We will flying into Dublin Mon sept 3 from my cousins wedding in northern England(1 hr flight or so)Leaving11:30 from Newcastle,arr 12;20 Dublin.Plan,drive to Kilkenny 1.5 hrs.
Is it best to rent car at airport or somewhere else in Dublin?
My hubby is comfortable driving on left side but we'll rent automatic for less stress.
Our plan is to start driving to Kilkenny and seeing Powerscort Estate,drive thru the Wicklow Mnts,see Glendalough if time and stay at B abs B in Kilkenny(arranged).Would we have time to see Kilkenny Castle that day or need to wait til next morning? Do we need reserved tics or buy when we arrive?Also would like to see St Canics Cathedral
Day 2; Tues the 4th leave Kilkenny and drive to Dingle.Explore town and drive the Dingle Peninsula.
We will be heading toward Galway but where should we stay? Doolin or Lissdoonsvarna?Kinarva? I've nixed the idea of staying in Killarny.We will catch the car ferry N from Tralee avoiding Limerick traffic.
Day 3;Wed the 5th, See the cliffs of Moher,stay somewhere in Galway or ???
Day 4;Thurs the 6th, leave Galway or somewhere you suggest and head back to Dublin.I'd love to stop off for lunch in Longford since this is where my grandfather was from...is it doable? We would stay in Dublin that night to get my daughter to airport the next morn ,return car and stay and explore Dublin ourselves til the next day ,Sat when we fly to Norway.
Am i biting off too much,but I think not since we are not dilly dalliyers but do want to enjoy the countryside.I've nixed the Blarney stone,Bunratty castle,but would love some advice.THANKS!! HILARY
Posted by
1383 posts
I can only address your first couple of questions. Renting from the airport is probably the most time efficient way to go. But I do think your first day is over ambitious. I doubt very much that you would be able to see Powerscourt, the Wicklow Mountains and Glendalough in one afternoon. You probably should choose either Powerscourt or Wicklow and Glendalough. The drive to Kilkenny will take longer than 1.5 hours even if you went straight through from the airport. If nothing else, the traffic south will be fairly heavy. And you need to budget in time to get from the airport terminal to the rental lot and complete all the paperwork to get your car. Best wishes for an enjoyable trip.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thanks for your help.Any advice is welcome!
Posted by
Sunnyside, New York, United States
439 posts
You don't need to book the Kilkenny Castle tickets before hand. I was there later in Sept and we basically had the place to ourselves.
My husband is from Borris, Carlow, near Kilkenny. Driving from there to Dingle did take a bit of time. We did stop for lunch and his relatives made it to the Killarney area much quicker than we did, but we would probably be quicker than you. I think we got into Dingle about 3:30, many of the roads on the peninsula are 2 lanes and if you get stuck behind someone, you are stuck. We only went as far as dingle that day, to do the peninsula justice, it would take a few more hours.
Salt hill area may not be a bad place to stay near Galway. Can you get a flight out of Shannon instead of Dublin, you could see a bit more of the west coast.
Posted by
Sunnyside, New York, United States
439 posts
From landing to car rental to Borris, it takes us about 3-4hours. we don't do carry on, it may be a bit quicker if you do.
Double the time google gives you for driving.
Posted by
Last Frontier aka Alaska 🏔️
3238 posts
I am in Ireland right now with a rental car. Just wanted to comment on drive times.......even without stops all the driving has taken longer than I expected. There is traffic, road closures and always a large semi going slow in front of you. Don’t book yourself too tightly and rush about. Slow and easy is best!
This is my second visit here, I absolutely love Ireland!