Please someone help me decide!

Hey,
As someone who lives in both Dublin (for college) and Killarney (it's my home town) I think I'll be able to help out.

First off Dublin is great lots to see and do. All National Museums are free entry and are brilliant and very close together in one area near Trinity and the Dáil (Ireland's parliamentary buildings). I would recommend the Archaeological Museum above Trinity if you really want to learn and see Irish history. If you have your heart set on seeing the Book of Kells then fine but that, plus the architecture, is all there is to Trinity and the campus can be seen in 20 - 30 min without having to queue for near an hour to see the book. This time could be spent seeing other sites in Dublin!

Now a drive to cork is near 3.5 hrs and there's lots to see and do in and around the city so I highly recommend going there but its the next part of the itinerary I'm not too sure about. The drive from Cork to Killarney is about an hr so I wouldn't say doing trips to Killarney one day then to Tralee (30 mins extra) the next would be a great idea. Killarney is amazing! It is absolutely beautiful and there is so much to see and do that you can easily spend the day here and not see everything there is! How about one day in Killarney and then visit Dingle the next on the way to Galway? Avoid Tralee at all costs. It has nothing interesting there and really is just a town! The same with Limerick, it is a city but there's nothing there to see and that's time that can be spent seeing other sights. Also the Giants Causeway is the polar opposite of the country to where you will be so you couldn't really fit in a trip there.

Hope this helps a little, if you've any more questions I'm happy to help!

Hi Amanda,

Is the Castle Hotel located in Gardiner Street and have you already booked it? The area can be a bit rough but it is quite central so you could easily go see some of the things you want to in Dublin. Trinity is about a 10 minute walk from there (if the location of the hotel is Gardiner Street). Dublin Castle is also located close by and the Chester Beatty Library is free to visit. http://www.cbl.ie/

Dublin to Cork is about 2.5 hour easy drive. Time wise your itinerary seems doable. I'm not sure if you've considered jetlag in your plans. Although, I would probably leave Limerick out as a daytrip and spend more time in Kerry/Galway or Mayo....but this is a personal choice for me.

You can just drive to B&B's and try to get accommodation which should be easy or you could try booking on booking.com.

Any questions, just ask.

Hey Matthew,

Thank you so much! Yes, my internet has been horribly slow loading maps and when I saw where Giant's Causeway was I did have a little laugh..will definitely have to leave that out this time around! Thank you for the advice about Tralee and Limerick its always good to hear what the locals have to say!

I think you could be on to something with the Archaeological Museum over Trinity it sounds very very interesting and exactly what I am after! Will also change the itinerary to include a stop over in Killarney for sure :)

Thank you :)

Thank you Pagalmaria81!

Correct it is the Castle Hotel in Gardiner Row and no, I have not booked anything yet :) would like to iron out this itinerary before I start booking accommodation.

I think in the original itinerary my mother had planned sleeping all day in Dublin to get over Jetlag and then driving the next day to Cork! I on the other hand would be very happy to have 13-20 coffees to get as much in as I can physically do before I fall over onto a park bench and get "moved along" by the police! Haha.

Is Westport part of Mayo co? I wondered why she'd put it on the Itinerary..there are a few places I wasn't sure if she'd actually just closed her eyes and pointed at a map of not haha.

Thank you again for responding and if anything else pops into my head I will be sure to ask! :)

If you can, try to stay away from the central part of northside of the river. The south side is much safer and also much nicer. Getting out the city is the same whatever side you are on, but if you are planning on going to Cork first, the route is from the south.

You are in a good city for your coffee addiction. While you're here, do try Butler's coffee, actually their chocolate of any kind is beyond amazing so do try it.

Westport is in Mayo, is a very pretty town but Killarney and Dingle are pretty too. Matthew is right regards Giant's Causeway.

Ooooh good to know! I may look for some hotels on the South side :) thank you! In regards to the coffee...that sounds amazing! My two favourite things other than wine :) chocolate and coffee!!! Will definitely have to visit as soon as we unpack! Haha yeah...Good ol' google maps not loading fast enough! Are there any of the other sights on my list worth avoiding or are they all pretty good? Not sure when I will get the oppourtunity to come back soon so want to make sure if I'm forced to work with 5 days that I jam pack them with as much culture, history, heritage and cuisine as I can!

I've never even heard of Tulsk and Clonmacnoise so I can't comment regarding these.

However, try this website, it gives you more information about places to see http://www.discoverireland.ie/places-to-go/
We have some really nice castle hotels all around the country, if it's within your budget it's a lovely experience.

I've never been to the Aran Islands, however Achill Islands are near Westport and are a cultural experience in itself. That part of Ireland is very cultural with regards people and scenery. The drive from Galway to Mayo is beautiful as you'll be driving through the Connemara area.

I would highly recommend Fallon & Byrne in Dublin city as a wine bar ;)

Far too much for a five day visit.
Day 1 Arrive 11ish, find hotel, walk around Dublin sightseeing or visiting museums (which close at 5pm and do not open on Mondays), Castle, Trinity, Art Galleries , St Michans, Chester Beatty. Plenty to choose from.
Day 2_ Travel north to Newgrange and the Boyne Valley area including Mellifont if interested in ruined monasteries, Trim Castles in Trim. Return to Dublin
Day 3 & 4 Either head west to Galway via Clonmacnoise and take time for Aran Islands and trip to Cliffs of Moher on day 4. Or head south to Cork/Kerry visiting Rock of Cashel on the way with Dingle/ Ring of Kerry/ Killarney on day 4
Day 5 return to Dublin see the parts you missed the first afternoon.

the best way to get over jetlag is to get out and about in the day time. Do as much as you can on the first day and go to bed early. Don't miss the Chester Beatty library, they have some very old documents, and have some soup at the Soup Dragon, easy to find and lots of interesting soups for a quick lunch on the run. . For your next visit you could do the north of Ireland as that coast line is amazing as well. You