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Looking for ideas for family trip - Mom, Dad and 3 sons ages 23, 23 and 25

Posted by (Charlottetown, PE, Canada) on

Hi,

This will be our first trip to Ireland. We would also like to do a couple of days in Scotland. Looking at 10 day total trip. We are coming from Eastern Canada. Most of our family history comes from Ireland and Scotland and everyone is keen to go on this trip. We have traveled to Europe 4-5 times and spent 3 days in London on one of those trips but could never arrange a trip to Ireland and Scotland. We enjoy the small towns with quaint shops and do not want to spend all the time in the large cities as there is so much to do there and not enough time for us to see other things so that is why I am thinking 1-2 nights in Dublin
I expect there are some touristy things they will want to do and I know they want to do the Jameson tour and the Guinness factory tour.

We don't mind renting a car but you might suggest a better way to travel. I did look at some 1 day tours and in places like Dublin I am leaning a bit to the hop on hop off buses as the commentary is great and it covers a lot of ground easier and without the frustration of driving.

A mix of sightseeing, history, shopping, photo ops and entertainment would be how I would summarize what we might try to achieve and trying to balance the interests of the 2 age groups. We often skip museums or do 1. We like to see a couple of churches, castles etc
We enjoy sightseeing and spending time eating and mixing with the locals. We have enjoyed walking tours in some cities.

What are the must see- must do things people would suggest for our family?
What modes of transportation would you suggest and for what areas...ie car from a certain location to another, 1 day tour in certain areas, hop on hop off in certain areas, air carrier you find best between Scotland and Ireland. Would you suggest Ireland then Scotland or vs verse (Flying to and from Eastern Canada).
What would the be most economical accommodations for the 5 of us...2 rooms or look at a flat/apt, house etc. We have done it each of these ways in different countries in the past.

All suggestions on things to do and places to stay or modes of travel are greatly appreciated as always!!

Thanks so much!
Jennifer

Posted by
9371 posts

The Guinness "tour" is not really a tour in the sense that you see how it's made. You don't. It's basically a long commercial for Guinness with lots of opportunity to buy the same Guinness souvenirs that you will find all over Ireland. Of course, there is that "free" pint at the end, but at something like 18 Euro for the ticket, it's not very free. The Jameson tour, likewise, is not a tour of a working distillery. For that, you would need the Jameson tour in Midleton, near Cork.

The HOHO bus in Dublin is great, and takes about 90 minutes to make the whole circuit. One place I would definitely recommend seeing is Kilmainham Gaol. It would help to know how long your whole trip is. Two nights is only one whole day, and Guinness/Jameson/bus would use your whole time. That leaves no time for any other sights - Trinity College, Grafton St, shopping, museums, etc.

You will probably find it cheaper to fly into Ireland first, but check open jaw tickets (I.e. into Dublin, out of Edinburgh, or the other way around).

Posted by
11507 posts

We loved doing a daytrip to Howth, easy and cheap on the Dart train.. we hiked the cliffs( google for images!) loved the small town and had best mussels at a place on the docks.

We also loved Dublin.. Collins Barracks( museum) was amazing. You will learn a lot.. and enjoy it.

We also did a Rural Pub tour.. this is NOT a booze cruise .. its a small group that goes out into the country and visits some small pubs.. some completely in rural areas.. others in small villages.. our guide , a local named Shane, he was constantly giving us tips, history etc.. One pub we went to even had a peat fire going.. Google "Rural Pub Tours".. many excellent reviews and I can add mine! We did the 8 hour tour.. visited 4 or 5 pubs I think, had dinner at one,, and stopped for a drink or two at the others.. talked with locals are most of them.. Shane seemed to know everyone .. and the locals were friendly! The countryside was lovely. . and I was so glad we didn't have to drive to some of these places.. the streets don't even seem to have names as they wind through the Wicklow /hills..

However to do a real tour of Ireland.. going all over.. I am sure a car would be handy.

Posted by
2980 posts

If your origins are Scots-Irish that probably means that your family came from (or via) Ulster, which means that a few days in the north might be of particular interest to you and your family. Would suggest visiting Derry, which we found to be a beautiful and fascinating city, and maybe a side trip down to the Ulster-American Folk Park in Omagh. My own family was Scots-Irish and we especially enjoyed doing our own "roots quest" last year. Other attractions in the area are the Bushmill's distillery, Giants Causeway, the coastal town of Portrush, etc. Lots to see and do, and having a car would give you the freedom to wander around at leisure. Could also spend time in Belfast...maybe using it as your jumping off point for crossing over to Scotland. We were pleasantly surprised at just how nice the city was, especially the relatively new Titanic Museum, after almost giving it a miss due to lingering concerns about safety and security left over from the "Troubles"...all of which proved to be groundless. It really is a beautiful city and worth a day or two of your time.
The HOHO bus in Dublin is highly recommended. You really don't want to be driving in Dublin City.
We find that booking an apartment or house always saves us money versus a hotel but it might be difficult to find a suitable place for your group for only a night or two. Most of the owners seem to prefer longer stays. We had good luck using www.booking.com on our own trip, but am sure there are other search engines as well.

Posted by
346 posts

In Dublin I recommend 1. Trinity/Book of Kells. (Get there early) 2. Kilmainham 3. HOHO tour 4. Maybe Guiness or Jameson ( the others, above, are spot on about those.)
Other tops for us are Newgrange; Kilkenny area -- Kells Priory and Jerpoint Abbey (stay at Lawcus Farm in Stoneyford); Kinsale; Dingle -- stay at PAX guest House -- do the Slea Head drive, see Gallarus Oratory; Cliffs of Mohr. Galway is also lovely.

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