peachyduo

My husband and I are in our 50's and planning a 9 day trip to Ireland. We are flying into Dublin and plan to rent a car at the airport. We plan to head to Kilkenny for the first 2 nights, then on to Killarney for 2 nights, then Ennis for 2 nights, return our car in Dublin and spend the last few days in Dublin. We thought that spending 2 nights in each location would give us time to relax and enjoy the scenery. We also thought that these locations were located within a reasonable distance to many of the historical and cultural sights we would like to see so taking day trips would be easy. Could you please tell me if we are being reasonable? Are we attempting too much in such a short time? We honestly want to avoid tourist traps so any suggestions of places to avoid would be very helpful. We are both a little apprehensive about renting a car as well -- any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.

Itallian_Chauffer

We need a bit more info to be of any real help, such as: time of year; must-see interests; coming in on an over-night flight; etc...

But, over-all, on first glance, the BASICS look quite reasonable...

Bob

peachyduo

I am sorry, I should have been more clear. We are arriving about 7:00 AM -- overnight flight from the US. Traveling the early part of May. We have gone over all the tour books and don't exactly know what is the "must see" versus the most popular things to see and do. Sometimes the most popular things -- like Blarney Castle from what we have read, are overcrowded, overrated and not worth the time and money -- these are what we want to avoid. We want to experience the beautiful country, amazing people, interesting food, music and art with some historical sights. We don't need to see every castle, monument or museum. We don't mind and actually would prefer walking vs. driving. Is this enough additional information? Thank you.

janisj

Only time for one quick comment right now . . .

I'd reconsider your plan to drive right off the plane. It will be an overnight flight, you will likely be exhausted, suffering from jet lag AND having to drive on the "wrong side of the road/wrong side of the car".

I'd stay overnight in Dublin car-less, then collect your car either in Dublin or back out a DUB and start your driving tour after a semi-decent night's sleep.

Itallian_Chauffer

Some quick, not really well-thought out comments:

It's true that the jet lag thing can be a deal-killer, but only you know how you react to that.

If it were me, I would book arrival night in Dublin. You wouldn't likely be able to check in much before the afternoon, but most places will let you stash your luggage. That frees you up to take the Hop-On/Off Bus Tour that will give you a GREAT overview of Dublin and afford you to choose to see SOME of the best sights with minimal stress and effort.

You could pick up the rental at one of the City locations the next morning since your first goal would probably be the Wicklow Mountains and Glendalough, before continuing on to Kilkenny. From there, your original plan should be fine.

I would skip the Lower SW -- Cork and West Cork -- THIS trip.

Again, were it ME, my 'Must Sees' (using your itinerary and timetable) would be:

Dublin: Trinity College (Book of Kells and Long Hall), Kilmainham Gaol, the GPO, Grafton Street and Stepen's Green Saint Patrick's and Christchurch Cathedrals.

Kilkenney: Glendalough, Kilkenny Town and Castle, Jerpoint Abbey, Cahir Castle and the Rock of Cashel (including Hore Abbey).

Killarney: Ross Castle, Muckross House, Gap of Dunloe (if the weather is good and Dingle and Slea Head. Maybe drive down to Kenmare and back - the BEST of the Ring of Kerry, in my personal opinion -- and visit the very nice stone circle in Kenmare.

Ennis: Cliffs of Moher, Gus O'Connor's Pub, in Doolin, Cragganoween, Cruise's Pub, Bunratty Castle and Folk Park.

Bob

Nancy_W

We did something similar to your itinerary. We took an overnight flight into Dublin where we spent two nights then it was off to the West.

I like Itallian_Chaufeer’s recommendations. I would include Powerscourt on your way to Glendalough. We did both the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula. We preferred the Dingle Peninsula, but we were still glad that we did both.

Is there any way you can fly out of Shannon or have you already purchased your tickets? If you haven’t yet made the purchase, I would recommend flying out of Shannon so you do not have to backtrack. Ennis is very close to the airport so it would be an easy last night in Ireland.

peachyduo

It sounds as if the consensus is to avoid Galway this trip which sounds fine with us. We are concerned that we are putting too much into such a short time period. Are there any things that are closed on Sunday? That is the day we hope to travel from Kilkenny to Killarney -- anything on route that we might be sorry we missed? Unfortunately we purchased our tickets when the flights were cheap so no chance of changing our departure city. Would it make sense to leave our rental car in Limerick and take the train back to Dublin? We won't be needing the car in Dublin and I thought it might be difficult to return the car to the airport in Dublin and then attempt to get into the city. We really appreciate all your information and suggestions!

Itallian_Chauffer

Galway is NOT something to avoid. It IS, however, beyond the scope of your plans/time allowances, unless you opt to 'Drop' one of the other locations.

Bob

Bronxbomber

Peachy, most car rentals allow you to pick up at DUB and drop off in downtown. That's what we did with EuroCar.

peachyduo

Thank you for all the great tips! I have been using the route planner suggested times -- are these accurate? I have read that the average speed is about 35 mph on most roads so I am wondering if their estimated times are off. For example they say that it is about 2 hours driving time from Dublin Airport to Kilkenny. How true is that? Also, how valuable is it to purchase the heritage cards? Thank you

peachy

Itallian_Chauffer

The route planner guides presume that you are a local driver, familiar with the road conventions, markings and vehicle. Standard recommendation IS to take the 'Miles Driven' number (be SURE you are looking at MILES, and NOT kilometers!) and divide by 35 for a more accurate, 'Tourist' drive time.

Driving through the Wicklow Mountains, the Burren, Slea Head and Ring Of Kerry (among others), you might be better served to figure 30 MPH.

You'll need to look at the Heritage Sites list compared to what you plan to see, to determine if it will be a money saver for you. You can purchase the card at nearly any of the Heritage sites.

Bob

peachyduo

Now we need help with the rental car -- we just found out our American Express won't give us coverage in Ireland! Does anyone have a suggestion? We also wondered about gas stations -- are they relatively easy to come by? Can we use credit cards or will we need to have euros with us for things like gas? Thank you again for all the responses! What a life saver!
Peachy

janisj

Only one specific type of MasterCard will cover you in Ireland. No other credit cards cover insurance there. So unless you have a World MC, you'll pretty much have to pay for insurance.

There are more petrol stations in some places than others - And many have more limited opening hours. I try to not let the gauge get below 1/3 full. You can use cc's in petrol stations - but most likely you'll have to go inside and pay in person. Some of the automated pumps don't take US-issued cards.

travelingrodney

it is totally doable. i was there recently with my wife for the same amount of time. we landed in shannon and flew home from Dublin. i dont know if you will want to spend two nights in kilkenny. i would suggest Dingle for at least two nights. i have been to Ireland three times and Dingle has always been my favorite. once i leave Dingle i always wish i didnt.

peachyduo

Thank you for your suggestions. I will check into that credit card. I know there is so much to see and we won't get to see everything on this trip -- could anyone tell me is Bunratty Castle a definite DON'T MISS IT or YOU CAN WAIT TILL NEXT TIME? We are getting mixed reviews on the castle and banquet. Also, any great evening entertainment suggestions around Killarney or Kilkenny?
Thank you

travelingrodney

The castle is expensive. i think its worth missing. its better to mov on and get to the real Ireland!

peachyduo

Great! I am so glad you are being honest! Now, where is the real Ireland? Where is it that we shouldn't miss?
Thank you

travelingrodney

i think maybe using the words "real Ireland" may be a bit harsh. you may have fun at Bunratty, but its staged and there are actors and its just not for me. i love the west of Ireland. My favorite place in Ireland is Dingle. the town is perfect and the Dingle peninsula is easy to get around and there is a lot to see, so beautiful. my favorite pub was Fitzgerald Pub. the owner was great and so was the crowed, they had great little music sessions. the Berra peninsula is much more rustic. it is rough and rustic, sum roads where barley big enough for our compact. the ring of kerry is the most popular, it is nice to with a lot of towns along the way. sorry this is so long but i want to suggest one thing. its super easy to get stuck spending a ton of your day driving around. i would try to avoid stopping at everything, there is so much. when i go back again i will make a point of spending more of the day in town mot just the evenings.

Songdoc

For me, Bunratty was a fun way to be entertained for an evening. It's dinner theater. It's not "either Bunratty--or the real thing." I'm glad I went--but it's an entirely different experience from visiting the ruins at Glendalough; wandering beaches on the Dingle Peninsula; listening to trad music in a pub; touring Newgrange, etc ... They're all part of a fun vacation for me.

jk1348

Be sure to read the fine print on your World Mastercard coverage. Mine specifically excluded Ireland. Also be sure to print out a copy of the coverage and bring with you if yours does indeed provide coverage for Ireland.