Fly into Dublin
Day 1 Dublin
Day 2 rent car drive to Kilkenny
Day 3 Kinsale
Day 4 Kenmare
Days 5,6,7 Dingle
Days 8,9 Aran Islands
Day 10 fly out of Shannon
Might have one more day. Where to stay if going to Aran Islands? Stay on island one night? If so where for the other night? Galway?
I still think you need to tell us what you want to do for people to comment? You started a very similar thread and never came back to answer
What do you like to do? What are your must do and see?
Music, people, scenery. Rock of Cashel, Ring of Kerry, Dingle Peninsula, Cliffs of Moher, Aran Islands.
I stayed on Inis Mór so I could explore the islands after the last ferry left with the majority of the tourists. The days are long in Ireland at this time of year so after the ferry leaves at 5PM there are still 3-4 more hours of daylight. I explored Inis Mór on my first day and took the ferry to Inis Meáin on my second (I also explored Inis Oír on a separate trip with a tour). Other than the natural beauty and few natural and man made points of interest there isn't much to do on Inis Mór. Most things close after 5PM when the last ferry leaves except for the bars/restaurants. Many bars offer live music in the evenings. There's even less to "do" other than explore the natural beauty on Inis Meáin and Inis Oír. This was perfect for me since the slow pace was a nice change from Chicago where I live.
If you can and don't mind the quiet I recommend staying overnight on the islands. It allows you more time to explore and get the most out of your trip out there. I stayed at Ard Mhuiris which is a guesthouse approximately a 5 minute walk from the dock. It's a lovely little guesthouse, the owner was very friendly, the place was clean and the bed was probably the most comfortable during my travels.
Given the times of the ferries and my own schedule I stayed overnight in Galway before I traveled to the Aran Islands and stayed there after I returned. The first ferry leaves from Ros a Mhil at 10:30AM and the last ferry leaves the Inis Mór island at 5:00PM. The ferry took approximately 40 minutes. It takes about 1 hour from Galway to Ros a Mhil.
There are also ferries from Doolin.
Meredith -
The Irish Tourist Board used to offer a free print version of its B&B Guidebook for both the Republic and Northern Ireland, though by now it's probably on-line only. You can find many, though not all, of the over 2,000, Irish B&Bs at ireland.com. Although on multiple trips to Ireland we never had any problems securing rooms for the night by just knocking on a door or two, you'll certainly want to make advance reservations for the islands.
If you arrive in Dublin in the morning (Day 1) and then leave on Day 2, you will be jet-lagged for your Dublin stay and won't get to enjoy much of the city. There is a great deal to do there, so you might cut either Kinsale or Kenmare or one day in Dingle to have an extra Dublin Day.
Also, how early is your Shannon flight? If you're driving from Galway on Day 10 that could be a rush.
I would also suggest another day in Dublin since you'll be arriving early. I would move a day from Dingle to Dublin. I personally don't schedule anything for Day 1 since I have never been one of those 'hit the ground running' travelers. I need a day. Use the time to check out the Mummies at St. Michan's Church in Dublin.
I drove a similar route back in 2007, choosing Waterford instead of Kilkenny and we skipped Kerry Peninsula for Dingle Peninsula due to only having a week there.
Rock of Cashel is a MUST!! Definite highlight of our trip. The latest hotspot near Kerry Peninsula (from Kenmare) now is Skellig Michael because of the Star Wars films. Just mentioning because I would personally go there! But I digress. You may want to look into Doolin as a place to stay after Dingle. We stayed there for our visit to the Cliffs of Moher. They are also close to Aran Islands but from what I read in the Rick Steves' Guidebook you might be better to go to Galway as the starting point to Aran Islands. Definitely consider last night in Galway. Great city and great place to start trip to Shannon.
Biggest tip I can give you is plan your overnights wisely. We would arrive in a place, stay the night and site-see during the day and drive to the next destination in the evening. Driving at night is NOT the ideal way to see rural Ireland. Allow extra time for travel. Maybe an extra night somewhere between Dublin and Kinsale so you aren't driving at night. Happy Travels and Slainte'!
David: "Although on multiple trips to Ireland we never had any problems securing rooms for the night by just knocking on a door or two"
How did you manage to do this? I am going 9/15-9/25. Tentative itinerary: Dublin 2 nights, head to Cork, Kinsale, Killarney, back to Dublin. My flights are red-eye from DC and noon-ish return. Not renting a car.
Thanks much,
Dee
