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Tracey1218


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Need Help Planning - Not a Traveler
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I’m planning a trip with my mom to London, Ireland and France.   We will be meeting family in London for a couple of days before arriving in Dublin.  We’ll be in Ireland late morning on March 25th through the 30th.   Total we have 9 people and the plan so far is to stay 2 nights in Dublin and then head to Dunmore East, Waterford where they have rented a cottage (Dunmore Holiday Villas) for the rest of our stay.   Since I’ve never been to Europe, my mom and I are heading back to London a day earlier than the rest of the family so that we can hop on the train and spend a couple of days in France.  I don’t travel much and I’m a nervous flyer so I want to see as much as I can.   My problem is that I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed and don’t really know how to best plan our time there.  We want to see as much as we can but not plan too much that we feel like we’re rushing around the whole time.  Just trying to get an idea of the must see places and how long it takes to see them.    Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated!!   Would we be better of spending only one night in Dublin in order to see a little but more?   How far is it between destinations, etc.  


 


Also, since we are splitting from the rest of the family early, are we better of driving back into Dublin to get a return flight to London or is the Waterford airport okay?    Should we think about spending one more day in Ireland and only 1 day in France (our flight home is on the morning of the 2nd)? 


 


Thank you!!!


 


 

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Michele Erdvig


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Tracey,


Having been to London and France as well as Ireland, I wonder about the idea of going to France for only one or two days. It doesn't seem to be worthwhile to me especially considering travel times. Personally, I would skip France unless you have more time to devote to it. Why not just stay in Ireland with the rest of the family?


Michele



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yesiree


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Tracey,

I realize you must really want to see France on this trip, but in two days, you wouldn't really see France, you'd probably just see Paris (or some other very specific area). I loved my time in France, but to shoot over for such a short stay just doesn't do the trip or you justice.

Adding another flight really does eat up a lot of time which will leave you feeling rushed...especially if you are trying to experience France in two days.

There is a lot of great things to do on daytrips from Dunmore East. Since you have your accommodations booked, you can just start picking daytrips from there. You could easily enjoy a day in Waterford, a day touring Hook Head, a coastal drive to Ardmore, a visit to Lismore and the Vee, Kilkenny, Cashel and Cahir.

Since you're feeling overwhelmed, draw a boundary on the map...no further west than Cobh, no further north than Kilkenny and no further east or south than the ocean, and ONLY look at the sections of guidebooks within those boundaries. Keep a list of your favorites and mark them on your map. Once you have a few things highlighted and somewhat prioritized, we can help you narrow them down to manageable daytirps.

There is honestly so much to do in that region, you won't be disappointed...AND you'll have a much more unique trip report than those who hit the usual vistor list. As Michele has said before, you won't miss what you don't see.

We've got a podcast on our favorite sites in that area in our Waterford episode at www.irishfireside.com.

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Tracey1218


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Unfortunately, we've already booked our flight out of Paris and will have to end up there regardless.   We don't really expect to see much there and the main reason for our trip is to visit Ireland.   Our company has an office in Paris and one of the guys I work with there has said he would show us around one of those days.   So, we could still decide to stay an extra day in Ireland and have only one full day in Paris.  

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Michele Erdvig


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Tracey,


Since the plans are written in stone you should stick with your original plan. I didn't realize you had your airfares and everything in place. You will get a little taste of all the places you are stopping and perhaps it will entice you to return again for a longer visit! I would do two days in Paris.


Dunmore East is a nice village just south of Waterford City. I was just there in October. It is quite small but picturesque and has lots of thatched cottages, a nice beach and a lighthouse in the distance. Some things you might enjoy in the area are:


Waterford Crystal Factory (go on a weekday if possible)


Waterford Treasures Museum


Dunbrody Famine Ship (New Ross)


Hook Head Lighthouse


Kilkenny City, castle and walking tour


Kells Priory


Jerpoint Abbey


Cahir Castle & Swiss Cottage


Rock of Cashel


All are doable as day trips from your base. The local people in Ireland will all have suggestions for your time there.


In Dublin be sure to get the hop-on hop-off bus. Take the entire tour and then visit the sightseeing attractions you are interested in. Drive time from Dublin to Dunmore East is about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.


Michele



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"Ireland Expert"  Michele Erdvig

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Tracey1218


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Only the flight into London and the one out of Paris are booked.  We're trying to figure out the rest right now...  Are you also familiar with London?  I was looking at flights from Waterford back to London but it looks like they arrive at a smaller airport in London.  Not sure what difference it makes in getting to the train to go to France.


Thank you so much for all of your suggestions.  This helps so much!



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Michele Erdvig


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Tracey,

I have been to London but don't offer advice on it. Ireland is the focus here. But there are many other forums. Perhaps you can find one that will answer your questions about London like www.fodors.com

Michele



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