Ireland Trip
 

My wife and I are arriving in Dublin and departing out of Shannon. We will be there for a full 7 days with a car September 14th to 21st. We like to travel at a good pace. Any tips/suggestions on an itinerary?

As absolute overseas virgins, here is what we did: 2 nights Dublin, one Kilkenny, one in Cork, 2 Dingle and one at Dromoland Castle prior to leaving from Shannon. We got to see lots, and know now where to concentrate next time. Regret not seeing Cliffs.

When you are figuring out how far to drive each day, use the average speed of 35 miles per hour in your planning. The roads are narrow and speeds are slow and the 35 mile per hour average speed works well with the planning.

You may check out my 7 day, Dublin to Shannon blog at http://travelpod.com/members/jjarnold .

"<i>We like to travel at a good pace.</i>" If this means fast, you can forget that idea from the get go. Simply isn't possible. Kelliebellie isn't kidding w/ the 35 mph. In fact it could be slower in parts of the country

"<i>Any tips/suggestions on an itinerary? </i>" Not w/o knowing something (<i>anything</i>) about what you enjoy, what you hope to see, etc. What research have you done and what decisions have you made? Do you want castles, Dublin city, rugged coastal scenery, or ??

If you plan to tour the west/southwest (Dingle/Kerry/Galway etc etc) 7 days simply isn't long enough to also include much/any time in Dublin.

There are literally hundreds of threads w/ lots of great info. But we can't plan your itinerary for you - we CAN help you refine/improve a plan. But you need to give us something to work w/

What janisj said about the roads and speed. Seriously! :)

I recommend, with 7 days, choosing 2, perhaps 3 bases to stay at, and go from there. In order to do that, I would figure out what you want to do, what you like, as janisj suggested. Then we can tell you where to go (so to speak!) :)

We wanted to start out in Dublin for two days,..then drive to Cork (Cobh and Kinsale). 2-3 days between Cork and moving out to ROK-Killarney (perhaps Dingle peninsula) and finishing up 2 days in Galway (total 7 days). Want to see culture and scenery. WE ARE OPEN TO ANY SUGGESTIONS AND ARE NOT PICKY.

7 days maybe short enough for a Dublin - Cork - Galway trip that's a quite a bit of driving. If you are planning on seeing the cliffs of Moher (highly recommended) Lisdoonvarna isn't too far from there. There is a Matchmaking Festival taking place there which is great fun and has all the pubs hoping with music and craic

Well, then I would advise the following:

Day 1: Arrive in Dublin. If not too tired, do the hop-on-hop-off bus tour, gives a good overview of the city
Day 2: Dublin
Day 3: Drive to Cork (this is a long day's drive). You may want to break this up by a night, as there is lots to see on the way - Glendalough, Powerscourt Falls/Gardens, Kilkenny, Rock of Cashel, Cahir Castle, Swiss Cottage
Day 4: Cork
Day 5: Drive to Galway
Day 6: Galway
Day 7: Depart from Shannon (unless you still have this as a full day, then I would explore the Burren/Cliffs of Moher or Aran Islands)

Thanks GreenDragon,

Your suggestion is pretty close to the way we see our itinerary shaping up. We have a full day 7 to see the Cliffs of Moher. I believe even with the supposedly 35 mile per hour "pace" (which we don't mind) we can still enjoy the views and the countryside on our way to eventual destinations previously planned.

GreenDragon wrote: "Day 3: Drive to Cork (this is a long day's drive). You may want to break this up by a night, as there is lots to see on the way - Glendalough, Powerscourt Falls/Gardens, Kilkenny, Rock of Cashel, Cahir Castle, Swiss Cottage"

Just a quibble: Dublin to Cork is not necessarily a long day's drive; it's a fairly easy half day -- 155 miles, much of it motorway. GreenDragon's ideas are not bad, but involve a less direct route, especially if you consider Glendalough, Powerscourt, and Kilkenny. They are all places worth seeing, but you have to decide on your own priorities.

True, Padraig - you sort of have to sacrifice sites to gain time. Personally, I'd be sacrificing time to gain sites :P Glendalough is one of my favorite places in Ireland, and Cashel is very impressive.

Chip, other than on major motorways, the 35mph is real, not supposedly :) I tend to speed at home - I go under the speed limit in Ireland! The speed limits are more for locals who know the lay of the land - and when sheep are likely to pop up around the next bend.

Oh, and a visit to www.irelandyes.com might be helpful - Michelle has been to Ireland over 40 times, and has a great forum.

To clarify, the motorways will be running at regular posted speeds, and you can budget time in a regular driving way with those. However, there are like two motorways in the whole country. :)

The 35 mph speed in not the actual speed of the car. It means the average time it takes you to get somewhere. You will get lost, you will have to stop for tour buses, sheep, other cars, etc. So if you are factoring time in the car between points, and there is no highway, then use the 35 mph speed to get a realistic idea of how long it will take you between the points.

What kelliebellie said :)

Oh, and sometimes it is LESS than 35 mph, actual car speed - like going up the north side of Conor's Pass in thick fog!

Rough draft itinerary

Days 1 & 2: Dublin
Day 3: Drive to Cork 8am (on way- see Kilkenny, Rock of Cashel, Blarney Stone) sleep in Cork.

Day 4: Go to Cobh & Kinsale,..then on to Killarney. Sleep in Killarney.

Day 5: Ring of Kerry Peninsula (starting early-drive and stay night in Dingle)
Day 6: Dingle Peninsula - drive to cliffs Of Moher. sleep in Galway (or nearby).
Day 7: Galway day trip (sleep in Ennis)
Day 8: fly out of Shannon 12 noon.

This looks pretty good to me. I might leave out the ROK and spend two days on the Dingle Peninsula.

Good, but you will still have lots of driving - be fairly warned :)

chip:

I know <u>JanisJ</u> is going to say, "Oh. no. Not again" when I tell you to be very aware of driving on the "wrong side"..it is particularly important in Ireland, on it's very narrow, curvy sheep-filled roads. I've driven the perimeter four times since 1980, and had some anxious moments each time....especially on the two lane country roads (One-and a half lanes!). Your itinerary is tight, but doable with early starts. You will certainly experience some of the many beauties of Ireland, which still remains one of our favorite places.

Tip: Even if you don't get lost, stop at a pub or ask directions from a bystander...the golden brogue will bring a smile to yer face...and don't hesitate to ask him/her to repeat!

Chip: This is what you may encounter periodically:

http://picasaweb.google.com/stuarttower/Ireland#

Have a grand time of it!

stu

tower wrote: "... the golden brogue will bring a smile to yer face ..."

That depends on what is said.

I know a lady who tried to take a short cut to get to a village in west Cork. She got to a point only a few miles from her destination, it was a black night and raining. What she did not know is that there was a mountain range between her and her target. She asked her son to get directions from a man who appeared to be a local. He took his pipe from his mouth, looked right into the car, and prefaced his response with "Ye poor hoors".