t9larson

I just booked tickets for my mother and I to take a trip to Ireland this summer and I have a few questions.

Neither one of us feels comfortable driving so we will be relying solely on public transport. When we arrive in Dublin, we are going to take the train straight to Belfast (Why didn't we fly into Belfast? It was much cheaper to fly into Dublin).

Skeleton itinerary looks like this:

3 days Belfast
3 days Dublin
1 day/night Aran Islands (specifically, Inis More)
2 days Galway
Fly out of Shannon

***As stated this is a skeleton. If you think we should leave something out, let me know. At this point, I'm flexible.

Does this itinerary seem doable with train travel? Should we stay longer on the Aran Islands? Is Galway worth it or is there another place relatively close to Shannon (we fly out in the afternoon the day we leave, but I'd like to be close so that we do not have to worry about getting to the airport on time, etc.). Also, does anyone have suggestions for place to stay on the Aran Islands? I'm having difficulty finding anything from hotels.com and other online booking sites.

Any and all help will be extremely helpful!

Thank you in advance!

Tony2phones

Why specifically Inis Mor? personally as a less tourist option Inis Oirr gets my vote.. http://travelhag.com/2013/04/15/inis-oirr-aranislands/ for the night before Departure, Ennis might work well 30 minutes away, Newmarket on Furgus a little closer but not the best for bus's, or The Oakwood Arms in Shannon Town. With an afternoon flight you have lots of options but would be better off a little closer than Galway.

Southam

Cork is an interesting small city on the east coast with an international airport and very comfortable train service from Dublin.

longhorn55

I think your plan looks pretty reasonable. (My daughter studied in Belfast for a semester, so I know how much more it costs to fly in/out of Belfast. She often took the bus to Dublin if she were flying somewhere because it was so much cheaper.)

I think Inishmore is an excellent choice for your visit to the Aran Islands. We did an overnight stay and felt that we saw most of the attractions there, but we did not see them all. If you enjoy a leisurely travel style, I think you would appreciate a 2nd day on Inishmore. We took advantage of the Aran Island Ferries' overnight special and the B&B they generally use is called Clai Ban. It's not a fancy place, but it's clean and comfortable. If you want to check out other B&Bs on Inishmore, go to the Inishmore forum on Trip Advisor and click on the "Hotels" tab at the top of the page to read reviews of all the B&Bs there. (I assume you know that Aran Island Ferries has a bus transfer from Galway to Rossaveel where the ferries depart.)

Galway is not a terrible choice for the night before you departure from Shannon since you have an afternoon flight, but closer accommodations could be found in Ennis or Shannon itself.

flpab

Inishmore is my favorite, love the cliffs there more than the cliffs of Moher. Do try and see the seals also.

Tony2phones

Who moved Cork !!!

Last time I was there it was in the South West? Makes no sense even considering there on this itinerary/time-scale.

jaja

Thanks, Tony, I was not in a position to reply when I read that. I would put it south central. Of course, it's not my favorite small city in Ireland so maybe it got mad and left.

Tony2phones

Sort of just left of the Derry / Dungarven line but definitely south,, Irelands 2nd largest City and in the top 3 for population

lizcdn2

We loved our day trip to Inis Mor - we rented bicycles and got all the way around the island with stops at the cliffs and the fortress. Beer never tasted so good as it did that day when we got back to the port to wait for our ferry...We also loved Galway - it's a very vibrant town with lots going on in the downtown area. It helped that we were there for Arthur Guiness' birthday and there was free live music at all of the pubs, but the shops and street markets were great too!

t9larson

Thank you so much for all of the great advice! I think that we will definitely stay in Ennis for our final night. Also, if you had to decide between staying only two days instead of three in Dublin or Belfast, which one would you only stay two days in?

Tony2phones

That would really depend on what you wanted in close proximity.. Getting the Bus straight from DUB on arrival (no point spending an hour getting south into the city to catch a northbound train) you could fit in a Black cab tour and Titanic Exhibition. It would then depend if you wanted a one day tour for the Causeway or a two day tour of the Causeway, Glens and Derry?
Dublin city can be easily seen in 2 days but if you want Glendalough or Newgrange/Tara then you could use 3