Hello Fellow Travelers,
We are thinking of spending 8 nights and 9 days in Ireland, in January, we will be coming from London and arriving in Shannon. Hubby, 19 year old son and myself. I really don't want to stay in a big city except for 2 nights in Dublin at the end of the trip. Top places to see Ennis Ireland, Cliffs of Moher and Guinness Storehouse. We will have a rental car and what to see the countryside.
Where to go, where to stay, what to do?
Thanks :)
What is your budget? What kinds of things do you like to do? Shopping, historic sites, natural areas, pubs, sports? Do you want to stay in hotels, B&Bs, castles? In my opinion, the Guinness Storehouse isn't worth the time or money. It is not a brewery tour. You can buy the same Guinness souvenirs all over Ireland, and the "free" pint is pretty expensive when you consider the 14 euro admission price. January is the off-season, so you will need to check guidebooks to make sure that something you want to do isn't closed over the winter. If you can give us a bit more information, we can help with specifics, like accommodation recommendations, but it's helpful if you have a general idea of where you want to be (Ennis and the Cliffs are within a couple of hours of each other, and the Guinness Storehouse is in Dublin - where else do you want to go?).
If you haven't already bought the RS Ireland guidebook, get it (or some other trusted guidebook -- not to sound like an ad for RS though I do think his guidebooks are excellent). Then you can narrow down your priorities and ask more specific questions on the forum.
Greetings from Ireland, you'll have a great time in January, thought do remember it gets dark at around 5pm. So your days will have to be well planned.
Theres a ton of suggestions I could make, but one immediate suggestion is not to linger too long in Ennis in January, I personally would not be including it on an itinerary other than that you might want to be near Shannon airport. Move on to Galway or Killarney or Dingle for some more life and activity. Though Dingle in January can be a little quiet also (that may be exactly what you're looking for though, and if it is choose Dingle over Ennis - as the scenery around Dingle is a lot more dramatic and beautiful)
le meas/with respect
Stephen McPhilemy
Dingle and Derry
Favorite places for us in Ireland are: Kilkenny, Kinsale, Dingle, and Doolin (near Cliffs of Moher). Dingle is situated in a beautiful area, the drive around the peninsula is breathtaking. Wonderful B&B there is Castlewood. For a small town, Doolin has great pubs with music every day.
See my trip download!
