Ireland itinerary

Barbi · Newbie

Ireland itinerary

Wellsley · Guru

I guess this is your first trip to Ireland. I would suggest you do some research and make lists of things that interest you. You have to decide if you plan on renting a car or not. What your budget is going to be. Do you want to travel around Ireland or would you prefer to stay in one or two spots and make day trips. Do you want to do tours or see things on your own. We recently came back from Ireland and had a great trip. We spent 10 days there and we saw Dublin, Newgrange, hill of tara, Rock of Cashel, Blarney Castle, Ross Castle, Muckross farms, Killarney, Ring of Kerry, Inch beach, Dingle penisula (slea head drive), Conner Pass, Carrigaholt Castle, Doonbeg Castle, Cliffs of Moher, Burren, Galway, Killary fjord, Connemara, sky road Clifden, Bunratty Castle and folk park. Those were the main things we saw with alot of other things added on in the towns and cities. Things I would have liked to have seen if I had more time would be Glendalough, Mizen head, Beara penisula, Blasket and Aran islands, Donegal, Sligo and Giants Causeway to name a few. I guess those will have to be seen on another trip. Things that I liked the most were Newgrange, Blarney Castle, Killarney, Dingle penisula, Conner Pass, Carrigaholt Castle, Cliffs of Moher, Connemara,sky road Clifden, Bunratty Castle and folk park. Then there are certain pubs that I would call must see's. Tatler Jack's in Killarney, Tig Coili & Taaffes in Galway, Dick Macks in Dingle and the Brazen Head in Dublin. You've got alot to think about as soon as you can nail down what area's you are going to stay and make reservations. Ask if they have any specials, we saved a bundle of money on internet specials. There was only one place we stayed that didn't give us a special and that was in Dublin.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Barbi,

Welcome to my forum. Frank has started you off with listings of what he liked. Since each person is an individual and likes different things, he is right that you need to make your own decisions as to what to see and do. I'm sure you have looked at some guidebooks and have a general idea about Ireland.

Here's what to do:

1. Read a few guidebooks and picture books about Ireland (the library is a good free source).

2. Make a list of your "must sees" in order of importance.

3. See where your "must sees" are clustered.

4. If most are in the south, concentrate on that area. If elsewhere, plan to go there.

5. If they are scattered all over the island you need to start trimming down your list because it is impossible to see everything.

Go to my Getting Started & Sightseeing pages. Then come back to us with ideas, possible itineraries that you are considering, and other thoughts that will help us help you. The more we know about what you want, the better we can help.

Michele

Barbi · Newbie

Thanks for the great information! We plan to rent a car and drive ourselves. Did you stay at B&Bs, hotels, or combo? Did you make these accommodations in advance via the Internet?

Michele Erdvig · Host

Barbi,

I was there in May and stayed at a combo of B&Bs, guesthouses and hotels. Some I booked in advance on the Internet. Others I just "found". One of those "finds" was a real winner. Although I had previously looked at the website.

Michele

Wellsley · Guru

Barbi,

We booked everything on the internet. When you contact them whether they are B&B's or hotel's ask if they have any specials. We saved alot of money pre-booking internet specials. (especially if you are going to stay more than one night)

Frank