Need help with my itinerary

Jill and John · Member

Need help with my itinerary

Michele Erdvig · Host

Jill & John,

You have three days in Dublin and then all your other stays are one-night stops. You will be whizzing past many things and will not have time to see a whole lot. You have not mentioned what you plan to do each day, but let me just make one example.

You are driving through Wicklow, ending in Kilkenny. I assume you will see Powerscourt and Glendalough. Those sightseeing venues and the drive will take up most of your day. If you had planned on seeing anything in Kilkenny like the castle, cathedral, a walking tour, Jerpoint Abbey, Kells Priory then you may be disappointed to find them all closed upon arrival.

The rest of your trip will be done in the same manner. It would be much better to plan on a few two-night stays. Cut out a couple of stops that are not that important to you and concentrate on enjoying everything else to the full.

If all you want is a quick glimpse of Ireland, then your itinerary will work. But be prepared for a fast-paced drive-by glance at Ireland. It all depends on what your expectations are.

Michele

Jill and John · Member

We've actually struggled/questioned whether we are staying too long in Dublin (as compared to the rest of the trip). I appreciate your candid feedback and it gives me pause as I look at our trip.

One of the issues I've had in planning is to understand how long the driving will be from one stop to the next. Do you have any recommendations on where I might get that information?

Thanks.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Jill & John,

Unless you have months to see a country there are always trade-offs with any trip. If you list what you want to see in each area it would help me assist you better. Keep in mind that the Aran Islands would be very dependent on weather, since much of it is outdoors.

Try this for distances: http://www.aaroadwatch.ie/routes/ Get the miles (not kilometers) and divide by 35 for approximate driving times. The times they give you are computer generated and not that accurate.

Michele

Jill and John · Member

Thanks, Michelle.

There's so much to see and figure out. Perhaps we shouldn't even try to do Aran Islands this trip.

Our itinerary is really pulled from bits and pieces of books as well as "advice" and must-do mentions from friends.

Here's what we have thus far:

17- March Arrive from LA. Having traveled enough, I know we will be tired from the long flight. Plan on napping from 2 PM-6 PM and then hitting the streets of Dublin for dinner and music.

18 March More of Dublin. Thought we'd do the hop on/hop off bus to see sites and then the Literary Pub Crawl in PM

19 March Guiness Tour and Book of Kells/Trinity College.

20 March Pick up rental car and depart Dublin. Go to Powerscourt and Glendalough and Watersford Factory. End day in Kilkenny.

21 March Head to Kinsale and explore. No definite plans.

22 March Head towards Dingle. Stop to enjoy Killarney National Park. Spend the night in Dingle

23 Mar Drive the Ring of Kerry and/or Dingle Pennisula. Spend night in Adare.

24 Mar Drive to Askeaton and tour castle/abbey. Make way to Galway.

25 Mar Aran Islands?? Or Not! Spend night near airport.

26 Mar Depart

If anyone has suggestions on what to cut out or condense, I am all ears!

TIA!

Itallian Chauffeur · Moderator

Just one person's personal advice,
A couple of quick observations:

If you spend the day (18 March) doing the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour, you'll have ample time to see both Guiness and Trinity / Book of Kells. That said, you can shorten your allotted time in Dublin and add it in elsewhere.

If you REALLY want to see Waterford, tour it enroute to Kinsale, rather than PRIOR to Kilkenney. I would skip Waterford and add in Cashel. That said, as much as I love the South West, from Cashel, I'ld recommend forgetting about Kinsale and head straight to Killarney, if you really want to see Galway and/or the Arans.

Personally, I would drop Galway, etc. (your last two full days) and add them into Killarney and Dingle. Adare is worth a brief stop on a drive through, but I wouldn't choose it as an overnight destination. I'ld add in the Cliffs / Burren / Doolin with maybe an overnight in Adare, or if it's an EARLY flight, Bunratty.

A LOT on your list, NOT a lot of time, and in March, NOT a lot of daylight -- it will probably be dark by 5 PM.

Bob

Michele Erdvig · Host

Jill & John,

Take Bob's advice! Given your total time in Ireland two days in Dublin is about all you can spare. Your second itinerary is different from your first. You seem to be a bit scattered at the moment. Dropping Galway might accomplish your needs and you will be seeing some of Ireland's best scenery by concentrating on the SW rather than trying to see everything.

Although Kinsale is a charming town there is much more to do and see from Kenmare or Killarney. Prioritize your time and cut some things ruthlessly.

If you have the time go to the Trip Reports section and read Melissa5's reports (on pages 2 & 3). She, too, agonized over her trip but realized she couldn't see it all. In conclusion, she decided that she didn't miss what she didn't seen. Instead she spent her time enjoying what she could see and had a better trip for it.

Michele

Jill and John · Member

Thanks, so much, Bob and Michele.

You are right about us being scattered. I am working on it. I just haven't had much time to really learning the regions.

My husband and I are seasoned travelers and we tend to have a loose itinerary and then make accomodations as we go. The real difference in Ireland is that we are not staying in one place so it's important that we iron out the details before we go!

PS- I am headed to Greece in nine days....just found out last week so I keep bouncing between Ireland and Greece. Hope I don't get the two destinations confused!! :)

Michele Erdvig · Host

Jill & John,

Well I would be scattered too if I were planning two trips to two different countries at the same time! Enjoy Greece. We will be here to help with Ireland when you get back.

Michele