Ireland in 11 days with 70 yr old parents
Apr 3rd, 2014, 12:13 PM
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Ireland in 11 days with 70 yr old parents
Hello all!
My husband and I are taking his 70 year old parents on their first ever overseas trip. We are flying into London at the beginning of July and spending three days there, then taking the train and ferry to Dublin using SailRail tickets. We then plan to spend 11 days in Ireland, primarily the southern half. We would like to see Dublin, Waterford, Cork, all of the "must see" areas in the far southern areas, and then head up the western side to Connemara. I am going to use points for two nights in Dublin on the tail end of the trip, so we are there for our flight out. But we are struggling with where to spend the other nights. We don't want to move more than every 3 days, so that limits us to three B&B/castle locations. My long-winded question for the forum is, in which towns/areas should we stay, knowing we can use them as a base from which to see other sites? We will have a rental car.
Thanks in advance!
My husband and I are taking his 70 year old parents on their first ever overseas trip. We are flying into London at the beginning of July and spending three days there, then taking the train and ferry to Dublin using SailRail tickets. We then plan to spend 11 days in Ireland, primarily the southern half. We would like to see Dublin, Waterford, Cork, all of the "must see" areas in the far southern areas, and then head up the western side to Connemara. I am going to use points for two nights in Dublin on the tail end of the trip, so we are there for our flight out. But we are struggling with where to spend the other nights. We don't want to move more than every 3 days, so that limits us to three B&B/castle locations. My long-winded question for the forum is, in which towns/areas should we stay, knowing we can use them as a base from which to see other sites? We will have a rental car.
Thanks in advance!
Apr 3rd, 2014, 12:45 PM
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If you have 11 days, four of which are in Dublin, that only leaves 7 nights. You don't want to move more often than every three days. That limits you to two places--four and three.
I would skip Waterford and drive to the Cork area (west of Cork) where you could explore the Beara Peninsula which is as good as the Ring of Kerry without as much traffic. In that area are several grand houses that are now open to the public for tours. Garinish Island, a very short boat ride, is in that area. It has a magnificent garden developed in the nineteen twenties. Cashel would be a good day trip.
Then I would move on to Galway. Explore Connemara, the national park and its scenery, Kylemore Abbey. A day trip to the Aran Islands. The boats leave from Rosseveale, a short drive from Galway. Aughinish Castle. The center where they explain use of Connemara marble and sell articles made of it. Explore Clifden and that area with great ocean views.
I am sure that Tony2phones will sign in shortly with some other ideas. He is a resident and generously shares his knowledge with travelers here on this forum.
I would skip Waterford and drive to the Cork area (west of Cork) where you could explore the Beara Peninsula which is as good as the Ring of Kerry without as much traffic. In that area are several grand houses that are now open to the public for tours. Garinish Island, a very short boat ride, is in that area. It has a magnificent garden developed in the nineteen twenties. Cashel would be a good day trip.
Then I would move on to Galway. Explore Connemara, the national park and its scenery, Kylemore Abbey. A day trip to the Aran Islands. The boats leave from Rosseveale, a short drive from Galway. Aughinish Castle. The center where they explain use of Connemara marble and sell articles made of it. Explore Clifden and that area with great ocean views.
I am sure that Tony2phones will sign in shortly with some other ideas. He is a resident and generously shares his knowledge with travelers here on this forum.
Apr 4th, 2014, 12:58 AM
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looks fine as Irishface has it.. I have a concern or two..
I only use Stena Line for rail and sail but you have to request Dublin Port Stena when booking or Dublin Connelly otherwise you get the seat61 treatment and diverted straight to Irish Ferries.
" I am going to use points for two nights in Dublin on the tail end of the trip" If these points are for Powerscourt?? use them at the start rather than having the City between you and the Airport at the end. Dublin does not need 4 days.
Do not move around too much, as we get older the thought of 4 hours sat in the back of a car is less and less appealing.
The Connemara as mentioned above has a few points http://goo.gl/maps/uqIi8
I only use Stena Line for rail and sail but you have to request Dublin Port Stena when booking or Dublin Connelly otherwise you get the seat61 treatment and diverted straight to Irish Ferries.
" I am going to use points for two nights in Dublin on the tail end of the trip" If these points are for Powerscourt?? use them at the start rather than having the City between you and the Airport at the end. Dublin does not need 4 days.
Do not move around too much, as we get older the thought of 4 hours sat in the back of a car is less and less appealing.
The Connemara as mentioned above has a few points http://goo.gl/maps/uqIi8
Apr 4th, 2014, 05:58 AM
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Thanks for the feedback.
I wasn't clear in my initial post, and we made some changes to our itinerary, so we are planning to spend two nights in Dublin when we get there by ferry (using points for the Shelbourne) and then one night at the Hilton Dublin Airport the night before we fly (since our flight leaves at 0630). So we are still looking at 3 B&B stays, but the last one will only be two nights.
One of the struggles we are having is whether to go clockwise or counterclockwise around southern Ireland. Is it better to start or end in the Galway area?
I wasn't clear in my initial post, and we made some changes to our itinerary, so we are planning to spend two nights in Dublin when we get there by ferry (using points for the Shelbourne) and then one night at the Hilton Dublin Airport the night before we fly (since our flight leaves at 0630). So we are still looking at 3 B&B stays, but the last one will only be two nights.
One of the struggles we are having is whether to go clockwise or counterclockwise around southern Ireland. Is it better to start or end in the Galway area?
Apr 4th, 2014, 07:59 AM
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My mom and I spent 9 days in North Ireland/Republic of Ireland together in January and we went clockwise! However since it was only the two of us and we're both under the age of 70, you might not want to move as quickly as we did. I agree with Tony2phones that Dublin does not need more than two days, and I wished that we had more time in County Cork, Killarney, and Galway. (Read on if you'd like a summary...)
My mom rented a car from Hertz at the Dublin airport and retrieved me from Belfast. From there we visited family an hour west and finally we headed back to Dublin in the morning. Visited Trinity College, the Hard Rock Cafe, St. Patrick's Cathedral (grave of Jonathan Swift), and the Guinness Storehouse. If none of those are interesting to you, I promise there is plenty more to see but in my opinion not quite 4 days worth.
The next day, we headed south to County Cork, and we both absolutely adored Blarney and its lovely Castle + Stone! We continued on to Killarney - we stayed at an absolutely fantastic B&B called Algret House owned by the lovely Greta and we agreed that this was our favorite accommodation, absolutely perfect! - and wandered around town that night.
The next morning we drove the "bottom half" of the Ring of Kerry. Absolutely gorgeous! You can make as few or as many stops as you would like, and seeing it on a quiet morning was a real treat! We chose to do the "bottom half" because we heard that the large tour buses go counterclockwise starting at 9 am, so we reasoned that if we got up early (8 am) and did the "bottom half" we would have a more peaceful time. And we did, despite the rain!
That same day, we continued through Limerick to the Cliffs of Moher. For me, this is a cannot-miss spot. Without a doubt the most beautiful non-beach location that I have ever been, every moment was absolutely breathtaking! Sunset was a beautiful time to be there, but I am certain that a sunrise would be just as lovely. (Don't know the visiting hours offhand so don't quote me on that!) Continued on to Galway for the night.
We explored Galway the next day, and it's such a beautiful spot! I adored Galway because it felt equal parts modern and authentic "old" "Irish-style." There were large parking garages and also tiny streets, not to mention the gorgeous area surrounding the river (divides West and East Galway). That evening, we drove straight back across the island to Dublin. One night at an airport hotel and we flew out the next morning. (To spend 3 days in London, so just the opposite of you and your family!)
As for your question about starting/ending, there is not an international airport in Galway. So perhaps starting your travels in Galway and going counterclockwise and ending in Dublin (with its large airport!) would be better for your family.
My mom rented a car from Hertz at the Dublin airport and retrieved me from Belfast. From there we visited family an hour west and finally we headed back to Dublin in the morning. Visited Trinity College, the Hard Rock Cafe, St. Patrick's Cathedral (grave of Jonathan Swift), and the Guinness Storehouse. If none of those are interesting to you, I promise there is plenty more to see but in my opinion not quite 4 days worth.
The next day, we headed south to County Cork, and we both absolutely adored Blarney and its lovely Castle + Stone! We continued on to Killarney - we stayed at an absolutely fantastic B&B called Algret House owned by the lovely Greta and we agreed that this was our favorite accommodation, absolutely perfect! - and wandered around town that night.
The next morning we drove the "bottom half" of the Ring of Kerry. Absolutely gorgeous! You can make as few or as many stops as you would like, and seeing it on a quiet morning was a real treat! We chose to do the "bottom half" because we heard that the large tour buses go counterclockwise starting at 9 am, so we reasoned that if we got up early (8 am) and did the "bottom half" we would have a more peaceful time. And we did, despite the rain!
That same day, we continued through Limerick to the Cliffs of Moher. For me, this is a cannot-miss spot. Without a doubt the most beautiful non-beach location that I have ever been, every moment was absolutely breathtaking! Sunset was a beautiful time to be there, but I am certain that a sunrise would be just as lovely. (Don't know the visiting hours offhand so don't quote me on that!) Continued on to Galway for the night.
We explored Galway the next day, and it's such a beautiful spot! I adored Galway because it felt equal parts modern and authentic "old" "Irish-style." There were large parking garages and also tiny streets, not to mention the gorgeous area surrounding the river (divides West and East Galway). That evening, we drove straight back across the island to Dublin. One night at an airport hotel and we flew out the next morning. (To spend 3 days in London, so just the opposite of you and your family!)
As for your question about starting/ending, there is not an international airport in Galway. So perhaps starting your travels in Galway and going counterclockwise and ending in Dublin (with its large airport!) would be better for your family.
Apr 6th, 2014, 10:39 AM
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thanks all - i really appreciate the feedback!
we have decided to spend just two nights in dublin at the end of the trip, so we will arrive in dublin on 6 july and then take a train either headed counterclockwise (to galway) or clockwise (toward cork). we are hoping for one castle stay and two B&Bs, so any additional recommendations for those are welcome!
@tony2phones - seat61 seems to like the irish ferries ship. are you recommending stena lines instead?
we have decided to spend just two nights in dublin at the end of the trip, so we will arrive in dublin on 6 july and then take a train either headed counterclockwise (to galway) or clockwise (toward cork). we are hoping for one castle stay and two B&Bs, so any additional recommendations for those are welcome!
@tony2phones - seat61 seems to like the irish ferries ship. are you recommending stena lines instead?
Apr 6th, 2014, 10:48 AM
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As I said I use the ferries, He sells train tickets and for some reason his site defaults to Irish ferries..
I find the customer service on Stena line far superior to IF. Being slightly disabled the boarding and disembarking is noticeably more pleasant with Stena. Then getting into Dublin from the port.. Stena line lay on a couple of coaches with baggage holds, Irish ferries lay on A Double deck Dublin Bus so you can fight your way on and nurse your baggage on your knees.
I find the customer service on Stena line far superior to IF. Being slightly disabled the boarding and disembarking is noticeably more pleasant with Stena. Then getting into Dublin from the port.. Stena line lay on a couple of coaches with baggage holds, Irish ferries lay on A Double deck Dublin Bus so you can fight your way on and nurse your baggage on your knees.
Apr 6th, 2014, 10:56 AM
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Galway events July http://www.galwaytourism.ie/pgalway-...ndar.html#July
If there is any interest in Yachts then start in Cork with the biannual Cork week taking place the start of July.
If there is any interest in Yachts then start in Cork with the biannual Cork week taking place the start of July.
Apr 8th, 2014, 06:37 AM
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thanks very much for the advice on the ferries. i know that going from london to galway will make for a long day, but i think the train-ferry-train option is our best bet. we will be renting a car in galway and then driving counterclockwise down south. since my father-in-law is a musician, i think he'd really enjoy the Traidphicnic, so we will try to arrive in time for that.
Apr 8th, 2014, 10:52 AM
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If you want to stay out in Spiddal we use Tua Beag http://www.bandbgalway.com/ just west of town.
Leave London Euston @ 10 past 9 in the morning. get to Galway at 10 to 9 at night. Advance fare is £59.50 can be booked at any mainline UK station you would need the Shuttle from Dublin Port Stena to Dublin Heuston station (€3.50 I think) but the Rail and sail ticket is London to Galway train. Get on the right hand side of the train for coastal views along the north Wales coast.
Leave London Euston @ 10 past 9 in the morning. get to Galway at 10 to 9 at night. Advance fare is £59.50 can be booked at any mainline UK station you would need the Shuttle from Dublin Port Stena to Dublin Heuston station (€3.50 I think) but the Rail and sail ticket is London to Galway train. Get on the right hand side of the train for coastal views along the north Wales coast.
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