We are debating how to travel around for a week with 6 adults ranging from 18 to 79. Landing midday into Dublin then thinking of going straight to Galway for 4 nights and taking day tours from there then going back to Dublin for 3 nights. 1) Will it be hard to get to Galway on Aug 4 -is everything closed or is that just a bank holiday? 2) Which is more cost effective- do day tours by a company vs getting a large passenger van ($1200 for a week + gas/Petrol) that holds 6 to take us? 3)Spouse not loving the idea of driving on the other side of the road in a minivan! Is it easy to get a cab large enough for transport if we need it? I remember in parts of Iceland there were a very limited # of large Uber Van drivers (and they went to sleep early lol)
Posted by
Indiana
1236 posts
Have you done any research yourself on comparing the cost of day tours vs. van rentals? You are the only one who knows what type of day tour is appealing to your group. Look for tours, determine the number of miles you would be driving, avg. mpg and cost for fuel, factor in the cost of parking, and then do the math to compare the costs. You also need to consider if you want a private tour that will offer you more flexibility with sites, or if you want a group tour with limited options. Having driven in Ireland myself, I would not want to do that in a passenger van. But again, that is a personal choice.
Posted by
Charleston & Birmingham
5374 posts
Some of the roads will be difficult to navigage with a large van. If you are flying overnight from the US, I hope he wouldn't have to then drive to Galway.
Posted by
10239 posts
We have been to Ireland several times, never renting a car. The road away from the large cities, especially in the western part of the country are narrow. You would need a van or large vehicle for 6 persons with their luggage. Also, gas is very expensive.
Consider tours, we did a great Rabbies Tour in Cornwall and Devon last year. Prices are great and the bus you are in is a smaller one, for about 16 persons.
https://www.rabbies.com/en-gb/tours/ireland
Posted by
422 posts
is this for 2027 - August 4th isn't a holiday this year.
The term Bank Holiday is a British term left over (for over 100 years!) from pre independence. In Britain it is only compulsory in certain sectors, notably banking & finance but I've a feeling that in the Republic of Ireland it applies to all workers - but they can still work with suitable recompense. Which means that car rental desks at the airport will probably be open but those in the financial or industrial areas may not be. Trains and long distance buses often use the Sunday timetables but Irish Rail have adopted another Biritsh tradition - doing their major engineering work over the three day weekend that these holidays create, so even the Sunday timetable cannot be guaranteed this early.
Getting a "cab" is probably the best idea. It's close to 3 hours from Dublin Airport to Galway but the market does exist so all you need to do is google "airport transfers" Galway and you'll find specialists with vehicles big enough. But remember, Ireland is not a cheap country and they will want paying - and if it is a holiday they may want paying more!
Posted by
Charleston & Birmingham
5374 posts
I also suggest you consider Rabbies. We did a day tour from Glasgow and a 4 day tour from London and both were very well done.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
13675 posts
In Ireland, the "August Holiday" is on the first Monday.