Itinerary help

aimathon · Member

Itinerary help

CowboyCraic · Guru

Amy,

Welcome to the form, first off! Yoou will find us to be a friendly lot.

To address your question about driving times. Take the mileage and divide it by 35. That will give you a more reasonable estimation of driving time. Bear in mind that the driving time won't include all of the stops you will want to make to absorb the scenery, take picture, explore a village or ruin, etc. It doesn't take in to account weather, livestick in teh roadway, farm equipment and tour buses you will encounter, pedestrians or cyclists. Ireland's roads are more narrow than what you will be accustomed. The 35 is the maximum speed at which you will be comfortable on most roads

That being said while your itinerary is feasible, it will be a lot of one night stops and little time to experience much of the local flavor and culture. Also, Dublin to Galway after a long flight is quite a feat.

I would suggest:

3/12 Arrive in Dublin (Lodging 2 nights) take ground transport into your lodgings and leave your luggage- take the hop-on/off bus tour to acclimate yourself and see some of the major sites
3/13- take a Newgrange tour or finish exploring Dublin
3/14- Pick-up your rental car and head to Galway (Lodging 2 nights) explore Galway on that first afternoon
3/15- Either take a day trip to Inis Mor or a Daytrip through the Connemara
3/16- Head to Dingle (2 nights lodging) along the way, take the coastal road south through the Burren, stop in Doolin for lunch and a stroll, stop at the Cliffs of Moher and then catch the Kilimer/Tarbert ferry and head for Dingle
3/17- Experience the St. Patrick celebration in Dingle town. It is a grand time!
3/18- head to Killarney (two nights lodging)
3/19- Explore the environs of Killarney National Park or experience the Gap of Dunloe
3/20- Head to Dublin & turn in the rental car (Overnight in an airport Hotel, Bewleys offers airport shuttle and a decent rate)
3/21- Depart for home

You need to make your lodging arrangements as soon as possible, as you are traveling during St. Patrick's week and it will be hard to come by on the fly. In Killarney, they have a festival each year along with the parade. St. Patrick's day is their kick-off for the tourist season. Through the site here, Loch Lein in Killarney is offering an excellent deal on lodgings.

This type of Itinerary will allow you to slow down and enjoy yourselves. With your current itinerary, you would be traveling most of the day on St. Patrick's day and would miss all of the fun! Not to mention, you would be seeing most of Ireland through your windshield.

I hope this helps.

Slan Beo (Take Care), Bit

-- Edited by CowboyCraic at 10:52, 2009-02-25

Michele Erdvig · Host

Amy,

That sounds like a very good plan that Bit came up with for you. Thank you Bit! biggrin

First, the drive from Dublin to Galway will take more like 4 hours -- if you do not get caught up in traffic. It is not a good idea to drive so far on your first day if you are getting off an overnight flight. That is why Bit's plan works better than yours.

What do you think Amy?

Michele