Hello,
We are planning to take a 6/7-day tour to Ireland (first time). What time of the year would you recommend? We have 8 days in mid-April and 10 days in late June. We are also debating Spain. Should we do Spain in April and Ireland in June? I understand that the weather is unpredictable-we are from New England and it is indeed capricious. There are so many knowledgeable and experienced travelers on this forum. Please share your thoughts. Thanks!!
A lot depends on what you want out of the trip to Ireland. Is it a whirlwind touring the country getting all the "big sites" or a quieter stay exploring one area thoroughly and being able to soak up more of the culture ? Is it countryside, historic sites, villages etc. or cities, shopping, night life etc. That info will help folks advise.
One thing not everything is fully open in mid April.....most were for us but not everything....but there are Far less tourists clogging things up. You can tell which we prefer ......easily mid April vs. June. We are from New England as well, Vermont and the weather change from April to June there is not remotely as pronounced as here....
Hope you have a great time !
I don't know about the timing for Ireland, but 10 days is much better than 8. April is an excellent month to visit most of Spain. Late June is not so great for Spain - too hot, too many tourists.
Thank you ewewoolknit. We are into castles, countryside and villages. Not into nightlife or pubs. We have always loved our visit to Vermont :) Go Pats!!
Thank you Chani. We will probably go to Spain in April then and reserve Ireland for June.
Per Chani, the weather is Spain can be very hot in June, whereas the temperatures in Ireland won't change much either way, so organizing things as you propose would make the most sense.
The big influx of tourists doesn't start arriving in Ireland until around the second week in June when school lets out, so it will be more crowded then versus in April, but it's nothing you can't manage with some advance planning. And 10 days will give you enough time to see both Dublin and some of the west of Ireland without running yourselves ragged in the process.
Also, Easter is April 1st next year so you shouldn't have any issues in either country with holiday closures if you're planning a mid-April arrival.
Safe travels.
We've been to Ireland twice, the first time was the first three weeks in June and the second was the last two weeks of June. We enjoyed both trips. Weather was good except for a couple of rainy days. We didn't find it crowded but we were renting a house on the Dingle peninsula so it might be crowded elsewhere.
