Wine2Travel

I am in charge of planning a trip to Dublin this Oct [ between the 6th and the 20th]
There will be 6 of us [ladies in 50's] and most are new to Europe, so driving is questionable.
Is it possible to see a lot using rail and/or bus or should book tours as a group.

We want to spend time seeing sights, but look forward to pubs too!!

Any direction would be helpful and appreciated.

janisj

Your title only mentions Dublin. Is that where you will be the whole time? If so - just take public transport. Buses/trams/cabs/walking.

Tony2phones

2 weeks in Dublin? I would run out of sensible day trips in just a few days.. I would be considering probably 3 bases, Maybe Dublin, Galway and Killarney all places you can get tours, even off season in October.

Wine2Travel

Sorry we plan on touring Ireland starting /ending in Dublin.
Not sure best way to get around.

Macross

I have done this a couple of times. We land in Dublin, stay the first night there and get our jet lag behind us. You can take the train to Galway or use gobus. Stay in Galway and do some day tours from there north or south. Galway tours are great. http://www.galwaytourcompany.com/

Train to Tralee or Killarney or Cork. Good optionsby public transportation. Galway can be a good base and three nights there would let you see a fair amount. We always book our tickets before going.

http://irishexperiencetours.com/ day tours from Tralee and killarney. http://www.oconnorautotours.ie/

I love using Dublin for a base. Rent an apartment if staying more than three nights.
Recently rented this one
https://www.vrbo.com/496433hawnerprofile

https://wildrovertours.com/
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti...ty_Dublin.html

Buy a leap card and use the luas. So much to see and do in Dublin. Use the dart train and visit the coast, north or south for day trips.

Macross

Wine2travel, A couple of times we did a facebook group because we all lived in different areas. We would post and talk about what we wanted to do. We had two apartments and used Westport and Dublin as our bases last trip. Two of us stayed three extra nights and kept the apartment and got the weekly rate. Where are you coming from? Aer Lingus is our fav for straight through flights and no early morning departures. You need three hours for departure time with customs so watch booking those early am flights. We have fun doing this. I like traveling with my husband but love the girl trips.

Macross

https://www.vrbo.com/my/d6badc51-53b.../dublin/dublin

so sorry, Pat has two apartments. He is a very nice man. I love the luas right at your door in Smithfield. Fresh market, best pubs. Delaneys and Cobblestone and Jameson.

Wine2Travel

Macross, we are starting off in London for a few days, then taking the train from London, to coast and then the ferry over to Dublin. My research estimate cost about 30 pounds and 2-4 hours. Stay in Ireland for a week+ then back to the states from Dublin.

greg

>>> Is it possible to see a lot using rail and/or bus or should book tours as a group.

This depends on where you are going. Some places are well connected by buses and rails others might get one bus a day. There is no one general answer.

>>> most are new to Europe, so driving is questionable.

It is not clear if you really understood the issue here. I am not telling you to change your approach, but if you do consider driving, you need to think about other issues.

- In case you didn't know, they drive on the left side of the road.
- The default transmission is stick. You can get an automatic, but they are very expensive and you need to pick one up at large locations targeted to those who cannot drive stick.
- That many people require a ginormous car if you rent only one. Otherwise you need two cars.
- Since most are "new to Europe," I suspect they are all heavy packers, that is carrying more than a 22" bag. In which case, you need even larger car to conceal luggage when parked.
- The rustic country road you have seen often require going through narrow roads. That is much narrower than what you see in the U.S. Now combine narrow roads, a big car, possible stick shift using your left arm, different traffic rule, on left side of the road, you see what you are up against.

Unless you have traveled with this group before, the bigger issue even surpassing itinerary definition is the group dynamics. Here is an example of what can go really badly http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...d-sorrento.cfm
In nutshell, people can behave differently on an overnight trip in an unfamiliar environment when large amount of expense is at stake. Some can turn out to be much easier going (good thing) than you have previous thought, while others turn into a Mr. Hyde when the trip starts.

Also in consideration is how you book things to minimize disruptions when people drop out. If there is a non-refundable booking arrangement based on 6 people going, what is the procedure and the accounting if one decides to drop out?

Macross

Greg, We have never had Barb's problems. We all book our own flight and travel insurance. Yes, we all have different quirks but we do it with humor. It is like herding cats at times but we are on vacation. Two of us are not huge shoppers so we go do what we want to do and meet up later. One is a picky eater and we just humor her and pick places we know that there will be something she can eat. We aren't in each other's pockets the whole trip. Last trip one person was new to Ireland. We took turns making sure she saw things that she wanted to see. Two are a couple and we gave them some alone time.
Number one rule is you pack it you carry it. I am the lightest packer and I stopped worrying about those that over pack and have a hard time getting on and off trains. We have done several of these trips and we still love each other. We have had trips where someone dropped out due to death and illness. We are all able to pick up the difference in the cost of a hotel or apartment. The plane and trains are on them if they bought.

Tony2phones

"Macross, we are starting off in London for a few days, then taking the train from London, to coast and then the ferry over to Dublin. My research estimate cost about 30 pounds and 2-4 hours. Stay in Ireland for a week+ then back to the states from Dublin"

Ferry fare is a bit more than £30 and depends where you are on the Coast?

I only use Stena Line. Don't think about the IF fast ferry in October, quite often cancelled because of rough weather (or low bookings??)

Do a Book Club. have each of the group read a couple of good guide books and note the places they want to see, things to do, (secretly) then get together with the notes see where overlaps happen pin the key places on a map and build an itinerary. Once you have locations the best way to get about can be decided.