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Coach Tour or Self Drive

We are considering Ireland in October 2016 - is this a good time to go? We are wondering what people have experienced that is the best, a coach tour or self drive? Any specific itinerary that you like?

Posted by
44 posts

If you do a coach tour consider doing it with a tour group that guarantees the trip. The company we signed on with canceled our tour about 40 days prior to departure because a large number of what would have been our travel mates canceled with them. So the tour became economically unfeasible for them. They provided a prompt refund of our deposit but left us twisting in the wind forty days prior to the proposed departure and starting a new itinerary from scratch. I'm sure our experience was highly unusual and unfortunate for both us and the tour company but I'm still annoyed when it comes to mind.

We wound up renting a car and driving and I think that worked out for the best for us as we enjoyed being on our own schedule. Downside to driving is many....or most, of the roads in Ireland require 100% of your attention so you don't get to see as much of the countryside as you would on a coach tour.

A third option, and the best of all worlds, is to hire a driver. We had no idea that service was even available until our third to last day in Ireland and those turned out to be the best three days of the trip. Our driver knew the history behind every large stone on the island and was very agreeable company. It's not a lot more costly than car rental and we plan on hiring local drivers for all of our transportation needs next time we get to Ireland.

As to itinerary, you're going to love Ireland and have a great experience no matter what you do. You can get tons of ideas by reading this forum and I can also suggest a book called "DK Eyewitness Travel - Ireland"....boat load of useful information and travel tips in that book as well as the Rick Steves book. I would suggest that getting to know the locals may very well turn out to be the most enjoyable aspect of your trip. The pubs are generally one of the best places to find the locals......we still exchange emails with an elderly gentleman we met at the Poets Corner Bar at the Old Ground Hotel in Ennis. The Irish are wonderful people and they made our trip truly memorable.

I would only suggest that anyone planning a trip to Ireland not try to pack too much into a week or two and wind up at the end feeling like you've just raced across the Island. I really wish we had spent less time behind the wheel and more time enjoying several of the places we visited. We booked only two nights in Killarney and ran out of time before we ran out of all the things there are to do there. Looking back on our trip I'm sure we could have filled four or five days with great adventures just within the Killarney/ Kenmare/ Dingle area.

Hope you have a great trip.

Posted by
317 posts

Greetings from Ireland.
October is a great time to travel around Ireland either on a tour or independently .
We offer two great Rick Steves tours, Best of Ireland 2 weeks and Heart of Ireland 1 week.
Sad to hear that Charley had a tour company cancel on them, thats poor form. And thankfully unusual.
How long have you got to tour, one week or two? Whats the main interested you have?
Let me know a few of those details and it'll be easier to give you some advice.
Generally though the south-west is a consistent highlight for travellers, I love our capital-city of Dublin, and I think all travellers should see some of the North, even if its only a day-trip from Dublin to Belfast.
Le meas/with respect
Stephen McPhilemy
Rick Steve Ireland Tour-Guide
Dingle & Derry

Posted by
1155 posts

If you are a competent driver, then rent a car and have a general sketch of what towns you want to hit and sites you want to see, and allow time for meandering. We've been twice. Once flew into Shannon and took a mostly southerly route, then east, leaving out of Dublin. Next time flew into Dublin and drove north, then west, leaving out of Shannon.

One thing to consider, try to avoid city driving, esp right after arriving. When we went the first time, we drove from Shannon to Galway and it was overwhelming trying to navigate a lot of traffic on the wrong side of the road. Once we got back out in the country, it was no problem. Our next trip to Galway, we parked our car and walked where we wanted to go. No need for a car in Dublin or Belfast, turn it in and take public transportation (same as most every big city).
I wholeheartedly agree with whomever said the best times are in the interactions with the locals. Go to pub, buy the guy or gal next to you a round and let the fun happen. We met some amazing people.

Posted by
14725 posts

Thoroughly enjoyed a Rick Steves 14 day Best of Ireland with Stephen who posted above. He is a hilarious story-teller, so much so that I had to keep tissues nearby when we were on the bus because he made me laugh until I cried every. single. day. I learned a lot too!