Honeymoon in Ireland

Congratulations to you and your betrothed! "Enough" is a personal decision, but we had 2 full weeks to explore by bicycle (moving slower than one would in a car), and that wasn't nearly enough time. We need to return, but haven't yet had the opportunity.

We were just biking in western Ireland, so there's certainly more of the country we didn't visit, but on the other hand, our trip wasn't a honeymoon. The shop from where we rented our bikes was in Limerick, but we were in town just long enough to return the bikes, grab sandwiches at a Polish Deli a block away, then catch the next bus to Sixmilebridge, where we'd reserved a B&B for the night before we flew out of Shannon.

Driving or biking the Ring of Kerry would be remarkable, but Dingle town and the peninsula are one of Rick Steves' special "backdoors," and would be the fist pick between the two. Again, you might want to be able to spend a night or longer in Dingle.

If you wanted to stay at a place close to the Cliffs of Moher, for one night or more, I'd recommend the Crosswinds B&B at the edge of Lisdoonvarna. You'll find no better breakfast, the setting is lovely, and there's even good Irish music available in the area. That town also has an annual festival where the females ask the males to marry, but you'll have already gotten that taken care of ;-). Also, as you may have found on your prior trip, it rains a fair amount, so you may wind up inside some of the time ;-). Bring rain gear if you plan to hike or paddle.

Have you driven On The Left? Be prepared for narrow roads (which means not steering too far to the left or right), and possibly making some adjustments to your driving technique, especially if you rent a manual-shift car.

What a good choice for your honeymoon. On your way to Glendalough take time to visit Powerscourt House and Gardens. Well worth an hour or two of your time. Ring of Kerry is spectacular, Equally spectacular is the Dingle Peninsula. Personally, I would choose to stay in smaller towns rather than Limerick and Cork.

Congratulations! Personally, I would stay the first night in Kilkenny rather than Waterford. More to do there (e.g., the castle), plus you'll be slightly closer to Cashel for the next day.

If you can manage it, I would really recommend trying to stay at least one night in Dingle. It was the highlight of our trip, and I think many others here would agree.

We didn't go to Limerick, but that was for a reason: we've read that there isn't very much to do there. If you have time, you might consider driving from Dingle to the Cliffs of Moher via the Tarbert ferry, through the Burren, ending in Galway. That is a very full day of driving, but we did it and enjoyed it (we left Dingle around 9 a.m. and with taking our time at stops along the way, we were in Galway by dinner time).

Thank you so much for the replies already!

Judy, I will definitely be checking out the Powerscourt House and Gardens, thank you for the suggestion. Do you have any suggestions on any 'smaller towns?' Would Kilkenny be a good place for the first night (as suggested by Steve!)?

So it sounds like doing the Dingle Peninsula and staying at least one night in Dingle is the way to go. If I did the follow this route, do you think it is okay to not drive around the Ring of Kerry?

Has anyone actually been to the Killarney National Park? How long do you think we should spend there? Would 2 full days be sufficient there before heading out to Dingle?

Also, we would love to kayak or bike at some places, does anyone have any suggestions for either?!

Thanks again in advance!

There were sea kayakers in the Dingle Bay when we were therein late June, but I don't know if they were locals or had hired on with an outfitter. I believe there are options to rent kayaks and/or guides in Dingle. I'd imagine the water will be a bit cold, though.

There's also a great circular bike route (described in Rick Steves' book) starting in Dingle town and riding clockwise out to the Blasket Island Center and back, but there's a real grunt of a climb on the way back, followed by an exhilarating downhill rush!

Congrats. Perhaps read my extensive reply to another poster on 11/12 with title - "Spending 3 weeks in Ireland" for a few ideas.

"Spend a day going to the Cliffs of Moher/Dover"
How did Dover get in there? Are you going to England, too?

You may want to get to The Ashford Castle. It is so beautiful. We spent two nights there on a 14 day TAUCK Group Ireland tour. It is the former summer home of the Guinness Beer Family. You might want to go to The Ashford Castle site and see photos and read reviews. Some people have commented on Rick Steves site, how it was the highlight of their Ireland visit.

I would spend the night in Glendalough and Cashel, rather than heading to larger cities. We enjoyed both towns, and found Glendalough to be in a particularly lovely area.

I also suggest you investigate the Burren to see if it interests you. It is an absolutely beautiful, very desolate, moonscape-type environment. And in the fissures of the rock, there are really beautiful wildflowers. June should be a really good time to visit. We enjoyed hikes in that area.

I am starting a new topic because I have a more concrete agenda. Thank you everyone for the replies!