First Time Travelers to Ireland
 

My husband & I are planning our 1st trip to Europe. We picked Ireland because of his Irish background & because it seems like a good way to get our "international" feet wet. We've traveled a lot in the US & are pretty independent travelers but we are wondering how easy it would be to get around on our own in Ireland - self drive vs. escorted tours or group tours?? Any suggestions?

You may want to post this on the Europe Board

Ireland is extremely easy to get around. They drive on the left and, with that in mind, we've found a car with automatic shift better for us than a stick shift. It is an added problem to be trying to shift with your left hand and staying on left side of the road too!

We've done self drive twice and enjoyed stopping and staying in interesting little towns at pleasant B&B's and we've also checked out my heritage there too. It is amazing how much can be learned in Ireland.

A good place to learn about the trek to America and/or Canada can be checked out in Cobh (pronounced Cove) on the eastern side of Ireland.

Your age depends upon how you get around Ireland independently. If you are 70 or older I think the rule is you can not rent a car in Ireland.

If you are under that age, you could rent a car - be sure it is automatic because the steering wheel is on the right side (wrong side) and the shift is in the center so you are shifting with your left hand.

My sister and I flew into Dublin airport and rented a car. We drove all over Northern Ireland and Ireland with no problems. Be sure to get all the insurance though. My sister ran the wheel into the curb and messed up one hubcap. I understand that is a frequent thing.
We stayed at b&bs except for Dublin.

We returned the car to Dublin airport and then took the bus from the airport into Dublin.

Good luck -

I agree about self drive, especially if you are going to Southern Ireland as it is more rural and will be easier to drive. There are not a lot of 'tours' as such. You should be aware also that Southern Ireland can be very expensive, much more so than England.

I reposted your message to the Europe board eamc - you'll get more responses there.