Ireland in 3.5 days: Mini-trip report
Oct 24th, 2004 | 12:41 PM
#1
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Joined: Oct 2004
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Ireland in 3.5 days: Mini-trip report
First of all, I can't thank you all enough for providing so much incredibly useful travel tips on this board. I planned my trip solely based on what I've read here, and that was the best decision I could have made.
I had three and a half days in Ireland, and it was enough to get a good taste of the country and its culture without feeling overwhelmed. And because it was a short trip, I left satisfied but very eager to return. Here's an overview of what I did:
Day 1: Flew into Shannon, rented a car (which worried me but it turned out to be surprisingly easy), and drove to Dingle. AMAZING drive, especially over the mountain pass on the Dingle peninsula. Stayed at the Greenmount House--simply stunning. Even more stunning was the breakfast; probably the best I've ever had, and at the end of the meal we were treated to a huge rainbow projecting over the Dingle bay. It was surreal, to say the least.
DAY 2: drove to the Cliffs of Moher via the ferry and stayed in Doolin at Cullinan's. The Cliffs---phenomenal!!! Cullinan's and Doolin were also marvelous. Many, many rainbows, but no rain! Is this what they mean by the "luck of the Irish"?
DAY 3: drove up to Galway via the Burren, probably the most stunning landscape I've ever seen, then cross-country to Dublin. sounds pretty neat to say you drove cross country in a matter of hours (at least when you consider that this takes several days in the US!). stayed at the northstar hotel, which was a dump, and we left the following day.
If there's one thing I regret and would have done differently is avoided the drive cross-country to Dublin. There was nothing to see along the way, and driving in Dublin is an absolute nightmare. The traffic was miserable, it was VERY difficult to navigate to find the car rental place, and just very stressful in general. What I think would have been wiser would be driving back to Shannon, dropping the car off, and then taking a quick flight to Dublin. It wouldn't have been very expensive and I probably would have arrived faster. Plus, Dublin is like most European cities in terms of design and feeling, and the truly magical experience of the Ireland trip was being in the countryside, where it's serene, intimate, beautiful, and relaxing. Dublin was crowded, and it was annoying in comparison to what we had prior to arriving.
To those who worry about driving out there--you get the hang of it very quickly, they've made it incredibly easy to navigate, and when you're in the countryside you're on two lane roads and rarely see other cars. Even when you do, they are polite drivers, and they drive safely. All intersections are "roundabouts", and it's a simple concept: just look right because only they have the right of way.
One last thing I loved about driving in Ireland: the landscape continuously changes (often dramatically) about every 30 mins or so...the views, the flora and fauna, the elements--it's an experience of contrasts, with each new setting being just as spectacular as the last, but in its own way. One minute you see cows and sheep grazing on lush, emerald fields...but then in the Burren you see the cows grazing on these seemingly barren rock formations with the bright blue ocean as a backdrop. Had I known how beautiful it was I would have visited years ago! And the people were SO friendly. Pictures on the internet will never do the scenery justice...it's a spectacle only to be seen in person to appreciate the splendour of the surroundings. Oh, and the Guinness...aah, the Guinness...
Take home message: GO, GO, GO to Ireland...it's exhilarating!!
Thanks again to all of you for the tremendously useful travel advice. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to you for pointing me in the right directions!
[email protected]
I had three and a half days in Ireland, and it was enough to get a good taste of the country and its culture without feeling overwhelmed. And because it was a short trip, I left satisfied but very eager to return. Here's an overview of what I did:
Day 1: Flew into Shannon, rented a car (which worried me but it turned out to be surprisingly easy), and drove to Dingle. AMAZING drive, especially over the mountain pass on the Dingle peninsula. Stayed at the Greenmount House--simply stunning. Even more stunning was the breakfast; probably the best I've ever had, and at the end of the meal we were treated to a huge rainbow projecting over the Dingle bay. It was surreal, to say the least.
DAY 2: drove to the Cliffs of Moher via the ferry and stayed in Doolin at Cullinan's. The Cliffs---phenomenal!!! Cullinan's and Doolin were also marvelous. Many, many rainbows, but no rain! Is this what they mean by the "luck of the Irish"?
DAY 3: drove up to Galway via the Burren, probably the most stunning landscape I've ever seen, then cross-country to Dublin. sounds pretty neat to say you drove cross country in a matter of hours (at least when you consider that this takes several days in the US!). stayed at the northstar hotel, which was a dump, and we left the following day.
If there's one thing I regret and would have done differently is avoided the drive cross-country to Dublin. There was nothing to see along the way, and driving in Dublin is an absolute nightmare. The traffic was miserable, it was VERY difficult to navigate to find the car rental place, and just very stressful in general. What I think would have been wiser would be driving back to Shannon, dropping the car off, and then taking a quick flight to Dublin. It wouldn't have been very expensive and I probably would have arrived faster. Plus, Dublin is like most European cities in terms of design and feeling, and the truly magical experience of the Ireland trip was being in the countryside, where it's serene, intimate, beautiful, and relaxing. Dublin was crowded, and it was annoying in comparison to what we had prior to arriving.
To those who worry about driving out there--you get the hang of it very quickly, they've made it incredibly easy to navigate, and when you're in the countryside you're on two lane roads and rarely see other cars. Even when you do, they are polite drivers, and they drive safely. All intersections are "roundabouts", and it's a simple concept: just look right because only they have the right of way.
One last thing I loved about driving in Ireland: the landscape continuously changes (often dramatically) about every 30 mins or so...the views, the flora and fauna, the elements--it's an experience of contrasts, with each new setting being just as spectacular as the last, but in its own way. One minute you see cows and sheep grazing on lush, emerald fields...but then in the Burren you see the cows grazing on these seemingly barren rock formations with the bright blue ocean as a backdrop. Had I known how beautiful it was I would have visited years ago! And the people were SO friendly. Pictures on the internet will never do the scenery justice...it's a spectacle only to be seen in person to appreciate the splendour of the surroundings. Oh, and the Guinness...aah, the Guinness...
Take home message: GO, GO, GO to Ireland...it's exhilarating!!
Thanks again to all of you for the tremendously useful travel advice. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to you for pointing me in the right directions!
[email protected]
Oct 25th, 2004 | 06:47 AM
#2
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,414
Likes: 0
Hi Yale:
I'm glad you enjoyed your trip. It's a beautiful country. There are some things to see along the way between Galway and Dublin, but not much when you have just part of a day to do it. Athlone has a nice castle and Clonmacnoise is just south of there. There is a distillery along the road, Trim Castle is just to the north also.
One thing that people should consider when coming into Dublin is to drop the car at the airport and just use city transit. The Dublin City center is quite compact and you can see most of it pretty easily on foot or on the hop on hop off buses.
I"m guessing you are already planning your next trip.
Bill
I'm glad you enjoyed your trip. It's a beautiful country. There are some things to see along the way between Galway and Dublin, but not much when you have just part of a day to do it. Athlone has a nice castle and Clonmacnoise is just south of there. There is a distillery along the road, Trim Castle is just to the north also.
One thing that people should consider when coming into Dublin is to drop the car at the airport and just use city transit. The Dublin City center is quite compact and you can see most of it pretty easily on foot or on the hop on hop off buses.
I"m guessing you are already planning your next trip.
Bill
Oct 25th, 2004 | 12:09 PM
#3
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Joined: Oct 2004
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> "I'm guessing you are already
> planning your next trip."
Not yet...but I am sitting here with a Guinness in hand
On my next visit, I would like to see the southern coast (including Cork and Cobh), as well as the region north of Galway. And now that Aer Lingus has made flying here directly very affordable, I can return sooner rather than later!
> planning your next trip."
Not yet...but I am sitting here with a Guinness in hand
On my next visit, I would like to see the southern coast (including Cork and Cobh), as well as the region north of Galway. And now that Aer Lingus has made flying here directly very affordable, I can return sooner rather than later!
Oct 26th, 2004 | 12:18 AM
#4
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,172
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Sounds like a nice trip. I think people though expect dublin to be a twee village and not a wrking capital city. I would not drive in London as a tourist and the same is for Dubnlin. You relly do not need a car hyere and its easier with public transport. Maybe if you have more time there is a lot more to Dublin than "crowds".
P.S. almost 1/24 of the country lives in or near Dublin so that may explain the crowds...still it nothing compared to NY and London!
P.S. almost 1/24 of the country lives in or near Dublin so that may explain the crowds...still it nothing compared to NY and London!
Oct 26th, 2004 | 05:27 AM
#5
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,256
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Enjoyed your report, but I did have to laugh about the "safe" drivers comment. I live in the north, and the one thing that drives me crazy (no pun intended) when I go down South is the crazy passing of those Republic drivers!
Oct 28th, 2004 | 06:18 AM
#7
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Perhaps I should elaborate more on the driving--I not only felt safer on the road in Ireland (though keep in mind, I'm from Los Angeles and now live near NYC, so pretty much anything is "safe" in comparison!), but I also felt that the other drivers were considerate of others, in that they would always allow me to pass if necessary, they weren't aggressive, and no one was driving recklessly. If driving in the North is even better, then all the more reason to visit it on my next journey!
And with regards to Dublin, I didn't expect it to be a small town...I knew it was a big metropolis. What I didn't know, however, was how awful the traffic would be. We were essentially parked on O'Connell Street. Also, many streets in Dublin are one-way, and the maps we had did not indicate which streets went in which direction, thus rendering our initial driving plans obsolete upon arrival.
And with regards to Dublin, I didn't expect it to be a small town...I knew it was a big metropolis. What I didn't know, however, was how awful the traffic would be. We were essentially parked on O'Connell Street. Also, many streets in Dublin are one-way, and the maps we had did not indicate which streets went in which direction, thus rendering our initial driving plans obsolete upon arrival.
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