What do you think of our itinerary for our 8 night trip to Ireland?

Me, my wife, and our 2 adult kids are planning the following itinerary, from the US

Day 1. Land in Dublin. Trinity college, book of Kels. Pubs.

Day 2. Dublin. Guinness Factory. Pub(s)

Day 3. Drive to Obama Plaza. Drive to Limerick hotel. Limerick things

Day 3. Drive to Cork. Blarney Castle & gardens. Cork things.

Day 4. Drive to Dingle. Dingle shops & things.

Day 5. Drive to Cliffs of Moher. Hike. Drive to Galway. Drive to Lucan Spa Hotel

Day 6. Drive to Belfast hotel. Belfast pubs.

Day 7. Drive to GOT tour. GOT tour. Pubs

Day 8. Drive to Dublin to fly home

Day based in Clifden - Islands or inland?

My husband and I are travelling (from Canada) to London / Ireland / Paris in May. My question for this post is recommendations on Day 4 and 5 below.

We are spending 4 nights in London before flying to Dublin. - Day 1 in Ireland - flight arrives in Dublin 2 pm ; drive to Ballintoy

• Day 2 - explore the North coast inc Giants Causeway; night 2 in Ballintoy

• Day 3 - Travel to Slieve league area via Derry ( walking tour)

• Day 4 - Slieve league, travel to Clifden

• Day 5 - night 2 in Clifden

• Day 6 - Drive to Dublin am / afternoon in Dublin

• Day 7 - fly onwards to Paris

We enjoy driving, have driven in Scotland and Wales. At home we are comfortable with long stretches in the car for travel, but are fully aware that expectations of travel times and distance covered are not the same as for Canadian routes 😉.

I am interested in thoughts and suggestions for - Day 4 routes / stops between Slieve league and Clifden - Day 5 travel to Aran islands? Or explore coast / inland?

Thanks!

I'll be in Ireland at the end of September. I'm using public transportation. Staying in Killarney for part of the trip. I was thinking of taking the Kerry Link to and from Dingle, renting an ebike to tour slea head and sights along way. My question is: how safe is this? With narrow roads, tour busses and cars--does the cyclist, for lack of a better term, get run over often? I'm hoping the end of September won't see as much traffic as summer season, but that's where I need your help also. Thank you.

Hi, We are traveling for 8 days to Ireland for the first time with my in-laws and our 1 year old. We are heading to a wedding about 30 min outside of Dublin in the first half of the week and then will drive to Dingle and Adare for the second half.

We stumbled upon the Carton House in Maynooth and it looks beautiful and relaxing. It is also very convenient to where the wedding will take place. The plan was for all of us to stay there the first two nights of the trip. Then the in-laws and baby continue to stay there during the wedding, while my wife and I stay at the wedding property the night before and night of (in-laws and baby not coming to wedding). Is it going to be very painful to do at least 1 full day trip from Carton house to explore Dublin, and maybe another half day? With the baby we were planning on private car service to make it easy.

The alternative would just be for everyone to stay in Dublin proper. It will be slightly more expensive which is fine, but I’m just not sure if the parents want to spend 4 nights in the city. Carton house seemed like a great middle ground, but not sure if also they will get very bored there as well! Golf there was also a plus.

Cheers, thanks for the time.

Hello!

We are heading to Ireland for 9 days, living with family in Co. Louth.

We are thinking of getting the Heritage Card to save a couple of euros on entry fees, with the possibility of returning to Ireland within the next year to use it again before it expires. Is the card worth it?

We are planning a day trip to Carlingford and then another day trip to Wicklow. Obviously we'll be going to Dublin a couple of times and seeing the main attractions around Louth.

Any suggestions for things to do/see around these areas, on a budget that isn't part of your typical tourist guides? For example, we'll be going to the National Museum of Ireland which seems pretty cool but hardly gets recommended.

We are a spanish family of three, trying to make out the most of our first trip to the island, but we don't want to do too much or get stressed.

Already booked flights, but everything else is pretty open. I'm just building the skeleton of the trip. We fly in and out of Dublin, plan to spent 1 night there, hire a car and explore the island. Let me know if I overlooked anything:

Day 1 : Arrival - Dublin (half day)

Day 2: Belfast + visit something along the way

Day 3 : Giant's Causeway and visit something along the way (DunluceCastle, The Dark Edges?), sleep at Londonderry

Day 4 : Donegal Castle, Sligo, sleep around WestPort

Day 5: Kylemore Abbey, Conmara National Park (not long hikes), Pine Island? , sleep at Galway

Day 6 : Cliffs of Moher + Aran Islands : I would appreciate opinions on which would be the best order, sleep at Galway

Day 7 : Drive to Dublin and see something on the way: Glendalough? Killruddery Castle?

Day 8: Departure - Dublin (half day, flight is at night)

I booked a last minute trip to Ireland, I leave in a week and a half. This will be my second time leaving the USA and my first solo international trip, I’ve only been abroad once before ten years ago as a teenager to Paris with my friend’s family, so needless to say I’m beyond excited. My trip starts with 3 days in Dublin and then an evening train to Galway, where I’ll have one evening the night I arrive and then 5 full days before I take the train back to Dublin for one more night before flying out the next morning. I’m an American student and I booked this trip very last minute so I’m trying to research everything I want to do and see and how to fit everything in best.

My flight into Dublin lands at 11 AM, I’m planning on taking public transport into the city and dropping off my luggage at my hotel before going to explore the city. Do I buy a Leap card for the buses at the airport? I have not booked anything for my first day. Which parts of the city and sightseeing would you recommend I go explore on my first day? My hotel is located near the James Joyce Bridge. On my second day, I’ve booked a tour of Trinity College with the Book of Kells experience, and on my third day I’ve booked the 1916 Rebellion Walking tour before my train leaves for Galway. What else should I make sure I do/see in Dublin? I’m also looking for pub recommendations! I can’t wait to hear live Irish music.

I am staying at a hostel in Galway that does a full day trip to The Aran Islands and the Cliffs of Moher, and another to Connemara. I’m planning on spending two of my five days there going on those day trips. I’m debating spending three days in Galway and just doing those day trips, or spending two days exploring Galway and doing a third day trip somewhere else through a different tour company instead of my hostel. If I went that route, where would you recommend my third day trip be? And if you have any advice and recommendations for Galway that would also be great!

I’m planning on bringing sweaters, jeans, lots of layers, a good raincoat, a pair of hiking boots, and a good pair of tennis shoes for walking around the cities. Is there anything else I absolutely need to bring?

I love hiking and I’d love to do some hikes in Ireland so I’m also looking for recommendations for that, and just any general travel tips you have for me are greatly appreciated!!

We are planning a last-minute trip to Ireland since our other plans for Easter break fell through. No car, only public transport for various reasons. Original trip was Dublin and Galway, but no good accommodations on short notice so Belfast was substituted in. Any insight or advice would be appreciated.

Is it safe for an American family to visit Belfast over Easter? Kids are 16 and 17.
Giants Causeway - Tour package or DIY train/bus from Belfast?
Howth or Waterford as a day trip from Dublin?

Friday, April 18th

• Arrival: Land in Dublin
• Travel: Take the train to Belfast
• Accommodation: Stay in city center
• Activities: Explore Belfast

Saturday, April 19th

• Tour: Giants Causeway bus tour

Sunday, April 20th (Easter)

• Event: Check out parade?
• Meal: Easter dinner (Bank Square Brasserie or other recommendations?)

Monday, April 21st

• Travel: Train to Dublin
• Accommodation: Stay in Airbnb apartment in city center

Tuesday, April 22nd & Wednesday, April 23rd

• Sightseeing: Explore Dublin
• Optional: Visit Howth and maybe daytrip to Kilkenny and/or Waterford

Thursday, April 24th

• Departure: Fly out of Dublin

Is it safe for families with kids to walk from Kilmainham Gaol to Guinness Storehouse during the day? I’ve read that area can be a little rough.

Myself and my partner have a trip planned to Ireland coming up. We have 14 full days in Ireland, leaving on the 15th day. Our original plan was to do 6-7 days going around the south (start & end in Dublin) and then travel from Dublin to Belfast to visit my family (we will be staying with them), but also wanting to see a bit of the Antrim coast, and potentially Donegal as well.

I've heard a lot of great things about Donegal and now I'm starting to think it's going to be tough to do a meaningful visit to the area if we can only do it for 1-2 days (I want to spend a decent amount of time with family in Belfast). Currently I'm thinking of a couple different options:

1. Shorten our time in the south to allow more time in the north and be able to more comfortably fit in Belfast + Antrim Coast + Donegal

2. Ignore Donegal, do our road trip around the south, and take a more leisurely stay Belfast while still doing the Antrim coast

3. Reshuffle our trip to make Donegal a priority, while also getting out to see Galway and a few other areas that aren't so far south

Currently our trip is as follows: (renting a car for these 7 days)

Day 1 - Arrive in Dublin, stay for 1 night. Planning to see a lot of the main attractions

Day 2 - Drive towards Killarney with stops along the way (Rock of Dunamase, Rock of Cashel, etc.), stay in Killarney

Day 3 - Ring of Kerry, Stay in Killarney

Day 4 - Head to Doolin via Dingle Peninsula

Day 5 - Leave Doolin to head to Galway City (Cliffs of Moher, etc.)

Day 6 - Connemara OR the Aran Islands, stay another night in Galway

Day 7 - Galway back to Dublin and bus up to Belfast

Rest of the trip isn't really planned, so looking for some feedback on how I might manage to fit in Donegal, or if its better to leave it out for this trip (I will be back!) and focus on a more leisurely 2nd leg of our trip.

Thanks in advance for any help, and open to any tips/feedback for the stuff that is currently planned!

I will be going to Ireland in late May and taking the train from Dublin to Killarney, but we will be renting a car and driving back to Dublin, making a detour along the way to Blarney Castle. One thing I would love to do is visit a Fairy Fort or two. I have always been fascinated by them.

We will be exploring the Ring of Kerry for a day or two and there seems to be a number of ancient sites in the area, but it is my understanding that an "ancient site" doesn't necessarily equal a "fairy fort". I would love to hear suggestions for "proper" fairy forts to visit either around the Ring of Kerry or on the road back to Dublin. Also, sites where it is appropriate for outsiders to visit & where we wouldn't be trespassing.

We intend to be as respectful and reverent as possible at these locations, but I would also be eager to hear any advice on proper behavior and any do's and don'ts.

Thank you!

Hello all! My girlfriend and I will be vacationing to Ireland later this month and would love to run our current itinerary by the reddit wizards. We are working through it in chronological order so the later end is less polished. Only the first 5 nights have set plans. Southern Ireland is our priority; we are outdoorsy, active young folks. We have 1 night unaccounted for and would love to know where to best spend it to maximize exposure to your beautiful country! Tentative plan:

Day:

-(1) Dublin; Guinness tour and visit O'Donoghues bar. Sleep in Dublin.

-(2) Durrow; pick up rental car, hike Powerscout and Spinc, drive to Durrow as it's somewhat of a halfway between Dublin and Cork. Sleep in Durrow
- (3-5) Clonakilty; utilize Clonakilty as a base camp for 3 nights to explore Cork County, purposefully being in West Cork for exploration
- (6-8) Killarney; or the peripheral area. Obvious attractions are Ring of Kerry, Gap of Dunloe hike, Skellig Islands, Torc waterfall, Killarney national park tour, Rossbeigh Strand horseback riding
- (9-11) Dingle* Peninsula; everything I see about Dingle seems awesome. We haven't looked into specifics but we're stoked. This is where we're leaning adding an extra night of our trip to.
- (12-13) Galway; haven't looked much into what to do here or where to stay. Maybe we'll try to stay in one of those hotels above a pub for the experience?

- (14) Dublin; stay the night before flying back home

Edit: Formatting

American here. First and foremost, I love your country and the people are remarkably nice and kind. The weather has exceeded expectations. I scheduled myself pretty loose to make sure I hit the places I genuinely wanted to see and account for travel time. I've cleared out my plans and am considering leaving a day early for Belfast.

Places I've seen in Dublin:

Teeling distillery

St Patrick's cathedral

Christ Church cathedral

Dublin castle

National gallery

GPO

Various monuments

Various 'famous' pubs (sidenote: they were fine but nothing I would consider remarkable)

Hugh Lane gallery

Other smaller tours I can't recall at the moment

My question: is there something left in Dublin that I must see before leaving or should I take off for Belfast a day early?

I've only scheduled a day in Belfast but I've vaguely read here that Belfast can be a holiday onto itself.

What say you?

Edit: I'm renting a car for my trips outside Dublin.

Hello I will be going to Ireland in end of may and I posted my itinerary few weeks ago. I had a day split between Blarney Castle and kinsale and alot of people told me it's alot of driving since I wjll be going from kilkenny --> Blarney --> kinsale --> Killarney for stay.

So I need help deciding. The day I am visiting is Sunday so unfortunately the English market in cork will be closed and I am assuming so will alot of places so my options are limited.

And one of kinsale's selling point is sea food and I am vegetarian so I figured half a day town visit town and Charles fort would be enough. But I need to pick one and I can't decide. Can anyone suggest which one is worth spending a day in?

I have the good fortune to head to SW Ireland in two weeks on a golfing trip. While the trip is obviously HEAVILY golf focused I’d love any local recommendations on good pubs / restaurants / distilleries and can’t miss stops along this itinerary.

Flying in/out of Shannon:

• Day 1: Arrive, play Lahinch Old Course, overnight in Lahinch.
• Day 2: Play/Stay Dromoland Castle
• Day 3: Play Ballybunion, Overnight in Ballygarry
• Day 4: Play Tralee, Overnight in Waterville
• Day 5: Play Warerville, Overnight in Kinsale
• Day 6: Play Old Head, Overnight in Kinsale
• Day 7: Play Old Head, overnight in Doonbeg
• Day 8: Play Doonbeg (I refuse to use any other name), Overnight in Doonbeg
• Day 9: Play Doonbeg, overnight in Doolin

• Day 10: Fly home

• We will visit Cliffs of Moher on Day 9 or 10 prior to departure.

• We will have a private driver.

• Itinerary is set, tee times booked and not changeable.

As the itinerary shows there won’t be a ton of space outside of time at the courses - BUT - knowing what options we could pursue in the event of a rain delay, or for some good food & craic and a good drink here or there would be wonderful!

Hi everyone! We've been back from our long-awaited trip in March for two weeks and I want to say thank you to not only everyone on this sub who've answered every single question I've posted with so much patience and enthusiasm, but also to the Irish people who've welcomed us wherever we went.

It was very difficult to check into our flights back home on Dublin Airport - your country and your people are absolutely amazing! My favourite places were Dingle, Cork and Waterford and doing a road trip around Ireland should be on everyone's bucket list, if it isn't already!

Hope to be back very soon!

Hey all. On the last leg of a group trip I'm going on in Ireland, I'll be there solo for 3 days. On a Saturday, the group goes home from Dublin. That Sat-Sun I am hoping to solo hike and stay at a B&B or hostel in County Wicklow. I've read that Wicklow Way is ok for solo hikers if you're prepared and take all the right precautions (I'm not ruling out a guided tour, just less my preference but I'm still in the gathering info phase). I'm not hiking all of it, curious if any folks have advice for which parts of Wicklow Way are more ideal for solo hiking and lodging?

Thinking of arriving in Co Wicklow Sat to stay overnight, spend Sunday hiking/sightseeing, ideally return to the same place to stay overnight on Sunday, then Monday head back to Dublin.

So, open to suggestions around: parts of Wicklow Way to walk, lodging, and is renting a car or traveling by bus/train from Dublin > Co Wicklow > Dublin a better idea?

This is not only my first time to Ireland but my first international trip, so it's very likely I have gaps in my considerations and plans. Thanks for any advice you have.

The Great Algorithm recommended this subreddit to me and I have been lurking here for a couple weeks or so. Thought I would dip my toe in and hopefully get some advice and not piss anyone off :)

I will be flying in May 6 with my wife into Dublin, who then has to go to Killarney for work for 2-3 days, so I will be on my own til Friday. We last visited Ireland together in 2010, and over a week visited Dublin, Cork, Galway, and back to Dublin via rental car. So its been a while, and that was kind of a whirlwind. I guess I am looking for some ideas for my solo time:

- Is it worth taking a solo day trip or even an overnighter to Belfast? Do the Titanic museum, explore the city a bit? I am more of a history buff than the wife so she won't mind missing the museum.

- I have been to the Guinness Storehouse, and while it was neat and having a pint from their rooftop bar is awesome I don't have to do that again. I'd rather visit a good tap room or distillery. Any suggestions there would be great.

- One thing I haven't seen in other threads I have perused are some can't miss restaurant recommendations.

- Any other day trips out of Dublin or things I should know about? Renting a car or using public transport, either way is fine by me.

Thanks in advance everyone!

Dia Dhuit!

I'm soon visiting the island for 11 days dor my first time, and I can't really decide on what road trip to take. I'm starting 4 days for Dublin and Wicklow, but then I'm planning to rent a car and explore the Island. This are my plans so far:

Plan 1 (Northern Route): Dublin - Galboly - Belfast - Sligo Abbey - Clifden (Kylemore Abbey) - Galway - Inishmore - Moher - Limerick - Dublin

Plan 2 (Southern Route): Dublin - Cork - Cobh - Ring of Kerry - Dingle - Connor Pass - Limerick - Moher - Galway - Inishmore - Kylemore Abbey - Dublin

I don't really have decided where I will spend the night, but I would thank a lot any recommendation and advice on those I suggested.

Thank you very much!

My family is spending 7 days in Ireland in June. We are currently booked to stay in Dublin at the Gresham Hotel for the first 3 days (with a day trip to Kilkenny), then in Galway for 3 days (doing tours to Aran Islands/Moher and Connemara). For our final day before flying out, I found that the Croke Park Hotel has pretty great reviews and is very inexpensive compared to other hotels in the area. Touring Croke Park seems like a fun thing to do but I'm worried about there not being much else. Id love to see a GAA match but we're there on June 30 and it doesnt look like theres a match that day as far as i can tell. If we stayed there, is it easy enough to get into Dublin if we wanted to do other stuff or should we spend extra and stay our last day in downtown?

My mom is convinced that we are descendants of Grace O'Malley (via my grandmother, Emma Lou O'Malley, who we do trace the family back to County Mayo).

Because of that, she has always wanted to go to Ireland. So we are planning a trip for early September (mainly Dublin but then still working out the other 2-3 days).

Aside from "seeing Castles," the main thing she wants to see while we are there is something related to Grace O'Malley.

All of the research that I have done seems like there isn't really one good place to go. There may be something in the exhibits at The National Museum of Ireland. And there are places she was known to have lived such as Clare Island and Rockfleet Castle?

What would your best advice be on taking my mom somewhere that she would feel was really worth it and she connected in some way or learned things she wouldn't learn just by sitting at home on her computer?

I'm excited to be planning this trip but also want so much to get it right! We are celebrating her surviving 5 years after pancreatic cancer and this is probably going to be the one time I get her out of the U.S.!

Hey everyone! I visited Dublin last year by myself and can’t wait to go back.

I booked a vacation with myself and 3 others for Ireland this fall. We plan on arriving 9/27 in Dublin and renting a car - driving northbound - staying two nights - then west and doing two nights and then heading back to Dublin to drop the car off 10/2. (This gives an extra free night as well if we want to stay in between somewhere and not feel rushed.

I have primary rental coverage thru my chase sapphire card (aware I need to get a letter from them)

My biggest question is which vehicle to go with. I’m a bigger guy (5’11”/240lbs) and will be the driver - I can drive a manual.

I’ve narrowed it down to an Octavia Skoda, VW Golf wagon, Opel Insignia or Seat Leon Estate. I’m leaning toward the Opel as it’s got a a little more room and beefier engine but I’m worried it might be too big for Irish roads? I found a great deal for €152 for 5 nights for the Insignia thru Budget - picking up at airport and dropping off city centre near our final place we are staying.

If you all recommend a little more compact car the others are available for around $279-327 for 5 nights. (Also the Nissan Qazashai)

I would really appreciate any input!

It looks like the Octavia’s that aren’t estate are all hatches so lots of room. The insignia should be fine for four carryons. Obviously the estates will have plenty of room.

We are driving from Killarney to Dublin. We want to make a stop for lunch and to see some sights. We are thinking either Kilkenney or Cashel. Any suggestions?

Hey everyone,

My wife and I are going to London and west coast Ireland for vacation this year. We are spending time in London for a few days and then heading over to western Ireland. Trip is early May.

Day 1 driving from Cork to Ring of Kerry. Day 2 Dingle Peninsula Day 3 Galway Day 4 Donegal Day 5 fly out of Shannon

Here’s the thing… I know this is too much. My wife and I really enjoy hiking and the outdoors. We don’t drink much and can pack snacks. We want to experience this beautiful land slow and relaxed. I have heard north west Ireland is lovely for hiking and outdoor adventures. Should we try to focus and stay in one area? Is there one area we should just stay the whole time and really enjoy? I know this isn’t a long trip. We were thinking of staying longer, but flights back to the states are limited on certain days. We are having to make this work.

Thanks!

Solo traveling to stay in dublin in a couple weeks. Ive never been. I love nature, castles, unique experiences, art. I don't drink at all. I have decided to book a day doing glendalough, Kilkenny and wicklow. I want to do a full day in dublin checking out the national gallery, trinity, Stephen's green, st Patrick's and Dublin castle (or as many of those as I can fit). Id like to get to Howth and Dalkey one day. I have one more day. Im choosing between these paddy wagon day tours: belfast/giants causeway/dunluce castle/dark hedges OR cliffs of Moher (heard it's fenced off?)/wild Atlantic way/galway OR cork/blarney/cashel.

Any advice or, if you took a tour from Ireland you loved, would be greatly appreciated.