We will be in Ireland from 03Sep-12Sep. Flying in and out of Shannon, and our accommodations from 03Sep-09Sep are in East Clare/Bodyke. The last leg of our trip, we will be staying in Dublin the 9th-11th, and then Adare for our last night before flight home on the 12th.
Since our base will be in Bodyke/ East Clare, is it doable to do day trips every day? I really didn't want to incur any additional overnight hotel costs, and will have a rental car to take us on our daily travels. Any tips or suggestions for places to go and see, even if it's a 4 hour drive, are much appreciated. Thank you in advance!
Posted by
Colorado Springs
2980 posts
Although the place you're staying looks pretty remote that isn't necessarily a bad thing. There's a lot to be said for choosing a home base away from the usual tourist track, especially if it's central enough to allow for easy drives to many of the popular attractions...which Bodyke seems to be. Looks like you'll be less than a 2 hour drive from Doolin, Cashel, Kilkenny, Galway, etc. - any of which would make for pleasant day trips.
Regarding your quick trip into Dublin: I really wouldn't recommend driving your rental into the city. Having a car there is much more hassle than it's worth what with parking, traffic congestion, etc. If you're really committed to retaining the car for your trip to Adare and then to Shannon for your return flight, why not drive over to the Limerick Junction train station, which appears to be about an hour from Bodyke, park the car there, and take the train from there directly into Dublin Heuston Station near the city center. Could then walk or taxi to your hotel for a couple of nights, then reverse the process, collect your car back at Limerick Junction and proceed on to Adare - about a 40 minute drive from the station. Much less hassle doing it that way I think.
Just an additional thought, but I see that Adare is only about an hour's drive from Bodyke. You might consider a day trip over there to enjoy the pretty little village one of your days, freeing yourself for your last night to stay a little closer to Shannon airport. We haven't stayed there but many on the forum have raved about the nearby Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. Can do a search of the RS site to see previous commentary if you're interested.
Here's the link to the Irish Rail website if you're interested in that option. http://www.irishrail.ie/
Having a car to explore rural Ireland is a real joy - I just don't recommend driving in Dublin.
Safe Travels
Posted by
Boston
4 posts
I was just in Ireland last October and followed a similar route. My recommendations are:
1) Galway. Nice, very walkable city with lots of shops, restaurants, churches, and a museum. We took a walking tour with an older gent named Liam, which was quite good.
2) Dingle Peninsula. About a 3 hour drive or so from where you will be on the west coast. Gorgeous coastline drive, Dingle town is quite charming.
3) Cliffs of Mohr. Touristy, but worth the trip if you like being outdoors with a beautiful view of the cliffs along the trail.
4) Dublin has so much to do you won't need to venture outside the city, but I suggest taking a Dublin Castle tour. If you must go see the Book of Kells, go EARLY or you will wait in line forever. Better yet, go to the Chester Beatty Library, which is free and has illuminated text from around the world. All the National Museums are also free.
5) Adare is also very charming, but I suggest arriving in town early in the morning or in the evening since the one road into town can be incredibly busy and bumper to bumper traffic all day long.
Enjoy your trip!
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you Robert and Chris! Great advice! I especially love the tip about leaving the car in Limerick and taking the train. We could have parked it at hotel in Dublin, but they were going to charge a pretty penny to do that. (It's safe to leave rental at Limerick junction?).
Thank you again !
Posted by
S.F. Bay Area, CA, United States
1878 posts
Anything more than an hour driving each way for a day trip (which means two hours round trip) always seems like a lot to me. It's different if you are doing a loop and no back tracking, but that's just my view. Dingle is way too far, in my opinion. Cahir (Cahir Castle, Swiss Cottage), Rock of Cashel are reachable in 1.5 hours, if you take different route on the way back it might be good. Cliffs of Moher are absolutely a worthy visit, but on our May 2016 trip we learned that the cliffs have been discovered by about 10X as many people as had discovered them on our previous visit in 2002. Have you priced out the rental car--you will probably pay close to $70 a day with insurance (and I urge you to get the full super-CDW) so having the car sit while you are in Dublin and also paying a lot of a hotel might really add up/