Itinerary thoughts for traveling around UK/Ireland next June/July 2018 with two little ones!!

When our daughter was ages 4 to 6, we would have never taken them away from my parents for a week or two to travel the world. That was special times with her grandparents.
She started traveling overseas at age 11, and she then got so much out of it. She still talks about going to Anne Frank's house in Amsterdam.

I suggest you consider not always doing everything together.. for instance.. the Guinness tour will bore the kids.. I thought it was ok.. but the kids we saw were bored to death. So.. maybe some adults could take them to a park for a play time while the other adults visit the brewery .

Also.. Newgrange is interesting.. but the little ones may balk at entering the structure which was a high point for me.. so you will likely be best to take turns there.. one adult staying out with kids while others go in then switch around.. ( you're only inside maybe 10 minutes anyways so its easy to switch off)

I am not a fan of one or two night stays with kids.. ( remember.. two nights is only one full day ) but some kids are better with that then mine would be.

We didn't travel to europe with our kids till they were older.. however we DID travel to various places in Canada and States as well as a couple cruises. Kids are pretty easy to travel with IF you dont make it too rushed and try and to schedule things too much ( which you have touched on I note)

That is a lot of time in car for little kids.... unless your kids are beyond great at sending hours, upon hours int eh car, I would look to cover a lot less ground and spend more nights in fewer places.

My kids were older when we went to Ireland ( 11 and 8) but they loved Dublinia in Dublin as all as the cool parks in St Stephens Green. They will be bored at Guiness, Kilmainham and Trinity so break those apart so that you can alternate between one of these and a more kid friendly activity. The Dublin Zoo is supposed to be great
We rented bikes in Killarney and biked the National park. They had bike trailers. We biked to Muckross farms which was great fun. Another great activity in that area was Kissane Farms where we took in a sheep herding and sheering demonstration. Highly recommend.

The grounds at Blarney Castle were great and a lot of fun for kids.

Thank you for the comments and suggestions. Kissane sounds great. To clarify, my parents are coming with us, the kids have been on several plane flights including to Hawaii and Alaska, we drive up to Massachusetts at least twice a year (8+ hours one-way), and on our ND trip this summer all six of us drove about 3000 miles (4800 km) back home with overnight stays in hotels . So I would say my little ones are experienced and good travelers. If we survived this summer that saw us driving farther some days than we plan to tackle in Ireland (6-8 hours at a stretch!), and the longest place we stayed in one spot was three nights, I think we can make this upcoming trip work. Fingers crossed!

I appreciate the head's up about Kilmainham Gaol's and Guinness tour's ability to interest the kids. Same for Newgrange and other such sites. Since both my parents and my husband have already been to Ireland, it's likely one of the adults will be able to peel off with the kids.

Keep the comments and suggestions coming!

We went to Ireland with a two year old (and my in-laws) this summer. Really enjoyed everywhere we went, but Dingle was our favorite. Everyone enjoyed the Slea Head drive and the aquarium was a hit with our little guy. We didn’t stay in many of the towns you are considering, but I’m happy to answer any questions you have!

We went to Ireland with our 4 yr old in 2013. She had traveled before, not as far as Ireland but had taken 5+ hour trips previous to Ireland. You know your kids, whether they will be ok traveling long distances in the car or not. We have to travel an hour pus to see any of her grandparents so she's used to it.
We took our daughter to the Guinness Store, she didn't love it, but she didn't hate it either, the constant walking helps. She handles most situations pretty well thought. We all Loved New Grange! I plan to do it again on our next trip! She had a great time touring all the castles. Her favorite was Cahir.
The thing she still talks about? Murphy's Ice Cream in Dingle! It was pretty amazing ice cream!
We also loved the Funghi boat tour in Dingle. We're planning Bunratty on our next trip as well. I'd be interested to hear how your kids like it. Mine will be 10 when we visit in 2019

We were in Ireland this past summer.

Although we do travel with our kids, we decided to have a trip with grown ups this time.
We sent our kids to camp while we did this just the two of us.
We loved Inishbofin. Rented bikes and toured the island. Lovely. Like stepping back in time.

The Dublin Zoo is very nice and a great way to spend an afternoon.

The Bunratty folk park is great fun. The kids may even like the castle dinner as well. You get to eat with your hands and there are costumes performers.

Out in Sandyford, there is a children’s museum/activity center called Imaginocity http://www.imaginosity.ie. I hear it is really fun from my friends with kids. It is a short taxi ride from the city center of Dublin, there is a car park, or you can take the Luas Green Line to Stillorgen and walk.

I have a few thoughts, that's for sure!

I just had some friends visit with a daughter young enough to be in a car seat (I think she's 4). So be sure to check on car-seats!! They have limited numbers of car seats in the rental car offices, and I've been in a Dublin airport car rental place when someone who needed one had to wait quite a while while the staff "found one!". Book it with the reservation, get that part in writing!! You may not think age 4 needs one, but it could be different laws, here (this 4 year old was small - and it's partially based on size of child!).

I met some tourists from Pennsylvania recently and the dad was hanging out at St Finians Bay enjoying the waves and sun, and mentioned his kids were in the playground. I'd been there 6 times and never knew it was there - yes, it was, and it was spectacular! There are plenty of really nice, partially funded by the EU, playgounds in rural areas. The one at Rossbeigh Beach is an example. So you can see fun grownup stuff and still have great playgrounds nearby to work off the energy of the kids!

Now, about THIS:

Day 10 - Drive to Limerick/Adare area (6 nights) - visit Cliffs of Moher on way down
Days 11 - 15 - Take day trips to Ring of Kerry, Rock of Cashel, Bunratty Castle, Ennis, Cork & Cobh -->suggestions please
Day 16 - Drive to Dublin (2 nights)

If you're thinking of staying in the Limerick/Adare area, and doing day trips to Cobh; to Iveragh peninsula (Ring of Kerry) I think you're in for a surprise. These are VERY long drives from Limerick/Adare! Not much I can say, here, other than..... look closely at maps before you book this!

You mention AirBnb. It's just taking off, and from most that I've seen they're doing it right! Nice places, very welcoming. Keep an eye on costs, though. Every one I've seen so far ADDS THE COST OF FUEL AND ELECTRICITY to the rental. Not always a big deal, but do know that electricity is not cheap in Ireland! I met some "new friends" who stayed here in Waterville, and rented a house for a week. They were surprised about the cost of the electricity (I pointed out to them that, yes, it was on the AirBnB page!) and only calmed down when I filled them in on costs, here, and how Americans are known to crank the heat up, even in summer! Just be prepared! Another tip - 6 nights in one house is a GREAT way to stay with a big group like yours..... but when you're searching use the term "holiday home" as that's the term used here for "vacation rental." Try daft.ie and donedeal.ie for alternative sites to AirBnB....

To give other readers a tip on that - i spent 3 nights in a two bedroom holiday home recently. It was cheaper than one night at the local (old) hotel. And I had a kitchen. Keep that in mind as you do your planning!

Susan
ExPat living in Waterville

Don't mean to rain on your parade, just offering food for thought. Will any of you be ok to drive on the day of arrival? Jet lag, lack of sleep, and not being familiar with the local road system around Dublin can all be a problem. Not to mention driving on the left and having to deal with tired and whiny kids. There are some people that are not bothered by any of those things. Others think they are ok but are really driving somewhat impaired. Still others are complete zombies and should never drive the same day. Suggest you stay overnight in Dublin and rent the car the next day.

I adore bunratty folk park and agree w other poster that the medieval dinner might be a. Hit w yr children.

Personally, I can't see kids as young as yrs on the Carrick a rede bridge.

Another family friendly option is the national stud......a. Good place to stretch legs for an afternoon

oooooh I like Doric8 comment!

The National Stud is fantastic! The first Japanese Garden in Europe (yes) and it's also a horse stud where racehorses go to..... you know.... stud. :-) There are signs saying the horses name and how much a "cover" costs! Some 11,000 -- some WELL over 100,000! Its a huge place with room to roam. It was the number one tourist attraction in Ireland a couple of years ago..... it's very interesting! (Especially for anyone interested in Astrology!)

Susan
Expat living in Waterville

I am loving this thread. I have just started planning a 19 day trip with my 80+ yo inlaws, hubby and our 3 daughters(14,10,6). So much to do and see, it really is a struggle to narrow it down.
Jamie
Adventure Keeps Calling My Name

I agree w the poster who said get adjusted to time change, etc in Dublin before heading off in a rental car . If you do yr Dublin days at the beginning, I think the hotel at bunratty offers airport shuttle (meaning you can dump yr car a day early and speed up yr departure)

And back to the Stud farm, make sure you see the beehive huts w the Waterford crystals inside