TWO WEEKS IN IRELAND

Your question is too broad to be answered easily until you narrow it down a bit. You might want to look at the itinerary of the Rick Steves Ireland tour (or other tours) to see how they would pace a two-week trip. That would also give you an idea of what they consider the "must sees". You might also use the Search box at the top of this page or scroll down through some prior listings to see what others have planned (there has been a lot of discussion about Ireland itineraries recently).

Go to your public library and read some Ireland guidebooks. Then go to a major bookseller and buy the latest edition of a guidebook or two that best match your interests and travel style. I recommend the Rick Steves Ireland guidebook and the Lonely Planet Ireland guidebook. If you buy just one of those, make it the LP guidebook. It's more thorough than Rick's book. Then come back to the Helpline and you'll be able to ask specific questions based on what you've read.

If you want to see both Dublin and the Southwest, fly open jaw (home-Dublin and Shannon-home--or vice versa) so you don't have to backtrack across the country.

Sharon,

My wife and I took a similar trip in May. We started in Dublin, then rented a car and drove throughout the country.

Here's our itinerary:

Night 1: Dublin. Remember that you'll lose a 1/2 day at the least flying over.

Nights 2-4: Dublin. We stayed in Dun Laoghaire, which is a beautiful suburb south of the city.

Night 5: Waterford. Sites: Waterford Crystal, Dunbrody Famine Ship.

Nights 6-7: Kinsale. Sites: Jameson whiskey tour (Midleton), Rock of Cashel, Cobh.

Night 8: Kenmare. Stopover before driving Ring of Kerry the next day. Sites: Killarney National Park, Muckross House, Muckross Traditional Farms, Ring of Kerry.

Night 9-10: Dingle. Sites: Slea Head Peninsula Drive, trad music and old school pubs.

Night 11: Kilrush. Stopover on way to Galway. Sites: Kerry County museum in Tralee.

Nights 12-13: Galway. Sites: Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, Aran Islands.

Night 14: Fly home. We drove back to Dublin and flew from there, as it was cheaper that way. But if you can swing it, it is definitely easier and more relaxing to fly home from Shannon.

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask if you have any questions.

Enjoy your trip!

Thanks! Very helpful.

We didn't fly into Dublin so can't help there -- but this was our itinerary:

Day 1 flew into Shannon, drove to Cashel- Rock of Cashel, Stayed Cashel.

Day 2 day trip to Kilkenny & Cahir ( castles at both), stayed again in Cashel

Day 3 drove over "Vee" road to Lismore, Middleton, Cobh, Blarney Castle, Stayed in Kinsale

Day 4 Kinsale again

Day 5 Drove along coast - Drombeg circle, Bantry, Kenmare, Killarney for Riverdance, back to stay in Kenmare

Day 6 Boat trip to Skellig Michael, stayed Kenmare again

Day 7 Kissane sheep farm, shopping in Kenmare, Stayed in Kenmare again

Day 8 Some Killarney Natl Park stuff, on to Dingle. Stayed in Dingle

Day 9 Drove Slea Head, Eco boat tour around Blaskets. Stayed in Dingle again

Day 10 Drove to Doolin by way of Tarbert/Kilmer ferry. Cliffs of Moher, Stayed in Doolin

Day 11 Pitch and Putt golf in Doolin, Burren sites, Stayed in Galway

Day 12 Quin Abbey, Ennis, Bunratty, Stayed in Bunratty

Day 13 Flew home from Shannon

A previous poster suggested reading some travel books to get some ideas of what YOU want to see. This is good advice. I also read and printed PAGES off this website and then highlighted info I wanted to remember. Also check out Tripadvisor.com and the Ireland Forum. Between all these, you will get plenty of ideas and a wealth of info. Have fun!

The suggested itineraries are excellent, but please be aware that they involve a lot of driving, which you said you wanted to avoid. (Driving in Ireland is slow and generally stressful due to the narrow roads.) If you want to limit driving, I would skip Dublin (which was our least favorite place in Ireland) and concentrate on the southwest and west part of Ireland where there is so much to see. Dingle is a great place to settle in for a time. Somewhere near the Burren and Cliffs of Moher would also be a good place to stay a while. Consider an overnight visit to the Aran Islands, which you can do from Galway or Doolin.

Dublin is good for day one and day two. After that head south. A shorter itinerary is a good idea. 2 days here 2 days there. Dingle is great, Kilkenny is very traditional and lots of fun shopping and pubbing, Kinsale is very nice too. Being from the NW, I'm not overly impressed with cliffs and such, although the Sally Gap in full bloom with purple heather and white sheep was very nice- but really enjoyed the monastic ruins like Cashel and Glendalough. Just about every small town has an old church and castle. Waterford didn't impress although Dunmore East was a nice hideway.

I really feel Ireland is to be done every other year until you've seen it all. We're due.

Sharon,
There is a lot to see in Dublin. I love traveling to the west, but if you like museums, etc., there is much to see in Dublin. All of the paintings are at the Hugh Lane, first time since 1917(google Hugh Lane), there are Rembrandt prints on display at the Chester Beatty at Dublin Castle, just seeing at the gold and bog bodies at the National Museum is worth the time. Irish history sites such as Kilmainham Gaol, the GPO, Glasnevin Cemetery are fascinating, as the Writer's museum. Don't skimp on Dublin, you will miss a lot.

Sharon,

As someone else mentioned, you might have a look at the 14-day RS Ireland tour. It covers most of the "highlights" of Ireland, and I found it so much more rewarding to have Guides explaining the significance of each of the historical sites, Museums, etc.

Again, as mentioned, driving in Ireland can be stressful (for a variety of reasons). While many choose to drive there, I felt that I enjoyed the trip far more by letting someone else do the driving (I drove in England just prior to my Ireland tour, so I am used to driving on the "correct" side of the road).

If you arrive in Dublin a few days prior to a tour, you'll have an opportunity to see those places that aren't provided in the walking tours. I found Kilmainham Gaol to be a very interesting historical site.

Cheers!

Went to Ireland in May for the first time...fell in love with the country and the people..........

Dublin is great and RSTEVES sugggested a little side trip to the coastal village of Howth....easy to walk around....you can get there and back on the city bus ...................which gives you a flavor of the city...........

The Ring of Kerry and Dingle Pennisula...beauty and charm......the village of ADARE is quite scenic.....

We rented a house in County Limerick and truly enjoyed our drives............