Ireland Itinerary Questions
 

My husband and I just bought our flight tickets for our very first trip to Ireland, and we are so excited! We fly roundtrip Chicago/Dublin, leaving March 17th. We will unfortunately only have 8 nights, but we want to make the most of our trip without being too rushed. Here is my tentative itinerary. Please feel free to comment.

Fly into Dublin, drive to Kilkenny for one night (see Rock of Cashel).

Drive to Kinsale for 2 nights.

Drive to Kenmare for 1 night.

Drive to Dingle for 2 nights.

Drive to Doolin for 2 nights.

Take a morning flight to Shannon that gets us into the Dublin airport about 2 hours before our plane is to depart for Chicago.

Does this sound too hectic? I don't really like 1-nighters but I'm not sure how to avoid them. If we spent 3 nights in Kenmare could we daytrip to the Dingle Peninsula, or is it better to stay on Dingle?

Is Kinsale worth 2 nights? Should we skip Kilkenny and just drive straight from Dublin to Kinsale, or is this too long of a drive?

Thanks so much for reading!
Tracy

After an overnight flight, I'd try to limit my driving the first day. Stopping in Kilkenny sounds good. On our trip this past May, my family flew into Cork (from London) and drove to Kenmare for the night so I have no recommendation on how many nights to spend in Kinsale. One night is sufficient for Kenmare. Give Dingle at least two nights. It sounds like you're only planning to "pass through" Dublin. We drove from the west coast to Dublin in time to have a full evening in the city, stayed overnight, and visited Trinity College (Book of Kells) in the morning before going to the airport. We loved our little taste of Dublin and wish we had had time for more. If you do the same, you'll see a bit of the city and you won't have to worry about your flight from Shannon being delayed resulting in the possibility of missing your flight to Chicago.

Are you flying Chicago/Dublin by American Airlines or Aer Lingus?
The Aer Lingus flight to Chicago commences at Shannon with a stopover in Dublin. and the inward flight lands in Dublin and continues on to Shannon.
I know the AA flight only goes to Dublin.
Why not spend a day in Dublin and get on the hop on hop off bus to see the city. Then again have you got accommodation as March 17th. is the St. Patrick's week which attracts a lot of visitors to the city.
Look at www.goireland.ie
Have a good trip and just enjoy. Wherever you go is worth going to and whatever you miss will be still there for your next visit.

My wife and I with friends were in Ireland for the first time several years ago. Clarification: what do you mean saying you will take a morning flight to Shannon that gets you into Dublin airport? Are you in fact arr. Dublin and lv. Shannon? If so, you can do some sightseeing in the East and then go over to the West as well. But if in and out of Dublin, you might just take in the general Dublin area, i.e., leave Killarney, Dingle, etc for another trip. It looks like you have only one week.

ozarksbill

I think I saw in another page that you are flying with American Airlines. The itinery would be ideal if you were with Aer Lingus as you could fly to Shannon.
Anyway Kilkenny and the Rock of Cashel are worth seeing and the other segments of your journey are fine (Average 65 miles per journey) except the Dingle - Doolin journey. Be sure to travel to Doolin via the Tarbert car ferry (www.shannonferries.com and click on 'direct route')
For other journeys go to www.aaireland.com and click on 'routes'

Thank you all for your replies. I meant to respond this weekend but was too busy to check this sight.

For clarification, we are flying from Chicago to Dublin roundtrip on American. We would have preferred to fly into Dublin and out of Shannon but got a much better price and no layovers by flying in and out of Dublin.

We have decided to spend the last day and night in Dublin as the city definitely looks worthwhile and very interesting. The hard part is going to be figuring out what to drop from our itinerary.

We spent a lot of time reading various guidebooks and talking about it this weekend. Now DH said that he definitely wants to visit the Connemara region and see the beautiful abbey (I'm sorry, the name of it escapes me) so we are thinking of dropping Kinsale and perhaps Kenmare and rearranging our itinerary from there. Is this a good idea?

Planning an Ireland itinerary is proving to be much harder than I thought!

Tracy

Definitely Kinsale & Kenmare as well as Dingle & Doolin are well worth a visit, but given your time constraints and desire to the Connemara region, you are wise not to cram too much into your trip. You'll definitely be back. Save that next trip for the Southwest areas. We did the Southwest Peninsulas alone in 10 days, and still didn't feel we had enough time. ((b))

Budman, thank you for your reply. I think I came up with an itinerary. I'm trying to get this figured out soon because I'm assuming I should book our rooms relatively quickly given the St. Patrick's day week?

Anyways, here is my newly revised itinerary:

Arrive Dublin; drive to Kilkenny; 1 night

Drive to Killarney; 3 nights

Drive to Doolin; 2 nights

Drive to Dublin; 2 nights

I know that the drive between Doolin and Dublin is long but I don't see any way around a long drive back to Dublin from the coast so we will just deal with it. How does this itinerary sound?

Thanks everyone!
Tracy

Tracy,

Doolin, in my opinion, is not worth 2 days. Consider one night in Dingle at the least. Leave Killarney after breakfast, take the short drive to Dingle and drive Slea Head, then check in to your accommodations, tour the small town, grab a few pints, spend the night, and in the morning take the Connor Pass via the Tarbert Ferry, to Lahinch for lunch/shopping, tour the Cliffs of Moher and spend the night in Doolin. The following morning, head for Dublin. ((b))

Thank you for clearing that up. The hardest part of planning itineraries is figuring out how long it will take to do things. We were considering taking the ferry out to the Aran Islands, which is why I had 2 nights, but I think we may skip that. I don't even know if the ferries are running in March.

Do you think we should spend 3 nights in Dublin, or should we tack on the extra night from Doolin and stay in Dingle?

Ferries run from Doolin to the Aran Islands year-round, but depend on the weather.

To get from Doolin to Dublin, consider dropping your car off in Galway and taking the train to Dublin. Your car will be of no use in Dublin itself and there's little to see by car on the Galway-Dublin route.

I've done what you are considering doing: flying into Dublin and immediately renting a car and driving to Kilkenny. While doable, I found it thoroughly exhausting. I won't do it again.

I recommend starting your trip with 2 or 3 nights in Dublin, then renting the car and doing the rest of Ireland.

At the end of the trip rather than stay in Dublin again, you could stay in near-by Trim. It has some great sights itself and it's about an hour from the Dublin airport by car.

Consider this possibility.

Let me add that depending on where the Galway rental car dropoff point it, taking the train from Galway to Dublin could be a hassle. I had to drop my car off near the Galway airport then take a cab back into Galway to get to the train station. There may have been an easier way to do it, but it wasn't self-evident.

I'm with Budman on taking a night from Doolin to see Dingle. I have been through Doolin, although we have never stayed there. It was a very small town with B&Bs and some pubs, didn't see much else.

I like your 3 nights in Killarney because there are so many things to see from there. (Last year we stayed in Kenmare for 3 nights and only one in Killarney, and that worked out well for us.)

You can keep your car for the final leg of your trip. We have stayed in Dublin with a car, which was a huge hassle for parking and driving. A better plan would be to stay south of the city (Dun Laoghaire is a nice town, easily accessible by Dart) or north in Malahide and take the bus in. (I'm not familiar with Dart routes here.)

If you love Ireland as much as many of us do, you will be going back again to see some of the things you missed on this trip!

Thank you for your replies Edward. Would you suggest we spend the first night in Dublin and then leave the next morning for the countryside? We were trying to find somewhere between Dublin and the Dingle Peninsula area to break up that long drive. We both take Ambien and sleep very well on the plane so I think we will be up for the drive, but if its that exhausting I don't know if we should do it or not. Also, if we don't go to Kilkenny the first night I'm not sure how to add it to the trip later, as I want to head to Dingle from there. Is Kilkenny and the Rock of Cashel a must see?

I'm sorry for all the question!

Tracy

If you are reasonably sure you will be well-rested upon landing, then you should probably stick with what you have planned. Kilkenny is a good stopping point. I think the combination of strange roads, driving on the left, and jet lag tapped my energy more than normal when I did it.

However, if you do choose to stay in Dublin the first few nights, Kilkenny or Cashel would still make a good stopping point on the road to Dingle.

Don't worry about asking questions -- you've got a long way to go to catch up to the Biologist's wife. ((a)) ((b))

Let me expand on the previous poster's reference to the ferry from Doolin to the Aran Islands. Here's a quote from Rick Steves' Ireland 2005 Guidebook: "Even a balmy day can be too windy (or the tide can be too low) to allow for sailing from Doolin's crude little port. If you're traveling by car and have time limits, don't risk sailing from Doolin." There are daily sailings from Rossaveel, 20 miles west of Galway, on Island Ferries.

You say your DH want to see a bit of Connemara. Basing yourselves in Galway rather than Doolin would give you the flexibility of choosing between a ferry to the Aran Islands or a drive north to Connemara.

If you were planning to use Killarney as a base to drive the Ring of Kerry, then for this trip you might skip Dingle. While it would be wonderful to see both the Iveragh Peninsula and the Dingle Peninsula, you won't have time to see much of Connemara if you tour two southwestern peninsulas. Pick one of them. (Since I've only driven the Dingle Peninsula, I can't compare it to the Ring of Kerry. However, I'm sure other posters will be happy to rate them for you.)

There are also some flights from nearby Galway to the Aran Islands. I was tempted to try this but the departure time wasn't workable that day.

Based upon your condensed schedule, I would skip the Ring of Kerry and do the Dingle Peninsula -- more Bang for the Buck. Again, if you had the time, you might want to do both.

Also, I would skip the Aran Islands considering your time constraints. Spend that time visiting the Connemara area. ((b))

Actually, the Rock is in Cashel, which is relatively near Kilkenny, but not exactly 'next door'. If your goal is to see the Rock, why not head there directly (on the N7) and spend the night there?
The next day, you can head to Dingle for two nights, then Doolin for one. I think I would push on to Galway to spend the night, though, as it's bound to be much livelier than Doolin, in March. The next day, you can drive a loop out through the Connemeara, and take in Kylemore Abbey, to appease you spouse. If you are a "nester", spend that night in Galway, otherwise, consider a night in Westport.
From there, head back to Dublin via either the N5 to the N4 or the N6. Stay one night on the road and spend your final time in Dublin.
Bob

Thank you all for your kind responses, and allisonm I didn't mean to leave you out in a thank you earlier. When I responded to Budman I somehow missed your post, so thank you!

Now I'm very confused! There is just simply too much to do! I am going to take everyone's advice. Now the new itinerary is:

Drive to Kilkenny for 1 night, Dingle for 3 nights (too much time? Should we break this up and do a night in Kenmare of Killarney?), Galway for 2 nights and Dublin for 2 nights.

Does this itinerary look better? Any suggestions on changes?

We will probably do as suggested and drop the car off somewhere outside of Dublin and train into town. After a disasterous drive in London a few years ago my husband avoids driving in most European cities at all costs...I think it scared him for life!

I really can't thank you all enough for your help. It's been invaluable in planning this trip.

Tracy

Personally, I would deduct a day from Dingle and add a day to Dublin. There are many excellent walking tours of Dublin and lots of entertainment in the Temple Bar area.

Kenmare is a lovely little Irish town. Killarney is very "touristy." I'd rather sleep in Kenmare myself. If I were you, I'd drive from Kilkenny to Kenmare, spend the night, and drive to Dingle via Killarney the next day. Bonus: The drive from Kenmare to Killarney is beautiful.

Tim, I was hoping someone would advise me on staying in Kenmare because from what I've seen and read it sounds charming and I would love to stay there. I think I am going to take a night off of Dingle and add it to Kenmare. I hate to do 2 one-nighters in a row but I think, or at least hope, that Kenmare is worth it!

Edward, thank you for the advice. Although we considered staying an extra night in Dublin, we decided that two should be fine for this trip. We just got back from a trip to Paris where we spent the whole time in the city, so for this trip we both prefer to see more countryside and less city.

Thanks again everyone!
Tracy

One more note: If you drop your car at the Dublin airport, you can take a bus to the heart of the city. The three-day Rambler pass (E10.00) includes the Airlink bus to and from the airport as well as unlimited rides on the city bus system. A regular city bus ticket from the airport to the city costs E1.75 (exact change required).

Here's another vote for Kenmare -- we spent three nights there in Oct.'04, and drove the Beara Peninsula among other things. It's a wonderful town, and easy to walk about, too.

Enjoy, and have a grand trip. Ireland is magical! (And don't worry about too many questions--many of us have been in your shoes prior to our first trip to Ireland!).

Cheers,
Sue

If you're looking for a B&B in Kenmare, I recommend the Waters Edge B&B. It's on a forest hillside a mile south of town overlooking the estuary. Beautiful setting, lovely rooms, gracious host, and excellent breakfast choices which you select the night before. The price is certainly right (double with bath for E52-58). No smoking. Cash only. Phone: 064/41707. E-mail: [email protected].

You guys are lifesavers (I'm assuming I'm allowed to be overly dramatic about travel since this is a travel board :))!

Thank you so much for the B&B rec. I've been researching them all day and there are tons to choose from, so getting personal recs are always welcome!

And Sue, thank you! I think all of my other Europe trip itineraries have been easier than planning this one! For some reason this is harder than I thought it would be, I guess because I didn't realize how much Ireland truly has to offer until I booked the tickets and started doing my research.

Thanks again everyone!
Tracy

As you can see Ireland is the land of many charms and all here have their own special memory of their trip.
Could I commend www.cietours.ie/home and click on Ireland tours.
While you will not be taking an organised tour(and then again you may) you will see how the experts plan a number of sight seeing tours in Ireland.
I read with interest the advice that some were giving about driving in Dublin. I fully commend this advice. If you are staying in the city there is no need of a car as the public transport system is good. I would commend the hop on hop off bus to get a good overall view of the city. Then when you are ready to proceed down the country take the train to an outside town and hire your car. Then when you return you can go back to the town and after check in take the train back into the city.
Hope all is well in Chicago Have been there many times around Arlington. Heard the Wilton shopping mall is growing by the year. Must go back to check.
Enjoy your holiday.

Hi tcreath. We sure are enjoying all of these Ireland threads as we plan our own adventure next summer. We did a similar route as you are proposing on our first trip to the Emerald Isle - Dublin, Waterford, Dingle, Doolin, Ballyvaughan and back to Dublin. Some thoughts....

Ideally, fly in/out of Shannon and just do the west coast for an 8 night visit, leaving Dublin for another time. No way would I ever again drive back to Dublin. But I understand that may not be an option for you.

Dublin is OK, but IMO it's not a must-see. And since you are looking for less city and more country on this trip, I would spend less time there and more time on the west coast.

Loved Kinsale. Great harbor with boats going in/out and a festive atmosphere. A bit more upscale than anything you'll find in the southwest. Excellent restaurants, they even had a wine bar which seemed out of place in the land of Guinness.

Dingle has been discovered - but it's popular for a good reason. I would suggest 2 nights as it's quite a drive over Conor Pass, plus you'll want to take the drive around Slea Head.

Doolin is a fun little town, but with your schedule I would just give it 1 night unless you want to visit the Aran Islands.

The Cliffs of Moher are spectacular - if the weather is OK it's a great place to have a picnic lunch. Lahinch is not far away and it's a fun town as well. And if you're a golf nut like me, it's got a top 100 course designed by Old Tom Morris that rivals the best anywhere for a unique experience. The dunes along the coast really make for some interesting links golf.

If you do continue north toward Ballyvaughan and Galway, don't miss The Burren. It's a pretty cool pile of rocks :-)

You are wise to be concerned about how long it takes to do things. Your drive times will definitely be longer than you are use to in the states.

I'm curious about the impact of St. Patrick's day on your travels. So I'll ask our Irish experts out there - what is the impact of St. Patrick's day on the traveler? CU mentions Dublin being popular at that time, but do you really need reservations in March for travels on the west coast? I think of Ireland as the ideal place to NOT have reservations, as it seems like anyone with a spare room has converted their home into a B & B.

Thank you for the recent responses!

CU, unfortunately our tickets for ORD/DUB are already booked. Actually we are not from Chicago, although we do drive up to visit quite often. We will be coming from St. Louis and will be flying to Chicago. We chose the flight to Dublin because there wouldn't be another layover. If we had chosed to fly to Shannon, we would have had a layover in Boston both directions.

I honestly didn't even think about St. Patrick's day when I purchased the tickets. We are actually leaving on St. Patrick's day, arriving in Dublin the day after. I'm wondering if we should go ahead and book accomodations now because of this?

Thank you again for all your imput!
Tracy

Yes I would definitely advise making reservations for the West of Ireland for Patricks day, becasue if its weekend then many Dubliners go to the West of Ireland for the weekend. Infact I would recommend that you reserve any hotel in Ireland for Patricks Day as we get a lot of visitors for that time.

7 to 8 american bands will be in Dublin during that period alone not to mention bands from other parts of the world and they then hit for Limerick for the annual band competition so rooms will be a primium.
It would be no harm to have a look at what is available. www.bedandbreakfastireland.net
The trouble with arriving in Ireland the day after St. Patrick's Day is that we will all have a hangover and we will not be capable of giving you the cead mila failte. I'll drink to that!!!

One thing to keep in mind on any vacation to an exotic locale -- you can't see it all in a week's trip!!! Plan as if you are just seeing a certain section. Plan as if you will be going back next year. Otherwise, you will drive yourself crazy hopping around and around :)

Thanks everyone!

To clarify, we will be arriving in Dublin the day after St. Patrick's day but we will immediately head for the country. We won't actually be in Dublin until the 24th and 25th, leaving on the 26th.

That being said, hotels in Dublin seemed to be very pricey and, after reading a recent post regarding noise level, we are considering staying in Dun Laoghaire and using the DART to get into the city. Would anyone advise against this?

Thanks!
Tracy

thanx lucieloo...I noticed a separate thread has been started on the St. Patrick's Day issue as well.

CU, thank you for the link! I have been searching for B&B's for two days and didn't even know about this site! I've already requested reservations from several B&B's but haven't heard back yet. I'll check this site out for back-up plans!

Thanks!
Tracy

Tracy, we like Dun Laoghaire a lot. (My DH lived there for several months many years ago when his father was on sabbatical.) We stayed in Windsor Lodge and took the DART into Dublin. The Pier is nice for a stroll, and we enjoyed the couple of pubs we hit. We also had our first experience with O'Briens' skinny little sandwiches in DL.

Once we happened to arrive in Dublin the morning following St Patrick's Day, and there was still a bit of celebrating going on. I was "mooned" by the passenger in van that drove past us at about 8am. Woke me right up from that jetlag!

A really nice and not too expensive place to stay in Dublin is Bewleys Hotel in the Ballsbridge area. The city center bus from the airport stops there also.
Definitly do the Dingle Peninsula. It is a beautiful area. A really nice place to stay in Dingle is the Milltown Guest House. Their rooms are beautiful and the breakfast is above average. The Slea Head drive is outstanding and their are many ruins along the way. Try not to rush your trip too much or you will not have time to absorb any of the aura of Ireland. Sounds silly, but true.

Another thing about Bewleys' is that if you do have a rental car in Dublin, they have secure parking and it is easy to head south from there. Doolin is very small, but if you do go there check the pubs, they have great irish/celtic music there.