Ireland in 13 days!

We have been to Ireland three times. I would suggest two changes: Stay one more night in Kenmare, giving yourself time to see the Gap of Dunloe, perhaps drive all or part of the Ring or Kerry. Although Kenmare has good shops and restaurants, it is not very big--you can also drive around on day 3 and look at the Beara peninsula. If you have two full nights in Dingle, that gives you a full day to drive around the western edge and spend the evening in Dingle town. Second change: one less night for Dublin. One more night for Galway, giving you time to take a boat to the Aran Islands and enjoy a bit of Connemara. (Lake Nafooey is gorgeous.) Keep in mind that while Ireland's roads are small, the entire island is smaller than the state of Ohio.

I would second Cynthia’s suggestion of adding a day in Galway at the expense of a day in Dublin. We spent three days in Dublin on our first trip to Ireland and I think two would have been more than sufficient (that is unless you were planning on side trips outside of the city). Dublin is interesting, but its really just another big-ish city. I’m not sure if you were planning on visiting the Cliffs of Moher on the trip between Dingle and Galway. If you choose to do this, you will not make it to Galway by the afternoon. The drive is about 4.5 hours, plus the time spent at the cliffs and time waiting for the ferry across the Shannon (no more than 1 hour).

Thanks for the suggestions! We may skip the Clifs or Morr in favor of the Slieve League.

Any other suggestions? Does the pace seem right?

I wouldn't skip the Cliffs of Moher! They have a beautiful new visitor center built into the hill adjacent to the cliffs with an unbeatable view.

I'd go to Cliffs of Moher also. We did go to Slieve League but unless you climb to the top you see a high mountain and the water. When we were last there the book we were following said there was no parking or good road to the top. Well, we parked just inside the gate and walked to the top. There IS a paved road that you can drive and park at the top. You can also do some hiking to the very top of the mountain so you need to plan a lot of time. I think you would like the Cliffs of Moher - if the weather is good. The last time we were it was raining very hard with about 50+ winds..not a nice day. The new Visitor's Center was just in the beginning of construction but looks very appealing to visit.

If you're only planning on driving around the Dingle Peninsula without much hiking/walking, you could cut a day off there and add it some other location.

If you make it to the Antrim coast, be sure to stop at Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge. It's a nice little walk to get to the bridge and it is quite a thrill to cross it.

I would probably shorten Dingle to add time to Galway.

Being from Pheonix, the green will be amazing. I went from Washington state and it didn't have the same effect (just like the Alps are nice but not spectacular if you see the Cascades and Rockies regularly).

I don't think you have enough time for Dublin. It's probably enough time to see the major sites in town but none is left for a daytrip to Newgrange. I like the towns better than Dublin because the real charm of Ireland is the people and Dublin, like cities everywhere, doesn't reflect that charm to the same extent as smaller towns.

A monastic settlement should be seen during your trip. It's such an important part of Ireland's history.

I liked Blarney a lot. It far exceeded my expectations even though it is touristy.

Thanks for the feedback! We are thinking of cutting a day in Kenmare or Dingle to spend another in Galway (or maybe Westport??).

Unfortunatly, can't cut from Dublin as our first night in Dublin we will actually spend the day finishing the Antrim Coast and hopefully stopping by Newgrange en route.

In another post I asked about great towns and got lukewarm reviews about Kilkenny. Thoughts? Would another town make more sense on Day 1? Is Kinsale too far? Is Kinsale worth a stop or are other towns better or as good (we're not foodies, but the town looks especially pretty).

Probably will pass on the Aran Islands in lieu of Skellings (can't do it all!). Has anyone been to the Skellings? We really want to see the Puffins.

I have to disagree with Brad -- the amount of time you have in Dublin is plenty for a day trip to Newgrange, even if you took an escorted tour.

I haven't been to the Skelligs, but my parents have, and they didn't see puffins when they were there. I don't know if it was a seasonal thing or what, but if time is an issue you probably wouldn't want to plan time to see something that wasn't there in the end.

Thanks for all of the advice! We'll be booking our trip in the coming days. Any last words of advice about this itnerary?? (we will give Galway one more day...probably at the expense of Dingle).

Does the pace seem right? Are we missing anything?

You asked about Kinsale. Yes it is a very nice little harbor town and worth a visit. It's a little out of your way. However, I think the only way you could add it to your schedule is to make a one night stay after leaving Kilkenny or skip Kilkenny and stay near Cashel. If you can get going early enough on your day 2 and stop at ROC then hightail it to Kinsale for a quick visit, then continue on to Kenmare. That might work for you if you want to hustle.

Please keep in mind, if you haven't read it before on some of the other postings, it's a whole lot slower driving in Ireland than it is in the states. Driving in Ireland has been a big topic here.

I think this itinerary seems okay. It involves more driving than I would like to do on one trip, but if you can tolerate long drives on slow narrow roads, you'll be fine.

I have not been to the Skelligs, but my understanding is the ferries don't go if the weather isn't good, which is fairly frequently. But you could always explore the Ring of Kerry or Killarney National Park, if you can't do the Skellig trip.

Jessica,

I know I'm late to the party, but I would strongly encourage you NOT to cut a day from Dingle to add to Galway.

Dingle is a perfect small Irish town. The scenery is spectacular. Galway is nice too, but if anything I would take a day from Dublin if you want an extra day in Galway. Both are cities, so you won't be losing any time in the Irish countryside where the magic really is.

It's much more that you'll wish you had an extra day in Dingle than an extra day in Galway or Dublin.

Jessica,

I have to agree with others and cut a day off from Dublin. We spent 3 days there and it was too much. We were able to see and do a lot within 2 days. If it fits into your schedule maybe add on Killarney. We stopped by there on our from Dingle or Kinsale I believe on our way to Kilkenny. It was so beautiful in Killarney that we wished we had more time to explore. If you haven't found a place to stay in Dingle, check out the Milestone House ran by Michael and Barbara. It was the best B&B we stayed at in all of our travels.

Happy Travels