lacigale

Bonjour,

My wife and I are planning a trip leaving from Paris and spending a week to ten days in Ireland traveling through England.

We have a car in Paris and will be needing to take the Chunnel and ferry service to Ireland from one of the English ports. What are your recommendations concerning ferry lines and which pair of cities do you recommend?

We will probably stay one night in Southern England as the Michelin planner indicates it is about a 12 or 13 hour trip from Paris to Dublin. What town in England would you recommend for an overnight stay?

We have been to France 27 times but only to England one time and never to Ireland. My wife has always wanted to visit Ireland and this year is the year.

We generally like to stay in cities or towns where we can walk to restaurants, pubs, Museums,etc.

If you had only 10 days or so to spend in Ireland, what towns or villages would you recommend to get a taste and flavor of Ireland?

I am just now starting to plan the trip. We will probably leave Paris around May 24th or 25th. I'm sure that I will have more questions as the trip takes form.

We prefer to stay in one or two places and take day trips from our base.

Thank-you for any recommendations and assistance.

Sicnerely,

RJS

PalQ

there are also boats from Le Havre/cherbourg to Rosslare, Ireland that accommodate people and cars.

lacigale

PalQ,

Thank-you for the info.

I did see the ferry routes leaving from the French ports, but since we've spent so much time in France, I thought that I would like to drive through the English countryside.

We will probably also spend some time in England on the return leg of our voyage.

I do love driving in Europe and realize that I will be driving on the left side with a French car. I did drive in England in the late 80's and am looking forward to the challenge.

Thank-you for your help.

RJS

RJS

GeoffHamer

For the record, direct ferries from France to Ireland run from Cherbourg or Roscoff to Rosslare (www.irishferries.ie), and from Roscoff to Cork (www.brittany-ferries.com).
From the UK to the Republic of Ireland, ferries run from Swansea, Pembroke, Fishguard, Holyhead (all in Wales not England) and Birkenhead.
See www.swanseacorkferries.com, www.irishferries.ie, www.stenaline.co.uk and www.norsemerchant.com.

lacigale

I was looking at departing from Pembroke or Holyhead and landing in Rossland or the Dublin port.

I thought that area was Wales (I had better get a map).

I will book-mark the links.

Merci bien

TimS

A good all-purpose site listing ferry companies and routes is www.directferries.co.uk. According to that site, there is also ferry service between Liverpool and Dublin.

lacigale

Thank-you all for your help on ferry transportation.

What towns or villages would you recommend as a base for exploring Ireland? We are thinking of spending a few days in or around Dublin and the Southwest looks enchanting.

As I mentioned above, we would like to stay 3 or 4 days in one location and take day trips to the surrounding area.

What would be the ideal town to visit the southwest and Dublin area? Should we stay several nights in Dublin or stay at a smaller town outside of Dublin? I think at this point I am thinking staying right in Dublin, a bed & breakfast or Irish townhouse and then another smaller town in the Southwest.

We enjoy dining, history, and I am looking forward to the Irish Pubs.

Thanks

RJS

TimS

Walking is the ideal way to get around in central Dublin and bus service is very good. Don't drive in Dublin. If you stay in the city, pick a place where you can park your car and leave it. Or stay in a close-by town and take the bus or the DART into the city.

The Southwest is spectacular! If you do a search on "Ireland" on this forum, you'll find dozens of threads with hundreds of posts about where to go and where to stay when driving in the Southwest. Read some of those posts with the Michelin Ireland map open beside you and you'll have a good basis for narrowing down the choices according to your interests.

lacigale

TimS,

We will need an accomodation with parking. We will plan on taking public transportation while in Dublin. We are open to any recommendations for nice places in Dublin and the Southwest. I did see a posting on Bantry House. It looks very nice.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a place to stay in Dublin and a base in the southwest?

Thanks for all of your help. Things are starting to come together.

RJS

TimS

Lodging in Dublin is more expensive than in the Southwest. What is your price range?

lacigale

TimS,

We usually like to keep accomodations less that 200 - 250 euros per night. Less than that for a nice place certainly is no problem. We do want a bathroom in our room. In the old days we did stayed at some places with the bath down the hall, they were fun, but in our old age we have gotten spoiled.

Occasionally we splurge for a special place. Last summer we stayed at "La Mirande" in Avignon and took their least expensive room for 365 euros for a one night stay. We had just stayed at a friends house in Cotignac for 600 euros for an entire week. Plus, we stay in own place in Paris drive our own car. So, I guess that you can call it cost averaging.

Thank-you TimS

TimS

RJS,

I'm a little surprised that the regular Ireland posters haven't responded yet. Maybe they're all "en vacances" in France <g>.

Here are some Dublin lodging suggestions from my Ireland guidebooks. (Since I'm a budget traveler, I haven't stayed in any of them.)

Eliza Lodge (www.dublin.lodge.com). The location is perfect, but parking may be a problem.

Near St. Stephen's Green:
Albany House (http://indigo.ie/~albany)
Baggot Court Guest House (www.baggotcourt.com)

East of St. Stephen's Green:
Roxford Lodge Hotel www.roxfordlodge.ie)
The Leeson Inn ((www.leesonindowntown.com)

I'll be back later with some suggestions for the Southwest.

Tim

TimS

Oops! There is a typo in one of the URLs in my previous post. It should be www.leesoninndowntown.com.

TimS

One more for Dublin. The Anchor Guesthouse (www.anchorguesthouse.com)gets high ratings. Much more modest in price, but car parking is available. Note: One Fodorite who lives in Dublin doesn't like Lower Gardiner St after dark. However, I stayed in a hostel close by the Anchor Guesthouse and didn't see anything to be concerned about.

lacigale

TimS,

Thank-you for all of you help.

I have been working out of town the last 2 days and have minimal time to check Fodors.

I plan on spending time tomorrow looking over your suggestions.

At this point I'm planning 3 or 4 days in and/or around Dublin and 3 or 4 days in the southwest. I've been thinking that Kinsale looks like a great base. Kenmare or Bantry also look interesting.

Merci encore,

RJS

TimS

Il n'y a pas de rien.

Like you, I prefer to stay at least two nights in the same place. While Dublin merits four days as a base, I'd recommend that you cut one day there in order to have more time in the Southwest. You'll probably do better if you have two or three bases there. Two reasons: (1) viamichelin.com underestimates driving times in Ireland. (2) The slower you go and the more often you stop to admire a view or take a walk, the more you'll enjoy the Southwest coast.

The Dingle Peninsula is gorgeous and has the most archaeological sites in Ireland. Take a leisurely tour of the peninsula, sit in on a traditional music session in a pub, and spend the night. Places to stay: Benners Hotel (www.dinglebenners.com), Heaton's Guesthouse (www.heatonsdingle.com), Greenmount House (www.greenmount-house.com).

Kenmare is an excellent choice for at least a two-day base. The town is lovely and the location allows you to explore in several directions from there. Places to stay: Lansdowne Arms Hotel (www.lansdownearms.com), Sallyport House (www.sallyporthouse.com), Hawthorne House (www.hawthornehousekenmare.com).

From what I've read about Kinsale, I agree with you that it would make a great base. Places to stay: Rocklands House (www.kinsaletown.com), Old Bank House (www.oldbankhousekinsale.com), The Old Presbytery (www.oldpres.com), Chart House B&B (www.charthouse-kinsale.com).

Bonne chance!

Tim