train or car throughout Ireland
 

We'll be taking a 10 day vacation to Ireland this summer. We will be spending some time in the Dublin area, some in Cork/Ring of Kerry and maybe Galway. Would people recommend taking a train to the main locations and then renting a car/joining day tours/taking public transportation to get from spot to spot or should we just get a rental car for the entire trip? (Although I've already decided I won't be driving in Dublin)

Yes, no reason for a car in Most will probably suggest renting a car. The train system is not particularly efficient in Ireland, running like spokes from Dublin. There is public transport available, but requires good timing and 10 days is not a lot in Ireland.

Some of the best places are off the beaten path and getting there by public transit is not very easy.

It would be good to know how many of you there will be and ages would be important since under 25 (or 23) can make it harder and more expensive to get a car.

Let us know.

Bill

there's so much to see between your destinations, I think it would be a shame to just train it. leg will have so many interesting sites that you will have a hard time deciding which ones to take.

You don't need a car in Dublin, but get a car for the remainder of the trip.

CaR.

Trains in Ireland are very slow and tend to go from here to there only by way os someplace else.

If you don;t drive you will miss a lot of smaller place s- and waste a lot of time.

Car is good. I have heard the same warning to not drive in Dublin, so we took the train to Galway. Next day picked up the car and we worked our way through Kerry and Cork. But don't plan too much driving in one day! The roads are slower, and you want to be able to really see the sights.

How about busing? I have taken Bus Eireann all over Ireland's west and CityLink between Galway & Dublin. The latter is pretty much nonstop and it takes 4-hours from Dublin airport to Galway Tourist Office. The Tourist Office (on Forster St) is about 100m from Galway Bus/Train Station.

BusEireann increases its schedules to Tourist destinations in Summer. And there are several types of Bus Pass you can buy at Busáras in Dublin. If you get to Galway or to Cork City, check inside the Bus Station for Posters advertising day tours on BusEireann.

If you start & end in Dublin, you might consider PaddyWagon Tours.

The thing that's nice about the car is you can pull over or go off your route any time you want if you see something interesting. When we drove, the most memorable things we saw were things we didn't know about before we set off driving ie. castles, there's an ancient rock circle we came across, more castles. I found that to be the best part of doing your own transportation. But that's just me.