Hi All,

We are in the beginning stages of planning our first trip to Ireland. We initially preferred the warmest months of July or August but wonder about the crowds. June would also be an option and may avoid some crowds that revolve around the school calendar. I will be traveling with DH and my mother in her mid-seventies. Although we are from the US and are a little concerned about driving on the left we are fairly certain we would like to make this a driving vacation. While we would like to see Dublin we are especially interested in Kilkenny, the scenic countryside, and thatched roof villages. DH has an interest in ancient Irish history and archeology. Upon initial investigation we believe we would like to see the areas of the Dingle Peninsula, Kilarny, Doolin, the Ring of Kerry, the Cliffs of Moher, and perhaps seeing or staying in a castle. All this in around a week!

While doing our initial research we stumbled across several tour companies offering self-drive packages. While we are not sure we going to use any particular tour company we are interested in different routes and itineraries. Here is one we were considering:
http://tinyurl.com/4hjf3td

Please share your thoughts and advice.

Thanks in advance.

Whew! they are packing a lot into this tour!

First of all, I would be very careful of the nights they book you into B&B's/hotels. It will be more expensive than booking your own and if you decide that you want more than one night in any area, your are stuck pushing on with prepaid accomodations. If you really want to do it this way, I would definitely choose Kilkenny over Waterford.

If at all possible, I would choose to fly into dublin and out of Shannon or vice versa. The reason that I would fly into Dublin is that you could spend your first two nights there and get over jet lag and the exhausting flight before you set out driving. That being said, don't worry about driving on the left. when the driver gets into the car on what is to US drivers the passenger side, it will be a wake up to "Stay Left". Just keep muttering to yourself and have your passengers repeat "Stay Left" when you are starting up or coming to an intersection where you must make a turn. (Also be aware that when you return home abnd let down your guard, you may find yourself on the left.) Also when you are planning your route, remember to count on averaging 35mph when figuring driving time.

If possible choose June to go. The (think sunset after 10 pm) and the hordes (just semi hordes) will not have arrived yet.

Posible itinerary for 7 nights:

1&2 Dublin
Day 3 drive to Kilkenny. Stop in Glendalough on the way. Visit castle and garden in Kilkenny.

Day 4 Drive to dingle and stop at Cashel on the way. Overnight in Dingle

Day5 wexplore the dingle Peninsula. Send the night in Dingle.

Day 6 Drive to Galway via the Cliffs of Moher. stay in Galway

Day7 visit the Aran Islands from Rosseveal. there is secure parking at the ferry place--the ferry only takes foot passengers. When you arrive on Inishmore, there are minivans and horse drawn carts waiting to take passengers on a tour of the island. Back to Galway for the night.

Day 8 up early and down to Shannon for the flight home. If your flight is too early, drive to Ennis for the night on day 7.

there are many others on this board who will give you lots of advice on great b&bs and other sights to see.

Th itinerary above gives you two nights in most places and is still jampacked with driving. If you like to drive you could follow the itinerary in your thoughts above. It is after all your trip and you know what you like to do and how you like to travel, so wait for other advice and look at all the suggestions you will get and check out what there is to see in a guidebook.

Although we are known to "overbook" I tend to agree about many of these tour companies being overly optimistic about how much ground you should attempt to cover in a week. I like your itinerary, especially using different inbound/outbound airports to save time. I assume Day 3 is an overnight in Kilkenny. Also, the long days in June sound wonderful. I hadn't even thought of that. Is there any "must see" that you think we have overlooked given our lack of experience with the area?

I would be interested in hearing favorite B&B's for these towns. Especially authentic or historic Irish places. While I certainly want en-suite facilities, the more modern looking B&B just don't seem to have the right feel.

Thank you very much for your advice!

Just outside of Galway, in Spiddal, check out An Caladh Gearr Thatched Cottage http://tinyurl.com/c24oyg . Authentic as all get-out. She only has 3 rooms and all are en suite.

That place is perfect! Great location too. DH saw the link and said "let's move to Ireland." Thank you very much. I think I may have to start a post requesting similar properties in some of the other areas we would be staying. I also thought it might be nice to stay a night in a castle for night. I've seen a few but they seem to lean more toward posh than medieval and historic. Still might be fun.

Thanks again for your help.

Look at Smarmore Castle Hotel http://www.smarmorecastle.com/ . While it is north of Dublin a bit, it might be worth the trip. Check it out on TripAdvisor; it seems to be well recommended. The lads and I enjoyed it immensely.

Sounds great! ever stay anyplace in Kilkenny?

Me? No, I'm not even sure I've even driven through. But many people swear by it being a wonderful little town. You might go ask on IrelandYes.com.

I was wondering what others thought about the town of Dingle. I read a trip report that claimed Dingle to be a little less quaint than others. Too many tacky souvenir shops and tour buses. I was wondering what others thought. While I do want to explore the peninsula would Kenmare or another nearby town be a better home base?

a tour book i have been studying ( rick Steves) said that kenmare would be a good town to stay in, rather than Dingle.

Kenmare is a great little town.I would sugest flying into Shannon an out of Dublin.Since you are new to driving on the left side .much easier airport to get out of.All you have to do is keep telling yourself left.after the first couple days you want even notice your driving on the left it will come natural.

David - Kenmare sounds lovely from what I've read but I'm afraid it might be too long a commute to the Dingle Peninsula thus cutting our explorations short. It's tempting to take one day for each but that would make three in a row and those one-night stops can wear on you.

Venezia - I really like the idea of reversing the airports. It would also be a plus to spend the last day or two in Dublin and get rid of the rental car early. The flights cost a little more but not really enough to worry about. More importantly, the timing of the flights might force us to cut one day out of the vacation due to our work schedules. The trip is pretty short as is so I would hate to lose another day.