May Itinerary - Please Advise

Jenny · Newbie

May Itinerary - Please Advise

Michele Erdvig · Host

Jenny,

Welcome to my forum! Despite some two-night stays, your days are jam-packed with things to see and do. So you will be on the go. I will comment day-by-day below.

5/14: Arrive Dublin and rent car

- Glendalough

- Kilkenny Castle

Overnight: Kilkenny (Langton's Hotel) * This is a full day right off the plane. If the weather is not good cross Glendalough off your list and go directly to Kilkenny.

5/15:

- Rock of Cashel

- Cahir Castle

- Swiss Cottage

Overnight: Kinsale (Desmond House) * Another full day of sightseeing and driving. Suggest an early start.

5/16:

- Kinsale (Walking tour?)

- Blarney Castle

- Gap of Dunloe (informal - not all day tour)

Overnight: Killarney (Loch Lein Country House - Thanks for the heads up on the 2-night special1) * Charles Fort is worth seeing in Kinsale. Your sightseeing and drive will take up most of the day. Personally I would skip Blarney Castle in favor of Muckross Gardens. They are fabulous in May. But perhaps you can't leave Ireland without kissing the stone? Glad you have reservations at Loch Lein. You will really enjoy it. With the long days in May you can probably leave driving to the Gap till late afternoon or early evening. biggrin

5/17:

- Dingle Peninsula

- Ross Castle

- Killarney Shops

Overnight: Killarney (Loch Lein) * Dingle will take most of the day. I suggest doing it first.

5/18:

- Dromoland Castle seems like the closest and nicest Castle

- Please advise if there is an experience nearby not to miss in the morning. Otherwise, we plan on hitting the Spa at Dromoland, having tea and then dinner all at the Castle. * If you did not see Ross Castle or Muckross yet, you could do it in the morning. A photo stop in Adare.

5/19:

- Cliffs of Moher or Aran Islands (could we do both?)

- Bunratty Castle

- Bunratty Corn Barn Dinner

Overnight: Ennis (Old Garden Hotel) * I think you mean the Old Ground Hotel? Do you have reservations yet? If not, make them ASAP!! No you cannot do both the cliffs and Aran Islands. Do the cliffs and Burren. Plenty for the day especially since you want to see Bunratty Castle. Get an early start!

5/20:

- Fleadh Nua Festival

- The Chieftains at Ennis Cathedral (night)

Overnight: Ennis (Old Garden Hotel) * Sounds like fun! Do you have your tickets?

5/21:

- Galway?

- Or should we see Connemara, Cong, etc. rather than Galway city?

Overnight: Recommendations appreciated for both Galway city and/or surrounding area * See my Lodgings page for recommendations. I prefer Connemara, but it depends on when you get started in the morning as touring Connemara takes most of the day.

5/22:

- Dublin (plan to return car first and then head to hotel to check bags)

- Hop On, Hop Off Tour

- Guinness Storehouse

Overnight: The Shelbourne Renaissance * I think you should reverse the sightseeing for Dublin. Your drive will take 4 hours or more (depending on where you overnight). You could see Clonmacnoise on the way. Doing the full day hopper bus would be more efficent on 5/23.

5/23:

- Book of Kells

- Tea at Merrion House Hotel

- Old Jameson Distillery Tour

Overnight: The Shelbourne Renaissance * See comment above.

Michele

jsarcher · Member

Michele is very right about your 5/14 plans. We had the exact same idea that you have... to land in Dublin in the morning and do Glendalough and Kilkenny Castle that same day. Big mistake. All-night flights really take it out of you more than you might think. The last thing we were ready for was a day full of driving and sightseeing in the rain, right off a bumpy and long flight. By noon we were exhausted, and we hadn't even made it to Glendalough yet. The weather was poor and by the time we finished Glendalough we were ready for bed, but we still had to make it all the way down to Kilkenny to our night's accommodation. I'm still not sure how we did it; the first day was a blur and a rather unpleasant one at that. The drive from Glendalough to Kilkenny is very long and tedious, and in bad weather it can be pretty sticky. Glendalough was nice but I wouldn't have too much trouble knocking it off the list and heading straight to Kilkenny next time.

And on 5/17, the Dingle peninsula will more than likely take the entire day. You will find yourself in love with it and will not want to skimp there. It's a shame you're not overnighting in Dingle because we found it to be the highlight of our trip. But hey, you can't do EVERYTHING.

Michele Erdvig · Host

John,

Thanks for your personal observations. Many people think that they will be raring to go when they touch down in Ireland. But jet-lag can quickly take over the day. I usually tell people that on arrival after a transatlantic flight they should drive no more than about 2 hours, unless they have more than one driver.

Michele