eedwards

Sorry this is sort of a duplicate, I forgot to put my destination in original post. Anyway, I am planning a trip to Ireland in March for 9 days. I'm flying in and out of Dublin and not renting a car. I was thinking about Dublin for 3 nights, Galway for 3 nights (mostly to use as a base for some day trips) then I wasn't sure where else I should try and go. Any help would be appreciated and I apologize for the duplicate post.

CAPH52

This may not be exactly the kind of help you're seeking. But, as one of your day trips, I'd suggest the Aran Islands. My daughter and I did the trip from Galway (although we stayed overnight) in March of '07 and enjoyed it very much.

eedwards

Thanks for the info. Did you have a rental car or did you use a tour company? I was looking on the Irish Rail site last night and they have a lot of day tours and extended tours. I was thinking about doing one of those just to make things simpler.

CAPH52

I've been to Ireland three times. Twice we've had rental cars. The other time I was visiting my daughter who was doing an internship in Galway. I didn't rent a car for that trip.

There's a building on Eyre Square in Galway that's occupied mostly by Kinlay House Hostel. On the ground floor there's a company that sells tickets for tours to the Aran Islands. We used them and were very happy with the trip.

Unfortunately, I don't have any experience with the Irish Rail tours. But there are posters here who do. I hope you'll receive input from one of them.

In the meantime, you might want to read back through some of the old posts here. From time to time, someone will ask about tours and there've been some good responses. And some of the trip reports mention day tours.

When I visited my daughter, it was in late March/early April. I did run into some problem with tours not running at that time of year. So you might want to keep that in mind.

eedwards

Thanks, I have been reading past posts, but Ireland doesn't seem to get as many responses as France, Italy, etc. I keep hoping I'll get a few more responses.

CAPH52

Unfortunately, a lot of the frequent Ireland posters don't seem to be around much anymore. So you may have to read older posts. But many of them contain information that's still valid.

Are you looking mainly for info on tours? Or lodging, restaurant type stuff as well? There's no guarantee, of course, but you may get more responses if you give us a little more specific info on what type of trip you're looking for. What are your interests? What type of lodging are you interested in (B & Bs, hostels, hotels, etc.?)

JerryLoyd

One thought might be:
1. Three nights (2+ days) in Dublin, seeing the downtown area of the city,
Temple Bar, Trinity College, Book of Kells, Grafton Street, Kilmainham Goal, Guinness Museum, Phoenix Park, Dublin Castle, Christ Church Cathedral, St Patrick's Cathedral, etc.
2. Travel to Galway by train or bus. Three nights (2-1/2 days)in Galway. 1/2 day in downtown area.
One day trip (tour) to the Burren and/or Cliffs of Moher.
One day trip (tour) to Aran Islands or Connemara area.
3. Travel back to Dublin area.
Three nights (2-1/2 days)in Dublin.
One day trip to Glendalough or Powerscourt.
One day trip to Borne Valley (Newgrange and Knowth).
Without a car, this would minimize travel and still get time for the major sites in and around Dublin, plus some totally different landscapes in the west.
Would suggest you stay downtown in both Dublin and Galway, not only for sightseeing but the pubs/music are readily available.
Have a great trip.

eedwards

Thanks so much both of you. Jerry, I like your idea. I just kind of jumped on the air fare and then said "now what." I am looking for tour info. and then once I decide where to go, lodging info. I'm pretty much looking for "budget" lodging, not hostels. My only requirements are a clean bed and a bath in the room. I really enjoy architecture - castles, cathedrals, etc. I definitely want to do Newgrange and had not thought of the Aran area til CAPH mentioned it. More reading tonight. I know I can't see everything in 9 days. Thanks again for your input and suggestions.

Padraig

I don't see much advantage in breaking your time in Dublin to go to Galway. You can get a bus directly from the airport to Galway ( http://www.gobus.ie/ ), do your tourism there, and then get bus or train back to Dublin.

The activities JerryLoyd suggested for Dublin are good. You can get a few of them in by using the hop-on-hop-off bus tour.

Cowboy1968

I know that tastes differ a lot, but I would hesitate to send someone who is very much interested in archicture to Galway.
Don't get me wrong, I like the city a lot, but there is not THAT much to see for someone into castles and cathedrals like you said you are (if you compare it with places like Dublin or Cork).
The surrounding areas like the Burren or Connemara (except for the Cliffs of Moher) have a more hidden charm than the more obvious or "quainter" destinations like Killarney or the "Rings" of the South.
I would also say that in March that there can be problems getting to/from the Aran Islands because of rough sea.
Galway is a great spot for someone who loves unspoilt (and weather beaten) nature nearby and a lively pub scene at night, IMO.

eedwards

Thanks for all the suggestions. My brother says I am out of my mind not to rent a car. He did it solo and said he really didn't have a problem. I've found a decent rate through autoeurope. My head was spinning this weekend trying to decide where to go and whether to try and do it all myself by train, our join a tour. Any thoughts?

tod

Eedwards - Please post a trip report for all of us following in your footsteps!
We head to Ireland for 10/14 days in May but are going to hire a motorhome. They have basic ones for 2 people, and gorgeous state-of-the-art ones which rival any five star hotel room!
We are trying to find something inbetween. They range from as little as +- 700euros to 1,800 euros for 10 days.

Lotsa luck with your trip!