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Narrowing down itinerary

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We are visiting Ireland in July for one week and have narrowed down our itinerary due to traveling with three kids. Can anyone offer ideas on things to do based on where we are staying. I will list our basic plan here. If my hotel ideas aren’t good or you have suggestions please let us know.
Day 1 fly into Shannon, drive to Galway. Taking an overnight flight from US, so arrive first thing in morning day 1. We will get to hotel drop bags and plan on starting our day after having breakfast. Will remain in Galway day 1 as well be tired and adjusting. So looking for local ideas to do..I hear Spanish Arch? Quay street?
Day 1-3 ( 3 nights) staying in Galway at Glen Lo Abbey.
Day 1 Spanish arch ,quay steeet?
Day 2 drive to Kylemore Abbey. How long does one spend there? Is there lots to see? At night we have Trad on the Prom tickets in Galway
Day 3- we are free all day. Ideas? We are thinking Connemara national park. My kids love exploring nature, can you rent bikes? Is it easy hiking, none of us are too experienced hiking. Any alertnate suggestions?
Day 4 we check out this day and are driving in morning to Mount Bellew to see family there. Plan on spending the day with family and late day doing drive to next hotel, Adare Manor

day 5 -8 have four nights at Adare Manor. Ideas? We think one day is Cliffs of Moher, would this make sense from Adare instead of Galway distance wise? We’d like to see castles or other interesting sites or towns by Adare as well. We see hotel has falconry and bikes etc so will do hotel activities. Close places to visit there? Thanks

Posted by
8880 posts

Day 1. Spanish Arch takes all of 5 minutes...... Nearby museum is interesting if need to fill time.
Day 3. Why not take a day trip to Aran Islands? Rent bikes right at the pier and explore this lovely spot.

Posted by
20 posts

Thanks. I am noticing two things we would like to do ( Connemara national park and Kyle,ore abbey are over an hour from hotel so that’s lot of back and forth couple days. I am researching on day 1 instead of staying at glen lo, doing drive from shannon to Clifden and staying at hotel there one night so we can do those then go to Galway afterwards. I have thought about Aran islands. I wasn’t sure if for my kids it was worth it they may be happy gojng to the park and seeing natural beauty there .

Posted by
7937 posts

We were there last September, and stayed in Clifden to explore farther north, after visiting Galway and the Big Aran Island, Inishmore. We parked our rental car at the Connemara Airport and flew to Inishmore for 2 days and a night. Faster and more reliable than the ferries, as rough seas have affected boat traffic on both of our trips to/from the Aran Islands. Spend a few more Euros and do the quick air flight.

The visitor center at Connemara National Park can provide hiking/walking options. Very pretty, and there are some up and down elevation changes, but you can do a loop, or just walk a while and turn back and retrace your steps, if you don’t choose to walk the whole circle loop.

While you’re near the national park, just a few miles east and slightly north on the N59 roadway is the departure dock for the Killary Fjord boat tour, just west of Leenaun. On Ireland’s only true fjord, we sailed past a mussel farm with great scenery ahead and on both sides, and ate mussels onboard, too. If you have the time and inclination while you’re in the area, that boat tour is highly recommended. You can drive the R336 south from Leenaun, then turn back onto the N59 to reach Galway.

Also, if it’s windy and you and the kids don’t want to fight the breeze and uphill climbs on bikes on Inishmore, a guide can drive you around to see Dun Aengus and other sights.

Posted by
12313 posts

Day one: good idea to walk outside if possible. I'd suggest a walking tour of Galway (you can Google for options or ask at the TI). I'm going to Dublin next week; they have multiple free walking tour choices through hostels and the TI. I'm sure it would cover the top things to see and be more interesting with an Irish guide.

Day 2: As I recall Rick says the best thing at Kylemore Abbey is to see the view from the approaching road - so a couple minutes to stop may be plenty. I'm guessing a two hour drive each way though.

Day 3: Seems a natural to take a day trip to Aran Islands. The Rossaveel Ferry will book you plus a bus to get you to the ferry from Galway. Once you land on Inishmore, you can catch a cab or bike to Dun Aengus. There are other ancient sites on the island but your kids might enjoy hiking to the worm hole.

After that I don't have great ideas. Bunratty is on the way to Adare. Some consider it a tourist trap. I thought it was a nice castle to tour plus a lot of interesting old houses moved there from around Ireland. Kilmacduagh Abbey is also on the way and may be a good stop. The Rock of Cashel (plus nearby sights) is probably worth the drive.

Posted by
13 posts

If you are a fan of traditional Irish music, you might want to head for the Cliffs of Moher from Galway via the Burren National Park (the kids will love it, just tell them you're going for a walk on the moon). Then, visit the Cliffs, and do overnight near Doolin just a few klicks up the coast. Doolin is Trad Central, and has several music pubs. There are many others in the surrounding small towns. In any case, you will find many venues with Trad every night. Sessions usually begin around 9. I don't know the age of your children. but kids under 15 are supposed to be out of the pubs by 10pm. I've been taking my twins to Doolin since they were ten years old (28 now) and have never had a problem with them staying for the music if you are taking a meal beforehand. You may want to Google "trad music Doolin" and check some websites to identify kid friendly venues.

This route will also save you a longish single day drive from Adare Manor to the Cliffs and back. You'll be splitting the outbound drive into two parts with no return.

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