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Post Info TOPIC: Help me with short itinerary to explore Ireland by car that starts and ends in Dublin
bobby_t1


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Help me with short itinerary to explore Ireland by car that starts and ends in Dublin
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I am headed to Dublin on business and my wife and 3 month old baby are tagging along.  We'll be spending Tues-Fri in Dublin, where I'll be working during the day, and my wife + daughter will be playing it lowkey and exploring Dublin while I'm working.  Saturday-Tuesday, we plan on leaving Dublin to explore the rest of the country before flying back to the US on Wednesday morning.  I found these forums on a link on Tripadvisor, and based on my read of the forums, it's much friendlier (and more helpful!) than Tripadvisor :)  So I'll be posting a few different posts asking different questions, hoping to get some insight from the experts here.

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We are arriving in Dublin from the USA on Tuesday (Sept 30), and departing Dublin back to USA on Wed Oct 8th.  We'll be in Dublin 9/30-10/3 since I'm working. On Saturday 10/4 we plan on leaving Dublin in a rental car to explore some of the country, to ultimately return to Dublin on Tuesday Oct 7th.  We will then fly out on an 11am flight Wed Oct 8.

So we effectively have Sat-Tues to explore outside of Dublin.  I wish we could have a longer trip but it didn't line up with my work schedule, so we just have that limited time.

As mentioned in my intro paragraph, we will have our 3 month old daughter with us.  Wondering what a good itinerary will be that isn't crazy, but gets us some good diversity.

My wife came up with what I thought was an insane schedule:

  • Saturday: Pick up rental car, leave Dublin in early morning and drive straight to Galway. Explore Galway during day, stay night in Galway.
  • Sunday: Leave for Killarney in early morning, explore area during the day and stay night.
  • Monday: Leave for Killkenny in early morning, explore area during the day and stay night.
  • Tuesday:Leave for Dublin in early morning, explore some sights along the way, drop rental car off and stay night in Dublin city center.
  • Wednesday: Take taxi from Dublin city center to airport, flyout on our 1130am flight back to USA.

This schedule seems overly aggressive to me since we are staying only 1 night in each area, and driving a ton.  My wife agrees it seems aggressive, but she's trying to see as much as we can.

I'm positive a better plan is to just accept the fact we won't see everything and take a slower pace.  Then we'll accept the fact we'll return :)

What would be a better itinerary be for the time we have and during the time of year (start of October) that we'll be traveling?

 

Thanks in advance!



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Michele Erdvig


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Forget trying to see as much as you can with a 3-month-old along for the ride. If it were me I would rent a self-catering cottage or apartment for the three days you will be outside Dublin. I would make it my base for those days then return to Dublin for my last night, staying near the airport as you will need to arrive at least 3 hours early for your flight.

Here is more about self-catering rentals: http://www.irelandyes.com/irelandselfcatering.html

 



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"Ireland Expert"  Michele Erdvig

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bobby_t1


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Michele Erdvig wrote:

Forget trying to see as much as you can with a 3-month-old along for the ride. If it were me I would rent a self-catering cottage or apartment for the three days you will be outside Dublin. I would make it my base for those days then return to Dublin for my last night, staying near the airport as you will need to arrive at least 3 hours early for your flight.

Here is more about self-catering rentals: http://www.irelandyes.com/irelandselfcatering.html

 

 

Thanks Michele.  Any recommendations on hotels near the airport but close enough to decent restaurants to eat dinner?



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Michele Erdvig


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Premier Inn is where I usually stay. They have a decent restaurant in the hotel. One nice thing is you can return your car the evening before departure and use the hotel shuttle. Then you don't have to deal with the car rental in the morning.

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"Ireland Expert"  Michele Erdvig

Click links for Michele's Book or Custom Ireland Itinerary

Visit Michele's Irish Shop for unique Irish gifts and beautiful photos of Ireland.
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