April9

My husband and I are going to be taking a (much too) short trip to Europe in late April - 5 days in Ireland, 6 days in Italy. (I will be posting questions about Italy travel too.) Having never been to Europe, we are completely without experience, but willing to explore. I would like to do as much reservation making and planning via internet as possible.

We fly into Dublin, late-morning on April 20th. We have heard the suggestions to see Dublin at the end of our visit, instead of the beginning, as we will be flying out of Dublin on the 25th.

One question regards train vs. car travel to Dingle. Should we plan to take the train from Dublin to Dingle, rent a car and slowly make our way back to Dublin? Are there car rental companies which allow pick-up in one city and drop-off in another?

The next question is regarding the timing and stops on the way back. We are not terribly interested in Waterford or Blarney - but more interested in seeing the "true" Ireland, it's countryside and meeting new friends. Friends have told us Killarney is another must-see.

We are also completely open to any great B&B suggestions along the drive back.

Any help that you can give us will be greatly appreciated! And - if you have any of the same knowledge of Ireland that you do of Italy.... please see my post there!

Hopefully this will begin our new "world traveler" status! Thank you !

Clifton

Dingle is a relatively small town. I'm almost certain the train does not go to Dingle nor do I know of a rental agency that has an office there. Tralee will likely be as close as the train gets, but I'm sure buses are available from there.

I will say that I feel a car is the best way to see Ireland, particularly to take the drive around Slea Head from Dingle. It sounds like you already have your tickets, but if you hadn't, I would have suggested flying into Shannon in the west and then flying out of Dublin. If that's still an option, consider it to save time.

nytraveler

Train travel in Ireland can be excrutiatingly slow - I made this mistake on my first trip (alone - I though it would be easier than driving and navigating) and found I was wasting tons of time and seeing nothing along the way. Driving would have been a much better choice.

SiobhanP

Just so you know it is a massive drive down to Dingle from Dublin. Does it have to be Dingle? The last part of the drive can be a bit shakey on winding narrow roads. Not to be done in Darkeness or by nervouse drivers in my opinion. My mother was not a happy camper when I drove her down. It would be approx 5-6 hours for 215 miles from Dublin. What about Galway, Kilkenny, Clare. You could go to Galway/Mayo and work your way back to Dublin driving.

SiobhanP

Just so you know it is a massive drive down to Dingle from Dublin. Does it have to be Dingle? The last part of the drive can be a bit shakey on winding narrow roads. Not to be done in Darkness or by nervouse drivers in my opinion. My mother was not a happy camper when I drove her down. It would be approx 5-6 hours for 215 miles from Dublin. What about Galway, Kilkenny, Clare. You could go to Galway/Mayo and work your way back to Dublin driving.

Powell

Last September we flew in to Shannon and drove to Dingle (about three hours).Note you drive on the left hand side of the road in Ireland, right hand side in Italy. The good news is that the average rate of speed will be about 35 miles per hoour; much faster in Italy.

The other respondents are correct. It is a good 5 1/2 hours from Dingle to Dublin. If you go to Dingle consider Heaton's Guest House. This is great stopping place. Cameron and Nuala Heaton are lovely hosts. Have the porridge with Drambuie.

Frankly. with only five days you will be spending a lot of time on the road. If you could land in Shannon that would be reduced. Dingle,Killarney and maybe Kinsale are a five day vacation in themselves.

My wife and I are returning to Dublin in May. We will spend four days there then move on to France. Being of half Italian and half Irish ancestry I can fully appreciate the difficulty of your time allocation decisions.

If I can be of more help just post another question.

Anthony

jewing

My husband and I are were debating the drive from Dublin to Dingle. We decided since our time was so short we didn't want to drive the 6hrs., being tired and unused to the roads. We decided instead to fly from Dublin to Cork via Aer Arran then rent a car and travel from Kinsale to Dingle (2 nights in each town) then back again to Cork airport. total cost of return flight for both of us was $132 EUR, which we figure will be well worth it. You can also fly Aer Arran into Kerry Airport, but the cost was significantly higher, so since we wanted to go to Kinsale anyway, we chose Cork.

Just another option for you to consider, if like us, you are dreading the 6hr car ride.

Happy travelling

mexicobeachbum

Dingle is a cool place, especially if you enjoy traditional Irish music, but that said, it is a lot of driving for a five day stay. Wexford, Waterford and Glendalough are really nice, and you might drive down to Ardmore or Youghal and have a more relaxed time. There's a great little pub in Wexford called the Sky and the Ground that has traditional sessions some nights, and it's a very walkable town.