Ireland, Europe, three weeks, where should I go?

For starters, you can easily get to the Cliffs of Moher from Limerick. It is one of the iconic sites of Ireland, the place where my son said, "NOW I'm in Ireland" (though we had already been in other areas of the country). Another iconic site that would be easily reachable is the Rock of Cashel (though you can't do both in the same day).

Hi Iggy! I'm so glad you are finally getting to travel to Europe!! You will have the best time - and I agree that narrowing the choices will be the hardest part! I have been to all the places you mention, and love them all! I would suggest considering which places can be easily connected, as you don't want to spend all your time in transit. Easyjet and other budget airlines can make it easy to connect cities you might otherwise think are too far apart (I found a flight from Prague to Paris for $45 at one time). Also consider what type of weather you like - I, for one, get grumpy in the heat, so in July I would stick to places which have a more temperate climate, but that's just me - lots of people do fine in the heat. Another thing to consider is the pace you want - some folks like a busier pace, some like slower and more relaxed. My husband and I have found that for us, four places in two weeks is just about perfect. We generally do two places with a busier pace of sightseeing, then our third spot is usually in a small town or the country where we decompress and chill and totally relax for three or four days, before heading on to our final stop which is usually the city from which we fly home. I hope this will help you as you begin to plan!!!

Given the time you have I would probably choose two locations. Summer will be busy and hot in most cities, but I would suggest Paris for a few days, then get a car and take some time to explore either Normandy or Provence . That will give you some time in the amazing city of Paris and some village and countryside. Spain will be very hot. I would then make a second choice and visit that city for a few days and then head out to some smaller locations with a car. Either Germany or Italy can offer beautiful locations that are off the beaten path. There are so many choices and I can understand your dilemma, but I think a mix of city and countryside makes for a much nicer vacation, especially in summer.

I'm over 50, too, although have been fortunate to visit Europe several times. As for the Ireland part, we visited for the first time in 2009 on a bicycle trip from Galway out to the Aran Islands, back to the mainland and down to Dingle, then the Ring of Kerry and up to Limerick. Traveling by bike is slow on the narrow Irish roads, so we saw parts of Western Ireland but not Dublin, Northern Ireland (a separate country!), or the rest of the Isle. The shop we rented our touring bikes from was in Limerick, and for a small fee they delivered the bikes to our B&B in Galway, but we returned the bikes to the shop, so that was about all we saw of Limerick, except for having sandwiches in a Polish bakery, highly recommended by the locals we met. Limerick was a pretty gritty city, so we wouldn't have wanted to spend much vacation time there, but the countryside and Western towns were a delight. A highlight was Dingle (one of Rick Steves' "backdoors"), not mobbed by tourists in June, and full of sights and experiences. Also, Skellig Michael, an other-worldly island off the mainland to the southwest, reached only by boat and populated only by seabirds, is the site of a former hermit-monk colony who lived there in stone beehive huts hundereds of years ago, away from society. While bikes can be slow, you may have a car, and it's a relatively small country. In much of Europe, travel by train is easy and quick, but less so in Western Ireland. There's also a bus line, Bus Eireann (with an Irish setter on the side of the bus instead of a greyhound), which is convenient - and takes bikes. Our travel method in Europe has generally been to see more of a location, rather than trying to see too many places and not spend enough quality time in any of them. It's easy to have a long must-see list of places to check off, but it's helpful to find a balance of quantity and quality, and your transportation methods can influence how far you can go and what you can see. Use ATM's for cash, and pay by credit card when you can (some waive foreign transaction fees). Paris and London, Berlin and Prague are all fabulous. France, Spain and Italy (and Ireland!) are each so diverse and full of things to see and do that you could spend months visiting just that one country. As mentioned earlier, there are now lots of no-frills, cheap airlines that can fly you around Europe cheaply, provided you have limited luggage and aren't looking for luxury - Vueling in Spain, Ryan Air based out of Ireland, etc. As Rick says, "Assume you will return. . . " so there's alway next time to see what you missed this trip. Enjoy!