Nuttela

Hello All,

I don't post often but I have read quite a few posts when I needed information on trips. You all were a great help on my honeymoon trip last summer. Despite the suprsised weather in Vienna we had a great time.

We are planning our new adventure and we would like to go to Scotland and Ireland...more specifically starting in Edinburgh and leaving from Dublin with day trips from each place. We probably have twelve days for travelling at the end of August. (minus two to be used for actual plane travel)

I guess my question would be is this something that is feasible? Is it easy to go from Scotland to Ireland? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance. I already bookmarked some threads and hope to go through them and get some great information.

jent103

Check out budget airlines - Ryanair goes from Edinburgh to Dublin; there might be some others as well. Ryanair has very strict weight restrictions, so just be aware of that.

Ryanair will also take you from Edinburgh to Shannon, if you would rather see the western side of Ireland, and Aer Arann looks like it has flights from Edinburgh to Cork and Galway.

Curt

Yes. We flew Ryan from Edinburgh to Dublin - nice short flight and especially good as it uses the normal airports (Ryan in some cities actually uses outlying airports not the main city airport). One thing to consider though is Ryan is strict, very strict, on luggage allowances (number of cases and weight) so be sure to learn the details or you could incur some nasty extra charges.

kmbp

Not sddressing your original question, Nuttela, but--

It's not too early to try to make your arrangements for lodging in Edinburgh.

August is the month for the Tattoo and the festivals--international music, dance, opera, theater; film; book; and fringe--and the city will be busy!

janisj

OK - Edinburgh is just about my favorite city anywhere. But August is a special case. It literally doubles in size w/ all the festivals/Tattoo etc. Hotels prices will be at their highest of the year and will be totally booked up.

W/ just 10 days on the ground after subtracting your travel days - I'd probably stick to Ireland this trip. (Even though I personally prefer Scotland). You could spens a couple of days in Dublin and the rest touring on the SW/W coasts.

If you still want to include Scotland, then I wouldn't base in Edinburgh - but maybe Stirling, Glasgow, or even (dare I say it) Inverness. From either Stirling or Glasgow you could easily do a day trip TO Edinburgh w/o having to deal w/ the inflated room prices and such.

Unless the festivals/Tattoo are major reasons for your visit, I'd avoid Edinburgh in August.

Nuttela

Thanks for your input so far. I was aware of the festivals in Edinburgh but didn't really how big they were. I read up on it during lunch today. It definitly would be a good reason to stay away unless we push our trip to September.

janisj

If you could go in Sept instead - then my rec would change. I'd spend the whole 10 days in Scotland

One other Sept option might be an open jaw into Dublin and out of either Edinburgh or Glasgow. Spend a couple of days in Dublin, fly to Edinburgh and spend the week+ you have left touring a bit of Scotland

nycgirl1

Just have to plug staying in Edinburgh during Tattoo - yes, it's crowded, but it's such a cool experience! I would love to go back and have more time to really take advantage of all the activities.

janisj

Oh - yes the festivals/Tattoo/Edinburgh in Aug are great. But it is expensive (very) and crowded (very, very) so if the festivals/tattoo weren't the focus of a trip - it would be best to avoid the area.

If one wanted to attend the festivities - then it is definitely a special time. But it does take a lot of advance planning (and the Tattoo is likely already sold out)