Help~ only 3 days~

Don't bother trying to get to Dingle or Ring of Kerry, it will take up much more time than you've factored in (it's a fair drive each way, no highways like the states). Stay in Dublin, otherwise you won't get to see any of it because you'll be in a taxi or bus getting to/from the airport. You MUST factor in that time, including customs/immigration on the way in to the country, as well as check-in time when you leave again.

Am confused, are you only going to be there 3 days? Hope you are driving not using public transport. Anyway, that said, skip Guinness brewery, to me not much to see that is worth the time. You will be jet lagged and are putting a lot on the day you arrive. Second, don't do the ROK and Dingle, do one or the other. Everyone has a preference of which to see but with limited time, it is not worth to see both. Pick one then head up to Doolin to see Cliffs before going back to Dublin. Remember driving in Ireland takes longer than you think.

You're going to Great Britain? Or Ireland? Are you arriving after being in Great Britain or coming from the US? On your arrival day in Dublin you won't be out of the airport and into town until near noon. In July, that might make it difficult to see the Book of Kells that day, since the lines can be long. It's best to go very early in the day for that. In my opinion, the Guinness brewery "tour" isn't worth the high price. You see nothing of the brewing process, only a lot of buying opportunities for the same Guinness souvenirs that you can buy all over Ireland. You'd be better off to visit Kilmainham Gaol or just wander the Temple Bar area. You simply don't have enough time to do the ROK and go to Dingle. And driving two great loops in two days seems redundant to me. I would suggest staying in the Dublin area, maybe visiting Glendalough and/or Newgrange, or perhaps driving over to the Cliffs of Moher one day.

Some nice advice so quickly. To answer some questions to get more help..... we are landing in Dublin 10:30 am July 12. I am concerned to not see Book of Kells. Is it worth it? Want to see St. Patrick's. Want to do Grafton St. All of you said to skip the G. pub. Thanks!~ Saved me time and rest, I'm sure. So if those 3 things, I'm fine w/Dublin. I WANT to see the countryside. July 13 depart 6:30 am, should get to Dingle by 11 no? Then we have 11 till 8 pm. to see Dingle. Stay near the isthmus July 14 early 7 am start ROK end up at Killarney for the night.? July 15
get up early again for Dublin airport ? Would that work?

How does this sound? Arrive in airport, go to Newgrange and then on to Doolin so the next morning can see the Cliffs and then to Dingle. Spend the day and leave early next morning back towards Dublin. If you leave early you should be there by noon and can see the Book of Kells and Grafton street at night.

Can you tell me what is to see in the places? Cliffs and in Moher? sp ? I had read a few places to do one or the other, Dingle or ROK. yes/no? neither cuz of time constraints. want to see some countryside.

Newgrange is an historic site I think NW of Dublin. You can see it on line or in one of Rick's shows. Not sure of the history but I think it pre-dates pyramids. Doolin is a very small town on the west coast with a few pubs and traditional music. From there is a short drive to the Cliffs of Moher, fantastic beauty. Don't remember how long it takes to get to Dingle for from Dingle back to Dublin. Are you locked into flying in and out of Dublin or can you come home from Shannon. Maybe since your trip is so short you might consider just staying around Dublin, maybe see Rock of Cashel and then down to Cobh and Kinsale. See if you can find some ideas of what to see in such a short time without too much driving. Good luck.

Thanks re. Shannon. So far have not make reservation to fly out of Dublin but am 'expected' in London on the 15th for a room and stay. Was wondering if it wouldn't be too expensive to do a rental from Dublin and return it to Shannon?
I know in the US to return a car elsewhere costs if different than where u picked it up. That would save time Shannon to London, not driving back to Dublin. Know of good rentals that have that flexibility?

We used Dan Dooley and were able to pick up in Dublin and drop off Shannon and on other trip did the opposite and had no problems and no extra fees. Be sure to get automatic car, it might cost extra but think it was worth it.

The charge for picking up in one city and dropping in another is minimal, so I wouldn't worry about that. I would also suggest an automatic unless you are very familiar with standard and willing/able to make the switch to lefthand shifting. You're right that flying into Dublin and out of Shannon would save you some sightseeing time.

Would departing from Shannon be back tracking much doing ROKerry?
Am strongly thinking of changing plane tickets to be an extra day in Ireland. This is rushed and don't beleive I'll be this way again. Isn't cheap to change the flights. Ugh.

If you can, get another day. ROK is miles closer to Shannon than Dublin, you will save hours driving.

To Robin and others. checked with brit air. they want 840 for two tickets to change dates. woe!~ I sent a reply robin but it would not send. their system was down. to recap. I think for now, will arrive dubline 10:30 am. be in book of Kells by 2 St. Patricks' by 5:30 Grafton st. rest of evening. dinner/pub/souvineer stuff July 13 EARLY drive 1st half ROKerry slow pacek, see sites, shop, eat July 14 EARLY 2nd half ROKerry and towards Dublin. July 15 1:30 flight to London 3:00 land in London abbey and big ben Movies: Harry P. last movie opening night WHY my daugter saved this $ ! bumb streets late , PIccadilly, Leichester sp? July 16 c s lewis day and h potter day: Oxford, kings crossing lewis pub, and hopefully kensington palace and st Paul's. July 17...Warwick castle and scotland border July 18 early to Edinberg July 19 long drive 8 hrs. to London. up early arrive London around 2ish finish the sites above missed. July 20 fly home.
save $800 chaning tickets. Think this will work or spend the 800 and stay 2 extra days, more hotels and food, i don't mind that, it's the 800 bucks.

I wouldn't drive to Edinburgh and then back again unless you really have to. That's a lot of driving in a short period of time. Do you have to go to Edinburgh? If not, I'd put it off to a later trip, and save the time and do things closer to London.

Thanks. I'm strongly considering adding the 2 days for I won't go this way for a long time if at all. want to see Croatia, Italy, and Czech Rep. next time. and that's a long time from now. if I do the extra two day, i'll fly in shannon which saves time with irealand tours and sleep over in edinberg and take it easy driving back, not rushed. actually thinking of scotland after ireland, then to to london and stay there vs. back and forth with scotland then back to london. i don't mind the drive to see the country. just didn't like the pace of the schedule but the extra day would relieve that no?

Bob, Is the $850 for the change fee, or is $300 for the change fee and the balance is for the diff in ticket price? If the latter, check all flight possibilities, often the day of week can mean a big price diff. In other words, if you stayed an extra 3 days instead of 2, would you save versus current plan?

Bob, if you are driving all the way to do Ring of Kerry and it happens to be rainy/misty/foggy the one day you intend to drive it, you will be very disappointed. You will see nothing. If I were you, with such limited time, I would see countryside more adjacent to Dublin, like the Wicklow Mountains, the Boyne River valley, or the Rock of Cashel. There is beautiful scenery all over Ireland that doesn't take such a long drive to get to (and that you can still see if it's rainy).

I cut and pasted your idea in my folder incase it is raining. I guess the rain is a change everyone takes when they go to ireland. but certainly don't want to not see anything. so does one reserve a B & B? are there many there that there's bound to be room , even in mid july? my thinkging is rooms might be hard to get. lots of decisions. any suggestions on what I just mentioned?
Thanks.

Good ole (and don't mean old) Nancy for her ideas. Just the thought of driving all that way to ROK and can't see anything. As she suggests, instead of trying to see all of Ireland in 3 days, why not focus on the area around Dublin, see Rock of Cashel which I think is great, maybe down to Cobh (Lusitania was sunk there), Newgrange outside Dublin. You sounded like you really wanted to see Book of Kells. Rethink what you want, you can see great countryside outside Dublin.

Hi, Bob. I know that most of this thread is about your time in Ireland, but I keep coming back to the itinerary for July 15-19 you listed in one of your replies. If I understand correctly, you will: 15 July. Arrive at Heathrow at 1500 hours, collect a rental car, get to London, check into hotel, look around, and attend a movie premier that evening? (HP movie is premiering at cinemas at, I think, Leicester Sq and Picadilly. I am assuming you have tickets?) Long day! 16 July. Drive to Oxford for a day trip but return to see both St. Paul's and Kensington Palace that day? Another long day. Do you have a place to park in London? 17 July. Drive to Warwick Castle, visit the castle, then drive onto the Scottish border somewhere? I haven't done this, but it seems like a long day.
18-19th July. Drive to Edinburgh, see a couple sites, and after only one night, return to London to drop off the car and finish London. You'll only have time to see a tiny bit of Edinbough, so plan carefully. And like in London, do you have a place to park the car at night? I think you are stretched very thin on time here. Whether or not you are driving London-Edinburgh or just from the borderlands to there, I agree with the others who say this is a lot of miles to drive for very little time in Scotland. For the two days you have, I would recommend not attempting to go so far north unless you have more time.

Someone also said Ryan airlines has a fligt from Dublin to Edinberg for 16 euros. that is unbelievable. That would save a lot of time. Then maybe drive back to london or use Ryan to fly to London from edinberg. just wanted to see some of the countryside of england, too though.

I would also like to comment on the London-Edinburgh portion of your trip if I might. 1. I think you will be extremely sorry you decided to drive in London unless you are very comfortable driving on the left side of the road while also navigating extremely heavy and fast traffic, combined with one-way streets. I would not even think about driving in London, and I drive in most US cities including LA. I have also driven successfully in the UK, just not in London. Pay for an automatic if this is your first time. 2. As far as driving to Edinburgh, check out the automobile association for routes and times at www.theaa.com. Then go to travel -> route planner. Read about navigating roundabouts before you drive anywhere. They are easy, but you need to know what to do when you encounter the first of the MANY you will go round.
3. For Ireland, go to www.aaireland.ie for driving routes and times. I hope you have a wonderful trip. I do think you will be happier driving less though so you can actually see more of what you have time to see.

4. I forgot to comment on the 16 pound Ryanair fare. Go to their website, and take a reservation through to completion short of giving your credit card information. You will see that the "fare" is only the beginning. By the time you pay for bags and TAX, TAX, TAX it comes out a lot more -- usually still reasonable, but a lot more than the "fare".

Three places I highly recommend are Newgrange outside of Dublin, Kilmainhami Gaol (they are closed one day a week, think Monday) and in Edinburgh Mary King's Close just down from the castle, an underground "city". If you have time before you go, try to see a couple of movies "In the Name of the Father" actually filmed part in the Gaol and lovely Irish movie, Waking Ned Devine, it was a lovely, funny little movie. Enjoy your travels.

All the suggestions are great. I am STRONGLY considering 2 more days. YOU ALL are correct to help confirm my 'suspicions' that I'm rushed. I will look into the flight from Dublin to Edinberg. Part of me just wants to see the country driving into Scotland. We have a bed and breakfast in mind in Keswick England after our stay in London. Then from Keswick to Edinberg. My understanding is that is only 3 hours. or 3.5. We'd leave early and get there by 11 am. stay the night. Leisurly drive back to London . The two extra days would be one in Ireland and one in Scotland. Any feedback?

I would drive to London from Edinburgh, but drop the off out side of London then take the train into London. St. Albans would be a good location to drop it off. It's 22 miles north of London. When driving down to London, take the A roads, this way you can see the country side. M roads are interstates.

Robin, Thank you. I'm really wanting to see Scotland and England countryside besides tourist attractions. I think this suggestion is a great help. Best,

Has anyone actually driven from Edinburgh to the London area as far as scenic route and if it is worth it for two vs. flying Ryan ? Figured the two plane tickets would more than cover gas and rental but would not 'see' Scotland or upper England. I got to wrap up some decisions soon so I book planes correctly and start booking b & b's. Anybody know quaint culturally traditional B & B's in: Dublin, Ring Of K area, Edinburgh, and London? Not to pay more than 75 pounds for twin beds. Thanks again.
Daughter doesn't want the hostel experience. Oh well.

LOST THE BLOG...... re. whoever mentioned Abbott Lodge in Dublin. Can you get back w/ me? Looking for a place reasonable and close to attractions. Also, does anyone feel that a 12 o'clock arrival at hotel, and seeing Trinity College, St. Patricks, a pub, Grafton, St. Stephen's Green, & Temple Bar are possible before driving out in the a.m for part 1 of Ring of K. ?

LOST THE BLOG regarding a type of mapquest to use I thought it began with a "T" Thia, Tia? can't find it on google.