I really appreciate all of this great info. Is there a website where I can find how much each site I plan to visit costs? Can I purchase Castle tour tickets in advance? I am concerned about heavy deposits on car rentals and getting lost. Does anyone suggest trains? Is downtown Dublin a trip you could do in a day or should I go plan more time there?

haven12,

I did suggest trains. I'm not sure but I bet you can get one in Dalkey as I believe we stopped at a station there. Also the Dart is close by. I see no reason for you to have to rent a car.

haven:

There are a number of sites that can get you some discounts. Heritage Ireland: http://www.heritageireland.ie/

You purchase the card at the first stop and then it's good at all of the stops after that. You need to go through the website and see if you'll stop at enough places for it to pay off.

A 2 for 1 site:

Ireland at a Glimpse - Where to buy: http://www.irelandexpert.com/money_s..._a_glimpse.htm
Listing of the places that are covered by the card: http://www.take-a-glimpse.com/fulllistig.html

The heritage ireland site will show you the cost to enter for each site. Irelansd at a glimpse will not.

Getting lost is half the fun. If you don't get lost, you'll be missing out. You could do much by public transit though. It usually requires much more planning and sticking to a set schedule which for me is very hard. You could also do tours to some locations (Newgrange, Powerscourt, Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough) Most of those tours start in Dublin though CIE does some that I believe have multiple pickup points. Mary Gibbons is one of the major tour companies out of Dublin.

Bill

Another enthusiastic vote for Glendalough... what a magical place. I believe there's a bus that takes you there from Dublin, although my husband and I drove (we spent the night there, too--there's a terrific hostel that has private rooms and is reasonably priced).

It sounds to me that a car rental is the best bet, at least for a few days. Thank you for all of your suggestions. We have never traveled like this and your input is very helpful. Please keep posting any/all of your favorite SE Ireland sites. We are stocked with books and excited to see everything we can cram into one week.

I think you are coming to the policy I would have suggested: that you exploit your local resource as fully as possible before taking on long journeys. To do that, I think you need a car.

I am not going to propose an itinerary, but give you a list of the good things in Wicklow, and you can judge what you want and how to programme them.
- Glendalough (of course)
- Glenmacnaas (wonderful cascade)
- Glenmalure (remote and atmospheric)
- Vale of Laragh (lovely woodland)
- Lough Dan (beautiful mountain lake, good walking)
- Lough Tay (another good lake, different setting)
- Blessington Lake (actually a man-made reservoir, but lovely)
- Powerscourt House, gardens, and waterfall
- Mount Usher Gardens
- Avondale house and woodlands
- Vale of Avoca (and Avoca village for Ballykissangel fans)
- Rathdrum (town not excessively modernised)
- Roundwood (pretty village, some good pubs)
- All roads to/from Sallygap (in fact, all roads through the mountains)
- Russborough House

Other places within striking distance (my guideline is that you can spend more time enjoying the destination than travelling to and from it):
- Kildare for the National Stud and Japenese gardens
- Kilkenny for lots of things (search this forum, if you have not already done so)
- Very good coastal walk from Bray to Greystones (no car needed - suburban rail serves both towns)