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Solo first timer: stay in Dublin and day trip by train or bus tours?

Posted by on

I am an experienced solo traveler and usually prefer to take trains for day trips whenever possible (Paris to Champagne, Naples to Sorrento, Sorrento to Paestum, etc). Since I am solo and don't drive a stick shift it doesn't make sense for me to rent a car. I enjoy Viator's tours but get car sick. Looking at the logistics of train travel in Ireland I am wondering what makes more sense for my 6 day/7 night trip:
Option A) Direct tours to/from Dublin which usually means all day on a bus/van.
Option B) Train to a main city like Killarney, Galway, Belfast and then catch a tour (often with a tight departure timetable)
Option C) Break up my stay in Dublin with a couple nights in another hub city, getting there by train but staying a night or two. If I took option C what city and tours do you suggest. I want to see the Giant's Causeway but I am not sure all day on the bus is worth it. Taking the train to Belfast means I still have to get a tour to the coast.

I fly in and out of Dublin so it makes sense to bookend nights in Dublin on both ends of my trip. I should also mention that Ireland is the second half of a longer trip that includes Iceland and Belgium. Obviously, it is not ideal to have to pack and move every day.

Posted by
3123 posts

I totally hear you about motion sickness! And I don't know about you, but if I take dramamine I avoid getting sick but it makes me too drowsy to pay attention to the trip, not to mention that traveling alone while drowsy can be hazardous in other ways.

With just 6 days/7 nights, I might suggest dividing your nights between Dublin and someplace to the west of Cork. Cork has good train service from/to Dublin and you could take a bus from there. Staying in that area (not Cork proper, but maybe Killarney or Kenmare?) would put you within range for day tours of the popular sights in the southeast, including Ring of Kerry and/or Dingle peninsula.

Posted by
119 posts

There are quite a few train or bus day trips from Dublin. Many bus trips go to Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains, which is a beautiful area if you like nature and it's not far from Dublin so the bus ride won't be long. The train to Belfast from Dublin for a day would be nice too. There are also some bus trips from Dublin to Kilkenny and Cashel too, which isn't too far from Dublin (shorter than trips to the West coast).
I know that you are possibly looking at another hub city to break up your stay. What about Limerick? That might be helpful to be as a hub for travel in the western part of the country. Or Cork? It's further south compared to Limerick though. You could easily get to Killarney and Kerry from Cork.

Posted by
933 posts

Dublin is a great base for day trips either by train or bus tour. I would not try to do Killarney by train as a day trip as it’s about 4.5 hours one way but Belfast, Galway, Kilkenny are good options. If you want to split your time between Dublin and one other place then I would pick Galway as it is fairly close by train, and has lots of options for day trips, also. If you pick the right bus tour they will make lots of stops and maybe you won’t get sick? Personally, I would not try to do a day trip to the causeway from Dublin as that would be a long day even for people who don’t get car sick, and by the time you get there the weather might be ugly. You could also look for half day tours to limit your time in a bus. You could use Belfast as a second base for day trips if you really want to see the causeway, but what else interests you up north? Belfast itself is interesting, but really only takes a day to see the main sights.

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