Weekend Trips

Date: 12:57 PM, 01/13/06

Weekend Trips

Michele Erdvig · Host

Hi Carrie,

Will you be taking public transportation on your trips? I agree that Co. Wicklow is lovely. There is a lot more you can do there besides Glendalough. There are many gardens, parks, hiking, etc. It is especially nice in springtime when the gardens are blooming.

Some other nearby places would be north to Newgrange & Tara, Kilkenny & area, Cashel, Cahir, Kildare, Wexford, etc. I'm not sure how far you want to go but take a look at this: http://www.railtours.ie/

Also, pop into the tourist office and they will be able to assist you with lots of brochures, etc.

As for shopping, I know everything in Dublin is very expensive. Just recently I had a question about re-sale shops and you might want to check them out:

clothing resale shops:

Enable Ireland charity shops: http://www.enableireland.ie/contacts/shops.html

Mrs. Quin's: http://www.mrsquins.ie/locations.php

Oxfam: http://www.oxfamireland.org/html/shopsNew/wicklow_recycling.htm

There are also markets that might offer less expensive goods. Have fun!

Michele

Date: 7:05 PM, 01/13/06

Thanks for the resale suggestions, Michele. I'll have to check those out.

I'm planning on taking public transportation everywhere, yes. I've got a LUAS pass from my program for free, but that won't get me much further than Stephen's Green. I've got to figure out the DART and, of course, Ryan Air. I'd love to maybe take a weekend trip to Scotland or something and Ryan Air seems to be the best deal for that.

Approximately how long does it take to get to Cork from Dublin? I've heard the area is amazing. I'd also love to check out Belfast.

Another question, sorry: Is it worth taking trips to Sligo and Limerick, or are those cities mainly for spending only a day? I've heard mixed things.

Thanks again!

Michele Erdvig · Host

Carrie,

Since you are using public transportation it will make it more difficult to get to interesting sightseeing that is outside cities. There are many good day tours from places like Dublin, Cork, Killarney, Belfast, Galway and Limerick (in season). However, places like Sligo are not really geared for that. Much as I like Sligo, it would be difficult for you to get to the more scenic drives, Parke's Castle, Strandhill, Rosses Point, etc.

I think you should take a look at my "Transport" page and take time to look around on the bus and rail sites. It will tell you the timetables for all sorts of different trips. You can pick up timetables at the tourist office when you are there. This website will be invaluable: http://www.visitdublin.com

Michele

Maggie L · Senior Member

Dear Carrie,

It must be great to be college age and living and going to school in Dublin! I don't know what your budget is for traveling, but you might find the following worth investigating:

http://www.dirtybootstreks.com Dirty Boots leads hiking trips to Donegal, Kerry, Connemara, the Wicklow Mts. and Mourne Mts. They pick you up in Dublin on Friday afternoon and have you back to Dublin Sunday evening. You don't camp out --- you do day hikes and stay in a B&B or guesthouse at night. If you don't have all the hiking stuff you need, they can provide it --- even sturdy hiking boots!

http://www.overthetoptours.com Geared towards young adults (not old foggies like me! ), Over the Top has 1, 3 and 5 day trips out of Dublin to Galway & the Cliffs of Moher, to Cork/Kinsale/Cobh, and other areas.

http://www.newgrangetours.com Mary Gibbons tour of Newgrange and area is supposed to be quite good. Again, this tour goes from Dublin so transportation isn't a problem.

I agree with Michelle: go to the tourism office --- they'll have loads of tips for you --- and have fun!

Maggie

Date: 1:27 AM, 01/16/06

Since you are a student you should check out the train website for special deals and prices for students. Lots of places are easily doable by train, and upon leaving Dublin you are pretty much in the country. It's no more than four hours or less by train to several cities such as Cork, Killarney, Galway, Kilkenny, Belfast. From these cities you can do several day trips. It is also possible that you can get a train/bus combination ticket, this way you can take the train most of the way, then transfer to the bus. So, if you wanted to get to Kinsale(for instance) you could take the train to Cork, then hop the hourly bus to Kinsale. There are hostels all over Ireland so it won't be hard for you to find cheap accomodation, either. Check the hostelling international web site, or the hostel Ireland web site. These sites will also have lots of information about how to get around, and will often have deals for students. Also check the Lonely Planet web site. They will have a section just on Ireland with the latest information on hostels and tours for the budget-minded.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Carrie,

You have received excellent advice from Maggie & Anonymous. My thanks to them for their suggestions.

Michele

Date: 7:08 AM, 01/18/06

Anonymous, Maggie and Michele: Thank you all so much! I can't wait to check out all of this and see as much of Ireland as I can during the few months I'm here.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Carrie,

Have loads of fun and if you get the chance after your trip, let us know how you liked Ireland.

Michele