Hello. My husband and I plan on flying to Ireland, then renting a car at Shannon Airport, touring Ireland for about 13 days. We then want to visit Scotland for about 7 days. Do we ditch the rental back at Shannon or drive to Scotland (via ferry from Northern Ireland)and rent another car in Scotland? Then should we fly out of Scotland instead of returning to Shannon Airport? This is a sudden trip because my husband is ill and this is his dream trip as he is of Scotch-Irish heritage. Thank you, Kay
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
I'm pretty sure that you're going to want to get two cars. What you might want to do is fly from Dublin to Edinburgh. Spend a couple of days there carless, and then get your car to explore the Highlands or Borders for the balance of your time. I would look into open jaw. You fly out of either Edinburgh or Glasgow. Taking a car from Shannon to Scotland is taking to a second country which can result in pricey fees. Pam
Posted by
Chicago
2876 posts
Don't plan to take the car to Scotland; rent a second one there. If you're planning to end up in Northern Ireland, make sure your car rental agency permits drop-offs there. Some do, some don't. You'll also incur an extra drop-off fee for returning the car in another country. That said, you can easily fly from Belfast to Scotland. But I agree with Pamela that probably the best plan would be to return the car in Dublin & fly to Edinburgh or Glasgow from there. No need to backtrack to Shannon.