Ireland Itinerary Help Needed
Jul 16th, 2006, 02:49 PM
#1
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Ireland Itinerary Help Needed
I fine tuned our first trip to Ireland and hope that someone can give me a blessing or point obvious flaws. Here goes:
Day 1: Fly into Dublin PM, pick-up car and drive to Trim. Check out Trim and spend night at Highfield House B&B.
The only hotels that I have reserved are the first night at Trim and the last three in Dublin so I'm eager for your thoughts on these places. We wish to have a comfortable room located in the middle of things for the lowest price (who doesn't).
Day 2: Drive to BruBoinne, Hill of Tara and Monasterboice then back to Trim and spend night at above.
Day 3: Get early start south to Powerscourt Gardens, military road to Glendalough and into Kilkenny. I need a recommendation here for overnight or do we continue to the Rock of Cashel and overnight there?
Day 4: Rock of Cashel (if not enough time above) and drive to An Daingean. Spend night at Castlewood House.
Day 5: Drive Dingle Loop and chill out. Spend night at above.
Day 6: Early start to Tralee, Kerry Kingdom to Listowel for ferry. Drive to Cliffs of Moher, through the Burren. Stop in Doolin/Lisdoorvarna then drive to Galway. Spend night at Radisson SAS Galway.
Day 7: Take ferry to Innishmore and check out Galway. Spend night at above
Day 8: Drive Connemara loop returning to Galway at above hotel.
Day 9: Drive to Dublin Airport to drop off car. Take public transport into dublin and stay at Best Western Ashling Hotel by Heuston Station. Enjoy Dublin
Day 10: Dublin. Stay at above hotel
Day 11: Dublin. Stay at above hotel
Day 12: Need to fly out to Amsterdam on Aer Lingus at 11:50 AM. How long does it take and what is the quickest way from Heuston Station to the airport?
Any feedback is greatly appreciated - If you are local and in one of these places I would love to buy you several pints in repayment for your assistance. Thanks in advance
Tom
Thanks
Tom
Day 1: Fly into Dublin PM, pick-up car and drive to Trim. Check out Trim and spend night at Highfield House B&B.
The only hotels that I have reserved are the first night at Trim and the last three in Dublin so I'm eager for your thoughts on these places. We wish to have a comfortable room located in the middle of things for the lowest price (who doesn't).
Day 2: Drive to BruBoinne, Hill of Tara and Monasterboice then back to Trim and spend night at above.
Day 3: Get early start south to Powerscourt Gardens, military road to Glendalough and into Kilkenny. I need a recommendation here for overnight or do we continue to the Rock of Cashel and overnight there?
Day 4: Rock of Cashel (if not enough time above) and drive to An Daingean. Spend night at Castlewood House.
Day 5: Drive Dingle Loop and chill out. Spend night at above.
Day 6: Early start to Tralee, Kerry Kingdom to Listowel for ferry. Drive to Cliffs of Moher, through the Burren. Stop in Doolin/Lisdoorvarna then drive to Galway. Spend night at Radisson SAS Galway.
Day 7: Take ferry to Innishmore and check out Galway. Spend night at above
Day 8: Drive Connemara loop returning to Galway at above hotel.
Day 9: Drive to Dublin Airport to drop off car. Take public transport into dublin and stay at Best Western Ashling Hotel by Heuston Station. Enjoy Dublin
Day 10: Dublin. Stay at above hotel
Day 11: Dublin. Stay at above hotel
Day 12: Need to fly out to Amsterdam on Aer Lingus at 11:50 AM. How long does it take and what is the quickest way from Heuston Station to the airport?
Any feedback is greatly appreciated - If you are local and in one of these places I would love to buy you several pints in repayment for your assistance. Thanks in advance
Tom
Thanks
Tom
Jul 16th, 2006, 08:16 PM
#3
tomnsara: You now have <u>four</u> threads running re this itinerary. Only one has much useful response - but it does have some. To find all of your posts, click on your name.
It would probably be best to top your first thread since that is the one w/ some good info . . . .
It would probably be best to top your first thread since that is the one w/ some good info . . . .
Jul 16th, 2006, 09:45 PM
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tomnsara, type in Ashling Hotel and see what other posters have said about it. Also look it up on trip advisor. I haven't seen any good reviews. I know Dublin is a very expensive place, but I bet you can do better. Your other accommodations are so nice, it's a shame to stay in a place that isn't very nice. Hopefully tomorrow you'll get more advice about a hotel in Dublin. Good Luck.
Jul 17th, 2006, 05:53 AM
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Airlink bus #748 goes directly between Dublin airport and Hueston station with one stop at the central bus station. It runs every 30 minutes and the average travel time is 45 minutes.
Since you're going to be in Dublin for three days, you might wish to buy a three-day Rambler pass for E8.50. It's good on Airlink buses as well as all city buses. Visit www.dublinbus.ie for more information.
Since you're going to be in Dublin for three days, you might wish to buy a three-day Rambler pass for E8.50. It's good on Airlink buses as well as all city buses. Visit www.dublinbus.ie for more information.
Jul 17th, 2006, 07:02 AM
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Tom:
I stayed at the Pembroke Townhouse in Dublin and liked it. It was a very quiet neighborhood and about a 15-20 walk to the city center.
On Day 3, I would spend the night in Kilkenny. You'll have plenty to see on that day. In Kilkenny, try Laragh House or Alcantra, both suggested my Michele Erdwig (check out her site and her book too, irelandyes.com). The owners of Alcantra were on hoilday when we visited and we stayed at Laragh House which was very nice. It's a bit of a walk to the city center and we always found places to park.
I think it will be a while before all of the locals quit calling the town Dingle despite the attempt to change the name. You can easily spend a full day doing the Dingle Loop (Slea Head drive). There are lots of places and side raods to visit on this relatively short but very scenic drive.
Day 6 is a long one. I've never visited the "Kerry the Kingdom" so I'm not sure how interesting it is. You will have seen some of the "Kingdom" while there. I might not spend the time. Up to you though. There is LOTS to see on this day though and you will easily fill it.
You could consider flying to Inishmore from Inverin instead of taking the boat. You might have more options for travel times and the flight only takes 10 minutes. I don't know which ferry service leaves from Galway (if there is one still). You can get an 8:30 or 10:00 am flight out. The 8:30 would beat all of the boats out there. The 10:00 would arrive at about the same time as some of the doolin ferries. You can also stay as late as 5:45 to catch the plane back. You would have to get an early start to catch the 8:30. Inverin is about 45 minutes from Galway. If you catch the ferry from Rossaveal, It's about a 1 hour drive from Galway. Add a little time from getting stuck behind slow moving vehicles.
You could do the loop and come back to Galway or go up to Westport. I think, with your schedule, if I went to Westport, I'd take a day off of Dublin and add it to Westport. Nice town and a beautiful area. Achill Island is beautiful if you get the weather.
Bill
I stayed at the Pembroke Townhouse in Dublin and liked it. It was a very quiet neighborhood and about a 15-20 walk to the city center.
On Day 3, I would spend the night in Kilkenny. You'll have plenty to see on that day. In Kilkenny, try Laragh House or Alcantra, both suggested my Michele Erdwig (check out her site and her book too, irelandyes.com). The owners of Alcantra were on hoilday when we visited and we stayed at Laragh House which was very nice. It's a bit of a walk to the city center and we always found places to park.
I think it will be a while before all of the locals quit calling the town Dingle despite the attempt to change the name. You can easily spend a full day doing the Dingle Loop (Slea Head drive). There are lots of places and side raods to visit on this relatively short but very scenic drive.
Day 6 is a long one. I've never visited the "Kerry the Kingdom" so I'm not sure how interesting it is. You will have seen some of the "Kingdom" while there. I might not spend the time. Up to you though. There is LOTS to see on this day though and you will easily fill it.
You could consider flying to Inishmore from Inverin instead of taking the boat. You might have more options for travel times and the flight only takes 10 minutes. I don't know which ferry service leaves from Galway (if there is one still). You can get an 8:30 or 10:00 am flight out. The 8:30 would beat all of the boats out there. The 10:00 would arrive at about the same time as some of the doolin ferries. You can also stay as late as 5:45 to catch the plane back. You would have to get an early start to catch the 8:30. Inverin is about 45 minutes from Galway. If you catch the ferry from Rossaveal, It's about a 1 hour drive from Galway. Add a little time from getting stuck behind slow moving vehicles.
You could do the loop and come back to Galway or go up to Westport. I think, with your schedule, if I went to Westport, I'd take a day off of Dublin and add it to Westport. Nice town and a beautiful area. Achill Island is beautiful if you get the weather.
Bill
Jul 17th, 2006, 07:17 AM
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In Dublin, make sure to check out the Arlington hotel. They have irish dancers at night as well as a great menu for dinner. I stayed in the Crowne Plaza in Dublin and they had a shuttle to and from the airport. It was just a bus ride away from the center of Dublin and definitely a good clean hotel outside the main tourist places. If you are going to do the Ring of Kerry tour (which I highly recommend) then stay the night in Killarney, it's very close and you can find good cheap B&B's and it's a nice little town.
Jul 17th, 2006, 07:38 AM
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Looks like you know what you are doing. You won't be disappointed by Boyne R. passage tombs, Trim castle, Glendalough, Cashel, the Burren, Moher, and Dublin of course, depending on what you want to do/see. Too bad you aren't departing Shannon in the West, though.
ozarksbill
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ozarksbill
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