Help with Ireland Itinerary
 

My husband and I will be arriving Shannon June 27 departing Shannon July 11. I still can't believe we are going, but I have plane reservations and a rental car (why is renting a car the scariest part of the trip?). Now what? I am a bit of a procrastinator and now I am panicking, we don't even have a route planned. So please help me plan the best trip posstible. We are going to Dublin. I am so clueless I am not sure what questions I should be asking. We are hoping to stay in BnB's, maybe a hotel in the middle just to have a small amount of anominity.

What are your favorite destinations and how long would you stay 1 or 2 nights. We want to feel we savoured our vacation, and didn't rush around seeing places. One definite stop is the Aran Islands, we would like to stay over as my husbands family is from there. I would like to see the Puffins, I believe that is on Skellig Michael?. Any thoughts on books, (We have Rick Steves and Lonely Planet). I appreciate any help you can give us, and I promise to write a trip report when I get back.

Sorry, that should say we are not going to Dublin this trip. Hopefully we can get there next time.

I think if you just do a search on this board on Ireland you will find lots of good ideas.I know thats what I did in planning my 10 day trip I took last month.I found the trip reports the most helpful method of finding inspiration for places to visit

Congratulations, 14 nights will allow you to do quite abit of wandering. Here some suggestions which you can feel free to disregard. Leave Shannon and drive to the Cliffs of moher, its about an hour drive and will give you a chance to get used to the left hand driving. I hope you rented the smallest car that will fit you as the roads will be narrower than you expect. You can wander around the Cliffs for about two hours and see it all. Since you say you want to do the Aran Islands I would suggest you drive to Doolin and take the Ferry from there. You will probably have to spend two nights in Doolin which is plenty. Leave Doolin and drive to Dingle using the Tarbert Ferry. Two nights in Dingle driving around the Peninsula and driving the Connor Pass. Leave Dingle and pick up the Ring of Kerry (not my favorite) and spend one or two nights in Portamagee, you can get a boat from there to Skellig Michael if the Wx. is ok. The drive around Valencia Island is nice but nothing out of the ordinary and there is not much else to do so you might want give this some thought. Finish the ROK and spend some time in Kenmare. explore the other three peninsulas, lovely scenery and real irish people. Take the N-71 along the coast to Kinsale for a couple of days and then wander back up the n-71 throught Mts. to Killarney and the Nat. Park or you can wander back via Cashel and Killkenney. I don't know how many nights that is but you get the picture. If you decide to skip Skellig Michael spend a night or two in Killarney and Kenmare. One is getting to be a city but Kenmare is quieter. If you want to go North that is a whole differnt trip. I am sure others will have some other good ideas but you better decide soon and get some reservations at B&B's. Have fun

I think Johnod has given you a good suggestion in sticking to the southwest. Keeping to that area will allow you to savor the experience.

I would book the first night or two in advance (first night in Doolin would serve you well...do you know which island your husband hails from?... Bunratty could be a good spot for your last night).

If you feel adventurous, you could plan on booking-as-you-go from there. I arm myself with Lonely Planet and Frommers Ireland from $60 a Day (Frommers "Finds" are always "must-sees" on my trips) and have never had trouble finding a place to stay from those books even in high season. I always make sure I have a room secured by 3pm the day of (more often I book the day before or stay in the same place for 2 nights).

The tourist office is a great backup if all your resources fail or if you don't have easy access to a phone...the few euros they tack on to the booking is worth it if it saves you a headache (they usually call the B&B or hotel directly while you are standing there).

I strongly suggest a trip inland to Cashel, Cahir and/or Kilkenny. I like wandering the huge ruin of Athassel Priory in Golden located between Tipperary Town and Cashel, The Rock of Cashel, the Castle and Swiss Cottage in Cahir and visiting the medieval town of Kilkenny (with lots to do and see in town and loads of Irish potters in nearby Thomastown and a huge priory ruin at Kells).

Once you have your tickets, car rental and first night booked, you've taken care of the "must do" list and can worry about the other details later. Good luck.

Have a great trip.

Thanks for your help. We have booked our last night at Bunratty Lodge, and are hoping to go to the Medieval banquet, touristy I know but we want to try it. It is hard to know which direction to head when we arrive at Shannon. Should we head to the Cliffs of Moher or straight to the Galway area, we would like to see Connemara. should we head to the Aran Islands from Galway or Doolin? Thanks for any suggestions you might have.

Bunratty Lodge is a bad choice. It is too far from the castle and the pubs/restaurants to walk easily. You don't want to drive after drinking, so it is highly advisable to stay somewhere withing easy walking distance.

Also, we did care that much for Bunratty Lodge. It is very sterile.

Try looking at some of the 'Tour Bus' itineraries and routes to get ideas. If you are starting at Shannon and ending at Shannon, try to figure a progressive circle, heading first to Blarney or Cobh or Cork or Kinsale. Head west and north from there to Kenmare or Killarney, then Dingle to the Cliffs/Doolin to Galway and the Connemeara, etc. then to Dublin and then back to Shannon via Cashel and Cahir.

lmhornet, Where do you recommend in Bunratty then?

We just returned from Shannon. We took the ferry from Rossaveal, just past Galway. The telephone # during office hours is:

00 353 91 572050 or
00 353 91 572273 after hours.
Make sure to have reservations.

Went there right from the airport. That way when we were done with Aran Islands we were very close the Connemara. Make sure to pass the first parking lot and try for the next one. It's closest to the ferry. We didn't and had to walk quite a ways.

Also, don't forget to go to Doolin. It's really a nice area. We could have spent two days there, just relaxing and it's close to Burren, and Cliffs. Beautiful views!! We stayed at Cullinans which was nice.

We planned on staying in Bunratty for our last night. Our schedule changed, so we went home on Saturday instead of Friday. We had reservations at Bunratty Lodge Friday night and tried to change to Saturday night, but they had no rooms.

So glad! We drove through Bunratty and it did not appeal to us at all. Everyone has different ideas of what they liked but Bunratty was not for us.

We went back to Doolin for our last night and it was a wonderful ending. We found a room at Aran View Hotel. Wonderful place!! 45 per person and it was worth it.
Last thing we saw before going to bed through our window was the light from the lighthouse.

Also, don't miss Kenmare. Such a neat little town. Not too little just right. It was our favorite!!


Enjoy your trip.
Robbyn

Hi, Thistledew02,

We did Johnod's itinerary in reverse last August, and it was superb - started in Bunratty & ended at Cliffs of Moher. I wish I could remember the name of the B&B we stayed in at near Bunratty - it was our favorite of the entire trip. It was a working farm. We watched them milk the cows in the morning and the breakfast was the BEST!

I'm jealous. Hope you have a great time. Pls post a report when you come back.

Thanks for your help so far.
Marlie how long was the drive to Rossaveal? Did you stay on the Aran Islands overnight, and if so where? This is beginning to sound like a good way for our trip to begin, Aran Islands Connemara/Galway area then down to the Rock of Cashel area bear left to the Dingle Peninsula and back up the coast toward Shannon. Does this sound sensible to all you seasoned travellers?

Thanks again.

Marlie, I just saw your post below and noticed you stayed at the Man of Aran. And that you were stuck in Boston, my hometown, I'm glad you got a small tour of the area. I hate to admit that I have never been to the House of Seven Gables, but it is on my list.

Re Bunratty: we have stayed at B&Bs on the Low Road twice, both in the off-season. They were within walking distance of town, but the nights were very dark and the road is not lit at all. I was prepared with a flashlight to warn oncoming vehicles of our presence on the road. If you stay at Bunratty Lodge, which I understand is too far to walk from, just don't overindulge in town! With so many favorable reviews for many years, I can't imagine Bunratty Lodge to be a bad choice!

Thistledew,
From the airport to Rossavealis approx. 3 hours. You can check out Man of Aran on there web page. It's a neat place, try to get the room in the picture if you stay there. It was taken and our room was so tiny. It was very clean though and the people are down to earth, cheerful and fun. I don't know about any of the other B & B's so can't suggest any other places.

Let me know if I can help you out in any way. Would you like to see our pictures? [email protected]. Just e-mail me and I will send you access to our web page where they are.

Oh, last time about 3 years ago we were in Salem and missed seeing the House of Seven Gable by minutes before it closed. So, this was a good opportunity for us to have a chance to see it.

Have a great trip,
Robbyn