Just curious if this itinerary is doable, if I should plan more time at some places and less at others. I'm planning to stick to the Republic and not venture into Northern Ireland. Plan is to spend 3 days in Dublin, then on day 4 drive thru the wicklow mtns, hiking around glendalough and driving thru kilkenny/rock of cashel and end up in Cobh that night. Day 5: exploring Cobh/Kinsale. Day 6: drive to Kenmare via Beara peninsula. Day 7: Kenmare/Killarney Ntl Park (hiking). Day 8: Ring of Kerry, ending up in Dingle. Day 9: Dingle/rest day Day 10: Dingle Peninsula.
Day 11: leave Dingle, travel the ferry and drive along the cliffs of Moher/Burren, end up in Galway. Day 12: Galway. Day 13: Connemara drive/hike; stay in Galway. Day 14: drive from Galway back to Dublin. Day 15: fly home.
Posted by
Phoenix, AZ, USA
1035 posts
Looks reasonable. Day 4 could be a long day depending upon how much time you spend hiking. Do-able all the same.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9369 posts
I agree, day 4 looks like a long day. Day 11 could be long, too. You'll want to stop at the Cliffs and see their beautiful new visitor center, not just drive by (you can't actually see the cliffs from the road). Have some alternate plans in mind in case you find the driving times too long or you want to stop somewhere along the way. On our first trip to Ireland we ended up skipping two long-planned destinations because we simply ran out of time. Be flexible and most of all, have fun!
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
10559 posts
We did your Day 11 with no problem. We didn't leave Dingle until after 10 a.m. It might have been as late as 11 a.m. We arrived in Galway with plenty of time to locate a place to stay and then walk to find a place for dinner. We stopped at the Cliffs of Moher, but didn't spend any time in the Burren.
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1850 posts
The countryside is what makes Ireland special. I would suggest giving Dublin one full day, adding the extra time to Beara or Connemara.
Posted by
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
2758 posts
I like your itinerary, Buffy. I agree that day 4 seems awfully long. I would skip Kilkenny. It's a nice town, but no nicer than others you will be seeing. Day 11 should work, but your time in the Burren will be limited, which is not a big problem.
Sounds like a great trip!
Posted by
Green Bay, WI, USA
21 posts
Parts of your itinerary sound very similar to what we're planning on doing in October, however, we're only spending 1 day in Dublin. Let me know how it goes! :)
Posted by
Phoenix, AZ, USA
1035 posts
You might even consider a Dublin sandwich with a single day at the front and a single day at the end...
Posted by
Santa Clara, CA
252 posts
Day 4 is too much, day 11 is long but doable with an early start. I left Dingle around 9am and got to Galway around 5pm. I didn't spend very much time at the Cliffs but explored the Burren quite a bit. If you save Dublin for the end of your trip, you can add in an overnight to break up day 4. You'll lose about a half day of Dublin sight-seeing, but I think the compromise is worth it.
Overnights in...
1) Kilkenny, 2)Cobh, 3)Cobh, 4)Kenmare, 5)Kenmare, 6)Dingle, 7)Dingle, 8)Dingle, 9)Galway, 10)Galway, 11)Galway, 12)Dublin, 13)Dublin, 14)Dublin, 15)Fly home
Logistically, Cashel is a good stopover point but the town itself is dull and depressing. Kilkenny would be a more picturesque first night in Ireland. Personally, I would choose Kinsale over Cobh to sleep in, but others may disagree.
Posted by
Poulsbo, WA, USA
147 posts
I would do one day and night in Dublin. Drive through Sally Gap, hike around Glendalough, then drive to and stay the night in Kilkenny. Shop Kilkenny, stay another night and do the pub/music scene. Go to the Rock the next morning, take the tour, have lunch, and head to Cobh/Kinsale. Dinner in Kinsale, stay overnight. Take the walking tour of Kinsale, have lunch and Dinner there, stay over night, do the pub/music thing, and head to Kenmare etc. in the am. Dingle is two days. Cliffs are a couple hours then head to Galway.
Seems to me there are a day or two to make some unplanned stops in towns not on the beaten path.
filoli.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9369 posts
Just a note: depending on the dates of your stay you might be limited on how much music you'll find on any given day. During the shoulder- and off-seasons pub sessions are limited to weekends in all but the larger cities.
Posted by
OP
Yakima, WA
47 posts
Thank you all for the advice. I had originally planned to split Dublin with 2 days on the front and one on the back. But I have a long lost friend meeting me from Norway for the 3 days of Dublin, so that's set.
Day 4 I've pondered several ways. I guess my next question would be does anyone know how long it takes to drive from Kilkenny to Cobh? I had thought that if I was running out of time, I could drive straight to Cobh and backtrack on day five or six to go to Rock of Cashel. I'm trying to stay in the B&Bs at least 2 nights and not stay an any one place one night only. But if the backtrack from Cobh to Kilkenny is several hours or more, then I might just do night 4 in Kilkenny and night 5 in Cobh.
Posted by
New York, NY
319 posts
Kilkenny-Cobh is going to take about 2.5-3 hours. Cashel is on the way, about 1.5 hours from Cobh.
Doubling back is not a bad option. My wife and I stayed in Kinsale, which is further from Cashel than Cobh, and we did Cashel as a day trip. You could also do your wicklow drive/glendalough hike as a day trip during one of your Dublin days so that you can head straight to cobh with a stop in Cashel on Day 4.