I just bought roundtrip tickets to Dublin for the last week of April a few minutes ago. We discussed going to Ireland - someday - but we just got back from Europe in January and didn't plan to go back until late next year to Italy. I found a great deal on the airfare, so I just went for it. I can't believe I actually did it. I haven't had time to check out any guidebooks yet. I will have to go to the bookstore tomorrow. So, we have 7 nights. I was thinking of 3 nights in Dublin, then getting a car and going to Dingle. We can drive back to Dublin and stay by the airport the last night. I checked to see if I could do open jaw or fly into Shannon, but was not able to do it and get the great deal. I know it's a long drive by some peoples standards, but it would give us a chance to see the countryside. Is it best to get the car in Dublin, or take a train or bus to Kerry to rent the car, or??? Any other suggestions for things to see and do in such a limited time? As for a more practical question, do they use the continental adaptor, a British adaptor, or something else? Whew...I've got some homework to do! Thanks for any suggestions.
Posted by
Edmonton, AB, Canada
668 posts
Andrea:
It is a long drive to DIngle, but not unreasonable if you are not doing it the day you arrive. They use the British adaptors - big three rectangular pin plugs.
Posted by
OP
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
10218 posts
Great. No, we wouldn't do it the day we arrive. Is 3 nights enough/too much/just right for Dublin? We arrive on a Friday morning and leave the following Friday morning. I was thinking of spending the weekend in Dublin, then leaving Monday morning and heading for Dingle. Is it about a 5 hour drive? If so, that's not a big deal. I wonder if it would be better to train or bus to Dingle, then rent the car there? It would be nice to have the freedom to stop in interesting looking places.
Also, thanks for the info about the adaptor. I figured it was the British adaptor, but wanted to confirm.
Posted by
wichita, kansas
484 posts
Ryan Air flies from Dublin to Kerry and with your short amount of time would save you several hours driving time,although the weight limit on luggage could be a problem.
I would spend Friday and Sat. nights in Dublin. You could at least do the hop-on hop-off bus,see a few other sights and be over your jet lag by the time you are ready to drive to Dingle if you do decide to drive.
Tralee is the closest you can get to Dingle by taking the train.
Posted by
New York, NY
319 posts
Andrea,
If you do choose to drive, I would leave on Sunday and plan to spend the night somewhere along the way. Good options would be Kilkenny (well preserved medieval town) or Cashel (you can visit the Rock of Cashel, which is amazing and looks fantastic lit up at night).
This will allow you to stop as many times as you want along the way without worrying about making it all the way to Dingle. It's quite a long drive (add 25-50% to standard driving times, esp. if you stop a lot along the way) and you don't want to be driving Ireland's famously narrow roads in the dark.
This will allow you to spend two full days in Dingle before heading back on Thursday. Dingle is a great town and deserves this amount of time.
Posted by
OP
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
10218 posts
Michael, your suggestions were just what I was thinking. Since we had no option for this deal other than to fly into and out of Dublin, we should at least spend a couple of days. If we leave Sunday we would have that day through Thursday to see more of Ireland. We could just arrive back in Dublin Thursday night and stay near the airport for our Friday morning flight. It's a weird thing, but I don't usually experience jet lag when I get to Europe. Probably part of if is the excitement of being there. Going home is another story... :( Thank you all for your suggestions.