Planning a short trip to Ireland. It's kind of insane, but flying in mid-Sept. arrive Sat. am (7am) in Dublin. Renting a car and driving to Kerry where we are staying in Dingle. Our check in is at 3 so I planned to stop at a few stops on the way. Any recommendations? We've been to Dublin so no need to go there. Maybe Kilkenney or just stop at Adare along the way for lunch?
We'll be in Dingle until Monday and have to drive back to Dublin for a pm flight. Should we just try to return our car in Shannon (the only flight Aer Lingus offers is in the am at 7ish which would mean we'd have to arrive probably by 5 and it's a 2 hr, drive, so we'd have to leave by 3am. Is there a better option?
It's such a short trip, but cancelling or rescheduling would leave us out a lot of $.
Posted by
CT by way of FL
190 posts
"It's kind of insane." I have to agree.
Clarifying questions:
From where are you flying?
Have you driven in Ireland before?
I'm confused on the timing. You land at 7am Saturday and leave Monday in the pm? What time is your flight?
Is there ANY way to change your arrival and/or departure from Dublin to Shannon?
What do you want to see in Dingle? Is a car absolutely necessary for this?
Everyone on this forum will tell you it's a bad and dangerous idea to drive right after a flight, and even more so in Ireland and Britain. I can tell you the absolute worst jet lag I ever had was landing in Dublin. My friend took my to Trinity College. I have zero recollection of it. I fell asleep on the tram.
I would beg you not to drive across Ireland if you are arriving from across the Atlantic. Take the train or bus, catch up on sleep, get to Dingle in the early evening.
I also like to be close to my departure airport the night before I leave, but if you are more daring than I, I guess you can try to get back across the country the same day you fly out. But it will be a costly mistake if you miss the flight because the train/bus is late, you hit traffic, blow a tire, etc.
Posted by
Downingtown, USA
2367 posts
Do.you really really need to see Dingle?? As said it is a.long drive from.Dublin to.Dingle even if you have just arrived from London or any other place but if from the US it is absolutely not a wise decision. Getting across Ireland is not terrible but when you are close to Dingle you are no longer on major roads. and I would not want the stress of driving back.across Ireland to get to Dublin or taking train,.bus from.Shannon to Dublin. I love Ireland and have been there many times and the slower you go the more you enjoy in my opinion.
Posted by
1367 posts
Have you looked into flying from Dublin to Kerry Airport (KIR)? There's a 9:05 AM flight from Dublin to KIR via Ryan Air on a Saturday. Then you can rent your car and find your way to Dingle. But quite frankly, why Dingle? I'm the outlier here who thinks Dingle is overrated. There's so much more to explore in Ireland.
Posted by
OP
7 posts
Dingle is where my husband is dying to go. Timeline was forced due to a cancelled trip and Expedia kind of forced us to choose a new date or lose the entire travel investment. Lesson learned: no booking with them and check travel insurance.
These dates are the only ones we can swing with our work schedules.
Such great recommendations here. I'm definitely looking at flying into Kerry now; the flights from Shannon are so limited for what we need that we wouldn't be able to make it there.
I don't know if we could swing not having a car. How to get around in Dingle then? Uber?
Posted by
OP
7 posts
Thanks Trotter. very helpful.
Posted by
Colorado Springs
2825 posts
About the only way to make this work would be to take one of the RyanAir flights as per Trotter. I doubt that you'll be able to make the quick turnaround on your morning of arrival to collect your bags, reenter thru security, and get to the gate in time to board the 9:00 AM flight to Kerry. Others here have reported slow going thru Dublin airport this summer so I'd give that one a miss.
There is, however, an afternoon flight that departs at 4:10 PM (arriving at 5:15 PM) that might work if you don't mind a bit of a layover in Dublin waiting for it - it'd still be a better option than driving all the way across the country IMO.
There are rental car outlets at the Kerry airport. Unless you absolutely need to stay in Dingle overnight a better option might be to find a place a little closer to the airport, settle in for a good night's sleep, and then strike out early the next morning to spend a relaxing day exploring Dingle town, Slea Head Drive, and anywhere else on the peninsula that appeals to you.
There are two RyanAir flights back to Dublin. The one in the morning (departing 10:25 and arriving in Dublin at 11:20) might work if your return flight back to the US allows a reasonable cushion in case of delays. Otherwise the more prudent choice would be the afternoon flight the previous day that gets back into Dublin around 7 PM. That'll still give you a full day exploring Dingle without introducing even more stress into what is already a pretty stressful couple of days.
Quite frankly, you'd be better off not trying to force-fit the trip to Dingle and instead just catch the Express bus from Dublin airport to Galway upon arrival and spending your day and a half exploring Connemara with maybe a trip over to the Aran Islands ... which wouldn't require a car BTW. Another good option would be to train up to Belfast upon arrival - a fascinating city with plenty to keep you occupied for a couple of day and, again, no car required.