This will be my first trip anywhere outside of the US. I would love any input you have on my itinerary. I have always want to go to Ireland so I'm maybe trying to do too much in one trip.
- 2 night in Trim
- 2 nights in Portrush
- 1 night in Derry or Sligo
- 3 nights in Galway
- 1 night in Dingle
- 2 night in Killarney
- 1 night in Wicklow
- 1 night in Dublin
Any advice would be most appreciated. Thank you!
In general, I would advise against one night stays. Driving in Ireland takes longer than you think, and longer than Google Maps indicates. I don't think one night in Dingle or Dublin is enough. Unless you have your heart set on certain places, I would do the following (assuming you are flying in and out of Dublin):
drop Trim, head straight to Portrush, spend two nights nights there.
I assume you are staying the night in Derry/Sligo to break up the long drive to Galway. I wouldn't do Derry. Consider either Donegal or Sligo, or heading right to Galway.
For me personally, 2 nights was enough in Galway. If I had an extra one, I'd have gone to the Aran Islands for a day.
On your way to Dingle, make sure you stop and see the Cliffs of Moher.
Do at least two nights in Dingle - in my opinion and many others would agree, it was our favorite part of Ireland. Maybe even three.
2 nights in Killarney.
Head to Kilkenny instead, stopping at the Rock of Cashel. Spend one (violating my own rule) or ideally two nights there.
Drive through Wicklow on your way to Dublin. Spend 2-3 nights in Dublin.
Greetings from Ireland!
Your tin looks good. Everyone will have a different opinion of course, but as a professional guide who goes to every destination you have listed for a living I would add these opinions.
1. 2 nights in Trim and Portrush would be to much, 1 night in each would be fine.
2. If you have a choice between Derry and Sligo, sadly for Sligo there is no comparison between the two. Derry would be a must-stay in this context. Full of history and activities and some great accommodation choices.
3. 1 night in Dingle would not be enough time, its the best village in Ireland and isn't the easiest to get to, very few people would choose only one night here, preferring instead to use it as their base for 2 OR 3 night stay.
4. I personally love Galway, but am more than ready to move on after a 2 night stay.
5. Killarney is a good choice, I like it as a base to explore the Ring of Kerry.
6. Dublin is a very enjoyable capital city and could justify a 2 night stay. Id personally stay for 2 nights. Its not "just another big city", if anyone tells you that then they have in my opinion visited it with the wrong people/tour-guides or visited the wrong parts of town.
Where in Wicklow do you plan on staying? Will you rent a car, take a tour, or travel by public transport (doable but not ideal). What time of year will you visit our beautiful Island?
Let me know if you need any more detailed responses.
le meas/with respect
Stephen McPhilemy
Rick Steves Ireland Tour-Guide
Thank you!
The reason I was looking at trim was to visit the sites around there. From Portrush to Galway I just wanted to break up the long drive. Thanks for the feedback on Dingle. Definitely will adjust to spend more time there. I was going to stay the extra night in Galway as we wanted to go to Inishmore. I was told it was a must see. Good to know on Dublin. I was told it was more of a college type city and that's why I chose only 1 night. I don't know exactly where we will stay in Wicklow yet. For some reason I just wanted to go there. We are planning on renting a car and making stops along the way to each city. Currently looking at being there in September. That works best for me at work.
Don't be discouraged from one night stays. Last May we traveled around the entire island for 15 days doing one night at each destination with 2 nights in Dublin at the end. There were a lot of naysayers when I asked for an itinerary review but we saw everything we wanted to. The days were long but that's our travel style. We didn't visit the islands but you will need 2 nights in Galway to visit Inishmore. We didn't understand all the fuss about Dingle. It's a cute village but as long as you stay one night and drive the Slea Head Loop that's plenty. We loved Trim and the Boyne Valley. I wouldn't skip it. I would visit Derry but stay in Donegal. You might consider Cashel or Glendalough between the west and Dublin. Good luck with your planning. Ireland is amazing.
I would HIGHLY recommend a visit to the Skellig Islands, my husband and I were fascinated. I don't know how that fits it in the whole scheme of things, but I would try and make it work if you could.
You have no idea how much I appreciate your responses!
My thoughts were that I would need 2 nights in Portrush to see the entire antrium coast/causeway and a couple castles. Does it not take that long? How long does it take to see the sights around Trim? In staying at Galway I thought it would be a good base to see the Doo Lough Valley, Dunguaire, Burren, Cliffs of Moher, Inishmore and then Connemara. Am I estimating too long of a visit for those items? What else is there to see in or around Dingle? We were going to look at the Skellig islands from the mainland. Thinking I might have to look closer at that now. :)
I thought Trim would be a great starting point and move forward from there. How many hours is the drive from Trim to Portrush? I'm estimating 4+ hours (based on google). Of course we're planning on taking our time getting there as we will make stops along the way.
If you are at all interested in Irish music, Dingle deserves 2, if not 3 nights.
Be aware that driving in Ireland is a bit different than driving in the states in that as you make your way from point to point you'll pass through quite a few smallish villages that are interesting in their own right but require a few minutes to get through owing to the occasional traffic light and some narrow to quite narrow streets....we found that we might expect to average 30mph or so on a typical 50 mile drive.
With respect to rent cars.....the best days of our 12 days in Ireland were the three days we hired a driver. Infinitely more relaxing and was able to actually admire the beautiful Irish countryside as opposed to keeping eyes glued to the narrow roads. Assuming you do rent however, be aware standard shift cars in Ireland have the gear shift on the left side..... if you're undaunted by that you'll be fine....we rented an automatic and very glad we did. We also paid the premium for the super coverage insurance and considered it an excellent investment in peace of mind.
We spent two nights in Killarney last August and will for sure stay three nights next trip. Horse races in Killarney are fun and have a festival like atmosphere. Highly recommend a showing of Celtic Steps....Irish song and dance....great fun. We did Ring of Kerry (with driver) and enjoyed it tremendously....Torc Waterfall was one of the highlights of the ROK for us so be sure to make a stop there. We ran out of time and didn't get to Kate Kearney's Cottage or Gap of Dunloe but have heard they're both great fun. We really enjoyed just taking in the night time street scene in old Killarney town....street musicians and even a bagpipe player....tranquil.
Enjoy your trip and come back on here afterwards and t
Thank you,
How did you find out about the drivers. That sounds like a great idea in some areas. I'll make sure I take the slower driving into consideration. I've heard some people don't book their rooms ahead of time. Not sure if that is something I would want to do.
The concierge at our hotel in Bunratty (near Shannon) arranged for ours. Our driver asked for $200/day ....but they are independant business men so the rates will undoubtedly vary. The hotels do this simply as a courtesy to their guests as, in most cases, they receive no compensation for it.... so some will be more happy than others to accommodate you. All the hotels we'll be staying at this summer have said they'd arrange (or provide contact information) for drivers.
We do not plan to rent a car in Ireland this summer and will rely on local drivers for all our transportation. It looks like a roughly break even proposition for us as there will be four days this year where we won't need drivers. We plan to explore Dublin on foot and/or the double deck bus. One day at Mount Juliet (just outside Kilkenny) just chillin' and enjoying the resort and one day in Killarney where we'll take the carriage ride out to the Gap of Dunloe.
We have friends who made multiple trips to Ireland (Irish ancestry) who never reserved rooms ahead of time....but that was back in the 90's and they're much......much.... more adventurous than us. I'd defer to others with more local knowledge than me on that one but I'd never consider it.
Car insurance in Ireland is somewhat expensive and there's a reason for it. If you decide to rent and drive just be certain to fully understand precisely what your coverage provides for and what you will be liable for in the event of damage to the car.
Having a driver through a couple of the areas sounds amazing. I've made a couple adjustments based on everyone's feedback. Giving myself a couple nights in Dingle now, staying in Derry and trying to allow plenty of time to stop at the different places we'll find as we drive. I would love to give Dublin more time, but I'm not sure I can get more vacation - lol. I'll just have to go back. :) Are there some small awesome places that you may have come across on your trips?
