My wife and I will have 4 full days in Dublin and are considering a rail trip to either the Ring of Kerry or the Cliffs near Galway. Both are 14.5 hour days, which is best.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
You won't be able to see the Ring of Kerry without being in a car or bus for the drive on the coast road. And you won't be able to get to the Cliffs completely by rail, either. Rail transportation is spotty in the west. If you're not renting a car, you'll ultimately have to arrange bus transportation. Given your limited time, I'd suggest doing day trips to nearer locations like Belfast, Glendalough, or Newgrange.
Posted by
wichita, kansas
484 posts
I am assuming you are referring to the Irish Rail Tours trips. Who can say which one is best? I am sure either one is worth while and what one person would consider best someone else would not. Personally I would do the Cliffs of Mohr tour.
Posted by
New York, NY
319 posts
Rick,
I agree with the poster who suggested day trips closer to Dublin. You'll be spending most of a trip to either the Cliffs or the Ring on the bus. Instead, you could spend the day at Newgrange, a religious site built before the Pyramids, or in the beautiful Wicklow mountains.
If you do choose between the Cliffs and the Ring, then I would definitely go to the Cliffs. Once you're there, you'll see the Cliffs the same way that everyone else does. But on the Ring, your experience will be diminished because you won't be able to stop on your own at the sites along the way. Also, there's a significant area at the tip of the peninsula where buses cannot go because the roads are too narrow. This area is not technically part of the Ring, but it is equally spectacular.
In sum, given your time constraints, I'd choose to stay in and around Dublin. If you go, choose the Cliffs.