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Ireland Itinerary Help

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I am going to Ireland in September, traveling alone. I am feeling a little overwhelmed with the planning after realizing the bus/train schedule does not really match my plans. LOL just like Rick Steves said in his Ireland guide book. I cannot really afford to rent a car for the entire time and found some day tours for that purpose to check out sights. Plus I am not sure I want to drive the whole trip on left side of road, etc. I am renting a car for 1 day. I checked into a car rental for end of the trip when I get to Ennis/Killarney but the drop off sight is closed the day I would need to return it and the only other option is Shannon or Dublin airport. Not sure how I feel about driving around an airport to return a car.

Day 1; DUBLIN;arrive 5am, head to Dublin see sights.
Day 2: DUBLIN;organized day tour to Newgrange and Hill of Tara. That evening pub/music crawl.
Day 3: DUBLIN;I am debating using the 3rd day for another day tour to Giant Causeway, North Ireland sights (dunluce castle, carrick rope bridge, Belfast). Not sure if this is taking on too much??
Day 4: KILKENNY;early train to Kilkenny; see sights, pub/music for the evening.
Day 5; KILKENNY; rent car for the day; drive to Waterford early am, drive to Rock of Cashel. Wondering if I have time to visit Blarney castle in between?
Day 6: KILLARNEY; bus/train to Killarney. Cab to Muckross house.
Day 7: KILLARNEY; Tour of Ring of Kerry. Or is Dingle Peninsula a better choice?
Day 8: ENNIS; bus to Ennis; check into hotel and then bus to Cliffs of Mohr. I am debating if I just do not have time for this and should stay longer in Killarney( maybe bus to Kenmare to check it out) or stay somewhere else. I found a tour but I would miss it asThe trains and bus get in later than I thought.
Day 9: DUBLIN; back to Dublin in the am and remainder of day see sights.

Posted by
15 posts

I think your first 2 days in Dublin sound good, not sure where you will be flying in from so might have to deal with some jet lag.
Day 3 I cant comment to much since I did not go up North that much, I only had 2 days in Dublin and if I go back I really need 3 just to see everything in Dublin has to offer.

Day 5, from Waterford to Blarney you can follow the coastal roads and I want to say its about 203 hour drive from Kilkenny, its not a bad drive just plan on it taking some time.

Day 7, If you have a full day to spend id say Ring of Kerry, but if your short on time Dingle Peninsula is short. We stayed in Dingle and drove the ring twice in two days and it was not much driving at all.

Day 8, I would suggest doing the Cliffs of Moher, its worth it. Kenmare is a nice town I had a lot of fun here, but its really a stop over point for people who want to do the Ring of Kerry or drive the Berra pennisula.

Posted by
439 posts

Hi,

I think I would leave N. Ireland til the next trip. I would also chose between Blarney and the rock of cashed, hard to do both. I think the Ring of Kerry is a bit more scenic if you are not going to Dingle Town. Cliffs of Mohr are hands down choice over Kenmare.

You could lose the 3rd day in Dublin, give yourself more time to get to Ennis or try Galway. Galway has a lot going on, we liked staying in salt hill. I far prefer the west and/or smaller towns in Ireland to Dublin.

Any way enjoy your trip!

Mary

Posted by
852 posts

Use your third day to tour Dublin since there is enough to see in Dublin to fill two days or more and I think you will find yourself quite tired with such an early arrival on your first day that you may not see as much as you think you will. The trip to the Giant's Causeway from Dublin would be an extremely long day. I did it from Belfast and it was a long day. I would also skip Blarney Castle as it is very touristy. Can't comment on Muckross House as I didn't do it, but I hear a lot of good things about it. I did not do the Ring of Kerry, but I did do the Dingle Peninsula day tour and really enjoyed it, even though it was quite a stormy day (it just made the scenery more dramatic). I can't comment on doing the Cliffs of Moher from Ennis as I did the trip from Galway. If you decide to stay longer in Killarney then the Gap of Dunloe tour is very enjoyable. I did the boat ride across the lake, and a jaunting car through the gap. You can also walk it or rent bicycles. When using the trains and buses you are better off planting yourself in one place than trying to run to the next town to catch a tour that you might miss if the bus or train is late. If you are staying in Dublin for the first day you will not need a car. To see the sights in the city just use the hop on/hop off bus, they are frequent, and go to all the main locations. I also got to the Rock of Cashel via train/bus so you may not need a car at all.

Posted by
9363 posts

Some thoughts, in no particular order:

  1. Shannon is a very small airport, out in the country. It is VERY easy to return rental cars there.
  2. Killarney is very touristy. If I were you, I would definitely make time for the Cliffs of Moher rather than spend additional time there.
  3. Your plans seem a bit scattered for this late date. Resist the urge to throw in last minute ideas (like the possibility of taking a bus to Kenmare just to "check it out"). It will take more time than you can imagine, when you could use your time better. Just accept the fact that you can't see everything. Whatever you miss will be there when you get back. Rushing from place to place puts a lot of pressure on your time (and your transportation budget).
  4. And I don't see that you have addressed just how you will get from Ennis back to Dublin.
  5. Stay in Dublin on Day 3. You are planning on being out of town on Day 2, so when will you see/do anything in Dublin? Kilmainham Gaol is a must-see, and you will want time to wander around the Temple Bar area and see other things.
  6. Have a Plan B for your Ring of Kerry day, in case it is rainy or foggy. There will be nothing to see (personal experience speaking here). We ended up spending most of the day in Kenmare instead.

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