Erin74

I'm planning to take a much anticipated trip to Ireland next Spring (late April, early May) and am going crazy trying to put together a reasonable itinerary. This will be my first time in Ireland and I could really use some advice. We have appoximately two weeks for this trip. A couple of things:

- I'll be traveling with my husband. We're in our early 30s and are on-the-go sorts of travelers who enjoy moving around a lot and being active. We're fairly well traveled and have rented cars on previous European trips.

- I'd like to see many of the major tourists sights, but balance that with spending time in the areas my family comes from (especially near Clifden). I'm willing to sacrifice time in other areas to spend quality time around Connemara.

- I'm aware of slow drive times and difficult roads in Ireland and want to fully take that into consideration.

- My husband is really interested in seeing Belfast. I wouldn't mind saving it for another trip, but I would also love to finish up the trip in Edinburgh and that would be convenient if we're in Belfast.

Does this itinerary seem reasonable for drive times and sightseeing? Is it way too much? Am I missing anything I really need to see? Anything I can safely eliminate?
All opinions are appreciated!

Day 1- Arrive Dublin in the AM. Sightseeing.
Day 2- Dublin sightseeing.

Day 3- (Long driving day) Drive to Kinsale from Dublin, via Glendalough and possibly the Rock of Cashel. Spend the night in Kinsale.

Day 4- Explore Kinsale. Drive to Killarney via Blarney Castle. Spend the night in Killarney (possibly Ross Castle Lodge?).
Day 5- Killarney area. See Gap of Dunloe and Muckross House. Spend the night in Killarney.

Day 6- (Long driving day) Drive the Dingle Peninsula. Spend the night somewhere near the Cliffs of Moher (Ennis? Doolin?).
Day 7- Sightseeing: Cliffs of Moher, The Burren, Quin Abbey. Spend night in same place as previous night.

Day 8- (Long driving day). Drive to Clifden, with a stop in Galway. Spend the night in Clifden.
Day 9- Explore Rossadilisk & Omey Island (family locations). Spend the night in Clifden.
Day 10- Explore Connemara. Kylemore Abbey. Spend the night in Clifden.

Day 11- (Long driving day). Drive to Belfast. * I know this is a super long drive. We might leave the night before and spend the night in Sligo instead of Clifden. Does that make it any better? Is this a totally crazy idea? * Planning to drive through Carrowhubbock in Sligo on the way (family area).
Day 12- Belfast. Sightseeing.

From Belfast we are planning to take an Easy Jet flight to Edinburgh and spend the last two/three days there before flying home from Edinburgh.

All input welcome!

mmculp

The drive to Belfast - yes it's a lot of driving, but it's managable. My sister and I drove from Westport to Bushmills - with a stop at the Glencar waterfall. We were still in Bushmills in early afternoon. If you cut straight across it shouldn't be too bad.

The day you explore Dingle - you really want to alot yourself a lot of time in Dingle - it's beautiful and there is so much to see. (Also, there is a great shop called Tig Slea Head that has really good prices) When you go up to Clare, take the Kilimer/Tarbert ferry, it will save you driving time.

Have fun!!!!

johngerard

Be prepared for the weather - one April morning I had a snowball fight with my youngest & in the afternoon we were in T shirt & shorts.

johngerard

You might consider an extra day in Dublin to take a coach trip to Glendalough - the extra day would help with jet lag etc plus the trip to Kinsale by itself will be long enough without a detour to Glendalough. On a map it may look straight enough but the type of roads, mountains & signposts plus the views will slow you down.
I would suggest you miss Galway & head straight for Clifden as that will also be a long trip. It is only about an hour to Galway & you could go whilst you are at Clifden.
Clifden to Sligo would allow time to stop at Westport or Cong for a break but Belfast is not too far on from Sligo. You might regret not stopping at Sligo for the extra time it gives you to stop off en route at Westport, Cong and then the next day Donegal.
There is a ferry from Belfast to Stranrar - about 1 hour trip I think & not sure if you leave the car in Belfast & hire another in Stranrar - & you could then experience some of what Scotland has to offer.
You are cramming a lot into 2 weeks but at least the stop overs should benefit your driver. Be prepared to go off your itinerary & don't be ruled by it either.

tlucey

Our last 2 trips to Ireland were for 2 weeks and we learned from the first that we drove too much to try and fit everything in and we still didnt get to see everything. This last trip we stayed in 4 locations and made day trips to the places of interest. Yet we still need to visit Northern Ireland.

I would also skip Galway and head towards the coast, we live in L.A. and wanted to avoid larger cities and just immerse ourselves in the smaller towns and countryside. Delphi Lodge is about 40 minutes away from Westport and an awesome place to stop. We also stayed at Temple House which is in Sligo, so that might be another option rather than driving to Belfast in a day.

Erin74

Thank you all so much for the recommendations. I would be fine with skipping Galway or simply seeing it as a day trip from Clifden. I'm also thinking seriously about either skipping Glendalough or doing it as a day trip from Dublin. Great ideas.

My husband thinks that perhaps we should fly into Shannon and do this trip in reverse, since it would be more convenient to get to Belfast from Dublin than from Clifden. That would mean skipping Sligo... but I wasn't giving Sligo enough time in this itinerary anyway and had always planned on another trip to see more of that area and places north. So, now we have even more to think about.

Anyone ever taken a train from Dublin to Belfast? Any other suggestions?

Laoghaire

Hi Erin...Your Day 9 interested me. Husband and I will be in the Connemara next May, and there is a holy well on Omey Island that we want to find. Info from Fodor's Ireland (sullivan1212) tells me a lot depends on the tides on the island. Are there many inhabitants on the island? Any personal info would be appreciated. Thanks.

Helen

suelh

Hello--a few comments: I think Glendalough is not to be missed, especially without high season tourist crowds. It is memorable indeed.
Also, our relatives took train from Dublin to Belfast, and thought it was fine. But I'm sure others will have more specific comments for you.
The trip sounds wonderful -- enjoy, Ireland is magical!

Erin74

Laoghaire- I don't know that much about Omey Island, other than the fact that several generations of my family is buried there. There's an old graveyard, and I do believe I've seen houses in some photos of the island. The island is definitely cut off from the mainland by the tide at times, and I've heard that the tide comes in quickly, so you have to be really aware of when you need to leave or you could get stuck on the island until the tide goes back out.

I'm curious about a holy well, now. Never heard of that!

crazychick

If you do go to Belfast and then Edinburgh stick with the easyjet flight. Yes there is a ferry crossing but then you have to drive to Edinburgh. It maybe a nice drive but after all the drivng you would have done in Ireland you want a rest, and you get there quicker leaving more time in and around Edinburgh. Belfast is a very nice place that often gets over looked when people are playing there trips to Ireland. If you do go to Belfast be sure to catah a tour that includes the muriels. I took a hop on and off bus, but I wish I done a black cab tour instead. Also go and have a drink in the Crown Liquor Saloon.One of the finest high-Victorian saloons in the UK. The Interior is all brightly-coloured tiles, carvings and glass, with little wooden booths with beatiful carvings. If you make it to Edinburgh there are lots of the things epopel will tell about the catslen etc, but try and get to The Jekyll and Hyde pub, the toilets are hiden behind a large bookcase. You have to push the panels until the secret door opens. It aslo servers very nice home cokked food.
No am nopt ignoring the rest of her Ireland trip as there are many postings with adivse on that and I am sure other people will tell you about the wonderful scenery and how nic ethe Irish people are.

Erin74

I mentioned earlier that my husband was interested in doing our itinerary in reverse... starting in Shannon rather than Dublin. I'm reworking the itinerary to see if that would be better. What do you think of this? Do the distances & sightseeing ideas still seem reasonable?

Day 1- Arrive Shannon in the AM. Rent car. Sightseeing: Cliffs of Moher, Quin Abbey. Spend the night in Ennis or Doolin.

Day 2- Drive to Clifden (via The Burren). Spend the night in Clifden. (Note: I'm eliminating a stop in Galway city & just seeing The Burren on the way. Wise choice or not?)

Day 3- Explore Rossadilisk & Omey Island (family locations). Spend the night in Clifden.

Day 4- Explore Connemara. Kylemore Abbey. Spend the night in Clifden.

Day 5- (Long Driving Day) Drive from Clifden to Killarney. Spend the night in Killarney (possibly Ross Castle Lodge?).

Day 6- Killarney area. See Gap of Dunloe and Muckross House. Spend the night in Killarney.

Day 7- Drive the Dingle Peninsula. Spend the night somewhere near Cork? (This would be instead of going to Kinsale, which I think is too far out of our way now. Any particularly scenic areas to stay between Killarney and Glendalough?)

Day 8- Drive to Dublin, via Glendalough and possibly the Rock of Cashel. Turn in rental car.

Day 9- Dublin

Day 10- Dublin

Day 11- Take the train to Belfast

Day 12- Belfast

Thanks for your input!

Laoghaire

Hello again, Erin74. If you want to read a wonderful article about Omey Island, go to:
http://www.travelintelligence.net/ws...s/art_910.html

Another one is: http://irishislands.info/omey.html

Very interesting reading!

Helen

P.S. Don't know why the websites are repeating themselves

travelrene

I would make sure you have time for Glendalough. It's lovely. We were there on 9/12/01 and will never forget the kindness of the people and the beautiful environment. Also, loved the area around Kerry. Enjoy your trip!

cailin

If you're looking for somewhere to stay between Kilkenny and Glendalough, you could try somewhere like Brooklodge in Macreddin Village in Aughrim. It's a gorgeous hotel in a beautiful location.

california_claire

I have two suggestions.
1) Instead of staying in Killarney, which is VERY touristy, perhaps you should consider Kenmare. Although Killarney might not be over-run with tourists during the off-season, I just found it too commercialized. It didn't have half as much character as Kenmare, which is really charming and ideally located for trips to Killarney National Park, Muckross House, Ring of Kerry, etc.

Also, I second all the suggestions to include Glendalough in your itinerary. It is one of my favorite spots in all of Ireland. Instead of staying somewhere in Cork, you could possibly stay close to Glendalough. That would give you a chance to explore it in the late afternoon and again in the early morning. You can take walks and hikes around the lakes.

Erin74

Thanks very much for the suggestions. I'm going to check out those locations!

I thought Kenmare might be a bit far from the Killarney-area sights, but if it's not a bad drive I'd love to stay there. Have always heard great things about Kenmare.

After all this positive feedback, I'm definitely sticking with Glendalough.

johngerard

I think you should check that the car rental is open late in Dublin if you are returning it on day 8 as I don't think you could get to Dublin before 6.00. I drove from Youghal (near Cork) to Dublin leaving at 10.00 & hoped to spend an afternoon in Dublin but didn't arrive till 5.00 - traffic jam in one town lasted 90 minutes. We only stopped twice for refreshments.

Erin74

Thanks, Johngerard. We thought of that as well and made some changes to the itinerary.

This is what we're thinking of at this point:

Day 1- Clifden
Arrive Shannon Airport in the AM. Rent car. Drive to Clifden

Day 2- Clifden
Explore Rossadilisk & Omey Island (family locations).

Day 3- Clifden
Sights: Sky Road, Connemara, Kylemore Abbey

Day 4- Doolin
Drive from Clifden to Doolin. Stop in Galway City on the way.

Day 5- Doolin
Sightseeing: The Burren, Cliffs of Moher, Quin Abbey

Day 6- Killarney
Drive to Killarney. Sights: Killarney Lakes, Muckross House, Ross Castle.

Day 7- Killarney
Drive the Dingle Peninsula. Possibly take AM boat trip to see Fungie (dolphin)

Day 8- Glendalough
Drive to Glendalough via the Rock of Cashel. See Glendalough sights.

Day 9- Dublin
Drive to Dublin.

Day 10- Dublin
Sights: Post Office, Trinity College/Book of Kells, Kilmainham Gaol, Christchurch and St Patrick's Cathedral, Guinness Brewery, Temple Bar

Day 11- Dublin

Day 12- Belfast
Take the train to Belfast. Sights: Black taxi tour of murals, City Hall

Day 12- Belfast/Edinburgh
Possible day trip to Giant's Causeway. Take a PM flight to Edinburgh.

Day 13-15- Edinburgh

Accomodations:
In Clifden we're thinking about The Quay House.

In Doolin we haven't picked a favorite. We're also considering other nearby towns-- not completely set on Doolin.

In Killarney we're considering Ross Castle Lodge B&B. We'd definitely prefer to be out of the city, as we've heard that Killarney itself is awfully busy and touristy.

We need ideas for where to stay in Glendalough.

In Dublin, I'd love to stay at the Westin Dublin if I could use some Starwood points. Also considering Kilronan House Inn.

We need ideas for Belfast hotels/B&Bs.

Padraig

There is only one hotel in Glendalogh itself (others in the nearby village of Laragh). See: http://www.glendaloughhotel.com/wicklow_accommodation
It's not bad, and they do a good dinner. One advantage of staying there is that you can be in the valley before the large numbers of visitors arrive.

IrishEyes

Padraig, There is now another hotel in Glendalough Lynham's of Laragh: http://www.lynhamsoflaragh.ie/ I thought is was much nicer than the Glendalough Hotel.

Erin74, If you do not need to be right in the village I would highly recommend Riversdale. It is a short hop to Glendalough in a very quiet and dramatic setting. Very nice B&B.

Do not try to get from Dingle to Glendalough in one day. You will kill yourselves trying. Never mind trying to do sightseeing on the way. Instead overnight in Cashel and cut out a day somewhere else.