My husband and I are planning 2 weeks in Ireland the end of September. We are trying to decide if we should do a self guided walk around the Dingle pennsula or do day hikes from Dingle. Also what to include the second week, The Burren, maybe base ourselves in Doolin? Aran Islands? Galway? We want to limit ourselves to a fairly small area and stay in one place 3+days. Also any feedback on Hostel vs B&B? We are fit 60 year olds.
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1818 posts
For your second week, I would suggest staying somewhere near Galway. Assuming you will have a car, from that area you can easily access Connemara, the ferry to Inishmore (largest Aran island), the Burren, several castles and ruined abbeys in County Clare. There's probably more...
Posted by
Pearland, Texas, USA
441 posts
My two favorite towns in Ireland are Dingle and Killarny. There's lots to do in either place but I've always taken a "tour" around the Dingle peninsula. The last time it was the driver, my wife and me. Killarny has the Killarny National Forest with some of the most beautiful scenery you can imagine, Muckross House, Ross Castle and Torc waterfall. I prefer B&Bs because you get to meet some locals, most hostels have travelers from other places but still vacationers.
Posted by
Atlanta
1357 posts
We based ourselves for a week in Doolin last year, which had the benefit of being close to a lot of things -- Cliffs of Moher, Burren, ferries to Aran Islands -- and accomodations were cheap. The downside is that the town is small, just a few shops and pubs, but it's easy to get around. If you wanted to base yourself in Galway, you could stop and see the Cliffs on your way there.
Posted by
Grass Valley, California
506 posts
When we were in Ireland in May, we stayed in Galway and we did have a car, but we took a bus tour through the Connamara region. My husband needed a day off from driving and we really enjoyed all the information that the tour provided. When we went to Dingle, we followed Ricks guide of the area from the Ireland 2010 book and it was very easy to follow and plenty to do for the day. Seemed like we followed a lot of cars doing the same thing. We stopped at the Cliffs on the way from Galway to Dingle, that was our longest day on the road. And did catch the ferry (so sorry I can't rememeber the name) that cut off about two hours of driving time on the way to Dingle Pennisula.
Posted by
OP
Evergreen, CO, United States
5 posts
Thanks for your help! So far we have added Killarney and Galway to our list of places to see.