Hi folks! Im trying to plan a week in southwest and/or west ireland and would love suggestions. Places Im thinking about now include Killearny,Ring of Kerry, Cliffs of Moher,Clifden or Schull...

this trip will be for a friend and I and we love the outdoors and seeing the beautiful landscapes and coastline. we also love some of the fun towns. we wont have a car so we will be relying on the public transportation.

Any suggestions for an enjoyable 7-8 day trip? is there a rail pass or are individual tickets the way to go? thanks!!!

Ryan

I only have time for a quick response right now - but others will help. But just a quick comment - there is no rail service to some of the places you mention. There are buses - but is it possible for you to rent a car?

Hi, heres an update to what we're thinking about. Arrive in Dublin early morning and then take a train to Killarney. Stay there for 3 nights and then take a train to somewhere near Cliffs of Moher (any recommended towns??) and stay a night. THen take train to Clifden and stay there three nights or so. THen return to Dublin and stay a night and fly out next morning.

Recap:
1.fly into dublin
2.3 nights in killarney
3.1 night near cliffs
4.3 nights in clifden
5.1 night back in dublin

does that sound doable? Thanks for your input!

Ryan

Not by train! See http://www.irishrail.ie/home/

Buses might help. See http://www.buseireann.ie/site/home/

But I think that you might find being in Clifden without a car somewhat frustrating. You might be happier spending your time in Galway and taking day tours to Connemara, to the cliffs of Moher, and to the Aran Islands.

I second the advice to go to Galway - from there you can do a day trip to the cliffs of Moher if you'd like (by bus). If you like outdoors, head to the Aran islands - very easy to do from Galway with no car. We did the area you are considering by bus - it is doable but you may find yourself "stuck" in smaller places. By bus tickets as you go.

I would include 2 nights in Galway (with daytrips to see the countryside) and at least 1 night on the Aran islands (if you want outdoors this is a great place) - I think you will find more to do there that doesn't require a car than elsewhere.

Thanks for your replies so far. Padraig, Im a little confused why you said not by trains... Are you suggesting getting to Killarney (and others) by bus vs. train?

I think staying in Galway might be a good option. Ill look into it. Thanks!

Ryan

I can't speak for Padraig - but trains really don't work for some of those areas. Basing in a city and taking bus tours is an option. But touring by train - nope.

I believe what Padraig is trying to tell you is that it isn't <i>possible</i> to take a train to any of the towns near the Cliffs.

I agree with the suggestions you've gotten for Galway and the Aran Islands.

What time of the year are you planning to do this? Many of the tours and day trips don't operate year round.

Cautiously put, janisj; even I have trouble speaking for Padraig!

strikerpc, if you follow the Irishrail link (granted, it's not the easiest site to navigate), you will find that the rail network is limited. Dublin to Killarney is available, but there is no rail connection to the cliffs of Moher or to Clifden. Even a rail transfer between Killarney and Galway is somewhat tortuous.

Bus services offer more options.

There is also an EXPLORER bus pass and train pass you can purchase depending on your number of days. For example if you are going to travel 4 out of 8 days you can buy an &quot;Open Road&quot; pass for 60.50 euro that will allow you to travel on all republic bus routes for the 4 of 8 days.
https://www.buseireann.ie/asp/ExplorerList.asp

The train from Dublin to Killarney only goes as high as Tralee and then you would need to take a bus north or go back through Killarney to Portarlington station, Portarlington to Galway. The Irish rail really seems to be like spokes on a wheel out from Dublin with no connections between each other in the West.

We took a bus/train from Sligo to Dublin and a bus from Bunratty to Killarney and everything worked out but you do have to be careful. Times do change, things run late and you need to be sure that things are running.

In Bunratty we got to the bus pick up 15 minutes early just as a bus pulled up. I decided to ask the driver a question and found out that this was the bus we needed- it was not the same time or bus route# I had from the internet! Now we wanted Killarney but had to go to Limerick and run inside for Limerick/Killarney ticket with a second to spare.

In Sligo at the airport we needed a bus to city centre for our train. My internet research said 10:40am Sligo airport bus pick up. Good thing we verified as we were told that they must call the public bus and let them know someone wanted a pick up otherwise they just skipped the stop.

You will really want to verify all of your bus information. Yes, you can get a bus from Killarney to the Cliffs but it will take 5 hours and a transfer in Limerick. The questions are: where exactly does the bus drop you off? How close will you be to actually go to the visitor centre? Do they drop you on the main road 3 miles away?
another one- when will the next bus heading to your next destination be going by? (On our 1st visit we wanted to bus to Cong but wherever we were heading next entailed an overnight stay before we could continue).

As long as you are willing to do the research you CAN make it work, although I do agree about Galway- better than Clifden without a car and many more possibilities of day trips/tours.

Good luck!
Dawn