Google route times, you filter in the times in Ireland and the correct days of the week. Friday morning rush hour is not the same as a Sunday morning.

Things Google maps can not factor in, are a slow moving tractor, a slow moving huge coach bus, or sheep in the road, all things we encountered. And driving on the left can be a lot more tiring, you are in a constant state of caution. This made us eliminate stops, to be able to get to our hotel and relax.

But we did just stop, at some unbelievably beautiful unexpected vistas, at a cute coffee shop just around a bend in the road and an "oh wow, look at that" moment. So make time for that. Of course, you will love it! The beauty, and the friendliness are something we will always treasure, enjoy!