My husband and I are taking our first trip to Ireland. We will arrive mid-July and will sightsee for 14 or 15 days with a car. We are intersted mostly in the scenary and people and will do less of museums, castles and other historical buildings. We first intended to see Northern Ireland as well, but are beginning to think this may be too much to do in a 2 week trip. So now we are instead thinking of flying into Dublin and going home from Shannon or vice-versa, limiting our visit to no further north than Galway on the west side and Dublin on the east side, making kind of a "U" tour of the mostly southern half of Ireland. We would like to stay in picturesque towns if possible and would appreciate any suggestions for an itinary with a preference to stay a couple of days in most places. (Or should we do Northern ireland too?) Thanks very much for any help you can give.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9363 posts
Sara, if you scroll down through the topics here you'll find loads of posts about picturesque towns, and places to see, and B&Bs, and length of time to spend in the various places. Two weeks is plenty of time to do a swing through the south of Ireland, but you need to have an idea of what you want to see before we can help much with an itinerary. Check out some Ireland guidebooks at your library or bookstore to get some ideas, and see what is where. Flying into Dublin or Shannon and out of the other is the best idea to maximize your sightseeing time.
Posted by
OP
San Diego
15 posts
Hi Nancy,
Thanks for the info. I plan to go to Dingle, see the Ring of Kerry, see the Cliffs of Moher, and the Burren area, see Galway and perhaps a couple of days in Dublin. I'm just looking for towns around these areas to stay in. Sara
Posted by
Hendersonvlle, NC
486 posts
Firswt, Rick's book answers just about all your questions including places to stay, itinerary, number of days in each place, etc.
Second, are you limited to the summer? In addition to higher fares and bigger crowds, Europeans have no idea how to make those freezing cold cubes you put in drinks so summer is a bad time. They also either never heard of cooling a room artificially - or if they did, they either charge a lot extra for it or leave it off until the furniture starts to melt. On the other hand, they do know what heat is!
In summer, they charge you lots for "American Cars" - those automatics with A/C. In the off season, you pay for a small stick shift and they often upgrade you for free since the Europeans visiting off season don't want them.
Posted by
Atlanta
1358 posts
We've been there in August, and the temps were running around 70-75 during the day. The locals were complaining about the "heat wave" they were having. So the lack of AC wasn't a problem for us, we're used to 95 degree days in Atlanta in August. With as cloudy as it is there, the weather tends to be as it is in Seattle or Vancouver. But plan for everything, just in case.
Posted by
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
2739 posts
Don't try to do Northern Ireland too, or you will spend your vacation in the car. I think your route idea is good -- you'll see alot and the pace will be reasonable. I would recommend a couple nights in Kinsale on the southern coast and 2 or 3 nights in Dingle town. You might also consider Kenmare in between the two. In the Burren area, I've stayed in Ballyvaughn, which was nice. I can't tell you it's the best place in the area, but it was a good base for the Burren. Many people recommend Doolin on the west coast, but I've never been there.
Posted by
Sacramento
39 posts
Sara -
My advice to you is to look far and wide for recommendations. On our first trip to Ireland we reviewed Rick's book, and many others, including other travel forums.
I found that Rick's book was quite useful for sites to visit, and things to see (along with explanations) - but that was it. Our taste in accommodations differed from his - and I found certain of his choices lacking. Now - everyone travels different - and expect different things - so it's not a crack at Rick.
For example - I think Rick is unfair to Killarney. I actually find Killarney quite nice - and lots of floks in Ireland don't see it as "touristy" as Rick does. Now - my favorite place on the Isle is Dingle, and I didn't really care much for Dublin - so consider that as well.
For lodging, and I hope I don't hang for this, I found tripadvisor much more useful. You're able to see lots of reviews from regular travels and see which reviews suit your tastes.
When we went to Ireland - we had only made reservations our first two nights near Dublin, based on Rick's recommendations, and traveled on the fly from there - not making reservations until we got into town (we traveled in March). For our first couple of stops, we checked the places recommended in Rick's book, and a few at the top of the T/A list. Every time - we found the T/A choices better matched our expectations.
I think the east of Ireland is markedly different than the west. We're going again this year and will stay in the west. There are many places to visit in the west and southwest that may suit your needs/tastes - so I'd suggest you explore a bit. You could spend weeks just getting from the Shannon / Burren area down to Kinsale and never get bored.
The biggest hurdle to clear is to determine your own expectations and then try to plan from there. Remember - every guide book you read comes from the writer's perspective . . .
Sláinte!
Posted by
Sacramento
39 posts
Ugh - my spelling was horrible - sorry.
Posted by
OP
San Diego
15 posts
Thanks for the info, Dan. I will take you up on your suggestions, particularly regarding lodging. I definitely plan to go to Dingle and Kinsale and am deciding about the rest. Unfortunately, we can only go during the busier tourist season of mid-July, but will probably make reservations on the fly (with the exception of the first night) so we can be flexible in our travels. Sara