Planning 29 day trip to Ireland from April 2019 to May 2019

Posted by Garey (Pennsylvania) on 02/04/19 04:10 PM

We are planning a trip to Ireland mid-April through mid-May, 2019. I am not certain this is the best time of the year fro visiting. However, I am trying to avoid crowd and be able to enjoy the sights.

Our plan is to arrive in Dublin and 29 days later depart from Dublin back to the US after a enjoying self-guided tour of Ireland and Northern Ireland. We are planning to rent a car so can have easy access to most areas. Since we have never traveled outside of North America, is some apprehension on my part regarding the length of our trip.

We are most interested in visiting small towns, visiting local pubs, and enjoying the local culture. Also, I am only planning to make advance reservations fr a few nights in Dublin; 2 or 3 nights when we arrive, and the night before we depart for home.

Our schedule has us in Ireland on Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday, and May Day (May 6). I am not sure if this would present any challenge to us during our stay due to national holidays.

Can anyone recommended an itinerary that optimizes our time in Ireland and at the same time allows us to visit the most interesting sights and enjoy local areas?

Thank you !

Posted by Laurie Beth

Twin Cities, Minnesota

02/04/19 04:29 PM

1825 posts

I would get the Rick Steves' Ireland guide as a place to begin. In the first part of the book he provides a suggested 3 week itinerary by car. The guide also includes a great map of the Republic of Ireland and N. Ireland. I went to Ireland last year on a Rick tour and my favorite parts were the south and southwest. I particularly enjoyed the Kinsale and Dingle areas. Both these places have great pubs, traditional music and a wonderful small town atmosphere.

Posted by jarrardd

bedford, indiana

02/04/19 04:45 PM

459 posts

Garey,
We were in Ireland late April and early May and it was great time to be there. The weather was good most all of the time and the crowds were not too bad. We did west Ireland, spending time in Dingle, Kenmare, up to Doolin and over to Cong. All kind of west Ireland country side locations. We did B&B's the entire time. The Ring of Kerry, the Beara Peninsula, Dingle Peninsula, Slea Head Drive, and Dingle town were all things we loved and would include in a trip to Ireland. We drove up to Doolin for the sights there and over to Cong to the Ireland School of Falconry for a really cool hawk walk. These areas are worth the efforts. For me you are a bit late on your planning for such a long trip but I know everyone marches to that different drummer. I would look over Rick's tour path and see how that fits your liking, we used it to make our own travel path. I believe you should set your path and start reserving your sleeping spots ASAP. Many of the good B&B's will already be booked, but give them a try. I would not want to be driving in Ireland for the first time and not have a planned spot for the night! Buy the full coverage for your car and get one as small as you can endure for parking and for narrow road reasons. For a month I would divide the country in quarters and try to base in each of those areas and go out each day from my base. Driving will be a test of your skills and will go much slower than you plan. I envy your plans for such a long trip and know you will love Ireland. We were there for a national holiday and it was no issue, we used ATM's for cash anyway. A few stores were closed but nothing to be concerned about. Whoops, for to add we rented our car at the Dublin airport and went west immediately and then on our return we dropped the car at the airport and took the bus into Dublin for a few days, worked great. We took a taxi to the airport the morning of our departure, it was $35 from the Temple Bar area to the airport. I would not have enjoyed driving in Dublin city center.

Posted by Trotter

02/04/19 05:04 PM

1368 posts

You've already received some good advice. I would add that you should pick up the rental car when you leave Dublin, not when you arrive from the US. First, you don't want to drive in Dublin. Second, by waiting a few days you'll get used to the drivers being on the left side of the road. The main thing to remember is look right, especially in the roundabouts (and also as a pedestrian crossing a street). You can either go back to the airport to pick up a car or rent from an office just outside Dublin's city center. Many of the agencies will let you rent from a city location and return to the airport without an additional fee. And you should consider booking your accommodations in advance for at least the Easter Holidays. Have a great trip.

Posted by rca

Florida

02/05/19 04:30 PM

509 posts

We had mostly excellent weather in May 2018, but be prepared for the occasional shower.

Driving: Good advice from kclyons. We picked up our Hertz rental at DUB on the afternoon before our scheduled departure from Dublin. (The AirLink buses have several stops in central Dublin.) We returned to our B&B (free parking was an advantage) and hit the road early the following morning. However, we were staying in the Clontarf neighborhood and therefore weren't confronted with big city driving.

Itinerary: you'll likely get plenty of advice from the Forum experts. As for lodging, we locked it all in well in advance after mapping out the itinerary. That's just us; too old for the excitement of looking for a place to stay at the end of the day when we could be sipping a pint in a pub. Happy to recommend specific B&Bs and Airbnbs that worked for us; just send a pm if interested.