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14 day trip in June and need help putting the itinerary together.

Posted by (Michigan) on

Hi all,

Flight is booked and I’m putting together the itinerary for a 14 day trip arriving in Dublin on June 10 and leaving Dublin June 24. My wife and I and are two young adult kids. We are renting a car and I’m trying to determine the best areas to use as a base to stay for 2-3 days while we explore. We’re thinking of spending the first 2 days in Dublin and then moving on. Here are the preliminary thoughts. I’m looking for any input as this is our first trip to Ireland.

Dublin 2 nights 6/10 - 6/12

Cork area 3 nights 6/12 - 6/15

Killarney 3 nights 6/15 - 6/18

Dingle 1 night 6/18 - 6/19

Galway 3 nights 6/19 - 6/22

Donegal area 2 nights 6/22 - 6/23

Dublin area 1 night 6/23 - 6/24 depart

Are these preferable spots to hit for sightseeing, culture, and food/drink/etc…? Am I missing out on something important or staying to long/short in any one area?

Thanks for any advice or input!

Posted by
8734 posts

It’s a shame to only have one night in Dingle, but then, from which other location would you borrow any other nights? You may find that driving is slower in Ireland than you imagined, and apart from the “M” super-highways, it takes longer to get places than you might expect.

Is Donegal a priority? It’s farther north than anything else on your itinerary, and maybe those two nights could be applied to Dingle this trip, and you could devote more time to Donegal on your next trip to Ireland, focused on more northerly locations.

Posted by
1146 posts

We've enjoyed all the places on your list, but we would rather change lodging more often rather than do a a lot of backtracking. Others here would prefer longer stays at one spot. Fundamental difference of style.

If this is your first trip to Ireland, don't forget your first day is a jet-lagged wander around at best. If you haven't driven on the left, don't drive into Dublin. Don't expect to match predicted driving times as you get off the M roads.

I'd trade a Killarney day for a Dingle day, and maybe a Galway day for and extra day in Dubllin? The suggestion of abandoning Donegal is reasonable except the north is far less crowded than the south, and just as beautiful.

Without knowing your detailed plans while in spots (Cobh, Aran Islands, etc.) along with what you enjoy most (hiking, museums, music, Neolithic things, castles, views, etc.) makes it hard to suggest things.

The good news is that you can't go wrong with any itinerary.

Posted by
2 posts

Thanks for the suggestions so far. I've tweaked it a bit. How's this looking? We are really looking for good base cities to stay in that offer us the ability to drive and site see during the day.

Dublin 2 nights 6/10 - 6/12 Explore
Dublin to Kinsale 6/12 - 6/13: Hit Rock of Cashel, Blarney, etc… on the way.
Kinsale to Killarney 3 nights 6/13 - 6/16 Day trips, ROK, Falcons, etc..
Killarney to Dingle 2 night 6/16 - 6/1518 Day trips drives etc
Dingle to Galway 3 nights 6/18 - 6/21 Cliffs of Moher, Aren Islands etc…
Galway to Donegal area 2 nights 6/21 - 6/23 Really unsure what to do here. Day trip to Derry???
Donegal to Dublin 1 night 6/23 depart for home 6/24

Posted by
236 posts

Depends how far you want to go from Derry -- you can visit Slieve League cliff, Graiinan Alleach, Malin Beg without huge detour. Also, the town of Donegal is an easy place for a meal.

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