best time to go
 

When is the best time to go to ireland. 6 of us are planning a trip later in the year and are unsure about the best time to go. Also, is it possible to rent a van for 6 and if so are they very expensive?

hi ladycajn,
I almost didn't post a reply because after having been to Ireland once and heading into my 2nd next month, my answer would be ANYTIME, just GO!

Ireland weather can be anything, up to and including all four seasons in one day.

In general terms Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb are out of season with the fewest visitors, best airfare and rates everywhere (with the exception of the week between Christmas & New Year)

March (St Paddy's Day) until the end of April is outside shoulder season with lower airfare etc. but spring break starting.

May is shoulder season with rates and visitors picking up in June and at peak time/prices in July & August. (the sun doesn't set until 11pm offering longer days and more travel time)

September sees an ending of the peak and segues into shoulder season 'til mid October.

Our first trip was mid to end of October in 2005 and we loved it being just outside of the season. The leaves were changing, we werein Fall, most everything was still open, we did not have to wait in lines to see anything and although the sun set at 6pm, we were happy to be situated in a pub and meeting new people and enjoying the craic!

Not sure about van prices. We use Dan Dooley although others have been mentioning Kemwel alot lately too. Anyone?

look here too for lots of great info.
http://www.irelandexpert.com/

http://www.irelandexpert.com/

good luck!
Dawn

HI Lady

There isnt really any "best" time to come here, but if you are botherd by the rain, them maybe try to get here in what we call " summer"... mayb to around late september, you are sure to get a sunny day here and there in those few months:)

I have gone to Ireland in January and in March. January was colder, very little tourists, and rates were cheap. March was wetter and a little more tourists. Still it was a cheap trip... If you pick those months, layer and wear a rain repellant jacket.. and mittens !.. as I remember the Irish coffee never tasted so good after a day of crispness !

I liked April as it was still cheaper and the days were longer. I also like Sept. but the prices are still high.

we wre there in July; the weather was great, but it was very,very crowded

We were in Ireland during the first half of April and thought it was perfect. Had 9 straight days of sunshine (with it finally raining the last day of the trip, in Dublin). But on another year, it could rain the whole time. We usually travel in March/April OR Oct/Nov....but then we like it COOL!
You'll just have to call around about renting a car..We use Hertz, AVis, National etc OR AutoEurope (consolidators, who pick the best company deal in each country). I have some friends who had 7 people(adults) and rented a van in Dec. in Ireland and had great time.(anniversary, Christmas, etc)
With the driving on the left side of road, sometimes narrow, curvy, bumpy ~~`it's necessary to have a driver (or 2) who are comfortable with that...And also someone who is a good navigator. It IS wonderful however, to have a car and explore the "nooks and crannys" of Ireland. Am sure you'll have lots of fun and giggles.!

The first time we went was in late May. We had lots of sunshine. But it was chilly.

Last year we went in late March. Remembering how chilled I'd been in May, I figured March would really be cold. I wound up being overly warm a good deal of the time we were there! It rained a lot the first two days of our trip. The last three were quite pleasant. But the temperature was quite mild the whole time, at least for March. I don't remember exactly, but I think it was in the 50's.

The only places we ran into a lot of tourists were the Cliffs of Moher and the pubs (in all three places we visited: Galway, Westport and Ennis). But we had a lovely day trip from Westport to Achill Island during which I don't think we ran across a single tourist.

June was beautiful --- on sunny days, the weather is warm and pleasant and the world is green, green, green. I completely agree with Dawn, though --- there are lots of crowds if you travel in the South part of Ireland. If you travel north, you won't find that many tourists --- that's what we did and we had a wonderful time.

We went around the 11 of July 2006 for 2 weeks. The weather was great, no rain or fog. In fact they said it was an Irish heatwave. Our friends went at the same time in summer of 2005 and they also had great weather.