My husband and I are planning a trip for either the spring or fall of next year to Ireland. We are using a timeshare and will probably be staying in Dublin. I'm trying to come up with an itinerary and I was wondering what cities/counties are worth a visit that are close enough to the city of Dublin. We plan on renting our own car and doing site-seeing on our own not through a tour company. Just not familiar with Ireland or distances to other counties and we would like to see some country side and not just all city.
Posted by
381 posts
Ireland is spectacular especially along the coast. IF there is anyway possible I would make my way south of Dublin to Waterford and along the southern coast to Cobh and then onto Dingle and the Ring of Kerry. We have been to Ireland twice and the second trip of three weeks we stayed completely on the west coast and never went to Dublin. Since this is your first visit I would try to see Dublin but for sure get out of the city of at all possible. Just remember the driving is....left side of the road, right side for the driver and you are shifting with your left hand, different and depending on where you are traveling the roads are not as you are used to. Keep repeating "turn left....stay left!" You will need to allow extra travel time if you are off of a major highway.
Posted by
Colorado Springs
2980 posts
A little more information would be helpful.
Is this your first trip to Ireland? Ever driven on the left before?
How long will you be staying? One week? More?
Is your timeshare in central Dublin or in one of the outer suburbs? Reason for asking is that driving in Central Dublin is a rather daunting experience even for experienced drivers. If that's where you're staying, and if only for a short time, then you might be better off just exploring the city during your week and booking a few day trips to places like Powerscourt, Glendalough and Newgrange. And Belfast is only a 2 hour train ride away, so there would be lots to do without a car.
The west of Ireland is indeed gorgeous, but if you're anchored to accommodation in Dublin it would, I think, be a little too far away for a day trip and return to the city. Better to save it for a future visit when you can stay somewhere for at least a few days.
Posted by
OP
5 posts
We would be staying around 7-8 days. Good to know about the car rental, I was thinking we would need one but it might just be a good idea to book some day tours like you recommend. I don't want to spend our whole vacation on long drives, are there many scenic areas right outside of Dublin that may give us that Irish countryside feel?
Posted by
1172 posts
We found Ireland to be so vastly different from one road turn to the next.. the scenery is gorgeous everywhere though :)
Are you willing to pay for accommodations outside of Dublin or do you want your side trips to be day trips only?
Posted by
Colorado Springs
2980 posts
Lots of them. Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains are wonderful. If you did spring for a car one day you could get an early start and make a day of it., maybe to include Powerscourt. Arriving at the monastic site before 9:30 AM would get you there before the tour buses and the crowds start to roll in. Great scenery in an evocative place, which you'd have pretty much all to yourself in the early morning. Nice hikes too. About an hour and 20 minutes out of Dublin. A car would give you the freedom to explore and linger at your own pace, but there are numerous tours you can book that will get you there and back.
Same with the Boyne Valley, Newgrange, the Battle of the Boyne site just north of the airport. Beautiful area with lots of history within an hour of the city. The Hill of Tara is out there too, if you want to see where the ancient kings of Ireland sat.
Some of Dublin's suburbs are quite nice in their own right. The seaside communities of Howth and Dun Laoghaire are easy DART rides away.