Advice Needed on a 3 Day Itinerary in West Ireland w/ Children

With that short amount of time I would consider staying in one spot and making day trips. Killarney area might be a good choice, but there are many others. Staying in Dublin would not be a bad idea either. There is lots to see there and it is a good hub for day trips. Good luck and have fun!

With only 3 days, I would pick one base, stay there all 3 nights and do day trips from there.

We are going in 2 weeks but based on my research and what we are planning, I would probably pick Dingle as a base and then venture rom there to Killarney National park, cliffs of Moher, Bunratty castle etc.

Have fun!

This may sound short but based on 2 trips and 16 days in Ireland over the last 5 years, I've found there is lots to see and the Google map drive times need to be padded by at least 30 minutes to an hour.

Day 1
Dublin to Cashel (about a 2+ hour drive) Visit Rock of Cashel
Cashel to Dingle (another 2+ hour drive)

Day 2 - Dingle
You must do the Slea Head drive ( 3 - 4 hours so many places to stop and wander)
Take the boat ride in Dingle Harbor and look for Fungi the dolphin.

Day 3
Dingle to Shannon (2+hour drive) - Take the Conner Pass drive from Dingle to Tralee - very picturesque drive.
Visit Bunratty Castle. Great folk park - your kids will love it.
Shannon to Cliffs of Moher (little over hour drive)
Spend the night in Doolin (Gus O'Connors Pub great place for dinner and music)

Day 4
Doolin to Dublin (3+ hours)

If you don't want to spend the night in Doolin, you could always go on into Galway. The motorway from Galway to Dublin is like one of our interstate highways.

Be sure you rent an automatic car and get the CDW insurance.

Have a blast!

Thank you all for your replies! Jerry, I appreciate you providing a detailed itinerary...thanks a million for taking time to do that. Very helpful. Sharon, since you are going to the same area soon, I will reply with what we did and maybe be able to provide a few tips. ML, we hope to return to Ireland and will look into Dublin as our hub. Thanks again. -Summer

If you spend a night in Dingle, look at Milltown House for a lodging options. It's just outside of town, but the rooms are lovely, it's right next to the pitch-n-putt golf course and plenty of room for the kids to stretch out. Plus, the owner has kids and they have a delicious breakfast buffet. There is also an enormous, friendly Irish wolfhound.

Patty, thank you for that wonderful tip!

If you plan to drive to Cashel, you should know that Cahir is only 30 minutes away. Cahir has a castle in the river that your kids might like. It was our kids' favorite castle. Also, near Liscarroll there is a donkey sanctuary that is free to visit. I can give you more information about that if you are interested.

Nancy, thank you. We are still (frantically) putting our trip together. We are getting cold feet about the distance between Dublin and Dingle. If we go forward with the 'west coast plan', a stop in Cashel is the plan. Any information you have, would be great. Thank you!

In Cashel, we stayed at a farmhouse B&B called Rahard Lodge, which is a sheep farm. It is slightly outside of town, but very close. Our kids loved seeing the sheep - and we were there during lambing season and they let them hold the new lambs.

If you decide that Dingle is too far, you might consider the Kinsale area. Kinsale is a charming coastal town (like Dingle) that also has a fort. And in between Kinsale and Cashel are Blarney and Cork (and Cahir). You could find a lot to do in that area without going all the way to Dingle.

Nancy, thank you again. I am looking up Rahard Lodge now. We have decided to go for it (going to Dingle), but are having a hard time finding a place to stay in the Cashel area (things are booked). We'd like to get some miles under our belt tomorrow night, after landing in Dublin, so the rest of the trip to Dingle isn't so long. Thank you for all the info you have provided.