Greece vs. Ireland for first family trip

Ireland, definitely! There is no language barrier, for one thing, and the girls might be able to meet locals. The Irish people are incredibly friendly and helpful if you get lost (which you probably will). There will be lots of things to do that will interest you all, from wonderful scenery to great museums to music to shopping (crafts, crystal, etc.) to food. I've been three times and I am in the very early planning stages for a fourth trip, and I can't wait to get back there!

I have not been to Ireland but one thing I loved about Greece in the summer (I was in the islands) is that you can spend a good part of the day sightseeing and still hit the beach at 3 or 4pm for a few hours. It's hot and light out late and dinner's not served until 8ish so it worked out nicely. I wasn't there with kids but I'd think that schedule would work for families. Just when the kids are getting sick of sightseeing, go hang on the beach!

(There were few places on the islands where you couldn't find people who could speak English. A couple times when you get waaay off the beaten path, but it was infrequent).

Hi there, I have never been to Ireland, but I have traveled all over the world and absolutely love Greece. Most recently, I visited Athens, Crete and Santorini last year for a few weeks. During the summer, you have those beautiful and fantastic beaches, which I am assuming your kids would really enjoy. You also have the added benefit of visiting ancient ruins and learning about history -- a perfect blend of fun and education! We learned just a bit of Greek before we visited, (but most everyone speaks English). Overall, we found the people to be extremely accommodating and incredibly friendly throughout our entire trip. I would 100% recommend Greece for a family. Personally, I can't wait to go back!

My brothers and me were exactly the same age as your kids when we went to Ireland for the first time. And it left a lasting impression - so much so that my brother went back 30 years later with the intend to immigrate. You can find beaches to have fun with the kids but also ancient ruins full of mythology. The weather can be something else though, even in summer. But you don't really get bad weather non-stop. In fact, I've never seen that many rainbows in my life as during that first trip to Ireland.

Greece can be a wonderful family vacation as you can combine beach days with lots of culture. We found the people very friendly there when we entered restaurants and other places with a small child in tow. However, summer in Greece can be extremely hot. May/June would be my preferred time there.

Just curious - why those two countries? I'm sure you could have a very nice family trip in either. But if I was going to pick an ideal destination for a first trip with the family, I can think of several other countries that I think would be better choices. Is there some reason you're only considering these two?

Both would have their benefits. I'd start doing my research -- if you haven't seen Frommer's book, 500 places to take your kids before they grow up, I'd check it out.

What are the kids' interests? Would they be into the history in Greece? There are better beaches there, but it would be much hotter.

With a group that big, you'd pretty much have to rent an apartment or cottage. You may want to start your research there and see what you can find that fits in your budget.

We went to Ireland with our 2 kids and my sister's family with 5 kids this summer. We rented cottages near Doolin so we could be close to a lot of the County Clare sights. It was her family's first trip overseas, so we wanted to take them to the big tourist stuff plus a few out-of-the-way places. I found the cottages we stayed in by searching "self-catering County Clare". We had 2 3BR cottages, cost 400 euros each for the week. There was a family living on-site there with 3 little girls, the kids got together and played each night.

Don't feel that you have to limit yourself to cottages or other self-catering arrangements because you are a family of five. It's perfectly possible to move around to different areas (you don't say how long you plan to travel) with a group that size and stay in B&Bs. On our first trip to Ireland, it was my daughter and I, and my sister and her family of five. We had no problems finding rooms (two or three, depending on the room arrangements) anywhere we wanted to go, even on the fly.