Nervous of Driving in Ireland
 

We are nervous about driving in Ireland (even w/automatic shift)

Is it do-able to "bus" or tour guide it all?

We want to go all (or at least 2) of these areas: 1. Cliff of Mohel, 2. Dingle Peninsula 3. Aran Island

Is it possible to avoid renting a car, if we stay in Galway? It looks like I can take a ferry to Aran Island easily from Galway. For other two places, I imagine we can go to tour agencies and get 1 day tour to Dingle and/or Cliff of Mohel??

We are flying into Shannon and also assuming we can fetch a bus or cab to Galway.

If we HAVE to rent a car, we WILL but we would prefer to leave the driving to someone else.

Please advise

Well, I really think you should bite the bullit and rent a car. Yes you can take tours, but you will miss so much. The buses are not able to go down the small windy roads.
YOu will enjoy your trip so much more if you do it yourself. When I was there last, I had a car and met 2 young girls with out transportation who wanted to drive out to Slea Head on DIngle. so they went with me. Otherwise they would have missed it. The same goes for Connor Pass and so many other wonderful little great spots. If there are two of you, you'll be fine...one to drive and one to navigate. It really isn't that bad. Just remember...driver is always at the centre of the road. navigator is always at the edge of the road. I wouldn't go any other way.
Good luck.

We spent 3 weeks in Ireland in the fall of 2001. Granted it was after the summer they had hoof and mouth so maybe there was less traffic. However, we had a great time driving. Some of the locals on the chat boards try to scare you with stories of tour buses trying to push cars off cliffs, tractors pulling hay wagons that won't get out of the way, etc. Baloney. I think we saw one tour bus the entire trip! Although we saw some in parking lots. If there are 2 of you have one person drive, the other one handles the map and the road signs. Just keep telling yourself "think left". Don't try to drive in Dublin or Galway. It also helps if you rent an automatic so you don't have so many things to think about.

Kitty,

My husband and I went to Ireland for 2 weeks in August of 2001. We rented a car and he drove. It definitely was a challenge because the roads are pretty narrow. But is sounds like you will not be going all over the island. So maybe it won't be that big of a deal.

First, Dingle peninsula was one of our favorite areas. Make sure you spend time in Dingle and take a day to drive around the entire Dingle peninsula. It is lovely and has hardly any traffic at all. So that would be easy to drive in.

Also, if you rent a car, make sure you take the full amount of insurance. Take it all so that you are fully covered because your insurance will not cover Ireland rental cars. We had a couple of dings and lost a hubcap and thank God we took the full insurance.

Finally, I have heard many people who have hired car drivers to drive them in a rental car. This would be much better than a bus because you could go where you wanted. I don't know how to find a driver so probably you need to contact the Irish tourism offices.

Also, the area near the Cliffs of Moher is really interesting. (Is the barrens or something??? I am having an old age attack). But a neat hilly area with barren hills that you can go and hike on. Great area for exploring.

Sounds like you should get a car and a driver.

Good luck!

ginny

We had similar concerns, but took a different approach. We spent 3 nights in Dublin on our own, than took the CIE 4 night "Taste of Ireland" which took us to Cashel, Blarney, Killarney, Ring of Kerry, and Cliffs of Moher and finally out of Shannon. You may be able to find a similar short tour that covers the areas you are interested in. Best of Luck and enjoy your trip.

Rent a car!

It's not as bad as may say... you get used to 'wrong' side stuff and once you're outside the cities, there isn't alot of traffic.

The Burren is terrific, and well worth a 'look see'.
A taxi to Galway would probably cost you as much as a rental car for the whole trip. The bus is an alternative, but I would hate to miss the opportunity to travel at my own pace, etc. There are mini, day-trip tours that will cart you around with 10-12 others, if that is what you really want, but you will still miss SO MUCH.
When are you going? The worst of the season has already passed.

The first day of driving there was the trickiest, just because it is different and we were tired. I had printed out all the driving directions from viamichelin.com and that was a big help. I navigated and DH drove. The first day, he was uneasy about how wide the road really was. Other than that, it was great. Do try it on your own and spend a little more to get an automatic transmission. It gives you so much more freedom to stop and take pictures, stop and walk a while or just stop and get a bag of crisps at a store.

Thanks to this site. I drove in Ireland in June for the first time. It was really great. Just read all the threads on this site, get a small automatic car and fly into Shannon. We started at Dublin airport, due to my bad judgement, but by the end of the week I drove through Dublin on a Sunday and we didn't have any problems.
By the way we were 5 ladies 60 to 74.

I also say rent a car. A friend and I were just there for 2 weeks in June, and had no problems, first time driving on left. We had a "compact" automatic car. So long as you have the navigator say "left-side" a few times early on, you'll be fine. The roads may be narrower than what some are used to, but most of them aren't any smaller than typical "country roads" in the States (like in Indiana).

How long is your whole trip?

You can take a bus from Galway to Rossaveal even, which has ferries out to Aran Islands (shorter ferry ride than from Galway). You can also get easy bus trips to Cliffs of Moher, which would also include other things I'm sure. I'm sure there's something to Dingle Pn too.

But everyone's right. You will miss a lot, and some of those bus tours could just cost as much, or more, as renting a car. Plus you will be going by THEIR time table, and not your own.

If you rent a car, make sure you print off some good directions, or get a good map of Ireland. Keep in mind that many road signs typically point to the next town, rather than a numbered road.

You should do a little research online and find out what tours are available for these places. Add up the costs, and then check the many websites for renting an automatic car.... see what the difference is. Look at the timing for the tours and see if you're wasting time waiting around. As someone said earlier, you can explore the Burren also. Neat landscape. There's tons of other places you can explore/visit with a car, that you may not see with a tour.

Good luck.

btw, someone said to take out all the insurance from the car rental agency. Your car insurance wont' cover you (most likely, but you can ask), but if you have a M/C credit card (specifically platinum or gold) you can get full coverage from them... for no cost to you.

So check that out if you happen to have M/C. We used it with Hertz, and no problems whatsoever. Otherwise, you will be paying an arm/leg for their full insurance. Make sure you add that into your total cost if you decide to do it that way.

Don't rely on Master card too much. You will still have to pay the full amount of damages, then fight with Master Card for a refund. I damaged a tire once - $170 - and was told by master card they don't cover tires!
Getting an automatic may be a hit or miss proposition. Twice I've been told that, yes, I have a reservation for an automatic, but it was returtned late. Therefore, I could take a standard shift now, or wait 3 hours for the automatic. Once it took me 20 minutes to get out of the parking lot, trying to figure out the 5 speed shift using my left hand!

My husband & I just returned from that same trip. We were also a little nervous about the car, but had no problems whatsoever. There was never a lot of traffic on the narrow country roads, and in the cities, the roads were much wider. You will be much more independent with a car, you can stop & go as you please whenever you see something that appeals to you.

We had contracted for an automatic mid size, but upgraded to a BMW 530D - we saved a few pennies on the diesel fuel and were very comfortable. (We did over 830 miles in 9 days.) PLEASE take all the CDW as no one has been able to prove that a credit card covers you completely (and even with the add'l CDW, tires were NOT covered, but everything else was, including the time the car might have been out of commission in the event of an accident). We viewed the cost of the car as just part of our vacation expense, and it was well worth it.

Whatever you decide, have a wonderful trip.

Will, I believe kittycat is gone now. A thread from her on Saturday said she was leaving yesterday.

I understand that people fear using Mastercard for CDW, but it is accepted. If you are comfortable paying anywhere from $300-$600 more for your rental, I suggest getting the rental company's exhorbitant insurance. You will be supporting the Irish economy and they will appreciate that. Otherwise, use MC. Their website is here http://www.mastercard.com/cardholder...insurance.html
and they will send you a letter about your coverage. If you go through O'Scannlain, they will lay it all out for you. You can contact 1 800 MCASSIST also.

The website mentioned above does show that tire damage is not included in the coverage. That is pretty standard.

Bill

Yep, tires are not covered by anyone, it's no secret, and that's the first thing they tell you when you ask (provided you call and ask what's covered and what's not).

My thought is, that I have M/C, why not take advantage of it. I'm not sure what kind of proof is needed to show they cover someone, other than the successes written here, and all the statements/info that M/C gives. I did a lot of research and a lot of calls to M/C to make sure I had everything straight. I was worried to begin with, but finally decided I didn't want to get robbed by the car rental agencies. Plus if I had to replace a tire (the biggest concern), it was going to cost me regardless of who's insurance I was using.

I'm sure it could be a hassle to deal with M/C in the long run, but for the small chance I'll have an accident, I'd rather deal with that, than pay $600 (depending on length of stay obviously) for insurance I could have had for free.
But it's ultimately up to the rental agency to accept M/C, but I believe most do.
To each his own!

I drove around Ireland for 10 days, and I usually only drive once a year! It actually wasn't hard. The traffic circles were a little tricky, going around the opposite way, but I managed just fine. The thing you have to be most careful of are sheep in the road. LOL. I *did* get a flat tire after hitting a curb (the roads thru towns can be very narrow) and had to change it in the rain, but took a few funny photos of the experience. The extra tire (a real one, not a donut) was in the trunk. So when we got back to the rental agency at the end, we told them of the flat and they charged us something like $20 or $40. Not a big deal. I'd *much* rather have a quiet drive than ride with a busful of strangers. Much better way to enjoy the countryside.

We've been six times, ave stay of 8 days. Just the two of us, or six adults traveling together. In all cases, I did all the driving in vehicles as diverse as an Alfa 145 hatch (compact - for the two of us) to a VW Caravelle and a Mercedes Vito, 9 passenger mini-buses. All were manual shift. The desk man at the Jurys Inn in Galway could not believe that I sucessfully parked the VW in the parking garage, suggesting that our traveling companions owed me big time for the accomplishment. I've driven in Feb, April, June and July and covered Caha, Connor, Healey Passes, the Ring of Beara, Kerry and Slea Head, as well as Connemeara, the Burren and even (reluctantly) Dublin City Center.
Admittedly, my vehicle at home in the states IS a manual shift and I DO enjoy driving, BUT ...
It really isn't THAT difficult and only as stressful as you let it be. Yes, they drive on the WRONG side, Yes, the roads ARE narrow, but if you take your time and pay attention, it really isn't that big a deal. I actually have more trouble adjusting BACK to driving on the right, then I do being on the left. Just remember, the steering wheel is always closest to the center of the road.
Take along a little patience and your sense of humor and I think you'll do fine.

We just returned from Ireland a week ago and drove around Dingle and the Cliffs with no problems. We rented the smallest car we could, since we'd heard about narrow roads. One guidebook suggested it is easier driving clockwise around Slea Head (we did and it's true.) We tried to stay ahead of tour buses and were glad to have the flexibility of a car. We stayed in Dingle 3 nights and noticed a difference in traffic after 3:30, when the tour buses depart. Rick Steve's book has Dingle and Burren (including the cliffs) driving itineraries, which were pretty accurate.

This is the original poster.

I just wanted to let everyone we DID rent a car and it was worth it!

We were a little nervous the first day, but took it slowly and made sure to pull aside when the BIG tour buses came by on those narrow roads. AFter the 2nd day, we were used to it. I drove and my partner navigated so it was good.

I recommend renting a car - it wasn't that bad and you can see what you want at your own pace.

So glad to hear it, thanks for the update.