IRELAND EXPERTS
In *thinking stage* of mother-daughter trip to Ireland. We’ve done London, Berlin/Amsterdam in past and are overdue for our 40/70 birthday trip. She has kids at home so we only have a week around US Labor Day.

I like the idea of flying Aer Lingus nonstop from LAX and going directly (bus, train, driver) to Belfast. We both like tragic sites so The Troubles and Titanic should be great for us. Day trip to Derry?
4 nights Belfast to give us 3 full days? Other suggestions?
Don’t think we can fit in Giants Causeway, but maybe, or ?? Countryside?

Get to Dublin. (Train or maybe as day trip to see something on way?)
3 nights Dublin to have 2 full days? We aren’t drinkers.
Kilmainham Gaol, Book of Kells, what else?
(DD not a museum person)
If we overlap a day with Fringe Festival is that a problem for crowds, hotels?

Appreciate itinerary suggestions - mostly city break trip but would love at least one special Irish site of natural beauty or countryside?
Moderate price hotels in city centers?
Other ideas/suggestions?

Forgive me…..haven’t really researched so starting here. TIA.

Just a few quick thoughts -

How exciting! Making travel memories with my sons has been one of the most satisfying parts of parenthood. 🙂. I like the idea of getting right on the bus at the airport and traveling to Belfast makes a lot of sense. Maybe take the train to Dublin from the North to have that experience, too?

I’m not a Belfast expert, (only have been there once, 15 years ago), but I recall enjoying the as yet unfinished Titanic Museum and the bus tour of the murals/Troubles. We had good food.

I love Irish cities like Belfast, Galway and Dublin, but you’d be remiss in missing some time on the coast at one of the quaint fishing villages for a night. Or, stay in an area of Dublin like Sandy Mount or Ballsbridge and take the DART between Howth or Dun Laoghaire and the city center. Best of both worlds.

A Belfast/Dublin week would be great at that time of year. You could easily fit in a day tour to the Giants Causeway - there are several to choose from half day or full day including some other sites.

The Fringe could be a problem -- maybe consider reversing the order and do Dublin first so you are several days ahead of the Fringe starting date. Do Dublin, train to Belfast, then evening return to DUB and stay the last night at an airport hotel or nearby.

janisj really don’t want 3 hotel stays. That’s why want to do it this order. The only other time we could g is mid-October and I’m concerned about fall. weather. Will have to see what hotels we can get overlapping w fringe.

IMO/IME mid-Oct could be better or worse or the same weather as early Sept.

If you wanted to avoid an extra hotel stay, and depending on your flight time, there is an express bus from central Belfast to DUB that takes under two hours

The Dublin Fringe is nothing like as crowded as the Edinburgh Fringe so it might not be a huge issue -- but if your overlap is on the weekend I'd assume hotels will be booked up and rates higher.