Solo in Ireland (May 2025)—My Trip Report

DUBLIN—4 nights

Arriving in Dublin, I took a taxi to my fist hotel—Stauntons on the Green.

https://www.stauntonsonthegreen.ie/

As my flight arrived at 5am I did reserve the hotel for an extra night so I could check in right away. This was a great hotel with a great location, right across from St. Stephen’s Green.

Since I arrived so early, I was able to walk all over Dublin that first day. I saw Dublin castle, Stephen’s Green, Ha’ Penny Bridge, Temple Bar, Trinity College, National Gallery, and some favorites from the UK Marks and Spencer for a cheese scone and Pret for a sandwich. I walked over 20,000 steps this first day! Dublin is very walkable.

The next day I had reservations for the Book of Kells Experience.

https://www.visittrinity.ie/book-of-kells-experience/

I have an English degree and have a love of books and libraires. So, I enjoyed seeing the library even though most of the books have been removed for restoration. I did think they let in too many people at one time for the Book of Kells Experience. It was a little too crowded for my liking.

Later that day, I took the DART out to Howth, pronounced “hoat” rhymes with boat. I purchased my Leap card upon arrival at the airport. There was a Spar grocery store near baggage claim that was open super early and they have them for purchase. Just tell them how much money you want to put on the card, and they will load the amount for you. I did £40. Then you just use this card to tap and pay for the public transportation in Dublin. Super easy.

https://about.leapcard.ie/dublin

I used the city mapper app to look up times as that had worked well for me in Lisbon and London last year. I used the Pearse DART station as that was an easy walk from my hotel.

Howth was fabulous and my second favorite place on the trip. I loved it so much. I’m learning that I really love these coastal towns. I ended up taking a spur of the moment boat trip. There were multiple operators along the pier. I found the one with the biggest boat, as I’m not a huge fan of boats, and was able to get a ticket at the last minute. Sure, we always have room for one more they said.

The next day I took the DART to Malahide to see the castle and that evening I had a Star Wars concert for “May the 4th be with you” day at St. Patrick’s cathedral. I’m not a huge star wars fan, but I thought it would be a great way to see the cathedral and hear the pipe organ. And it was. I was a little disappointed that no one showed up in costume though.

The next day I went back to Howth for the cliff walk. The DART was not operating south of Dublin May 3-5 due to engineering work, so my day trip options were limited to north of Dublin. Not a problem as I was more than happy to return to Howth.

GALWAY—3 nights

The next day, I took the train to Galway. I ended up taking a taxi from my hotel to the Heuston train station. It just seemed easier with luggage.

I stayed at the Skeffington Arms Hotel.

https://www.skeffington.ie/?utm_source=mybusiness&utm_medium=organic

I picked this hotel for the location as it was within walking distance from the train station and my meeting point for my day trips. It is in the center of town and does host live music until 2am so it’s realistic to expect a little noise. It was nothing that bothered me.

I didn’t love Galway, but I chose it for the location for day trips, which did not disappoint. There are the two that I took:

https://galwaytourcompany.com/tours/cliffs-of-moher-the-burren/

https://galwaytourcompany.com/tours/connemara-cong-kylemore-abbey/

I wasn’t sure what to expect with the larger tour buses. They hold up to 61 people. We had 40-some for both tours. I really thought it was not much different from the smaller Rabbie’s tours I had taken in Scotland with 16 people. Sure, it took a little longer to unload people, but once everyone is off, everyone spreads out to do their own thing. So, I was pleasantly surprised and would not hesitate to book a larger tour in the future.

DUBLIN—3 NIGHTS

I took the train back to Dublin. My one complaint about this train route is there are no first-class seats. I really missed having the row of single seats that often come in first class. In second class, I always feel like people are too close to my space on the double seats. Keep your elbows to yourself please!

For this part of my trip, I had switched hotels to the Buswells, as it was cheaper and closer to the pickup point for a tour I would be doing in a few days.

https://www.buswells.ie/en/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=Knowledge_Graph

The hotel was nicer than I was expecting—very clean room and a friendly staff. It has new owners as of November 2024. So, anyone checking reviews, make sure to check the more recent ones. My one complaint is their key policy. You are not allowed to leave the hotel with the key. So, it’s a stop at reception each time you leave and return. A minor inconvenience, but an inconvenience just the same. It’s certainly not done for safety reasons as was no real check on what keys they were handing out. One time I said I had changed hotels a few times and couldn’t remember if I was room 401 or 402. Well, the guy handed me both keys. Thanks buddy!

From here, I did a day tour of Northern Ireland.

https://wildrovertours.com/activity/giants-causeway-belfast-city-carrick-a-rede-rope-bridge/

This was a late addition because I just wasn’t sure about the driving time. It is a long day, departing at 7am and returning at 8pm. But wow, am I glad I took this tour. Northern Ireland is beautiful!!!! I’m so glad I didn’t miss it. It did not seem long at all.

The next day I took the DART to Dalkey and walked to Killiney. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I thought Dalkey was a dud. Compared to Howth, I was not impressed. There was a spot check on the DART, making sure everyone either had a ticket or had used their leap card. Not all stations have gates and you instead have to find a pole to tap your leap card.

Dingle—2 nights

Next, it was off to dingle for a 2-night stay at the Dingle Bay Hotel.

https://www.dinglebayhotel.com/

A great location steps from the harbor, but my room, especially the carpeting, was in desperate need of updating.

How did I get to Dingle? Well, I took my first ever multiday tour. This was a 3-day tour with Rabbie’s.

https://www.rabbies.com/en-gb/tour/wild-coast-dingle-peninsula-and-slea-head-1-day-tour-from-killarney

I feel in love with Dingle and wished we had more time there. And turns out, the tour experience was better than expected. It took me about half a day to switch over from my solo travel mindset to one of, ok, I’m going to be with these people for 3 days. There was 10 of us and it couldn’t have been a nicer group of people. It was 4 single ladies (me, one from Canada, and two from England) and 3 couples (two from the US and one from Canada). I was surprised at how easily I was able to adapt to what I called this social experiment. I even missed everyone after the tour was over as I had gotten used to my bus friends. Although, I did run into a few of them in Dublin the next day. That being said, there were definitely some negatives for me with this type of tour. The most challenging for me was having to wait on people. For example, we’re supposed to return to the bus at 2pm and not everyone is there yet. So, you have to stand around and wait. And there was no escaping the tour guide. He was a very nice older man, but man did he like to talk. There were a few times we were standing outside the bus waiting for him to finish his story. And he pretty much talked the entire time we were on the bus, from morning until evening. It got to be a little much for me.

DUBLIN—2 nights

After the tour, I returned to Dublin for 2 more nights before my flight home. I had become a little obsessed with the colorful Georgian doors of Dublin and had a few more neighborhoods to check out to get more pictures. My total is 334 doors.

WEATHER: I could not have asked for better weather. I felt like I was in a dream the entire trip. Does it rain in Ireland? Nope, not on my trip. Sunny skies nearly the entire trip. I came home with a suntan. From Ireland!! It never occurred to me to bring my sunhat or sunscreen. I know I was extremally lucky as everyone kept saying how unusual it was to have no rain.

IRISH PEOPLE: I found Ireland to be a very chatty country. :-) Everyone was so nice and very friendly. And this is a country that appreciates tourists. I heard numerous times “Thank-you for visiting and I hope you’ll be back.”

SOLO TRAVEL: Ireland is a great country for solo travel. Dublin is very walkable and easy to get around. I will say I was a little uncomfortable walking in a few areas north of the River Liffey, but not unsafe. And there were many solo travelers on both my multi-day and day tours.

Carrie, great Trip Report, and as always, and completed much quicker than mine will be. So glad all went well!
PS.
Lover your pictures!

Carrie, thanks for your trip report. Sounds like you had a wonderful time.

When I travel solo I don't rent a car either. I like how you put your trip together with a mix of solo and group travel. After your success on the 3 day Rabbie's Tour do you think you'll do a longer group tour sometime?

Regarding your Dingle hotel, did you book this directly or through Rabbie's?

Great trip report Carrie. I appreciate your guidelines how to maneuver through US immigration at DUB. I'm flying into LHR but home from DUB. Were you able to use Global Entry? What about TSA pre-check to avoid the hassle of taking shoes off?

Sounds like you had a great trip. So glad the sun was shining on you. Thanks for sharing your pictures!

All the tour links are helpful for others. I can't imagine small bus tours will be a problem, as long as I take Dramamine. I also have two Rabbie's day tours scheduled from London. Since I'm not comfortable driving, these tours are a way to see sights and break up the monotony of being by myself. I enjoy talking to people although I am becoming more of an introvert as I age. It's been 33 years since I visited Ireland so I'm looking forward to my trip.

My trip starts June 22. After almost three weeks in England (London then RS South of England tour), I'm basing four nights in Killarney because Rabbie's Ireland 1-Day tours are based there. Day 1 is transportation day: LHR to DUB, bus to Killarney. Day 2 is Killarney Park trail ride, then Killarney Horse Race meet. Day 3 is Rabbie's Dingle tour. Day 4 Is Rabbie's Ring of Kerry tour. Next day is on to Dublin for five nights: a couple days on my own, then seeing Irish friends and her US family (my neighbors) who are starting their visit as I am ending mine.

Thanks for sharing your report! It sounds like you made good choices to balance out your preferences. And quite lucky on the weather, too, my trip in late May/early June was not nearly so sun filled. Did you not visit any pubs for pints or music?

And there was no escaping the tour guide. He was a very nice older
man, but man did he like to talk. There were a few times we were
standing outside the bus waiting for him to finish his story. And he
pretty much talked the entire time we were on the bus, from morning
until evening. It got to be a little much for me.

This made me hoot. The Irish are talkers and storytellers through and through, can't avoid it if you tried. If you have not watched "Derry Girls" there is a character called Uncle Colm that takes the story to an extreme, pretty funny. I'm not a talker either but I enjoyed visiting with everyone I met there.

Hi Pat, I have a busy few weeks coming up, so I was determined to get the trip report done today, even though I just got home yesterday.

Hi jeanm, everyone on my Rabbie’s tour booked their own hotels except for one person. We had all heard stories about people not being happy with the hotels chosen by Rabbie’s. With our group of 10, we had 5 different hotels. I picked the Dingle Bay Hotel, knowing from the website pictures it was in need of updating. I chose it for its location and in that respect was very happy with it. One tour member stayed at the Base Dingle and was happy with it. The woman who had the hotel booked by Rabbie’s was not happy. She said it was very expensive and needed updating. I’m not 100% of the name, so I won’t mention it. The other two hotels were a little further from the harbor and everyone was happy with those two.

I do think I might consider a longer group tour at some point. I’ve come to recognize that there are places that I am unable to see on my own and a tour is a great way to see those places. I am signed up for the Rick Steves My Way Alps tour next year. It’s not a guided tour, so I think I’ll be ok.

Hi Horsewoofie, there is a line for global entry at the Dublin preclearance area. I don’t have it, but I did see the counter for it. There was no separate security for the US, so it’s just one general security line for all flights from Dublin. You do not have to take off your shoes unless you have a shoe that covers your ankle, like a hiking boot.

I did see a line for a Fast Track service that you can pay for. Info here if you’re interested:

https://www.dublinairport.com/enhance-your-journey/fast-track

I’ve been happy with all my Rabbie’s tours so far. It really is a great option and adds some variety to a trip. And it’s nice to take a break from the transportation logistics and itinerary planning.

My Dingle tour did a stop in Killarney, and I remember from my trip research that it is a great base for exploring the region. The trail ride looks like quite the experience. Your 2 tours with Rabbie’s look very similar to the time spent on my Dingle tour. Fabulous scenery. You will not be disappointed. Have a great trip!

Hi CL, I don’t drink, so I’m not big on the pub scene. But there are plenty of buskers in Dublin, Galway and even Howth. I was very impressed by the musical talent. My sister is a huge Cranberries fan, and I came across someone playing Zombie on the cello. I took this short video to send her:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/qsgGkDEzELVgCeNd6

I was disappointed not to have seen the Gardiner Brothers in Galway. I was looking for them having seen some of their videos online.

https://www.youtube.com/@gardinerbrothers

I can appreciate the chattiness even though it’s not my style. Everyone was just genuinely nice. Very pleasant people to be around, even for someone like me who isn’t big on socializing.

Such a fun trip report to read - well done! Thank you for your candor about preferring time to yourself - I can relate. Your mix of tours and independent travel sounds perfect. We've taken several RS tours and the people were always lovely, but the unscheduled time was so important for recharging. One of my favorite Ireland memories was the streaker we saw in Galway.

Cool, another Carrie TR! Count me in the Ireland fan club! Did I miss your TR on Vienna & Prague?

Hi KC, A streaker in Galway. That’s great! I’m glad this trip worked so well with the combination of independent time and group tours. It opens up some possibilities for me for future travel.

Hi Tammy (aka Diveloonie), Here’s my Vienna/Prague trip report:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/sisters-in-vienna-and-prague-our-trip-report

I forgot to include my upcoming trips: About a month for now is Iceland with my sister and her husband. Then, it’s a return trip to Edinburg, which will include a Rabbie’s 3-day tour of the Lake District.

Yay for another great trip! I'm curious what you didn't love about Galway, and on your day in Belfast, did you choose the option for the Titanic museum or the Black Cab tour?

I'd also really love to love to hear your thoughts on what it was like to switch hotels and locations so much in a relatively short trip (I could see us doing similarly in certain countries in an effort to spend more time in places rather than day trips).

About 20 years I watched a Samantha Brown episode in Dublin which included the colorful doors, and I loved it so much it stuck with me all these years later and so when we bought our house I immediately painted our previously drab front door a bright color. :)

Carrie, I loved the trip report! I have to admit that Ireland has not really been on my radar, but after reading this, I can feel the travel part of my brain pushing me to add Ireland to my ever-burgeoning queue, lol!

I'm not sure if I would rent a car or not (I'd have to research it more), but I like the idea of taking separate day trips like you did. And I've heard so much about Rabbies, and have recommended them so many times over the years that one of these days I feel like I should take a tour or two with them. :-)

I also love the photos! Ireland looks so beautiful, and those doors! I'd be doing the same thing as you and hunting them down. And is that a llama in the last photo? So cute!!! Thanks so much for including such great information (and photos) here!

Hi Hannah, I was disappointed in the Galway harbor. It did not meet my standards for being photogenic. :-) I did get a few good photos, but I would have liked some more boats and sea birds. But, it was a great base for the day trips.

One thing that really impressed me about Galway, was the city workers keeping it clean. I was out early in the morning when the trash from the night before hadn’t been picked up yet. I was disgusted in people for not cleaning up after themselves. I’m not talking about a few people, but many, many people who seemed to think it was OK to throw their trash on the lawn. The green areas around the harbor where just covered in bottles and trash. It pained me to see it. An hour or so later, when I was walking back to my hotel, it was all cleaned up.

For the Northern Ireland day trip, I chose the Titanic Museum. The tour operator had a Titanic bus and a Taxi bus which saved time. I thought the museum was very well done. But, as I often feel about museums, I would have preferred to be outside enjoying the sunshine. I would have been happy to spend the whole day at Giant’s Causeway. But, I get it, tours need variety to attract more people.

As far as the switching hotels (5 on this trip), I was worried how that would go too. I was surprised at how well it worked out. I’m very organized in my packing and pretty much keep everything in my suitcase except what I need. So, it was very easy to pack up and check out. Check out is pretty much just dropping off the key, so no time involved there. I am relieved it went so well because I was concerned about the hotel changes on the my way tour I am signed up for. But, that is no longer a concern of mine. One thing I’m learning too, is that I can see a lot in a day when I’m up and out at 5:30 in the morning. So, I don’t necessarily need to spend 5 nights at each location.

Hi Mardee, I’m surprised to hear you say Ireland is not on your radar knowing how much you enjoyed your time in Scotland. I think you would love it. I dare say I preferred Ireland to Scotland, recognizing or course that I still have much to see of Scotland and more of Ireland too.

The transportation part is indeed tricky, but you did drive in Scotland, so I'm sure you'd be fine.

That last photo is an alpaca. On the Rabbbie’s tour, we stopped at a Fairy Fort and Sheep Farm. The ID on my photo says it was in Ventry/Kilvickadownig. We were all so excited to see the animals. And the bus driver/tour guide believed in fairies. So, before we entered the fairy fort, he made us all request permission from the fairies, otherwise we would have bad luck. As he explained it to us, even if we don’t believe in fairies, we should respect those that do. I think this is the place:

https://www.fairyfortdingle.com/

I sort of feel bad now for complaining about how much he talked, because I did sure learn a lot from him.

For those interested in the Dublin doors, these are the main areas that I walked to in search of them:

Fitzwilliam Square
Merrion Square
St. Stephen’s Green
Parnell Square
Mountjoy Square
North Great George’s Street
Ely Place

And, if anyone would like to see more doors, here you go:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZF5dgQ1wj1V1Vkp17

I have them arranged by color on my phone, but that did not carry over to google.

For the Northern Ireland day tour, were you able to visit the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge? I thought I had read that the bridge is indefinitely closed to tour groups (tour buses can no longer stop there).

Great trip report Carrie! Ireland is on my list of places to get to very soon for a lot of reasons and your report accentuated most of them! Just curious what you didn’t like about Galway. I hadn’t thought about including Northern Ireland but I will now. How were the crowds overall during your stay? So glad you had a great time and nice weather! That makes everything even better when it’s sunny and comfortable. Thanks again for sharing!

Thanks Carrie, I always love your trip reports! I’m running through my bucket list must-do trips and RS tours, but I’ve been debating Ireland and Belgium and Netherlands: RS tour or solo. After reading your trip report and others I know B and N will be easy to do solo with public transportation. Ireland gives me pause but I realized I just need to add a few 1-3 day bus tours and a no driving trip would work.

I love the Dublin doors and your animal pics. That donkey (?) is so sweet.

Hi Tess, For the Northern Ireland tour, we went to Dunluce Castle, Giant’s Causeway, and either the Titanic Museum or Black Taxi Tour. We did not stop at the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. This was a great tour!!

Hi Mustlovedogs, I didn’t dislike Galway, it just wasn’t one of my favorite places. For cities, I prefer cute and charming like a Bruges, Belgium. Galway is a great location though for seeing that part of the country.

I was very pleased with the lack of crowds everywhere. Places like the Cliffs of Moher and the Giant’s Causeway were not crowded at all. Just a few other tour buses. Sure, Grafton Street in the late afternoon in crowded, but easy to avoid. So, I thought early May was the perfect time to go. The coast of Northern Ireland is beautiful, so definitely include it if you can. Even just a day tour will give you a good sample.

Hi Lyndash, Ireland gave me pause too, but I was able to figure it out. Sometimes you just have to get a little creative. :-) I hope you do get a chance to visit. I’m still trying to figure out what to do with all those door pictures. I’ll probably either do a separate photo book or a poster maybe. The animals on the farm were so sweet and we were able to buy food to feed them all.

Carrie-I like how you figured out a way to see Ireland your way. And frankly it is an alternative I had not considered. So thank you for putting it out there.

So, before we entered the fairy fort, he made us all request permission from the fairies, otherwise we would have bad luck. As he explained it to us, even if we don’t believe in fairies, we should respect those that do.

Oh, I love that so much! I'm trying to expand the number of trips I take each year, so I definitely am planning to add Ireland in soon.

Carrie, fyi, you can arrange the order of your photos in google. Hit the edit and drag photo to where you want it.

Hi BethFL, The trick is going to be coming up with a return trip to Ireland that does not just repeat all the tours I just took.

Hi Mardee, There’s just never enough time. Or money!

Hi Tammy (aka Diveloonie), Yes, thank-you. I know I can move the photos in Google. I just wasn’t willing to do it a second time.

Carrie, I forgot to ask you about the chocolate........

Thanks for your informative trip report.

I guess I've been lucky when I've taken group trips. For a 11 day Spain trip the guide was great and didn't spend the entire time on the bus talking . He would spend some time talking about the upcoming site or city, then was quiet for the rest of the journey. In most places he would do a short walking tour of part of the city and then we were on out own unless we had a special guide or meal arranged.

For a one day Rabbie's tour in Scotland, again a great tour guide/driver. He was entertaining but didn't spend all of the time on the bus talking. There were periods of silence and then we had some Scottish tunes/musicians- Proclaimers.

I'm such an introvert. Many years ago I was travelling with an extrovert friend that had moved overseas. She has been a very good friend for decades, but I needed some peace and quiet on my own. I was so happy to spend some time separate from her while visiting abbey ruins and wished I would have had more alone time.

Hi Pat, I tried to stay away from the chocolate this trip. I had to take my smaller suitcase for my Rabbie’s tour. So, I had very minimal space to bring anything home. I did try some Butler’s chocolate though, and it was pretty good.

I’m also always on the hunt for paprika potato chips and did come across a sweet chili by O’Donnells, which was very similar to the Swiss Zweifel paprika chips. I managed to bring home a few small bags for my sister. The popular flavors of chips in Ireland were salt and vinegar and cheese and onion. I was not a fan of either.

Hi Susan ToCA, I think the trick is not letting a bad guide and or tour members spoil your tour. For me, a tour comes down to weighing the pros and cons. Since I don’t want to drive, a tour is my best option for seeing things I wouldn’t be able to see on my own. For now, that is a huge plus in the “pro tour” column.

I’m getting ready now to sign up for a day tour that goes to the Highland Games from Edinburg later this year. Normally, I like to avoid anything with crowds, but I’m going to give this one a try.

Great report, Carrie. I’m also a fan of libraries and colorful front doors. I just had ours painted bright blue last fall.

Hi Barbara N, If I wasn’t restricted by my homeowners association’s rules, I think I would paint my door blue too.

Add me to the blue door club! Actually, mine is more of a teal.