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Ireland/England

Posted by (Clovis, CA, USA) on

My son and I are planning on going to Ireland and England next summer, before meeting my wife and daughter in Paris.

In Ireland, I'm thinking of going to the Dingle Peninsula and seeing the Gaeltacht. Our focus in Ireland will be just the southwest part of the country.

In England, I know that my son, who will be 10, will enjoy London and Warwick.

1) Given the places we want to go, how much time should we allow in each country?

2) I'm confident that in England, we will get around just fine on the Tube and on Britrail. But for Ireland, should I rent a car?

3A) Should we fly to Ireland, then continue on to England and then take the Chunnel from London to Paris? If so, what's the best way to get from Shannon, Ireland, to London?

3B) Or should we fly to London, then go to Warwick and Ireland, and then take the ferry from Ireland to France? Does the ferry to France leave from Shannon, or is there bus/rail service available from Shannon to the ferry departure point?

Posted by
1854 posts

I would suggest flying to Ireland where you definitely need a car. You can fly from Shannon, Cork, or Dublin to London.

Do you want to see more of England than just Warwick and London? If so, rent a car at Heathrow and head west for Stonehenge, Wells, Warwick, other sites in that area. Then, return the car to Heathrow, tour London, take the Eurostar to Paris.

How much time I can't answer unless you say how much time is available. I'd happily stay a month...

The ferry from Ireland to France would be very inconvenient for getting to Paris. It docks in Brittany, I think. And not all ferries take foot passengers anymore.

Posted by
3428 posts

The time greatly depends on how much you have available. Ireland could take a few days to weeks- same for London and the UK (if you want to do more than London and Warwick, I'd aim for at least 7-10 days there)and I am sure the Paris fans will say the same. If you try to do this in less than 2-3 weeks you'll spend too much of your trip moving from place to place and not enough enjoying the destinations.

Posted by
72 posts

I entered Ireland from germany by air on my last trip. I flew into the small kerry airport in west Ireland and caught a bus to tralee where you can get a bus to dingle. I spent two days in dingle and saw the peninsula by bike (30 mile ride which feels much longer - i wouldn;t recommend this for a 10 year old) but i could have spent an extra day in dingle just walking and exploring. I flew from kerry to Dublin, spent two days in dublin and then flew to London. These flights are pretty cheap if you book in advance. My flight from dublin to london was about $30. the chunnel is easy and very convenient. I highly recommend it.

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