Itinerary help

I would add it to Killarney

So much to see and do in and near the town
Gap of Dunloe tour (Full day+nice weather) Ring of Kerry Tour(Full Day) Muckross House and Gardens- Muckross Abbey-
Torc Waterfall-Boatrip on Lough Leane etc

You will definately need two full days to get an good impression and Killarney isnt so crowed with tourists in April but offers a good tourist infrastructure
We normaly stay in Holiday Homes on Valentia Island and Finians Bay but we have been in Killarney several times in April for 1 or 2 nights before our flight back home from Kerry Airport and still have things and places to explore in and around Killarney
One day we ll stay a whole week in one of the Holiday Homes on the grounds of Castlerosse Hotel near Killarney

You could add Doolin or an overnight on Inish Mor.

We always travel with lots of one night stays peppered with two night stays, but many people hate that approach. A two day stay only gives you one full day in a place, and a single means you barely have any time in the town proper, mostly after opening times (except for pubs and restaurants). We thrive on the places and things we see between stops, and pub music, so it works for us. If you like to browse museums and shops, you need to think again.

I'd suggest finding a way to add more days to your trip :-) One way to add a day would be to get out of Dublin immediately, and end the trip with two days in Dublin. For example, go to Kilkenny upon arrival (or Galway, and reverse itinerary). The downside of this idea is that someone has to be in good enough shape after travel to drive (on the wrong side of the road) or you travel by train/bus and pick up your car the next day at your first stop and pay the drop-off fee. If you went to Galway fist, that would add the travel to a time when you're probably groggy anyway (therefore the bus/train option). The shorter drive from Kilkenny would give you more quality time in Kilkenny or Dublin.

You need to figure this out quickly or you'll find most lodging is booked. Luckily, April isn't as bad as the high season.

P.S. You don't want a car during your time in Dublin. Parking, traffic, no-drive zones, and wrong side driving makes it silly.

Hi Linda,
I agree with many of jjgurley’s suggestions, especially about a trip with many short 1- and 2-night stays (I’m among those who find that tiring).

A different suggestion: add the extra night to one of your Dublin stays. In September, we landed in Dublin, stayed 2 nights, then left, eventually returning to Dublin for 4 more nights, and we still did not see all we wanted to see in Dublin.

We were not fully recovered from the flight when we left after 2 nights, so I wished I had added a night at the start; that of course depends on your experience and preferences when landing after a long flight, (If you are coming from Sydney, your flights will be much longer than mine!)

Conversely, since the trip from Dingle to Dublin will take you some time, that will leave you precious little time to further explore Dublin between arriving and your flight out; that may argue for adding the night to the end stay instead.

Whatever you decide, I'm sure you will have an awesome trip!

John

Hi Linda, hello from a somewhat chilly Ireland.

You could easily add a night to any of your chosen overnight spots and be very happy with your decision, but in my professional opinion I'll recommend you consider 2 options and let you know why :)

1. Add an extra night in Dublin at the start. Use this day to take the train or an organised day-trip up to Belfast, enjoy the surrounds of City Hall, maybe take a black taxi tour, visit the Titanic experience and/or check out the excellent (and free) Ulster Musuem and botanic gardens.
2. Add an extra night in Dingle. This gives you and your family the chance to take a day off from sight-seeing and just chill out and relax, and maybe do laundry, and go for a stroll, or call into Dick Macks pub for an afternoon pint and watch Aaron the belt-maker work his magic as you sip a craft beer from their backyard. I guided almost 100 'Best of Ireland' tours for my mentor Rick Steves, we stayed for 3 nights and Rick always added a free day in Dingle, he called it the 'holiday from your holiday', which always brings a smile when I repeat it :)

You're going to have a great time. Dont forget to climb the medieval round-tower in Kilkenny which is open to the public to go right to the top, not many visitors to Ireland can say they have (most are closed and under lock and key for decades!)

Any questions, send them this way, always happy to answer them.

Le meas/with respect
Stephen McPhilemy
Rick Steves veteran Ireland tour-guide (Newly-retired after 25 happy years leading Rick Steves Best of Ireland & Heart of Ireland tours)

Thank you for each of your replies. There are some great suggestions here! A lot to think about!

I agree that you need more nights in general. One night stops don’t even give you enough time to see what might be in town. Towns like Kilkenny and Kinsale are small, but you would still want a whole day to see each town and its sights. If you are arriving in town later in the day, spending the night, and then leaving the next morning, you won’t really have time to see the town. Killarney for sure needs more nights, as does Galway. I spent four nights in each, and got in two or three different day trips from each (I didn’t have a car). You can stop at the Cliffs of Moher and Burren on your way to Galway from Dingle, but the Connemara area is worth a day, and so is getting over to Inishmore.

I visited for the first time last June and only had about a week which we split between Dublin and Galway and would absolutely say to allocate it to the west coast - it was BEAUTIFUL. I can't begin to describe it. You'll quite quickly see what people mean by the journey being the destination.

Second other comments about visiting one of the Aran Islands - we spent a day on Inis Mor and had a fantastic time.