Ireland Itinerary Without a Car, Solo Traveler

For one week that isn't too rushed, I recommend skipping the Cliffs of Moher. There is a lot to do on the Dingle Peninsula, including a boat trip to Greater Blasket Island. Dingle is the home to Irish music in the pubs, etc. In fact, for a satisfying week in Ireland, you wouldn't go wrong skipping Galway and focusing on Dublin and Dingle. So, on Day 3 just head to Dingle and return to Dublin on Day 6.

Among all of these stops, the Dingle peninsula is the most magical. But without a car it's going to be really difficult. Ennis is a great stop that's better connected, and when were there last May the Irish music seemed more authentic in Ennis than Dingle. I think the town of Dingle is fine, but it's really the Slea Head loop that is the reason to go there. Galway is a nice stop but it's not a must see. Although, you could do very well staying in just Dublin and Galway, and getting a small bus tour of Connemara. We did not make it to Connemara on either of our trips to Ireland, but my research suggests it's very worthwhile. You should think about flying open jaw rather than backtracking to Dublin. Bus connections from Shannon to Galway and Ennis are very good. We landed in Shannon and took the bus to Galway, which worked flawlessly. Be aware that if you bicycle in Ireland, you are fairly likely to be bicycling in the rain.

My concern was that, without a car, there wouldn't be enough to do in Dingle for that many days, as it is so small. Will I be okay without a car for that long in Dingle? Thank you for the help!

VS - thank you for the reply, however my flights cannot be changed and I will definitely not be renting a car. I have read many posts and pieces of advice about Ireland that recommend open jaw flights and renting a car, but my particular circumstance does not allow for it. Instead, I simply want to focus on making the best of the situation I have!

In light of your recommendations, would you suggest doing the Slea Head loop with a small tour group over biking it? I still feel pretty strongly about visiting Dingle, so I would like to make it work if I could!

I have done Ireland by public transit, and it does take some careful planning, and it is more time-consuming. I did not go to Dingle because it was just too difficult and time-consuming by public transit, I chose instead to stay in Killarney for a few days and do a guided day trip of the Dingle Peninsula from there. I stayed several days in Galway, also, and did several day trips from there, and Galway was my favourite place. Just spending a few hours in Galway may not be worth your while if Dingle is your final destination. But, my recommendation, with so few days, would be to split them between Dublin and Galway. Since you are flying in and out of Dublin you are going to be spending a lot of your valuable time on public transit trying to get to and from Dingle/Dublin. Time that could be better spent seeing the sights, of which there are many in Dublin and Galway. You really aren't giving yourself much sight seeing time if you are going to stick to this schedule. It is going to take you most of one day just to travel from Dublin to Dingle (train to Galway 2 1/2 hours, bus to Dingle 5 or more depending on connections) without any sight seeing stops. Then you have to return to Dublin to fly out so that is another day just travelling. A wise person once said that it is best to travel like you are going to return again. This keeps you from trying to see too much in too little time.

Regarding getting from Dingle to Dublin, some of the Dingle residents take a taxi to the Tralee train station rather than the bus. It's pricey but a faster, more convenient option.