Am planning a 10 day trip for late June with my wife and two teenagers. Would like to spend a few days in Galway, Kinsale and Dingle but am wondering that the distances they are from each other may make this a little too ambitious. We are flying into and out of Shannon and will be renting a car. From everything I have read the driving from Galway to either Kinsale or Dingle would be a possible 2 Day trip. Don't really want to spend that much time in the car. Would Galway to Cashel to Kinsale to Dingle to Shannon be do-able in a ten day timeframe without being rushed? Thanks
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
Galway to Kinsale runs around 3.5-4 hours, a bit longer for Galway to Dingle. Unless you want to do it that way, there is no need for it to be a two day trip to either one. Your planned itinerary looks fine for ten days. Use www.viamichelin.com to determine driving times between locations (add about 20%, though, for getting lost and having to drive slower on smaller roads).
Posted by
Sacramento
39 posts
The most reliable source that I have found for driving times in Ireland is www.aaroadwatch.ie
Your mileage may vary . . .
Posted by
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
2775 posts
Dion, I'd say it's pushing it, but it's doable. It won't be extremely relaxing, but I don't think it will be excessively rushed. Of course, I can tolerate feeling rushed a bit if I'm seeing a lot of great stuff. Do try to avoid too many one night stops, and pick one place (I would suggest Dingle) to spend possibly three nights.
No too long ago I did Dublin/Newgrange (2 nights), Kilkenny including Cashel (1 night), Kinsale including Blarney (1 nights), Dingle including Ring of Kerry (3 nights), Adare (1 night) and Dublin (2 nights), with my husband and 1 teenager. We had a wonderful time. The driving was nearly always slow, and stressful at times, but we were seeing so much beautiful scenery and stopping a lot to see things, that it didn't bother us.
I don't have a map in front of me, but I think I would do Galway to Dingle then swing over to Dinsale and Cashel before heading back to Shannon. Galway to Dingle is a long haul, but you could stop in the Burren and/or the Cliffs of Moher on the way. I probably wouldn't do it in one day. Perhaps spend the night in Doolin. Make sure to take the Killmer (sp?) Tarbert ferry -- it will shorten the drive quite a bit.
Posted by
New York, NY
319 posts
Dion,
I agree with Carroll that it's doable, esp. with the stopover in Cashel (I wouldn't do Galway to Kinsale or Dingle in one day). But my recommendation would be to prioritize and cut something out. You'll be much more relaxed and enjoy it more.
Galway would be the easiest thing to cut from this trip. It's the only site north of Shannon airport. Why not just spend all your time in the southwest, which is a spectacular area? Galway could be done some other time when you have time to combine it with other sites in that area like the Cliffs, Burren, Aran Islands, and Connemara.
Whatever you decide, enjoy your trip.
Posted by
Atlanta
3262 posts
Hi Dion,
We did something similar last September. We flew into Shannon, rented a car and drove directly to Kinsale the day we arrived (maybe a 4 hour drive.) We stayed 2 nights and then drove to Dingle with an overnight stay in Kenmare to break up the drive. From Kenmare we drove to Dingle, and then Galway. We stayed in Ennis the last night to be near the Shannon Airport for our flight home. I think that your trip is doable and you've chosen some great destinations. If you wanted more time in each town, you could eliminate Galway.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
530 posts
Dan - Thanks for posting the info about RoadWatch. That's a very useful site. At first, I saw that it gives "real time" traffic info, but I didn't see that it included trip planning info until I looked closer. Then I saw that trip planning was on the menu to the left.
I'm going to bookmark this site for future visits. Thanks again.
Posted by
Boston, MA, USA
29 posts
It is definitely doable. On my last trip I did Kinsale to Dingle in 1 Day and Dingle to Galway in a day. When you're in Kinsale I recommend visiting nearby Cobh.
Posted by
AUBURN, NEW YORK, United States
5 posts
Thanks everyone your input has helped. Looking a Doolin(one nite)Dingle (3nites) Kensale(2nites)Cashel(one nite) and then winging it. Last nite in Bunratty or Ennis.
Posted by
Atlanta
3262 posts
That sounds like a great plan Dion. We didn't stay in Doolin but wished we had for at least one night. Dingle is a good place to relax and there's lots to do--we had fun at the "Pitch and Putt" golf course. Also enjoyed hanging out at Dick Mack's pub and meeting other tourists and local characters. Our last night we stayed at the Gray Gables B & B in Ennis (they have free parking in the front) and it's an easy 30 minute drive to the airport in Shannon. We had a great meal our last night in Ireland at the Poet's Corner Pub (Ennis) which was within walking distance of the B & B.