Dublin and day trips during Easter

Posted by Annie_boston on 02/18/22 01:18 AM

Hello,

Would appreciate advice with itinerary. We'll be in Ireland from April 13-20, which includes Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
So far I booked Dublin as a home base, though we can change it. We would prefer not to drive anywhere, and maybe spend first 3 days in Dublin and then venture out on either day trips or move to another city and explore the area for few days, then coming back on April 19th so we can spend the night back in Dublin before departure on the 20th.
Any suggestions what would be best given we won't have a car? Day trips or moving somewhere else and if so where?
Also would Easter make it more complicated in terms of travel, finding places to eat, moving from place to place, visiting sites, etc?

Thank you!
Annie

Posted by Ciao_Jane

02/18/22 02:47 AM

90 posts

Hi Annie,

I would look to head to Galway for a few days. You can go directly from the Dublin airport by bus or from Dublin City by train. There are several day trips that you can take by local tour companies. When I was there a few years ago, we went on day trips to the Cliffs of Moher and Connemara.

If you went to Galway first, then you don't need to stay in Dublin twice so it can maximize your time. There are also several easy day trips from Dublin as well some of which you could do on your own by bus or train, others you can take with a local day tour company.

I would imagine that most things will be open over Easter week, but some things will be closed on Easter Sunday.

Hope this helps!

Posted by Annie_boston OP

02/18/22 08:58 PM

3 posts

Thanks, Ciao_Jane!
It's a good advice, we'll consider it. It might a bit difficult as we'll be arriving from US with a kid and will be jet lagged and eager to get settled. I'll definitely think about it though.

Posted by Ciao_Jane

02/19/22 03:01 AM

90 posts

Hi Annie,

I actually did this with my daughter who was 18 at the time. Our flight got in at 5:30AM so there really wasn't much to do that early. We were on the bus to Galway by 6:30, and we slept on the bus. We were in Galway by 10:30AM! It worked out really well. I don't think you can really go wrong in Ireland. It is such a beautiful and friendly country. Whatever you decide, I am sure that you will have a blast.

Enjoy,
Jane

Posted by Annie_boston OP

02/20/22 04:42 PM

3 posts

Thanks, Jane!

Posted by Slate

Virginia

02/21/22 01:56 PM

294 posts

We (couple and teen son) visited Ireland and Northern Ireland over Easter week 2016 (which was also the centenary of the Easter rebellion so there were various special exhibits, etc). We had no difficulties with travel or closures, except that pubs in Northern Ireland did not serve alcohol during the day on Good Friday (a bit surreal to have lunch in a virtually empty pub drinking Coca-Cola, but no problem!). We combined 3 nights in Dublin and 3 in Belfast which was a great combination. In Dublin we took one organized day tour to Newgrange and Tara, and in Belfast one to Giant's Causeway (and nearby spots), with the rest of the time seeing the city attractions. We took the train from Dublin to Belfast on Good Friday morning, with one of the "Black taxi" tours that afternoon which was very interesting. When returning we took an early morning bus on Easter Monday direct from Belfast to Dublin airport for our flight home that day. We did purchase this bus ticket and the train ticket in advance online to make sure. It's understandable if you want to combine Dublin with scenic Western Ireland (my wife and I had been there before on a previous trip), but especially if you don't want to drive you might want to consider something like this as Northern Ireland has a lot to see and a different vibe (but just as friendly) compared to the Republic. Of course, I should note that our trip was pre-pandemic and you'd need to know about any possible Covid testing or documentation issues before crossing the border, as those could suggest staying in the Republic this trip all else equal.