Itinerary advice please!

My concern would be driving the ROK the same day you arrive. I personally would be too jet-lagged, brain dead to attempt this. I think I would either stay 4 days in Dingle and "day-trip" to ROK or begin the trip in Dingle and then go to Killarney/ROK. (Go from Killarney to Cliffs of Moher)

Also be aware that your Day 10 isn't allowing much Dublin time. The day you fly out you'll need to be at the airport at least 3 hours prior to your flight. It's approx. 45 minutes to the airport from City centre. I copied the below from Dublin Airport website:

"Dublin Airport is one of only a handful of airports outside North America that offers a US Preclearance facility. The benefit is that having cleared USCBP, passengers arriving in the US are treated as domestic arrivals, allowing them to avoid immigration queues upon arrival and pick up their bags and go."

Great once you arrive in US, but it does take more time in Dublin. You go through Ireland's security, border control, etc. and then immediately go through US. We arrived 7:30 for a 10:30 flight and needed every bit of that time.

Hi Matt!

We were in Ireland last month. I think Susan's advice is excellent, especially regarding Dublin airport. We spent 3 nights in Dublin on the front end of our trip (and found plenty to do), traveled around the island and then stayed at an airport hotel the night before our flight out. We were very glad that we did not try to stay in Dublin proper that night. Our hotel (Holiday Inn Express) was not exactly fabulous but it did have breakfast and an airport shuttle, which suited our needs. We were able to drop off our luggage at the hotel, then drop our car off near the airport, get a ride from them to the hotel shuttle at the airport, and take that to our hotel. Then we took the shuttle to the airport in the morning.

I should note that we did not do RoK. We drove around the Beara peninsula (quite an experience) and hired a driver (with a mini van and a few other passengers) for the Dingle peninsula. We opted to skip the RoK because by then we had experienced the other two and also because we were told it would probably take a very full day (several people recommended allotting 2 days for it). Given that info, I cannot imagine doing it as you have it scheduled, but others may disagree.

You might consider driving straight from Shannon to either Dingle or Doolin with a side trip through Killarney National Park if you can, although this would still be a very long day. Then you can add some time in Dublin. Of course it all depends on what sorts of things you like to see and do.

As a general tip, I think you will find that getting from point A to point B takes longer than you might expect.

Have fun (and congrats)!

Matt,
The above advice is so right on. A minimum of two nights is required in my view and the last night, stay at the airport because you need a minimum of 3 hours to get clearance but it is so worth it when you arrive back at the states.

Home base in the most beautiful town of Dingle as you have planned but I would hire a driver who knows the history and if you can share the cost, all the better. I am researching who the locals recommend along with RS of course. In Galway, I plan to use Galway Tours as my sister just got back and really enjoyed them. In fact, they did 3 of them and they were home based in Galway. That is what I am going to do as well. 3 days with people who know what they are looking at. You may want to do just one and drive the others.

If anyone can share information on the Dingle Guide who does small but affordable mini bus tours, would be appreciated?????

You have picked a beautiful place and you will enjoy for sure.

I also stay in Ennis for my first day after the flight so I can get refreshed, check into my B&B and enjoy the local food, pubs and music. Then after a wonderful breakfast the next morning, I am ready for a big adventure.

It would be dangerous to drive the Ring of Kerry the day you arrive. You should be well rested to drive it safely plus you'll enjoy it much more if you aren't speeding around it just to say you did it. Stay a 2nd night in Killarney instead of the first night in Dingle. Killarney's a good town for a pub crawl, just relax there the first night.

A fun thing to do on the Ring is to stop at a sheep farm for a demonstration of border collies rounding up sheep. There are good one's by Moll's Gap/Kenmare and another by Glenbeigh. "Doing" the Ring of Kerry involves an extended drive on the left side of the road in some very remote areas -- it's lovely but shouldn't be rushed just to check it off a "To Do" list.

Also, unless you have relatives in Cong or reservations at Ashford Manor there is no reason to stay overnight in Cong. Two nights in Dublin might be more fun, or find some romantic guesthouse somewhere for a nice honeymoon night. If you like Irish trad music Ennis or Westport would be nice places to stay and do some music pub crawling. (Dingle is great for that, too!) I also recommend a medieval banquet -- yes, they cater to tourist buses but my wife and I have been to Ireland 6 times starting with when we were 29 and newly-married and until we were 62 and married 35 years, and every trip we spent one evening at a banquet. Bunratty near Shannon and Ennis is the biggest and most fun, but Knappoque near Quin is also very nice. Dunguaire near Galway is good, too, but the show is a little smaller (just 3 performers when we were there a couple years ago).

I agree with the other comments. Just want to add. Since you are staying in Galway, take the Ferry to the Aran Islands from Rossval. Much more reliable and many large and more comfortable boats. Doolin Ferries are not as reliable and can be much smaller and they also make stops on the way. If you get caught on one of the smaller boats on rough seas, it makes for a long day.

Wish there was a way to tag threads to be able to come back to it later. Some great info in this one.

Also need a "like" button!!

I, too, would advise against doing RoK on the first day. It can be an all-day trip even when you start in Kenmare, and you have a several hour drive even to get there from Shannon. Here is what we did on our first day of our first trip. We had never driven on the left and were a little apprehensive about driving a manual on the left, as well. It took till midmorning to get out of the airport and get to our rental car. We first drove to Bunratty Castle, which is just six miles from the airport. We toured the castle (there is also a folk park there which is nice), then had lunch at the little shopping area across the road. Then we drove on to our first stop in Liscannor, about five minutes from the Cliffs of Moher. We opted not to see the cliffs that afternoon in favor of an early dinner in Doolin. We were in bed by about 8:30, but were good to go the next day. Don't overestimate how much you can do the first day. You likely will not sleep well on the plane, and with the time difference, you will be sleepy early. If you stay in that general area the first day, the Tarbert ferry will still be the best way to get to Dingle.

Even though the scenery is beautiful, I don't see a reason to spend the night in Cong. You could just drive on to Dublin that day to give you more time there. I, too, would suggest taking the ferry to the Aran Islands from Rossaveal instead of Doolin. Rough water or bad weather can cancel ferries from Doolin sooner than from Rossaveal.