Hi, we are headed back to Ireland with our children end of this month ( May). We have been before, the kids ( 25,21,20) have not been. It is a quick trip ..but we may be back before long to drop our daugter off for her study abroad next semester. Anyway, we have rented a car ( Nissan 4x4)automatic and have not yet secired lodging. Doing that now. But I am trying to figure out timing...I know we can not see it all...and we wil lbe back..but are trying to see some fave spots from our last visit and share with the kids. But also trying to NOT stay at a different B&B or lofging each night if avoidable..just to maybe limit the daily driving grind for my husband. We are thinking about the following, but I am not sure about distances etc.
want to go to Galway to visit a friend, Kylemore Abbey , Burren and the Cliffs of Moher. thinking Limerick to vist Adare, perhaps a Bunratty banquet thing and see the folk park/castle, and a drink at durty nellies, and Dingle for a bit, Killarney, gap of dunlough, Muckross, etc, Kinsale, Kilkenny, Dublin...and didnt get to spend much time in Dublin last time so would like a fullday and night here I think..we spent time in Glendalough and the Wicklow mtns last time, but cannot find the time this time ( had alot more time on our last visit)
so I am trying to figure out where to crash and for how long..(sleep) and whether with 5 of us if B&B are easier and less exepensive than hotels. also ideas if this doesnt seem doable thanks ellen
I think with only 7 days, you should either go North of Shannon or South of Shannon. Either way you go you could still do Bunratty and the Burren. Have you thought of self-catering for the week? Day trips and back in the evening. If it's too late for that, I'd consider 2 rooms in a b&b as they are cheaper than a hotel. I'm sure you're going to get a lot of great info from this web-site. Michele and the rest are great.
we have to go to Galway to see one of my daughters professors..otherwise we would skip that part of the trip this time. That being said, we were hoping to maybe spend the night in 3-4 places total...thinking maybe Galway the first night..or possibly doing that area ( Kylemore, cliffs and burren) and heading back to Limerick for the first night and dinner at Bunratty..then south from there...and still not sure where the other night stays should be..probably the Killarney area..and Dublin for a night...and Kinsale...looking for feedback from others that may have tried to what we are crazily trying to do hahah...I know it is alot but aftre the first day in the Galway area we can slow down..your feedback?
You say that you have been to Ireland before, but that experience seems absent from your professed itinerary..
You don't say where you are flying into Shannon FROM, but I assume it is the US, meaning a morning arrival and an overnight flight. If so, driving to Galway, on to Kylemore and BACK to Limmerick area is inconceivable. It takes about an hour and a half to get to Galway from Shannon. Even if you dropped Kylemore from the equation, that's 3-4 hours of driving when jet-lagged and exhausted. Don't forget the 5 hour time distance from the US East coast -- If you land at 7AM, to your body, it will be 2 AM. Tack on at least an hour to clear Customs, Luggage and pick up your rental and it will be 8AM. Add 1.5 hours for the drive to Galway and if you are LUCKY, it's only 9:30 (but probably closer to 10:30. Say you only visit the Prof for an hour (10:30) and then drive to Kylemore -according to www.aaroadwatch.ie that's another 36.5 miles and probably 1.5 hours (12 Noon) and BACK (1:30 PM). So, you'll catch lunch for an hour +/- (2:30), before driving back down to Bunratty -another 1.5 hours -- and it is now between 5 and 7 PM, but to your biological clock, IT IS BETWEEN NOON AND 2 PM the NEXT DAY FROM WHEN YOU LAST SLEPT, so you have been (MOSTLY) awake for at least 36 hours, nonstop!
It is virtually impossible to cover all the areas that you say you want to see AND spend multiple nights in the same location. It comes down to an either / or choice.
Here's the closest to a compromise trip that I can suggest:
Day 1: Drive to Galway, visit, tour and spend the night. If you feel REALLY ambitious, you could drive out to Kylemore and back into Galway. Day2: Get an early start. Drive to Kylemore, if you didn't see it on Day 1, then drive down to the cliffs and on to Killimer and take the Shannon River Ferry across to Tarbert. Drive on to Killorglin and spend the night. Day3: Drive the Dingle Penninsula and return to Killorglin for supper, or drive another 30 minutes south to Killarney for a meal and some entertainment. Spend the night in Killorglin. Day4: Drive from Killorglin through Killarney and Moll's Gap to Kenmare and on through Glenngarriff, Bantry, Skibbereen and Clonakilty, to Kinsale. If you want to play tourist in Kinsale, take the inland route. Spend the night in Kinsale. Day 5: Drive to Kilkenny via Cashel and Cahir and spend the night in Kilkenney. Day 6: Drive to Dublin and spend the night. Day 7 Dublin, and / or flight home.
Notice that there is NO Bunratty, no Banquet, no Gap of Dunloe, no Muckross and no Adare. If you are actually ON THE GROUND for seven days, you could end Day 2 in Bunratty (after the Cliffs) and do the Banquet. Then, drive through Adare to Killorglin and then follow the schedule from there...
Hope this helps to give you some ideas. Good Luck!
Bob
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Well, we did plan on sleeping on the plane..and we are traveling from the east coast. We have done this overnight european trip thing ( with the kids) many times( france, Italy, Germany) and always max out our first day..mostly because we are not nappers..so we go for it on day one, get a good night sleep on night one and are ready to go on day 2. And we only have the week..so we need to make the most of our time when we are able..which is why we thought we might just head right to Galway after getting the car etc...but maybe we will spend the night in Galway and leave the next am for the limerick area, adare etc and stay in that area night 2. do dingle day 3 and overnight in Killarney area night 3 would that work? Kilarneyarea day 3 onto Kinsale for night 4...then Kilkenny and Dublin..I gueess we will be in a new place everynight wont we? ugh! We will rpob have to give up something..either the Galway leg ( and burren, cliffs kylemore) or Dingle or Kinsale or Kilkenny..kids want Dublin for sure for a day /night...hmmm not sure how to do this.
I hope that I didn't come across TOO harshly, but it really DOES come down to an either/or. If you ARE in fact able to 'Bull through' on Day 1, and are willing to concede the 'different night / different place', then I think my suggested itinerary would cover MOST of your wish list. Which brings me to my NEXT disconcerting observation....
I don't know how tall those three kids are, but with as much CAR TIME as you are looking at, that 4WD would seem a MITE cramped, to me. You've done Europe before, so I assume you are familiar with the room and capacities of the vehicles, but I would urge you consider a seven passenger people mover rather than the 4WD. Even then, some of those seven passenger people movers might be a BIT cramped, at that. Neither my wife, nor I are particularly tall, but whenever we have brought a group to Ireland, we usually rent a nine-passenger for six people and the seven passenger for four. The so-called five passenger is just BARELY adequate for four adults to travel in comfort.
If I was anywhere near college aged, I would definitely want to spend at least one full day and night in Dublin!
Bob
-- Edited by Itallian Chauffeur at 22:19, 2007-05-01
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what kind car exactly do you recc? we have I think a Nissan 4 x 4 something or other 6 passeneger I thiught..I just was worried about it being too big for the roads..my husband and I had a smaller car last visit to Irland..and when we have done other ****ries we were travelling with another family and did have a large van type wehicle thingy..but those countries had highways etc..my \husband was worried if the car was too big it wouldnt fit..what do you think? we are open to wahtever
An Opel Zafira is the smallest of the 7 passenger models. Next up (slightly) is the Renault Scenic (both are actually 5 +2's) and the largest would be a Kia Sedona (same size as the US model). Dunno which come in automatic, as I always rent the manual trans models.
Irish roads ARE narrow, but I've racked up LOTS of miles over the last eight trips and I haven't lost a SINGLE mirror... . I drove the Ring of Kerry in a VW Carravelle (Think VW BUS) and I drove the Galway/Kylemore/Westport Loop in a Mercedes Vito, which is even bigger.
Kylemore Abbey is 36.5 miles from Galway. Using Michele's "Rule Of 35" (which is to say, DIVIDE THE TOTAL MILES DRIVEN BY 35, IN ORDER TO ESTIMATE THE USUAL TRAVEL TIME), that's ABOUT an hour to an hour and 15 minutes each way, not counting how long you spend visiting/touring AT Kylemore. For locations like that, I prefer to use my own figure of 30, as I like to look around at the scenery while driving AND we stop FREQUENTLY for picture taking .
You don't need or even, want a car while IN Dublin, though. It is actually more of a liability due to all the traffic and parking hassles.
Hope that helps. Maybe some of the others will chime in with somei deas and opinions.
Bob
-- Edited by Itallian Chauffeur at 23:17, 2007-05-01
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I see from Kemwell AND Auto Europe that in automatic, they offer a Ford Galaxy 7 pass, for only about $80-90 MORE that the Nissan X-Trail Auto. The Zafira is also an option (AND it IS SLIGHTLY smaller) but it's at a rather HEFTY premium over the Ford and the Nissan. You could call Kemwell and/or Auto Europe (they have numbers listed on their websites and offices in the USA) and ask them what the US equivilent size for the X-Trail is. The description says it is a FIVE passenger so that's 2 front seats and a bench rear. Can your three children sit, shoulder to shoulder? I would guess that the X-Trail is smaller than a Pathfinder (Xterra, maybe?), but I'm NOT certain ....
Bob
-- Edited by Itallian Chauffeur at 23:40, 2007-05-01
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How about Galway, Connemara, Westport, Sligo, Enniskillen, Drogheda and on to Dublin? Or Galway, Connemara, Westport. Longford, Dublin? Seems more logical than going to Galway and then heading southwest before ending up in Dublin.
How about this: Day one: Burren, stay in Kinvarra and attend the banquet at Dunguaire Castle Day two: Galway, Figure 8 drive of Connemara (I think this includes Kylemore), stay in Galway Day three: Visit Clonmacnoise, take Bog Railroad, stay in Athlone Day four:Kells, stay Navan or Drogheda Day five: Newgrange, Hill of Slane, Hill of Tara Stay Malahide Day six: Beach at Malahide, Dublin. Stay Malahide Day seven: more Dublin. Stay Malahide.
Just a thought. Or: Day one: Burren, stay in Kinvarra, Dunguaire Castle Banquet Day two: Galway visit, Connemara, stay in Westport Day three: visit Strokestown, stay Longford Day four: Loughcrew, Kells stay Navan or Drogheda Day five, six seven: same as above
These don't have any multi night stays until the end but those are hard to work into a week's visit.
thank you ..we are taking your suggestions to the travel agent tomorrow..my husband has just read so much about the narrow roads with the big cars..but yes they are all BIG kids a daughter and son over 6 ft and then a daughter 5 7 inches..so we need space.
I actually prefer a bigger car on the narrow roads, for the simple reason that other drivers give you plenty of room. For five rather hefty but short-legged women we had a Ford Tourneo which seats 7 and we had plenty of room for us and our luggage and shopping treasures. I liked driving it because it's like a bus; the engine is underneath and the driver sits up front and high up above traffic, and the diesel got good mileage. This was four years ago so they may not be available now.
I would think seasoned travelers better fits your description than amateur! You have both given excellent advice.
Pixie,
I do understand what you are trying to do, which is show your children the high points. However, with only 7 days on the ground, they will only remember tight seating in the car, and a blur of checked off sites. Relax, pick a few favorites and feel confident that there will be other opportunities. If not with you and your husband, then when they travel with their own spouses or on solo trips. This trip should be the base for all of their future trips.
Try something such as this:
Day 1 - Arrive Shannon and head for Galway taking the coastal road up, stop at the Cliffs of Moher, a light lunch in Doolin or Ballyvaughan, a drive through the Burren and into Galway (2 nights lodging) *Day 2 - either catch the Ferry to Inis Mor or head through the Connemara to Kylemore Abbey ** On one of your nights, catch the banquet at Dunguairre Castle
Day 3 - Head for Dingle -stopping for lunch in Adare (Two Nights)
Day 4 - Head for Kilkenny- stopping in Cahir and Cashel enroute (2 nights)
Day 6 - Head for Dublin via Arklow, Avoca, Wicklow and Glendalough -Turn in your rental car at the airport - (two nights lodging)
Day 8 - Home
This gives you a more relaxed week. Yes, it takes away Killarney and ROK but the scenery on Dingle and the time allotted to experience it will more than make up for it. You will not feel as if you have spent your entire week in the car and the kids will truly get to experience Ireland.
As for the car, I would definitely agree with Bob that the bigger vehicle would be best. I have rented a Zafira, a Sedona, a Caravelle and a Mercedes people mover. With the height factored in, I think that you would be more relaxed and comfortable in the Mercedes model or the Caravelle. If it were just the five of you on a day trip, the Nissan 4x4 might be a good idea. However, you will also have the luggage that five people entail.