Ireland & Scotland in 10 Days?

Ten days doesn't do Ireland justice. Depending on your interests, you could also spend ten days in Scotland easily. I don't think either Ireland or Scotland can be done well by trains and/or buses. You can see lots of both with public transportation but you will be less efficient in getting to many very good areas that aren't on the main rail lines. This will cost you time which is precious in a ten day trip. Spend a month and it's not as significant. Keep reading the guidebooks and you'll be able to make up your own mind. You've got a year to decide.

Hi Andrew, I spent about 10 days in Ireland last summer. It was just enough to get a taste of the country, and definitely made me want to come back for more. My friend and I traveled using public transportation, and it worked out fine for us. Here's what we did: 1. Dublin - a day in the city + a daytrip to Trim + a daytrip to Newgrange and Tara (with a company) 2. Bus to the Rock of Cashel, spent a few hours there, and then bus to Cork, where we spent the night (really just as a stopping point. I think instead we should have stayed in Cashel, but we didn't know that at the time). We carted our bags up to the Rock of Cashel and they let us leave them by the entrance - not the safest area, but it seemed fine. If we had stayed in Cashel we could have avoided this. 3. Bus to Dingle, 2 nights in Dingle - we did the bikeride around the peninsula, and it was deadly, but the highlight of the trip! 4. Bus to Galway - 2 days in the town (this was too much0 + a daytrip to the Burren and Cliffs of Moher. We should have gone to the Aran Islands, but we were too tired at this point. 5. Bus back to Dublin to the airport. We preffered not to rent a car because we are young, and not really experienced with driving standard, and couldn't stomach the extra cost of an automatic car. The bus was actually kind of nice, because we got to stare out the window without worrying about the road. The car/bus debate kind of depends on where you want to go, I think. With 10 days in Ireland, you won't see it all, but you will see some really cool places.
Have a great trip!

While you will probably want a car for Ireland, Scotland (at least most of it) can be done by rail rather easily. But unless you just want a small taste of each, I'd pick one or the other for a 10 day trip. Here's an itereary for Scotland we've done before: Edinburgh- 2-4 days (I find 1 or 2 to be plenty, but others like more time there) Aviemore- 2-5 days (lLOTS to see and do here- esp. lots of excellent distilleries within train/bus ride range) Inverness- 3-7 days (lots of good day trips here- this is my favorite "base" in Scotland) Glasgow- 1 or 2 days You could add Isle of Skye (or do it as a day trip from Inverness), Oban, Iona, Orkney (again- possible as a LONG day trip from Inverness), Sterling, Pitlockery, etc. as you wish. Additionally, it is easy to add a few days in London (with a stop in York for a day or two if you wish).
We've been to the UK more than 40 times- feel free to pm me.

Thanks everyone. I will follow up as our plans develop. Seems like it's a one or the other scenario right now.

I would suggest venturing beyond Rick's books for Scotland. Rick has some good suggestions, but I think he misses out on some good areas. I would recommend the Footprint Guides if you can find them. Otherwise, the Rough Guide is also good. Also, I like to have a car in Scotland. You don't need one in Edinburgh, but I like to visit the northwest and the islands and you need a car to do that. Pam

We just returned from GB and spent 9 days of our trip in Scotland. We had a car and were quite pleased that we chose that means of travel. If you are going to spent 10 days in both Scotland & Ireland you should probably stay at just a few of the major cities and do day trips. Whatever you devcide, enjoy your time there!

We just returned from GB and spent 9 days of our trip in Scotland. We had a car and were quite pleased that we chose that means of travel. If you are going to spent 10 days in both Scotland & Ireland you should probably stay at just a few of the major cities and do day trips. Whatever you decide, enjoy your time there!