About 6 days in Ireland this coming August - What are the most important things to see & do?

With 4 people you'll probably save money by renting a car versus buying train or bus tickets. Personally I don't care for escorted tours because I find my interests are not very typical (i.e., what the tour covers is probably not my keenest interest), but YMMV.

Since you only have 6 days you are definitely not going to see all of Ireland. Which airport(s) do you fly in & out of? If you're in at Dublin and out at Shannon, plan your itinerary to get from one to the next. If you're in & out at Dublin, plan a couple of nights within range and then a good 2 days to see Dublin itself before heading to the airport.

The areas of Ireland that are more remote from the major airports are probably the first to delete from your wish list. The good news is, pretty much everything you've listed that you enjoy is available near Dublin and/or Shannon.

Thank you so much for a quick reply! I've been agonizing over how to plan this trip and didn't even think about flying into 1 airport and out of the other. We haven't made our flights to Ireland from Germany yet so I think into 1 airport and out the other is a great idea. If you have any suggestions about specifics within Shannon and Dublin areas please share! I would love to stay in B&B's vs chain hotels; even castles that are B&B's? So excited for local pub music. This forum is a great way to share and learn. Thank you again!

Definitely rent a car. In Dublin our must dos: Kilmainham gaol ( pre-book tickets as it sells out), Book of Kells/Trinity College, St Patrick's Cathedral etc. We also loved the hop on and off bus
Kilkenny has a cool castle and is great stop if you want to also visit the Rock os Cashel. Then on to Blarney Castle. Killarney, we loved being in the National Park and driving the Ring of Kerry. Dingle is must if you love Irish music. Drive the sea head and stop at Bunratty Castle and folk park Drive out the Cliffs of Moher and then comeback to Shannon for your flight out.
In Dingle, we stayed at Garvey's Farmhouse which was great. It is a working dairy farm and the Garveys were great hosts. They had the perfect family room which came with king bed and two twins. It also had a ensuite.

In Killarney, we stayed at the Lake Hotel which was simply stunning.

Thank you so much! I keep reading so many wonderful things about Dingle! and I love the idea of staying at a working farm. I appreciate the advice and recommendations!

Definitely rent a car if you are okay with driving on the left. It will save you a lot of time when you have so few days. My trip was by train/bus and it was difficult to see the Rock of Cashel this way, but it is one of the must sees in my opinion. I stopped in Kilkenny after leaving Dublin and enjoyed, the castle and grounds, and climbed the tower at St. Canice,s. Personally, I would skip Blarney (very touristy, in my opinion, but lots of people enjoy it) in favour of spending more time in and around Killarney, stunning park and many other sights, or another option is a side trip to Kinsale and Charles Fort. In Killarney I did the Gap of Dunloe on a jaunting cart. I did a tour of the Dingle Peninsula as a day trip from Killaney, but if you have a car it would be better to do that on your own and spend a night in Dingle.

As you plan your trip, bear in mind that driving will take longer than you might think since a lot of it will be on smaller secondary roads. But I agree - rent a car! It's wonderful to be able to stop when something looks interesting, and spend as much or as little time as you like exploring. Just one thing - if you start in Dublin, rent the car at the airport as you're leaving Dublin. If you end in Dublin, turn in the car when you arrive there. Bottom line: you don't want to have a car in Dublin.

Thank you so much for your advice. I keep diving in to planning this trip and then get busy and stop the planning! Very much appreciate your sharing. It is very helpful!

You've only got 6 days in Ireland (does that include your travel days flying in from Germany and out of Ireland?). Based on what you like, I'd stick to Western Ireland and base myself out of 1 or 2 locations and take day trips by renting a car.

You might want to do something like stay in Galway or Kinvara (just across the bay from Galway) and take some day trips to the Burren, Cliffs, maybe take the ferry to the Aran Islands. And after that stay for 1 or 2 nights at Ashford Castle around Cong and explore Connemara. The Ashford Castle stay would be a splurge, but your sons would probably really enjoy it as they have a lot of activities on the castle grounds like fishing, horseback riding, archery and falconry.

Greetings from Ireland!

All the previous posts provide excellent advice and cover pretty much every base. August is a great time to travel in Ireland, weather is generally good and theres festivals galore. Its also the per time for our Gaelic Football and Hurling season, which you should try and catch a glimpse of. Every village you pass through will have teams in action.

Definitely take in Dingle, Dublin and Galway. That will give you a great overview of Ireland in your 6 days, and if you can squeeze in an overnight in Belfast or even a daytrip, it has 'Game of Thrones' tours and the Giants Causeway nearby which aways appeal to 16-20 year olds!

Best wishes on your journey and should you have any questions just pop me a line.

Slainte/to your good health
Stephen McPhilemy
Rick Steves Ireland Tour-Guide
Dingle, Derry and Dublin