AlessandraZoe

We have sketched out our 2023 Ireland itinerary, and now I'm filling in the days with projected plans, reserved tours, and transport without a rental car. We shall be staying three nights in Killarney before we move onto Cork for three nights. I'm trying to figure out what to do when on the way to our VRBO in Killarney and what to do on the subsequent days.

Here's the scenario:
We arrive at Dingle Saturday for our three-night stay there via a transport/tour from Galway (6-8 hours). We will take a private Dingle/Slea Head tour on Monday. We will leave Dingle on a Tuesday for Killarney.

I've contacted the drivers who will have driven us from Galway to Dingle AND I've contacted the persons who will be doing our Slea Head tour.
--The Galway to Dingle driver thinks we should tour Mucross House and Gardens, Molls Gap, The Gap of Dunloe, Lady’s View on our way from Dingle to our Killarney rental.
--The Slea Head tour thinks we should do a Ring of Kerry tour, finishing in Killarney in the evening, and then on another day do Killarney National park, Ross Castle, Muckross House & Gardens, and then stop in Kenmare for lunch.

There are so many other variables that my head is spinning. Part of me is thinking, "OK, we will have had 6-7 hours with a guide on Saturday, 4 hours with a guide on Monday. Will we be inclined to engage hours and hours with another guide on Tuesday?" And I know that while I do need to engage a driver for the Ring of Kerry--I'd prefer private so we can zig and zag around there--I also know that we could probably tour Muckross House and Gardens, Killarney National Park etc in bits and pieces using local taxis and buses or the Killarney Hop On Hop Off Bus. In other words, we could just book transport from Dingle to Killarney Tuesday and leave anything else we want to see in Killarney Wednesday and Thursday. But there does seem to be so much to see--and that doesn't even count all the Trad Music we plan to enjoy in Dingle and Killarney.

Hence I'm asking for your pearls of wisdom based on your experiences in this area. I thank you in advance for your advice.
AZ

JessicaJax

Full disclosure -- I haven't yet been to Ireland. So forgive me for answering. But I will say that if you want to break up your days with a private guide, there's no reason you couldn't just book transportation from Dingle to Killarney on that Tuesday, then spend the rest of Tuesday exploring Killarney. Then, book a private tour of the Ring of Kerry for either Wednesday or Thursday.

I tried to private message you but didn't see an option to do that on this forum. Do you mind sharing your contact information for the private drivers you've decided to hire? Thank you so much!

AlessandraZoe

We decided it DID make sense not to get just transportation.

Why? We had the issue of check-in/check-out time conflicts. We had to leave our Dingle place by 10 am but not get into our Killarney rental until 4 pm. It brings up our main problem whenever we travel without a car---Where do we leave the darn luggage? We travel light, but not enough to wear on our persons
In the old days, we actually DID do that. We're old now and half our luggage I swear is medication, supplements, and knee/ankle supports.

So we can always revisit certain things we see on the way from Dingle to Killarney with Dingle Shuttle Tours if we want. We made sure our following day (a Wednesday) is free for our revisits. And we've booked a private Ring of Kerry tour with Denis O'Conor for Thursday.

As to whom I've contacted, it's a matter of whom have I not contacted. I read every Viator/TripAdvisor and Tours by Locals and Rick Steves and Fodors reviews. If I found a name on Viator, I tried to find their actual company to see if there was price difference and a direct email contact. I sent out emails describing what I had in mind, and then sat back to see who told me what when. This casting of my nets gave me a good idea of the general pricing and also a good idea of who was a prime local source.

Now I just have to decide if we'll head to Cork via train or via a private driver and/or tour. We cycled the Beara Peninsula decades ago, and I'd just love to see if the climb on the Healy pass was as hard as we recalled. It was a rare 90 degrees the day we did it, but our 11 year old daughter did it easily. I'd like to see what it looked like without having to cycle the darn thing again.

myrnagardner

Hello - I am trying to plan a May 2023 Ireland trip for me and my 3 friends - we are all celebrating our 70th birthdays. I would love to benefit from all your research if you're willing to share the names/contact info for the private guides you have identified.
Your help is much appreciated, thank you. I look forward to getting the private guide info.

myrnagardner

Hello - I am trying to plan a May 2023 Ireland trip for me and my 3 friends - we are all celebrating our 70th birthdays. I would love to benefit from all your research if you're willing to share the names/contact info for the private guides you have identified.
Your help is much appreciated, thank you. I look forward to getting the private guide info.