If you had 15 nights?

2 weeks and slow comfortable itinerary means that you must start off with the idea that there will be large sections of Ireland that you simply won't see on this trip. That is okay because it gives you a good reason to come back! Don't try to see everything in such a limited time. You don't mention if you will have a car or not. This will make a difference on how people respond to you.

I spent 2 weeks in Ireland and Northern Ireland with my sister last summer and we left everything south of Dublin/Galway for another journey. My favorite places were the Giant's Causeway area in Northern Ireland and the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland. My sister's highlight was the Ireland School of Falconry at Ashford Castle.

We stayed at the Bayview Hotel in Port Balintrae for 3 nights in the Giant's Causeway area. The view from our room out over the small harbor of this town was breathtaking. The restaurant and service were excellent at well. Port Balintrae is still somewhat of a tourist destination, but it is where people from Ireland come to holiday. The Americans seem drawn to Port Rush or Bushmills. Both of these other towns are a short distance away. Bushmills is a one mile walk. It is about 4 miles to Port Rush, but a bus can easily get you there if needed.

We found the walk from our hotel to Giant's Causeway was outstanding. We crossed a sand beach and walked up and around some gorgeous headlands. We arrived at the visitor's center relaxed and happy. The next day we walked to Castle Dunluce and then on to Port Rush. Once again simply gorgeous scenery. You see all sorts of things when you are walking along that you would simply miss in a car. One of these are the amazing caves and sea stacks along this stretch.

We stayed two nights in the Aran Islands. It is such a treat to spend extra time there. I think a day trip is just too, too rushed for this spot. We also rode e-bikes for the first time in our lives and loved them. We felt about 30 years younger on those bikes. Instead of dreading a hill, I just pushed a little button on the bike and had some assist as I pedaled up. Riding around the island and just enjoying the peace and scenery when most of the tourists have left for the day was quite pleasant. (we Stayed in the glamping pods here. Small kitchenette and bathroom are in the units. Less than 5 minutes walk from the ferry)

Now, where would I spend less time? I would not bother spending much time in Galway ever again. It sadly seemed like a caricature of what tourists think Ireland should be like and so many things seemed contrived. If you want to spent a few "city days" in this part of Ireland, I would suggest Westport. It still has quite the tourist emphasis, but it just seemed a bit more real.

We also enjoyed three nights in Dublin and 1 night in Belfast. We specifically targeted the places/experiences that appealed to us in each of those locations. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the Belfast Titanic experience. I am not normally a big "Titanic" fan, but this exhibition/museum is so well done that I highly recommend it.

I am looking forward to exploring more of Ireland on the next trip. Remember, you can't begin to see all. Don't try to do so.

Wow! Thanks Carol, I loved hearing about your experiences.

I'm thinking a must do for us is the Dingle Peninsula since we seem to always hear about it as a great place. Other than that? I hope to avoid tour buses!

I loved the Connemara area, north of Galway. We stayed at the Abbey Glen, on Sky Road in Cliffden. We drove to Ashford Castle one day and did the Hawk Walk.

Are you going to rent a car or use public transit? This will make a difference as some places are difficult and time consuming to get to by bus or train. I had three weeks and used a bus/train pass to get around. I spent 4 days in Dublin then headed south to Killarney for four nights, then Kinsale, Kilkenny, and Athlone before spending four nights in Galway and then four nights in Belfast before flying home. With 15 nights I would say concentrate on three areas; Dublin, Killarney, and Galway. If you aren't planning on renting a car it will be easy to get guided day tours from all of these places. If you are going to have a car then you can pick smaller towns in these areas to stay in, but I would not try to fit in the southern parts and the north on this trip if you want a slower pace. I enjoyed every place I stayed in Ireland so I don't think you can go wrong no matter where you go.

Thanks! Yes, we will have a car!

Good idea to concentrate on certain areas. I was thinking two weeks was a good amount of time, but it doesn't seem like that much now!

Two weeks is definately not enough time for the whole island. I would concentrate on the north or the south. Glad to hear you will have a car, it makes things easier and driving not a problem. I would get sat nav in your car.
I have spent about 3 weeks in Ireland so far and have yet to do the north. Greatly enjoyed Dublin, the Connemara area, Westport and Clifden and Dingle.
I have my latest trip and under trip reports on this forum.

Dingle peninsula for sure. The Connor Pass was a highlight for us.

We also did the Ring of Kerry because we went on a boat trip (around but not to) the Skelligs (because we had a 12yoa Star Wars fan along). We liked the Kerry's Spectacular Cliffs (or whatever it's called). I had been to Moher before and preferred these. I wish we had gone to see the Slieve League instead of the Giant's Causeway, which was mobbed when we were there. Dun Luce was great, though.

We walked the walls in Derry as RS recommends. Ran out of time to go and see the bogside murals up close, though. We stayed in Bushmills in an AirBnB, which was great. The places with the sea view weren't in our budget. If they're in yours, then definitely book a sea view.

We stayed our first night in Carlingford, on the water east of Dundalk, just to get out of the city and figure the car out. This was a great choice, as it's a very quaint little town with a nice old harbor. I chose it based on distance and a bookings.com hit that I liked. I would use this technique again, honestly.

Newgrange is really cool. They found another mound the next day after we were there. It appeared because the ground was so dry (30 days without rain in Ireland--there were brush fires). I need to follow up on what they've found out about it.

We stayed three nights in Kenmare, on RS recommendation. I wouldn't go there again for anything. It was like Disney version of Ireland. I would look at one of the beach towns instead. It was convenient as a Kerry base, but that's all I can say in its favor. Overrun with Americans.

Stay out of the cities. Go west and north. Take a look at the Wild Atlantic Way website for some great drives that aren't necessarily Dingle or Kerry or Moher. Get up to Sligo and Donegal and stay in places you've never heard of.

We want to stay away from Disneyland Ireland for sure! But, it is said that the best places are busy because they are so good, so don't want to avoid good places because of crowds, but maybe in Ireland we can get lost in quaint places away from major crowds.

Thanks for the input!! I'm taking notes!

Hi Susan. I was in Ireland with a tour for 2 weeks, then on my own for a few more days in Dublin. The tour did a circular route around Ireland and included about 3 days in Belfast, Derry and Giant's Causeway. Here are my impressions.

The only kitschy tourist place on the tour was Blarney Castle, though the gardens are nice. Cobh and its Titanic Museum were well worth visiting.

I never encountered a pub I didn't like. Many seemed to have live music in the evenings, especially on the weekends. It can be trad, or 60's, or today's hits. Before you settle down with a pint, decide if you like the music and ambiance, if not, walk on to the next one. By the way, if you aren't into Guinness, there are other beers and ales, and my favorite, Bulmer's cider. Lots of mixed drinks and soft drinks as well. For lunch, pop into a pub for a big bowl of thick hot vegetable soup with fresh-baked dark soda bread and butter for about €5. Explore the pubs, most are a warren of rooms, each different and interesting (and good toilets too).

We were on the bus for many hours. Once we were off the main highway, roads were narrow and the bus would get slowed down by a slower vehicle ahead, or some sheep or a cow in the middle of the road. Allow plenty of extra time to get from place to place.

Thanks for all the ideas! So much to think about!

I'll post again when I come up with an itinerary. So hard to decide what to do!

We too are planning a two week trip to Ireland. Leaving end of August- first of September in 2019. I've picked up many guide books from my public library. Been using a notepad and making note of the places we want to see most and keeping them separated geographically, north, south, east and west. After we've compiled a good list we'll set an itinerary. Starting in Dublin. From there heading north to Belfast. Also want to see the Cliffs of Moher. So far it looks like we'll focus on the upper 2/3rd of the Island and stay a minimum of two nights at each stop. Loving this forum. Great ideas here.

I would recommend deciding whether you want to see Northern Ireland or the Republic as a majority of the trip. I have been twice - once just the Republic and the second time mostly Northern Ireland. Both were great trips, so you won't choose incorrectly. I still have a lot of Ireland to see, so I plan to go again in a couple of years.

In the Republic, I highly recommend Kilkenny, seeing the Rock of Cashel, enjoying Killarney National Park, and driving around the Dingle Pensinsula. Donegal is also a quite lovely area.

If you end up going North, Giants Causeway is phenomenal. I also quite liked Derry due to it being a walled city (I have a thing for those) and the amount of history. I teared up looking at the murals.

Thank you!

We now have a plan of heading south and up the west coast. So, we will see the southern half. Maybe next time we'll head north! Funny, I thought two weeks was pretty good for Ireland, but it really isn't nearly enough time!

We've been to Ireland 3 times. I'd do 3-5 nights in a few spots instead of trying to do too much. I loved Kinsale, Dingle, Clifden and Westport. There's great hiking/hill walking and pubs everywhere. It's good to be walking distance to town/pubs. We did the North and Donegal the last trip - we loved Derry and the Bog Side. All of Donegal was awesome.

I have traveled to Ireland twice on vacation (in 2002 and 2016), and once on a short trip on business. I find Rick's book to be very on the mark for this country, as his books are for most countries. Northern Ireland never called to me. Dublin is worth three full days, no more than that. Aran Islands sound fun but never made it there, always seemed like too much trouble for the limited time that we had. Ennis in Country Clare is underrated, a very nice workaday town and a good base for Clare. Dingle, yes, but it's not as much better than the rest of Ireland as the hype would suggest. Kilkenny is a very nice stop too. Kinsale over Cork, for sure. Cahir Castle was one we missed on the first trip but visited on the second, and it was very nice. Also Newgrange/Knowth, we stayed in Trim when we visited those and also visited its castle.

This time we plan to just head south and up the west coast. I did a bus tour off a cruise ship up the coast to Giants Causeway back in 2013. The coastline was gorgeous! I thought we could do all of Ireland in 15 days, but apparently I was wrong :-)