On two wheels in Ireland, it's easy to feel connected to your surroundings—and to each other. Gaze at the clouds. Listen to birdsong. Visit Ballylickey and Gougane Barra. And giggle as you pronounce their names. There's a fortress to explore, whiskey tasting for adults and sheepshearing for kids. Ease, simplicity and an unforgettable family vacation.
Day
1 Spin through the classic Irish landscape: green hills, small farms, quaint cottages and woolly sheep 
Revel in the lilt of Gaelic in Inchigeelagh In Gougane Barra, a hamlet surrounded by lush forest and mountains, spot the 300-year-old church set on a tiny island Villages painted in cheery colors line our country roads to Ballylickey.
Day
2 Enjoy the warm hospitality of the acclaimed Park Hotel Kenmare Bike past streams and waterfalls in scenic Glengarriff State Forest Reserve en route to a unique sculpture garden A gradual climb leads to magnificent Caha Pass, complete with tunnels and sweeping views of Bonane Valley Life only gets sweeter with award-winning treats from a chocolatier in Bonane A festive Irish dance and music demonstration is sure to get your feet stomping!
Day
3 Adults join a private whiskey tasting with expert John Moriarty while youngsters indulge in fish n' chips Pedal by pristine lakes, stately cliffs and glacier-carved mountains on the sparsely populated Beara Peninsula A lively sheepshearing demonstration delights all ages The younger set learns about "soloing" during a game of Gaelic football.
Day
4 Soak up fascinating history and lively village culture Views of Killarney National Park serve as the backdrop to lunch at an award-winning café Gorgeous cycling routes wind through Moll's Gap, Blackwater Valley and the Gap of Dunloe This narrow pass cuts between the Purple Mountains and MacGillycuddy's Reeks, the highest peaks in Ireland.
Days
5-6 Gear up for an evening with a well-known Irish storyteller Cycle past ancient churches and working farms to beautiful Caragh Lake The incredible scenery just doesn't quit! Feast your eyes on spectacular ice-scraped Glencar Valley Relish the joyous energy of Killarney, full of pubs and shops Make your way to 15th-century Ross Castle on foot or horse-drawn cart for a fun and interesting tour.
After this trip, our kids asked if we could move to Ireland! It was the perfect combination of culture, beautiful riding, history and Irish warmth.- San Francisco, CA
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Owner Kathleen O'Sullivan pampers us at her country house on the shore of Bantry Bay.
It's just a short walk to the pubs and shops from this regal Victorian estate, nestled amid magnificent parkland on Kenmare Bay. A Relais & Châteaux member. (pool, spa)
A handsome family-owned hotel, promising and delivering "warmth beyond the smile," in the heart of Killarney. (pool, spa)
There's no better way to find out about Backroads than by hearing it from the people who have traveled with us. For more about the Backroads Experience, read our Guest Testimonials.
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Comments about Ireland Family Bike Tour:
After this trip, our kids asked if we could move to Ireland! It was the perfect combination of culture, beautiful riding, history and Irish warmth.
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The earlier you book, the more choice you'll have and the lower your price. And you can always change your mind—you won't be charged to transfer to a different trip before your final payment is due.
Please click on a date below for specific pricing and possible itinerary variations.
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AVAILABLE TO BOOKi GOING FASTi CONTACT USi PRIVATE TRIP - RESERVEDi
Interested in a Private Trip? Check out the Make It Private tab for private dates available, or call us at 800-462-2848.
Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. We know your pace may vary from one day to the next—and your traveling companion's may differ somewhat from yours. So we present a range of mileage options, and each day you decide exactly what and how much you want to do.
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| Daily Route Options | ||||||||||
| Day | EASYGOING | ACTIVE | AVID | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 | Level 5 | ||||||
| miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | |
| 1 | 11* | 800 | 25 | 1000 | ||||||
| 2 | 16* | 1100 | 31 | 1700 | 45 | 2300 | ||||
| 3 | 15* | 400 | 24* | 600 | 47 | 1100 | ||||
| Kids: Sheepshearing Demonstration (1 Hour) | ||||||||||
| 4 | 20* | 1400 | 49 | 2800 | ||||||
| 5 | 23* | 400 | 28* | 1000 | 42 | 1700 | ||||
| 6 | Ross Castle Guided Visit and Walk (1.5 Hours) | |||||||||
Note: Ireland's landscape is characterized by constant rises and valleys, and the continuously rolling terrain (as well as other conditions such as rain) can make routes feel more challenging than the mileage may suggest.
* Includes shuttle.
Learn more about how we determine our activity levels and fully support a range of abilities and interests.
Please note that our distance and elevation figures come from Ride with GPS. Other sources (such as Map My Ride and Garmin devices) may give differing elevation figures due to different GPS and mapping technologies. Readings from a Garmin or a smart phone are influenced by other factors such as air pressure.
Everyone has their own vision of how they want to experience a place. And when it comes to family biking in Ireland, only Backroads can truly support the wide range of abilities and interests you find in any group, family or otherwise. We do it by providing more Trip Leaders and support vans than other active travel company, plus enough built-in flexibility to ensure everyone enjoys a trip that matches their personal style, fitness level and attention span.
Choose a Backroads Custom Titanium or Custom Electric Assist bike—both are included in your trip price. Maybe a Specialized carbon-fiber pro model is more your speed or go for double fun on a tandem. Our fleet is the best in active travel, so you don't have to roll the dice on this vital trip component. Learn why our titanium bikes are ideal for most riders. See the bike options for this trip.
Your ride comes equipped with a Garmin Edge Explore 1000, the best bike-touring GPS device on the market. This is a Backroads exclusive, and it's included with your bike in Ireland. If you prefer to bring your own device, we also have downloadable GPS files and of course, our good old paper directions are always available. Read more on why our navigation options are the best.
Backroads has the best-qualified people to lead your trip in Ireland, and our guests back that up, rating our Trip Leaders an average of 9.75 out of 10 for all-around quality of performance. Get the facts (and no fluff) on how we recruit and develop the very best people for your trip.
In Ireland you head off each morning after choosing among several expertly designed routes—all with detailed directions, mileage and shuttle options. Unlike trips with one fixed daily route (or worse, one guide that everyone's obliged to follow), you're free to enjoy the best of the region at your pace, stopping wherever you want to explore further.
When everyone's together, there's lots going on; and when kids' and adults' priorities diverge, it can seem like two different trips. That's why our Family Adventures in Ireland have three Trip Leaders—including a dedicated Kids Activity Expert who regularly takes younger travelers off to do their own thing. Other companies try to get by with two leaders; we step up and do it right. For more on our family focus, check this out.
It may be hard to imagine being on a family trip with no other families on it—but it happens regularly with some companies. On a Backroads Family Adventure there are typically several families on each departure, creating more opportunities for your kids to make new friends as they try fun things together – which is a big part of the experience.
We design and support our Ireland trips to suit mixed abilities and varied interests—so you can set your own pace, then change things up as the day unfolds. And all guests are free to do the same, traveling together or apart, with no one cramping anyone else's style. Which sounds easy in theory, but it's hard to pull off. Here's more on how we do it.
Backroads is the only active travel company providing two support vans in Ireland—because we know it's essential to ensure a truly great travel experience. It doubles our ability to be there when you need us to offer hydration, lighten your load or give you a lift if it's time to take a break. Read more on why two vans make all the difference.
Thanks to our extensive connections in Ireland, Backroads takes you off the beaten track and deep into the region's culture in ways that traditional travel can never hope to do. We know the people and their customs, the legacy of art and architecture, the complex history and politic—and if we're not sure, our amazing local experts can fill in the blanks.
Only Backroads provides bikes specifically designed for younger riders. Find out more information on all of our kids' bikes and optional accessories. And check out Tom Hale's blog post about biking with your kids.
At Backroads we've honed our expertise in active family travel over many years and a lot of trips. We host at least 20 times more family guests than any other active company, so we're constantly gaining new insights that make our trips even better. Detailed planning, behind-the scenes logistics, unrivaled support from three Trip Leaders—all backed by a team that proudly creates the kind of experiences we'd want to share with our own families.
On this Premiere Inn trip, you can count on the best lodgings Ireland has to offer. In fact, the hotels we've chosen in this region have higher retail room rates than those offered by any other active travel company—even when their trips cost more.
For nearly four decades we've worked to earn and maintain our right to call Backroads the world's #1 active travel company. In pursuing that vision on behalf of our guests, we believe we've set the standard for our industry—captured in the Backroads Quality Guide, which clearly sets out the benchmarks of excellence, choice and support that we live by
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Gather your favorite people to share a Backroads adventure on a ready-to-book Private Trip - featuring all the legendary Backroads hallmarks from expert leaders to unforgettable activities. You can pick from the selection of dates below for your group; some dates are only available for 16 or more guests while other dates are available for 8 or more guests. If your party has fewer than 8 guests, or your preferred date is not available, we'll create a departure just for you. Call or email us to reserve your date.
Click on a date below for specific pricing and possible itinerary variations.
8 AVAILABLE TO BOOK FOR 8 OR MORE GUESTS 16 AVAILABLE TO BOOK FOR 16 OR MORE GUESTS RESERVED
Don't see your ideal travel date? Make a Date! i
Invite your family and friends on an adventure that's entirely your own - for your group of 8 or more. Find out more
I simply can't imagine a better way to immerse yourself in the life of a region, to explore hidden corners and appreciate nuances while enjoying the benefits and enormous satisfaction of traveling under your own power. These are experiences you cannot have behind the wheel of a car, or on a train or a tour bus. Active travel is, at its heart, a way of connecting more authentically with the world. Sure, Backroads provides amazing leaders, superb accommodations and meals, and opportunities you could never arrange on your own. But all of our comprehensive planning and support is aimed at something far simpler: bringing you the immediate, highly personal satisfaction of discovering a new world on your own terms.
— Tom Hale, Founder & President
