Dublin

Without knowing what your primary interests are (for example, coastal scenery, small towns, countryside, cities, historic sites), it's hard to make a list of recommendations. I suggest you buy Rick Steves' Ireland guidebook to help you make a list of "must sees."

The best way to see small town and rural Ireland is to rent a car. Note: the country may be small, but driving is slow. If you don't plan to drive, be aware that train service is somewhat limited in Ireland. You'll do better either combining train and bus or using the bus alone.

What's your price range for a B&B in Dublin?

Have Rick Steves 2007 book-- benn reading it all weekend. Towns that are on our list Dublin, Belfast, Waterford, and Galway. Kinsale also looks nicePrive range for B& B in Dublin 50- 100 Euro.

In Dublin, I stayed at a small family-owned place, the Mount Herbert Hotel. It was fairly cheap, served a delicious "Full Irish" breakfast and had the friendly atmosphere readers of Rick Steves' books probably want. The hotel is burried deep within a quiet residential neighborhood in the Ballsbridge section of town. Although the hotel has easy access to a DART station, the neighborhood is not very close to the heart of Dublin.

Just returned from Belfast and Dublin--both are must sees! You can visit just about anywhere in Ireland from Dublin by rail or bus...very efficient systems public and private systems. The Trinity Capital Hotel in Dublin is beautiful and is centrally-located (my daughter and her school choir stayed there), and the accommodations are great. My husband and I stayed at the Comfort Inn in Parnell Square (chosen by our travel agent and I'm not sure why except that it was cheap), and I would NOT recommend it...service was poor, rooms were cramped and dirty, and even though it's just a block from O'Connell Street (a major shopping street), it's not centrally located. Dublin especially has a great transportation system which can help you avoid the use of expensive taxis.