jchoats

I would like an opinion on our proposed itinerary for a July 2005 11 day trip to Ireland. There will be four of us and we will be driving ourselves. We arrive in Shannon at 6:30 am and will go to Ennis and stay there one night. We will leave Ennis and go to Galway for two nights, hitting the Burrne abd Cliffs of Moher on the way. We then go on to Dublin for two nights. Then its off to Kinsale for two nights, with a stop in Waterford for a couple of hours on the way. From Knsale we go to Dingle for two nights and then to Bunratty for our last night. I know there is a bit of driving involved, but we do want to see this part of the country. Is this too much for the time we're there?? Thanks.

amyprib

Well, it is certainly doable, as we did much more in just 12 days. Just depends on what kind of trip you want to have. You'll have plenty of daylight... We wanted to see a lot, and we did, and really didn't feel too rushed. But we are on-the-go type of people. You may be driving a bit, but there are things to see along the way too... It's not all boring interstate driving like much of the States.

Unfortunately, it looks like you may be skipping most of the SW region of Ireland. After seeing much of the Republic, the SW is quite amazing. I am talking of areas like Mizen Head, the southern coast, Beara Peninsula, Killarney Natl Park, etc. But all the areas you mentioned are beautiful as well, full of things to do. So however you slice it, you'll have a great trip.

jchoats

Thanks for your input. I agree, and I would prefer to stay in the west/southwest, but we are two couples going and we have to keep everybody happy. Thanks again.

MWM1

We spent 12 days in Ireland this past March and spent much of it driving as you plan to do. In hindsight, we wish we would have stayed "put" more.

IMHO - Dingle peninsula is absolutely the best. Make sure to arrive thru Connor Pass! And I can higly recommend Heaton's Guesthouse.

Ennis was a great town - go to Cruises Pub.

The drive from Galway to Clifden and back was beautiful and the Cliffs of Moher are wonderful. In Galway stay at the Killeen House - best stay of our entire trip!http://killeenhousegalway.com/

Bunratty, we feel, was a waste of time and a huge tourist trap, only good if you had small children.

Dublin is nice but only went there to see family ( and hopefully to run into Bono!) Had we not had a reason to go to Dublin, we would have been much better off staying in the West and South of Ireland.

Have a great trip!

jchoats

Thanks for the response and the recommendations.I appreciate it.

JimF

While I agree the Bunratty castle and park is a "tourist trap," we found it an excellent way to close out the last night in Ireland before flying home from Shannon. I would not completely dismiss it. If it fits your schedule, and you'd like one more taste before leaving, spend an hour or so in the park and then go to the banquet -- or, cross the street and eat and drink in Kathleen's pub in the hotel while listening to Irish music. They have an early set, beginning at 5:30 on most nights. We did both last week when we left.

Regardless, what a wonderful country!!

jchoats

We are planning to do just that on our last night, and we are staying at the hotel so I'm sure we'll be in Kathleen's at some point, probably after the banquest. Might as well go out in style!!

beachysis

jchoats -
Sounds like a great itinerary & almost identical to one that we did 3 years ago, but with more time. You are very smart to stay more than one night at most places - we seemed to spend a lot of time driving and little time enjoying the places and sites.
I have a few suggestions you could consider:
You could certainly see the Cliffs of Moher the first day you are there, since you're staying in Ennis, and it's closer to there than Galway. I would highly recommend seeing the Connemara region west of Galway - I thought it was beautiful, and didn't even make it all the way to Clifden (wish I had)!
Kinsale is quite cute & I wish we had gone to see the lighthouse close by(not sure of name). Another option while en route there, after the Waterford factory, is to stop in Lismore & see the castle. You can't go in, but you can walk the grounds and the gardens are great, and the castle itself is pretty. We got some great pictures there.
I also agree that a stop at Bunratty on our last day was a waste, so if something else pops up & you decide to skip it, you won't be missing much!
You should have a wonderful time!

chip

I personally wouldn't consider going to Dublin with only 11 days unless you were able to fly into Dublin and out of Shannon (or the other way around)since that is your only destination in the east...don't underestimate drive times. The 2days to and from Dublin will be mostly driving!

Four of 10 nights in a big city wouldn't be my choice either...enjoyed Dublin for one night, but wouldn't stay in Galway again...maybe just outside (we stayed at Cregg Castle and loved it!-cozy not fancy).

My suggestion would be to stay in Doolin or one of the other coastal towns the first night. You will have time that day to see the cliffs and the burren. Then 2 nights in Clifden or Westport to tour the Connemara instead of Galway.

Between Dublin and Galway you could see Clonmacnoise. North of Dublin, loved Newgrange/hill of Tara.
Some other choices to consider between Dublin and Kinsaleowerscourt, Glendelough, Cashel, or Cahir.

loved Dingle,Doolin,Kenmare,Connemara; Kinsale and Ennis-OK

robinja

If it were me, I would skip Dublin or arrange your flights where you can fly into one airport and out of the other. We enjoyed Dublin, BUT the driving really got to us. You are looking at 4-5 hours of driving each way, not including stops. We didn't make it to Galway on our trip, but I would think you will get a taste of urban Ireland there.