10 day tour of Ireland, Clockwise route from Dublin. Suggestions?

Thorn Tree forumCountry forumsUK & IrelandIreland
Enter custom title (optional)
This topic is locked
Last reply was
7.5k
…
Send as an e-mail
Send as an e-mail
dtq
dtq

Hello, everybody. Thanks in advance for your help.

My wife and I are traveling to Ireland in September. We have 10 days, and we're hoping to find a good balance of seeing a lot/having time to enjoy what we're seeing while we're seeing it.

We realize we can't see the entire country in such a short time, but we're hoping to do our best to see a great deal.

Our initial idea was to do some sort of route that would have us start in Dublin, and make a big clockwise loop. We'd essentially do something like Dubin-Waterford-Cork-Galway-Sligo-Dublin trip. Other than Dublin, we aren't obligated to see any of those places, I simply list them to give you a general idea of the type of route we were planning to take.

I'm not asking for hotel recommendations or specific things to see. I can do my own research on that. I'm just hoping some of you experts could weigh in a little bit. Perhaps you'll say, "Skip Waterford and stay inland towards Kilkenney" or "Skip Sligo and make sure you see Longford" or whatever the case may be. (Those are just examples, I know nothing about any of those cities, so please don't take offense!)

Basically I'm just asking for help in narrowing down our outline. Once I have a few "must see" cities or towns, I can work out the specific itinerary regarding how long we stay there, where we sleep and eat, etc. The problem with reading through the guide book with such a limited amount of time is it's nearly impossible to narrow down the list of places I want to visit. I'm sure you all know that feeling.

Having never traveled to Ireland before, I don't have a good grasp on what places are good for a 2 hour visit versus a 2 day visit. The main thing is we have to start in Dublin and end in Dublin, and we'd like to keep moving in one direction so as not to backtrack too much.

So thanks again for all your help. These forums were great when we travelled to Southeast Asia, and I'm sure you all will provide invaluable information once again.

-Dan

View last reply
Report
1
yofletch
yofletch

Where are you from?
How are you intending to travel once you arrive what mode of transport ?
Knowing what the weather's doing ....see MET.IE /
Bring layered clothing.
some reading goto Amazon and have a look at the following :
IN SEARCH OF THE CRAIC
MC CARTHY'S BAR
ROUND IRELAND IN LOW GEAR
waiting your reply.

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.
Permalink to this post
Report
2
dtq
dtq

Sorry...

I'm from the US.
I'm renting a car.
I'll keep an eye on the weather and have the appropriate clothing.

Thanks for the recommendations on the reading. Gives me something to do on the plane.

For what it's worth, it now looks as if we're taking the general route of Dublin--Kilkenny--Cork--Killarney--Galway--Dublin. Obviously there will be some detours to other destinations along that route, and time spent in the areas surrounding those cities, but that's the general idea.

Plans will likely change several more times, we'll see.

Thanks.

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.
Permalink to this post
Report
3
markfawkner
markfawkner

You've described the classic Ireland trip, a few days in Dublin and then the loop to Galway. You are looking at a bit of driving there and dropping Sligo is a good idea. Irish travelling times increase exponentially the smaller the road. On the motorways you are fine and sitting at 120 km/h is a piece of piss and the larger N roads are fine too but getting below that you might want to aim at 60km/h average travelling time.

Galway is a good place for a couple of days, there are day trips to the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren from there. People often pick Waterford and while it is nice there is nothing to really mark it out as exceptional to many other places in Ireland and IMO it is less exceptional than somewhere like Adare, which I (and unfortunately thousands and thousands of tourists) regard as a gorgeous village, and Dingle.

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.
Permalink to this post
Report
4
yofletch
yofletch

Info about the motorway network and tolls ....NRA.IE /
..................Traffic updates.......AAROADWATCH.IE /
Where to buy the cheaper fuel ( gas ) ....PUMPS.IE /
general tourist info....DISCOVERIRELAND.IE /
info on Cork Clare Kerry Limerick counties :
......SHANNONFERRIES.COM / MAP
heading to Cork city suburbs goto COBH (say cove)
visit the Queenstown story located in the towns heritage centre.
Don't bother going to Blarney it's a tourist trap.
more info : WIKIPEDIA.ORG / COBH

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.
Permalink to this post
Report
5
seaneendubh
seaneendubh

Hi,
you will lose most time on the Cork - Galway segments. Especially if you really want to get lost in Kerry, which I really recommend.

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.
Permalink to this post
Report
6
jeanfromboston2
jeanfromboston2

If you want to get out of cities a few days, go to Dingle and the area around it. It's beautiful and fun. We did stop for lunch in Adare on the way from Dingle to Cashel. It's pretty but indeed overrun by tourists on bus tours. .

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.
Permalink to this post
Report
7
dtq
dtq

Thanks everybody for your great input.

If we don't mind driving a good deal in one day, which we don't, would you say it's possible to go from Dublin to Kilkenny via the Wexford/Waterford routes and still time to see things during the day? For instance, if our aim was to leave Dublin early in the morning and arrive in Kilkenny at night, is it worth spending a day driving through Waterford and seeing some sights, grabbing a bite to eat, etc?

It sounds as if we're going to want to allow some extra time in Kerry and Galway. So I'm trying to figure out the best places to stop over either during the day or as a sort of midpoint place to sleep.

For example, I've read that if you're going to just spend one night somewhere, Ennis is a good fit due to the food/music (and lack of daytime sights). So I was thinking that leaving the Kerry area in the early evening and arriving to have some dinner and a drink in Ennis would work. We'd get some sleep there and then early the next morning head to the Cliffs of Moher on our way to Galway.

How's something like this look for a rough itinerary?

Day 1: Arrive in Dublin in the afternoon, spend day/night touring the city.
Day 2. Full day and night in Dublin.
Day 3. Leave early in the morning, driving through Wexford and Waterford and enjoying the sights for which we have the time. Arrive in Kilkenny at night.
Day 4. Spend the day seeing Kilkenny, and drive to Cork at night.
Day 5. Full day and night in Cork.
Day 6. Work our way towards Dingle, perhaps seeing Kenmare or Killarney along the way. Stop for a rest somewhere in Kerry.
Day 7. Attempt to see the areas around Dingle during the day, and drive at night to Ennis. (Is this a bad idea? I know that drive could be tough.)
Day 8. Head from Ennis to the Cliffs of Moher to Galway. Spend afternoon/evening in Galway.
Day 9. Head out towards Connemara for daytime activities, return to Galway at night.
Day 10. Head from Galway back to Dublin for our flight.

Anything that immediately seems like a bad idea? Should we just scrap the Wexford/Waterford route and try to pick up some time by just going straight from Dublin to Kilkenny? (That could land us in Cork on day 3 rather than day 4.)

I appreciate all the help and I can't wait for the trip.

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.
Permalink to this post
Report
8
fear_rua
fear_rua

Going through Wexford and Waterford to Kilkenny seems rather the wrong way round if you are planning to go on to Cork afterwards. In any case, the sights most worth seeing on the way south from Dublin are the Wicklow Mountains and Glendalough, which are much closer to the city. Jerpoint Abbey is arguably worth seeing, but is not that far from Kilkenny. The Rock of Cashel is definitely worth seeing.

I would suggest that a few hours, either when you arrive or the morning of your departure, should be enough for sightseeing in Kilkenny, and that there is no particular need to loop around through Wexford and Waterford. Leave Dublin early in the morning, head up the Wicklow Mountains via Rockbrook and the Military Road, passing Glencree and Lough Bray, Sally Gap, and then visiting Glendalough; then push on to Kilkenny. You will then have a little more time for either west Cork/Kerry or Conamara, either of which would amply repay it.

Edited by: fear_rua

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.
Permalink to this post
Report
9
yofletch
yofletch

Another book to consider :
BACK ROADS IRELAND
use the Amazon feature "look inside"
Ennis is a market town
but if your going to follow the clare coast
then you should think about
Doolin, Clare and stop by "Gus O'Connor's" public house (bar)
it's great for the trad music in the evening
Google for info.

Edited by: yofletch

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.
Permalink to this post
Report

This topic has been locked by a moderator.

Pro tip
Lonely Planet
trusted partner