My mother and I are visiting Ireland in April and we have both agreed that we do not want to drive while there ( I know this puts a limit on things) I would love to take a train out of Dublin for a few days (possibly towards the west) what town would be an easy train ride and an easy place to get from the train station to the central part of town to stay for a few nights. I am open to any ideas and suggestions! Thank you !
Posted by
Bern, Switzerland
981 posts
Galway would be the obvious choice as the train station is centrally located and there are several hotels near by. Don't forget to check out many of the bus tours from both Dublin and Galway, you can still get to see a lot without a car.
Posted by
RIchmond, BC,Canada
856 posts
You don't say how many days you have, but I would agree that Galway would be my first choice. It was my favourite town of all the ones I stayed in. I spent four days, and did three different day trips, one to the Cliffs of Moher and Burren, one to the Connemara and Kylemore Abbey, and one to Inishmore. If you have more time, and want to venture further afield then I would suggest south to Killarney. Again, there are several day tours you can do from there to see the Ring of Kerry, Dingle Peninsula, the national park with the lake and Gap of Dunloe and more.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thank you for the ideas!
Posted by
Cincinnati
192 posts
My daughter and I spent 6 days in Ireland this past summer with no car. We spent 3 days in Dublin and 3 days in Galway. I agree with the prior posters' recommendations that Galway would be a great option as a second city to visit. Using Galway as a base, we took a ferry ride to the Aran Islands, and also took a day tour to the Cliffs of Moher.
One suggestion is to consider using a bus to travel from Dublin to other cities. I researched options and we ended up going with the GoBus. (Gobus.ie). It was about half the price of taking the train and provided non-stop service. Both the bus and train options arrived into central locations in Galway. It was a very easy walk from the bus station to our hotel. We also took a one-day bus tour from Dublin up into Northern Ireland. We were able to visit Giant's Causeway, the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge and Belfast. It was a long day, but well worth it!
We loved both Dublin and Galway. Enjoy your trip!
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thank you for all of the great suggestions!
Posted by
1 posts
My husband and I have traveled extensively in Ireland without a car, but use buses heavily, rather than trains. Bus Eireann (and Ulster Bus in the North) provides excellent service between cities, and there are plenty of day trips you can take to tourist attractions. Additionally, local buses go to some tourist sites, for instance from Galway to the cliffs of Moher, and from Cork city to Blarney castle. Most recently, we used a local taxi service from Clonakilty (arranged in advance) to get to some sites in the Cork countryside I wanted to visit. The driver was wonderful and fun to talk to about the local area, which added so much to the experience.
Galway is, of course, very popular, but Sligo is a wonderful Western destination that I can recommend if you have time, and if you like Yeats, it's a must-do. Drumcliff churchyard (where Yeats is buried) with Ben Bulben hulking in the background is historic Ireland at its most beautiful, literary, and brooding!
While taking bus/train and taxi service may seem a little pricey, for us it is worth it for less stress driving in unfamiliar conditions. Have fun!
Posted by
Killarney Co. Kerry Ireland
75 posts
Take train to Killarney
You can get day tours to Ring of Kerry and Dingle
You could get tour to Cliffs of Moher and on to Galway
Get train back to Dublin
Check Trip Adviser
Tours by locals