Hello,
I am visiting Ireland for the first time next year and will have 7 full days (including my arrival day) to spend. I am open to flying open jaw, but would generally prefer to begin/end in Dublin for flight purposes. We are looking to rent a car and drive and see as much as possible.
Any suggestions on a potential itinerary would be appreciated!
Thanks
Rick has a suggestions for itineraries based on how many days you have. It's in his Ireland books, and is reproduced on the website right here.
In your case, you have 6 days (no, you don't have "7 full days" - don't count your arrival day, except possibly for getting to your true arrival target location, not for sightseeing).
For 5 days, Rick suggests Dublin and the Dingle peninsula.
For 8 days, he adds more - perhaps a bit too much more? I dunno, I'm wrestling with planning an 8 day trip myself (not counting arrival or departure days) - what some would call "10 days" (but I try not to delude myself). ;)
I traveled in Ireland last June for one week. We landed in Shannon, direct flight from U.S., and traveled east toward Dublin visiting several towns along the way. We flew out of Dublin direct back to U.S. The benefit of leaving Dublin til last is that any jet lag or time change impact will have hopefully subsided so you can enjoy the big city. Be careful driving due to oncoming cars on your right. As for itinerary Cliffs of Moher and city of Cork are recommended. I could have done without a trip to Waterford crystal but that's my opinion. The book of Kells was a huge letdown but the library at Trinity more than made up for it. Distillery tours were fun, hiccup.
Enjoy!!!
Seconding David's comments (and assuming you're open to driving after Dublin). With 7 days, including a few in Dublin, you're likely to have a more satisfying trip if you pick a single base for the other days. David/Rick's suggestion of Dingle makes sense. So, too, would almost any other west coast location; e.g. Kerry, Doolin, Connemara/Galway. Dig into Rick's book to see what suits you. There's much to see in Kerry. Kenmare worked well as a base for us, seeing the Ring/Kerry, sites in/around the National Park, and a day driving the spectacular Ring of Beara loop on the adjacent peninsula (just south of Kenmare). If Kerry sounds promising: (1) read Rick's negative comments on Killarney as a base; and (2) send me a PM for a recommendation of a great B&B that we enjoyed for several nights in Kenmare. (More knowledgeable Forum folks are likely to recommend using Shannon for either your inbound or outbound flight; we can't comment on that, used Dublin both ways.)
