hi, we are in Dublin for a couple days looking for a couple day trips. we have no car. any thoughts on doing a day trip via train or bus from Dublin to Galway. it looks like it is about a 2 1/2 hr trip one way. if we get an early start we could spend maybe 4-5 hours touring the city. are we crazy? is it worth it? thanks for your advice!
Posted by
Land of La
8713 posts
Why take a two hour train or bus ride and visit another country, Northern Ireland. Dublin to Belfast quick and easy.
In Belfast:
Titanic Museum
Botanical Gardens
St Georges Market
Crumbling Road Gaol
Black tour of The Troubles
Seafood chowder at Mournes by the Kelly Cellars Pub
Posted by
OP
chicago, il, usa
84 posts
thanks for your thoughts... haven't quite researched that area..sounds interesting!
Posted by
S.F. Bay Area, CA, United States
1878 posts
Galway is nice enough, but not so nice to spend over five hours in transit (factor in the time to get to the station), especially since you are probably paying top dollar to stay in Dublin. Dublin itself is easily worth two full days.
Posted by
Corvallis OR
7043 posts
The train time from Dublin to Galway and from Dublin to Belfast are basically the same so it's 6 of one, half dozen of the other. Do some research on both and see what appeals more for a short 1/2 day visit. Personally I think each of them are better as a few days visit so you can take in the other sites in the surrounding areas. I'd stick closer to Dublin for day trips myself. Newgrange and Glendalough are both good options that are about an hour from Dublin. Also the short trip to Howth (about 1/2 hr) is worth it for a seaside town. A lot depends on what interests you.
Posted by
OP
chicago, il, usa
84 posts
thanks for your thoughts... my daughter was big on Galway and i was a little leery of the 5 hr travel.
I have been researching a bit on Dublin Bay, Howth, Malahide, Dun Laoghaire. there's also a boat trip on the bay.
Also been looking into some tours through Wicklow, Glendalough, Kilkenny,
we only have 3-4 days in Dublin as we are there part week for a wedding. we are not really sure we want to be dragging big suitcases around on buses and trains for overnight trips. we were thinking of being based in Dublin and doing a few excursions from there. we are not big museum people, i like the small towns, scenery and such.
thanks for your thoughts... so much appreciated!
Posted by
Jax Beach, FL
10 posts
If you catch an early train from Dublin, it's really not that bad of a ride over to Galway. There would be a lot of time in transit, but it's definitely doable if you want to see a little of the west coast. Honestly, you could probably see all of Galway in half a day anyway.
I would second the vote for visiting Belfast as well. There's more to see and do.
Posted by
12 posts
Malahide is a great town and a short distance from Dublin. It has the Malahide Castle that you can tour as well as a quaint little town for shopping.