We arrive in Dublin around noon on June 10, and leave Dublin just before noon on June 26. We have so far decided that we would stay in the Dublin area for 3 nights, using a 48-hour hop-on, hop-off bus to get around. After Dublin, we were wondering which 3-4 areas of Ireland we should stay in? Our hope is to make it all the way around Ireland. My wife would prefer not checking into a new hotel every day, so we were thinking 2-4 days each in 3-4 regions of Ireland using VRBO/AirBNB/hotel and use that as a base to explore with our rental car. So which areas/cities would allow us to do that?
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6713 posts
You could start by looking at our host's recommended itinerary, which resembles that of his 14-day Best of Ireland tour. Of course you may want to vary these depending on your specific interests and driving preferences. But a rough circle around the island (in either direction) is doable in your timeframe, and you can prolong your stays in some places by skipping others. Guidebooks will have their own suggestions, you could get some good ideas from those in your public library before you invest in one.
I'm not sure the HOHO bus is such a good way to get around Dublin, which has excellent trams and other public transport. Most of the main sights are within walking distance of each other. You don't want to be standing at a bus stop waiting for the next HOHO when you could be visiting a museum, church, park, pub, or whatever else you prefer. But you're right to save the car for outside Dublin.
Posted by
Irving
3226 posts
Have you bought your plane tickets yet? If not, consider flying in and out of Dublin and Shannon (multi-city) so you won’t have to backtrack to Dublin to fly home.
Jun 10 - if you fly in and out of Dublin, take a direct bus from Dublin airport to Galway. Galway is not a must-see town but it’s a good spring board to take day trips to Inishmore (the largest Aran Island) and Connemara. Sleep in Galway.
Jun 11 - I believe you can take a direct bus from Galway city to the Rossaveel Port: https://www.aranislandferries.com/map_ferry.php then hop on the ferry at the pier. You can also join a tour for the day. Arrange this before leaving home. To learn more, buy Rick Steves guidebook: https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/ireland-guidebook. Sleep in Galway.
Jun 12 – rent a car in Galway and drive to Westport (1h 30m). Sleep in Galway.
Jun 13 – from Galway drive to Cong (45m). Sleep in Galway.
Jun 14 – from Galway drive to Doolin (1h 30m). Sleep in Doolin.
Jun 15 – from Doolin take a ferry to the Cliffs of Moher: https://www.cliffsofmoher.ie/. Sleep in Doolin.
Jun 16 – from Doolin drive to Ennis for the day (45m). Sleep in Doolin.
Jun 17 – from Doolin drive to the Cliffs of Moher (15m) if you want to see them by land too. Afterwards drive to the Killimer Ferry port (1h 15m): https://www.wildatlanticwayonline.com/clare-limerick-wild-atlantic-way/discovery-points/killimer-tarbert-ferry/. From the Tarbert Ferry port drive to Dingle (1h 45m). Sleep in Dingle.
Jun 18 - drive the Dingle peninsula (4h). Sleep in Dingle.
Jun 19 – get an early start and drive from Dingle to the Rock of Cashel (3h) and visit the ruins. Drive from the Rock of Cashel to Kilkenny (1h 15m) and drop off rental car. Sleep in Kilkenny.
Jun 20 – spend the day in Kilkenny. Sleep in Kilkenny.
Jun 21 – take a direct train from Kilkenny to Dublin: https://www.irishrail.ie/en-ie/. Sleep in Dublin.
Jun 22 – spend the day in Dublin. Sleep in Dublin.
Jun 23 – spend the day in Dublin. Sleep in Dublin.
Jun 24 – sign up for a tour before leaving home to Brú na Bóinne. Sleep in Dublin.
Jun 25 – sign up for a tour before leaving home and visit Trim castle. Sleep in Dublin.
Posted by
SoCal
1135 posts
We found Limerick to be an ideal home base to use for sightseeing around the south and west of Ireland. It's not really a very big country - about 70% as big as Ohio. And the motorways are modern, high-speed roads that make travel to the main cities easy and fast.