My wife will be going to Ireland the first of June staying for 10 days. We will be flying into Dublin and due to circumstances will be staying in a hotel for 6 nights. The other nights we plan to use a B and B . We will have a car for most of the time. I was wondering what a good itinerary might to see the country in this time? We will need to be back in Dublin the 6 nights but plan to explore every day. Any suggestions?
Posted by
Land of La
9220 posts
So basically for 6 of the 10 days you are there you'll be based in Dublin is that correct? You can do day trips from Dublin to Belfast and Giants Causeway, Powerscourt and Glendalough, Newgrange, even Galway. Personally for the 4 days you can lodge elsewhere I'd leave Dublin early and drive straight to Dingle and explore the West Coast. If I've read your post incorrectly my apologies.
Posted by
Colorado Springs
2980 posts
Adding to Claudia's comments: you really don't want the hassle of a car if you're going to be staying in central Dublin. Maybe if you stay on the outskirts of the city one would be handy for day trips, but within the city itself you're much better off without a vehicle - can be a daunting prospect even for drivers familiar with driving on the left.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thanks! I was trying to get an idea of how far we could get on day trips out of the city. Will b&bs be hard to get into at the last minute?
Posted by
Colorado Springs
2980 posts
Day trips from Dublin to Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains, Newgrange, etc. are pretty easy...only an hour or so from the city center. Even Belfast is only a couple of hours away. Adding the Giant's Causeway would make it a full day but not an unpleasant one.
Don't know if you have any experience driving on the left, but booking a tour or two before you get behind the wheel yourself would allow you to observe the sight picture from the other side of the road, review the traffic flow in roundabouts, preview the signage, etc. before you have to do it for real. Will make for a more relaxed learning curve at any rate.
The big tourist rush begins in June, ie after school lets out in the US & Europe, so delaying your B&B bookings might entail some risk - more in the cities than in the countryside. Might also just be part of the adventure.
Unless you're absolutely committed to those 6 nights in Dublin I agree that spending more time in the west of Ireland would be a better use of your time.