Hello adventurers!
My husband and I will be traveling to Ireland for the 1st time in September 2023. We have never driven in a foreign country before. Considering our lack of experience and the vast difference driving in Ireland vs the States (where we live), my instinct is to limit our time driving ourselves. To have the experience we want, I feel it's necessary to rent a car for at least a few days.
My plan is to begin in Galway and drive to Dingle (Day 1), tour the Dingle Peninsula (Day 2), and return the car on Day 3. Please see my questions below:
How much time should I expect it to take when picking up the car? I will pre-book, we will need an automatic, and the plan is to
pick up in Galway. My gut tells me I should schedule the car pick up for the day before we plan to set out for Dingle in case of
delays.- I'd like to return the car to the Kerry airport. Any reason I should re-consider returning the car to a different location? Should I account for the car drop-off taking longer than an hour?
- We will take a train from here back to Dublin. I understand this may extend our travel time vs driving directly to Dublin, but I feel the train ride will offer us time to relax, etc. between cities and sights. Any reason I should reconsider this hybrid plan of self- driving and public transportation around Ireland?
I look forward to your responses and insights!