Hi, looking to travel forum folks for some advice. This is my first time posting on this forum. We are 2 couples travelling together and arriving in Dublin (from Toronto, Canada) on March 4 - we will be arriving in the morning and we have 5 nights. We are looking for a relaxing vacation and don't want to cram too much. We like to immerse ourselves and explore at a very leisurely pace. We like art, history, food, culture, nature. I'm about to book a place through Airbnb which will be in the city centre. Not sure if we will rent a car but can to get to a particular place as needed.
What would you suggest? Is there something we shouldn't miss? Hope I have provided enough info here. Looking forward to hearing your suggestions. Thank you! Anita
Posted by
Land of La
9221 posts
My suggestion is this, arrive in Dublin, rent the car, spend the night then leave early the next morning.
Visit Powerscourt, Glendalough and the Rock Of Cashel, then drive to Cobh or Kinsale for the night.
Next morning drive to Sneem via Killarney National Park. You can do the Ring Of Kerry or head to Dingle and spend at least 2 nights.
West Coast is stunning.
Posted by
Colorado Springs
2980 posts
You're going to have to consider some tradeoffs if your goal is to do this at a lesurely pace.
First is the matter of the car. With 4 adults plus luggage you're looking at a full sized vehicle ... maybe larger depending on how much you bring with you. Rural roads in Ireland can be a challenge for someone driving on the left for the first time. Narrow roads, some necking down to a single lane in places, requiring one of the opposing drivers to give way and pull over to let the other pass. Driving in Dublin isn't recommended either - a sometimes confusing grid system punctuated with one way streets that are best avoided until you become quite comfortable with LH driving. Are you ready for all that?
The alternative, and one that might lend itself better to your leisurely paced travel philosophy, would be to rely on public transportation and day trip tour providers for excursions out of the city while still using Dublin as your base. The train system can get you to Kilkenny, Galway and Belfast in less than two hours, making any of them easy day trips from Dublin. Side trips to Glendalough, the Wicklow Mtns., the Boyne Valley and Newgrange can easily be arranged thru local tour providers - might be nice to let someone else do the driving for your first time in the country and spare yourselves the aggravation of a vehicle.
There's plenty in Dublin to keep you busy for several days. I'd resist the urge to try to do too much and make it all the way out to Kerry or Dingle - you just don't have the time.
Also, in March you'll be dealing with relatively short and often rainy days - it gets dark early that time of year and sunshine might be at a premium. My recommendation is to keep it simple (and flexible). Use Dublin as your base and do the occasional day trip as your interests dictate ... and the weather allows.
Posted by
atlanta
186 posts
I agree with Robert. You will have that leisurely pace you desire if you stay in Dublin the whole time and take local tour company day trips to the north and south. There is plenty to explore in Dublin day and night on foot and using the train system. No need to rent a car that way. Enjoy!
Posted by
3123 posts
From your original post, it looks like you are planning to stay in Dublin with possible day trips (as opposed to trying to see far-flung destinations all around Ireland), is that right? If so, I agree that with just 5 nights that should work out well. As the previous comment mentions, the days will be short and the likelihood of rainy weather high. That said, wherever you go in Ireland you'll probably be happy with the "art, history, food, culture, nature" that you can experience.
The RS Ireland guidebook has a list of things to see and do in Dublin ranked by stars from not-to-be-missed down to if-you-have-time. We were in Dublin for only about 48 hours and felt that we got a very good sense of the city by following this list.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
Thank you to everyone for their great suggestions! Really appreciate your insight and advice.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
Thanks we will stay in Dublin and do the day trips. Once again thanks for helping us decide!
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15784 posts
The best reason for taking guided tours outside the city is that you can decide based on the weather. The Cliffs of Moher are lovely on a sunny day, maybe miserable if it's rainy and windy.
Evenings: There are two theatres, the Abbey and the Gate, that have London-quality plays at bargain prices. The Literary Pub Crawl is excellent. Do your own pub crawl in Temple Bar. Some of the Dublin pubs are centuries-old and most have live music every evening. Walk in, explore, decide if you like the atmosphere and music before buying drinks.
The best museums (my opinion) are the National Archaeology Museum (truly a wow and free), Kilmainham Gaol (buy tickets in advance), and Dublinia, a hands-on museum where you learn about the Vikings and medieval Dublin and have a lot of fun doing it. Another good museum is Collins Barracks (officially National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts and History). There's even a Leprechaun Museum (!), which is a little kitschy but I learned a lot about Irish folklore with a very entertaining guide (the visit is by guided tour only).
Visit both cathedrals, St. Patrick's and Christ Church (do the combined visit with Dublinia).
I'm sure there are walking tours you could take and there's a lot to miss if you don't have a guide to point them out to you.
The best lunch is a bowl of thick vegetable soup served with fresh-baked dark soda bread and butter, available in most pubs for about €5-6. That and a pint (if you don't like Guinness, there are "regular" beers, yummy dry cider, and soft drinks) will last you until dinner - which is earlier in Ireland than most of Europe.