Our original itinerary had us staying in Dingle for the 24th and 25th of December. I have heard from several B&Bs in Ireland that the peninsula basically closes down. So now we're at a point where we need some help. This means we will probably have to rearrange our entire itinerary. Original plan: 21Dec: arrive in Dublin, head to Kilkenny 22: Kenmare 23: Kenmare 24: Dingle 25: Dingle 26: Galway 27: Belfast 28: Dublin 29: Dublin
30: fly out to Paris Should we head south as planned and then skip Dingle and spend Christmas in Galway? Bigger cities would probably allow for a restaurant or a hotel to be open, yes? Does anyone know where would be a good place to spend Christmas? We would love to get some feedback. The guidebooks don't really address this....
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
Yes, a larger town will give you a better chance at finding something open, and if locals tell you that things shut down, they shut down. It's Christmas for them, too, and they like their holiday off just like we do. Guidebooks don't address that because most of them are geared toward summer travel. A Michelin Green Guide might give you some idea of what might be open - there is a listing in the back of the book that addresses things that have seasonal hours. Unfortunately, many B&Bs are family-run and might be more likely to be closed, so you might have to take a hotel instead.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
530 posts
As gorgeous as Dingle (and the surrounding area) is, if you're looking for something with a bit more variety and certainty, you might skip Dingle and add a night in either Killarney or Ennis, and then Christmas in Galway. Personally, I think your current itinerary is too aggressive unless you REALLY like spending time in the car. Changes along the lines I've suggested will give you a bit more time to enjoy your trip.
Posted by
San Clemente, Ca.
408 posts
Jennie, My family and I went to Ireland last year for Christmas and New Years. We started in Cork a few days prior to Christmas. We traveled to Killarney on Christmas Day for a one week stay. I had bought groceries in Cork and took them with me to Killarney. There were some restaurants open for Christmas but they were over 100 Euro PP so we were staying in a small condo so we had cooking facilities. I bought enough food for three days. We met another family also traveling and they had a hard time finding restaurants open during the holidays. We kept running into this family all over Ireland, small world. I loved Dingle and would try to get there. We spent one night at Heatons guest house for our daughters 26th birthday and loved it! If you have any other questions you can private message me and I will give you my feedback. This is what we did: Dec 22- Cork Dec 25- Killarney Dec29- Dingle for one night Dec 30-Killarney Dec 31- Dublin Jan3-Emyville for one night (Family) Jan4-Dublin Jan6-Cork
You could spend Christmas in Killarney and then head to Dingle a few days later. Dec.26th is also a holiday in Ireland.
Posted by
San Clemente, Ca.
408 posts
Jennie, My family and I went to Ireland last year for Christmas and New Years. We started in Cork a few days prior to Christmas. We traveled to Killarney on Christmas Day for a one week stay. I had bought groceries in Cork and took them with me to Killarney. There were some restaurants open for Christmas but they were over 100 Euro PP so we were staying in a small condo so we had cooking facilities. I bought enough food for three days. We met another family also traveling and they had a hard time finding restaurants open during the holidays. We kept running into this family all over Ireland, small world. I loved Dingle and would try to get there. We spent one night at Heatons guest house for our daughters 26th birthday and loved it! If you have any other questions you can private message me and I will give you my feedback. This is what we did: Dec 22- Cork Dec 25- Killarney Dec29- Dingle for one night Dec 30-Killarney Dec 31- Dublin Jan3-Emyville for one night (Family) Jan4-Dublin Jan6-Cork
You could spend Christmas in Killarney and then head to Dingle a few days later. Dec.26th is also a holiday in Ireland.
Posted by
San Clemente, Ca.
408 posts
Jennie, My family and I went to Ireland last year for Christmas and New Years. We started in Cork a few days prior to Christmas. We traveled to Killarney on Christmas Day for a one week stay. I had bought groceries in Cork and took them with me to Killarney. There were some restaurants open for Christmas but they were over 100 Euro PP so we were staying in a small condo so we had cooking facilities. I bought enough food for three days. We met another family also traveling and they had a hard time finding restaurants open during the holidays. We kept running into this family all over Ireland, small world. I loved Dingle and would try to get there. We spent one night at Heatons guest house for our daughters 26th birthday and loved it! If you have any other questions you can private message me and I will give you my feedback. This is what we did: Dec 22- Cork Dec 25- Killarney Dec29- Dingle for one night Dec 30-Killarney Dec 31- Dublin Jan3-Emyville for one night (Family) Jan4-Dublin Jan6-Cork
You could spend Christmas in Killarney and then head to Dingle a few days later. Dec.26th is also a holiday in Ireland.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
530 posts
Jennie, I think Darla is really sure she has the answer. Why else post three (3!) times? ;>)
Posted by
Wadebridge
37 posts
Most people do want time off at Christmas. What do you want for Christmas? Places that serve Christmas dinner are usually expensive - staff want to be paid time and a half at least to work Christmas Day. Self catering properties tend to have a mini peak season over Christmas, people like to go away, meet up with family and do the traditional Christmas dinner. I would suggest you go to a midnight mass church service. Also most "local;" pubs open for an hour christmas day and everyone will be in good spirits. Lots of Irish people are going home for christmas, usually from Uk elsewhere and all the transport routes can be very busy.