3 of us are planning flight to Dublin June 30, rent car, head to Glendalough, hike a while & go to Cashel to spend the night. Feasible with jet lag? We wanted to be early to see the Rock & then head to Dingle 3 nites, drive to Shannon 2 nite for a wedding. 3 nites Ballyvaughan, & then either drop our rental in Galway & take the train, or drive back to Dublin for 3 nites. Are the rental agencies near the train station in Galway? I couldn't where Avis was. We enjoy the train & thought it might ease some of the driving anxiety. Thoughts?
Posted by
wichita, kansas
484 posts
Unless you are affected very little by jet lag going to Glendalough, hiking, and then driving on to Cashel is too much. I would opt to spend your first night in the Glendalough area.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
Your itinerary sounds fine to me. Hiking the first day is a great idea, since being out in the sun and the air is the best way to keep going that first day I'm not really sure why you would want three nights in Ballyvaughan, though, unless it's just a base for other explorations. There isn't much there in town. It might be good to drop the car in Galway and take the train, though by that time driving anxiety shouldn't be a factor - you will already have been driving for over a week. But you certainly don't need or want a car in Dublin. Traffic is bad, parking is scarce and expensive, and the city center is very compact and walkable.
Posted by
OP
St. Louis, MO, USA
13 posts
Thanks for your reply. Yes, we are using Ballyvaughan as a base for Aran Islands and the Burren. I thought Rushdeen Lodge sounded like a nice place to stay away from crowds. Maybe visit galway in the evening
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
From the airport, Glendalough is maybe a 90 minute drive, and Cashel is a couple of hours on from there. Assuming your flight gets in at 9:00-ish, you can be at Glendalough by noon or so. Hike a couple of hours, see the little museum, drive on to Cashel, have dinner and stay up as late as you can. Then on day 2 you should be good to go.
Posted by
washington, DC
27 posts
If it costs extra to drop the car in Galway, I suggest you drive it back to the Dublin airport, turn it in where you rented it, and then take bus into Dublin. You don't need/want a car in Dublin and you pretty much go right by the airport on your way from Galway to Dublin. The galway/Dublin drive is also an easy one.