Extend Ireland tour

I have not done this tour, but I have been to both Ireland and Scotland on my own. I took a Quick Look at the tour itinerary, and it seems to cover most of the important places people want to go, and finishes in Belfast. If there were places not covered on the tour that you still wished to see I think you would end up backtracking a lot to return to areas you already passed through. I’m not sure it would be an efficient use of your time. On the other hand, you could easily get to either Glasgow or Edinburgh and base yourself in one of those two places for a few days, and take some guided day trips to see some sights. You could easily fill three or four days just seeing sights in either city, and it is easy to fly home from either one. I spent six days in Edinburgh, and four in Glasgow and would have happily spent more time in either place.

Thank you, Anita. As I explored more options for off the beaten path in Ireland, I was getting the same feeling you express: the tour will be very comprehensive. We toured Scotland on our own many years ago, but not the remote islands . We could just settle in in one area of Ireland after the tour, I suppose. Our travel style is not that leisurely! So much still to see and do! Thanks for your insights.

Galway would be a good base for a few days if you want to go back and spend more time exploring the Burren or Connemara area, though I see the tour does do that. Galway is easy to get to by train from Belfast and there will be lots of day trip options(if you won’t have a car this will be important). The other town that would make a good base with lots of day trip options would be Killarney. Rick Steves is not keen on it, and it appears the tour just drives through the park. I took a day trip that included going across the lake by boat, and then a jaunting car through the gap of Dunloe, and it was a great day trip. Very photogenic .There are also other things to see around Killarney. It is going to be more of a trek from Belfast, though. Maybe take a look at the guided day trip options available to help make your decision?

I am taking this tour in April. The tour spends very little time in either Belfast or Dublin. They send out a list of things that you will not see. I am going in a week early and staying in Dublin, with several day trips planned out of town. I am staying an extra night in Belfast at the end, then 3 nights in Malahide before flying out.

We did this tour in 2022. We took the bus back to Dublin from Belfast and spent a few extra days there. We took the Mary Gibbons Newgrange tour, went to the Epic Museum, the Jeanie Johnson ship and the Chester Beatty Library. There are plenty of other sights to see in Dublin that you won’t get to on the tour. You could also go to London which has plenty of things to see and do.

Thank you Mary and Karen. We are just now zeroing in on trip plans and your ideas make we want to add more time in Dublin. I wish I had that list you mentioned! We are doing 3-5 days in Iceland before we get to Dublin. Did the Ring Road drive there and now want to see some of the interior---probably on guided day trips.
Thanks.

I'll join Karen and Mary in recommending more time in Dublin, before the tour begins if your schedule allows that. I had several days before the tour, time for both cathedrals, the General Post Office, Dublin Castle, Chester Beatty Library, National Art Gallery, and various other places of interest that the tour doesn't cover. The Literary Pub Crawl was also fun. But the best for me, and maybe for you given your interest in culture and history, were the National Museum of Archaeology and the Mary Gibbons Newgrange Tour. The museum took several hours, the tour took almost a full day.

The tour doesn't take you to Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains south of Dublin, and I haven't been there, but that area gets lots of praise for scenery as well as history. I think you could get a good day tour there from Dublin.

In Belfast I spent just the morning after the tour ended, visiting the Northern Ireland Museum, which was quite good. I'm sure there would be more to see if you had more time there too.

Thanks for all the great suggestions!

I would go for the Beara Peninsula. Many places for photography,nature and history and definetaly off the beaten pass.
https://bearatourism.com/

I just read Ricks Tours ends in Belfast why not go for Donegal?
https://www.govisitdonegal.com/

Will you have a car then?
if not there are options for a private minibus tour over Beara

I can give more detailed info on the places once you say"lets have a closer look on it"

As others have mentioned we took the bus back to Dublin. We spent the next couple of days doing the Mary Gibbons tour to Newgrange which was very good and Wild Wicklow Tours to Glendalough and the Wicklow mountains. The Epic Museum in Dublin is well done and I thought worth the visit. You could also spend a few extra days in Belfast because I think we only had one day there. The Black Cab tour has had some good reviews.

Just to add, if you are into photography the feeling of Glendalough was almost mystical.

From the Rick Steves pre-tour planning for my April 21 tour: "Here are suggestions for sightseeing in Dublin that we will not be doing as a group: National Museum, National Gallery, Dublin Castle, Dublin Writers' Museum, Guinness Brewery and Gravity Bar, EPIC: The Irish Emigration Museum. You may also enjoy visiting the Brú Na Bóinne archaeological site, home to the Newgrange burial tomb (book several weeks in advance; shuttle bus available from Dublin)."

I will be asking them a few more questions as to what is specifically covered so that I do not duplicate.

Thank you. I hope you have a great trip!

We decided to spend a few days in Iceland en route to Ireland. We've booked two super-jeep tours into the interior to see areas we could not see on our own 2 years ago. Thanks to all for the great suggestions. Extending our time in Ireland did not work out...maybe next time!