Ireland for 3 days in June?
 

My husband and I are going to Germany in June and wanted to add a short 3 day trip to Ireland on the way back to the states. I have no idea what part of Ireland to see. I would be greatful for any recomendations of where to go and what to see. I am interested in seeing castles and the beautiful lush green scenery that Ireland is known for. Would also love to check out some pubs and shops. Is it even possible to do this in 3 days? Also, wondering if I HAVE to rent a car or is the transportation there good? Looking forward to your response...

In my four trips to Ireland over the past 15 years I've avoided the big cities, so I've never seen a city bus or a train station, but I'm told they exist. Driving those Irish country roads is half the fun. And unlike being on public vehicles, you can pull over anywhere and go wantering across the terrain, or stop at any of the pubs you're going to see every 10 minutes along the way. The lush green scenery is everywhere, as are the castles, abbeys, etc. My favorite short stay is to fly into Shannon and loop the southwest. If three days is all you have you can see a lot within a small area----no need to try to cover a large part of the country.

A key decision you need to make is whether you want to drive or not. Insurance is not cheap and automatics, if required, are pricey. However, it opens up many more possibilities.

Others with more experience might suggest ways without a car (e.g. stay in Dublin with an excursion or two). We spent a week in the southwest (Killarney, Dingle, Galway).

Photos and description on my blog if interested:

http://ukfrey.blogspot.com/2011/08/ireland.html

I believe I may be able to add 2 more days to my stay in Ireland. I would like a car and hubbie can drive a stick, so that wouldn't be a problem. How much is the insurance? I would like to drive the ring of kerry, the dingle peninsula, and see the cliffs of moher. Also, I know the weather can be unpredictable, but what's it normally like the middle to the end of June? Should I really just skip Dublin?

A few things to look into to get a feel for prices, etc.

Dan Dooley was straightforward and open (no hidden fees) for the car rental:

http://www.dan-dooley.ie/

All will try to sell you expensive CDW and super CDW (no/small deductible (excess). You can minimize that with

http://www.insurance4carhire.com/

or some (very few) World MC credit cards will cover you. Good info here:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...dmust-read.cfm

Well worth it though!

Insurance4carhire ONLY cover those with European driving licences.

Oops. Thanks for the correction/clarification.

For only three days I'd stay in Dublin and take either the bus or the local trains out of town if I wanted to visit outside. Similarly if you wanted to go to Belfast.

Now you do know the green stuff comes from the rain...?

I am also doing 3 days in June. I think I am just going to stay in Dublin and return for a future trip of 1-2 weeks to do Ireland justice. Great info about the car rentals here.

For just three days, I would stick to the Dublin environs. You can take the train north or south to see small towns/villages. North is Malahide, a lovely seaside village with its very own castle. South you can visit Dun Laoughaire, also by the sea.

In June you could visit Powerscourt Gardens, which I hear are very nice. (We visit Ireland in the off-season.). You might be able to arrange a tour there or to Newgrange, to the north.

With more days, I would rent a car and see the southwest. We have a Citicard World MasterCard that we got just for these car rentals so we can waive the insurance. We have rented from Dan Dooley in the past with no issues. You can price them on-line, but expect an additional $25 charge (I can't remember what it was for.)

You could spend a couple of nights in Kenmare and see ROK or Beara (we like this better) and a couple in Dingle, then your last night near the airport in Bunratty or Ennis.

Good luck!

Your "want to see" list sounds like my itinerary last June. Landed at Shannon, 1st stop Ennis---great town just 30 min. away, from there less than an hour to Cliffs of Moher and the remarkable burren. Stayed up there at a B&B in Doolin: famous for traditional music in every pub. Then headed south toward Limerick and through Adare: "prettiest village in Ireland". On west to Dingle---enough there for two days at least. Back out of the Dingle Penninsula and you're at the top of the Ring of Kerry, the Kilarney National Forest, Gap of Dunloe, Kenmare, etc. It sounds like you want to see the Irish countryside so I think Dublin is a chaotic distraction. Just another big city that would take a lot of time to navigate.