Spending 10 days in Ireland...where would you suggest we travel from and to to maximise our experience?

Question

Flying into and out of Dublin. September this year.

Answer 1

It depends on what you want.. City or Country side. Remote areas or countryside that has access to cities/towns. Also, it depends on whether you are driving or using public transport.

Ireland is not that big, is generally safe to travel in as a clueless tourist :) so it is easy to see lots without being led by the hand. For this reason, I recommend that you avoid handing total control of your visit to a tour company, though you could go on one or more guided day trips.

Most intereting areas for most tourists to see are Dublin, Galway/The west, Cork and Kerry, Northern Ireland and the North West of Ireland.

So, if you arrive in Dublin, recommend you spend some time there - maybe 2 days, then either head North to Belfast and Northern Ireland or head west.

I would head West to Galway - spend another day or two looking at Galway and Connemara and then head south to  Kerry via The Burren and the Cliffs of Moher in Co. Clare. You can take a car ferry from Clare to Tarbert in Kerry (only takes a few minutes) and from there visit beautiful coastal and mountain areas of Kerry and the popular town of Killarney. You could spend 3/4 days easily in the Cork/Kerry region.

You could then head back to Dublin along the east coast, maybe via kilkenny or Wicklow.

If you are not driving, all of what I've suggested is doable using public transport (check out irishrail.ie and buseireann.ie) and in Galway, Kerry and Cork there are day trips that go to more remote/scenic places too. Re accomodation, depending on the time of year, you can often just turn up at a bed and breakfast and stay the night but gulliver.ie good for booking these if you like.

Answer 2

10 days .. you can see a lot. :)

If you travel with friends or family, renting a car could be a good option. Car rentals are relatively inexpensive here.

Another nice way to travel around would be by bus - Bus Eireann has tourist passes, e.g. 8 days of travel out of 15, 3 out of 6, 4 out of 8, 5 out of 10 and so on. In the link below you can see the prices for them. And you can also see the bus timetables online on their site.

Train would be an option too - but the train routes are very limited, and train costs a lot more than bus.

Cities that you will enjoy seeing :

Dublin

Cork (close to Cork, 30 minutes car or bus South is a small city called Kinsale. It is very pretty, and has nice streets, buildings, and good fish dishes. Worth half day tour if you fancy ... September is still in season, and you'll find most things open on a Sunday as well)

Galway

Limerick (a quick stop will do...)

Countryside or more nature? Go to Baltimore (e.g. from Cork drive there, towards South, or take a bus to Skibbereen and then another bus or taxi to Baltimore) and take a ferry to Cape Clear Island. It's a lovely small island, with beautiful nature, hills to walk, fresh sea air .. walk, go fishing, enjoy the two pubs of the island .. info about the island and ferry timetables below as well (if you plan to go there, check the timetables in advance as there are only a few ferries a day).

Aran Island is a classic too .. it's a lot bigger island, and you can find how to get there from Galway. Cape Clear would be nice for 2-3 days if you fancy nature and quietness, still everything very Irish, and Aran Islands could be a minimum 1 day trip (but you can get back the same day).

You can find beautiful landscapes on far South West of Ireland .. Ring of Kerry. From Skibbereen, continue towards Schull, and even further. The area is nice also for day trips of walking, and there are plenty of hostels and b&bs (so it is possible to walk a day, and stay in next city).

Of North, Co. Antrim and the coast should be beatifull (haven't had time enough to travel there yet).

Ireland has a lot of hotels, hostels, bed and breakfasts and other accommodation. Even the small villages have a Tourist Info point in the center, so you could quite easily just travel where you want to, without too much planning, and stay where you like. Accommodation prices are a lot friendlier than e.g. in Italy so just go and see where you like to stay ..

Hopefully that's enough for a start. :)

Answer 3

10 days is a great deal of time to see much or Eire.  I've been twice and both were driving tours.  Do not take a tour...go at your own pace and see what you want to see when you want to see it.  There is no language barrier, so GO FOR IT!

Must see's from Dublin...Newgrange north of Dublin to get a sense of ancient Ireland, Rock of Cashel and you have to definately go to the west coast.  Visit the Connamarah, Co. Kerry and Blarney / Cork.  My favorite though...the Dingle Peninsula and Dingle itself.  The west coast is great....very diverse and you get to hear Irish spoken in most places you go.  Its a great perspecitve on Irish history and heritage.

My trips have been driving trips...see some 'toursity' stuff but drive, stop and get to know the people and the country.  I can't wait to go back and enjoyed my experineces just hunting and pecking with no real itinerary other than a few locales to visit.  B&Bs are everywhere and easy to negotiate with.  We stopped each night around 6ish, found a room and they guided us to a nice place for dinner and of course a pub and a good craic!

My trips (2 weeks each) were as follows: Dublin for a couple days, west through Athlone to Connamarah, to Cliffs of Moher, to Dingle and Kerry, down to Blarney and Cork, up to Killkenny to Waterford and Wexford and back to Dublin.  PERFECT!!!

Good luck on your travels.  Take your time, see what you want and know the people to get the best experience.  I love Ireland!!

Answer 4

I would think that going on a guided tour would be best.  That way, you'd hot all the hot spots.  I would think it would be very difficult to maneuver around a foreign country like that not having a clue where you're going.  I'd do a guided tour if it were me.  By the way, I think it's cool that you're going to Ireland!  I've always wanted to go there!