Trip to Ireland

Hey, don't worry about driving on the other side, after half an hour and you'll be grand. Get a small car and you're laughing, by the time you get out of the city you'll be flying along.

You can get to Galway easily on the train. However to get to spots outside the main transport routes will be harder. Bus Eireann run a nationwide service (www.buseireann.ie) so you can check the timetables & routes there.

Honestly if you want to get to rural/remote Ireland you're best off in a car. Most rural roads are 1 lane anyway, so you only have to worry about left/right when you're going around blind bends or meet an oncoming bus :) In which case you can follow my dad's advice - you pull over and let the other guy worry about getting past you!

On the other hand, the Aran Islands are accessible from Galway by bus and then ferry or plane. For €250 you can hire a small plane from Aer Arann and get a 30-minute tour of the Cliffs of Moher and Galway Bay - spectacular. The best money I ever spent on a birthday present.

You can easily spend 2 or even 3 nights on Inis Mor, hire a bicycle and have loads of fun. I highly recommend Kilmurvey House.

Now given that rural roads are small and bendy (and a lot of main roads too, in that part of the country!) Galway to Donegal isn't a day-trip at all, it's best to take a break in (for example) Westport or somewhere thereabouts.

Um, so overall my advice is to figure out where you want to go, see what the bus services are like, and cost that up against the overall cost of hiring a car with all the necessary insurance. I reckon hiring a car in Galway and taking 3 days to tour Galway/Sligo/Mayo/Donegal is a good idea. Another 2/3 days in Dublin, and that leaves 2 days getting to Galway and back...
hope this helps.

Edited by: seaneendubh

Edited by: seaneendubh

Don't bother with Donegal if you don't try the car - a bus would not be worth the hassle, esp. all the way from Galway. I would do the train to Galway and maybe rent a car from there so you don't have to drive in Dublin (note almost all cars in Ireland are stick but you can rent an automatic but more expensive. Check ahead if thats what you prefer). You'll have a better trip if you rent a car - as someone who learned it, the driving on the left side isn't as big of a deal as you think but I wouldn't want to learn in central Dublin.

If you do decide not to, Galway is a good base with plenty of tours of surrounding areas that will keep you occupied, such as the Cliffs of Moher/Burren, Connemara, Aran Islands. The only bad thing about when you go is the daylight time is very short - it will be dark around 4 pm. As an alternative to Donegal, try Mayo and Westport - a little closer to Galway and can take the train back. I don't think you'll get much out of Donegal without renting a car IMHO,

I wouldn't bother with Donegal at all in the winter. As has been said you need a car, and it's so dark and the roads are so poor (and will completely impassable if the weather gets really bad which is quite possible at this time of year) you probably wouldn't enjoy it anyway.

If you want to hire a car, book one in advance. It's a high-demand period surprisingly, even though tourists were reasonably thin on the ground. Were they all booked by ex-pats home for the hols? My partner and I were out and about in Ireland between xmas and ny last year. We went up to Belfast by train then hired a car and drove up to Derry with a side trip into Donegal's lovely Fanad peninsula region. We're usually strictly public transport types but Ireland really is nice by car with detours, unplanned stops and scenic routes being the point of the exercise. This is in spite of exponentially increasing numbers of cars on the road these days and traffic jams in seemingly every tiny village in the south. The roads in Northern Ireland and Donegal weren't too crowded during xmas - ny. We booked our car on-line a few days in advance and got the last one (from a major brand anyway) out of Belfast, with most companies already booked out in Dublin. We spent ny eve in Derry - had a curry, did a bit of a pub crawl, avoided the party pubs with queues and special events and were tucked in bed watching the telly before midnight. Nice, but it certainly wasn't a wild time in the streets if that's what you're after. The weather was lovely the whole time from mid-Dec to mid-Jan too.

Thank you so much guys!!
I think I will take a train to Galway, and then possibly rent a car to reach Donegal or, in case of bad weather, visit the surroundings of Galway (Cliffs of Moher, Aran Islands and Connemara).
Your hints were more thoughtful and comprehensive than what you I usually find in travel guides.
Thanks again, I wish you a beautiful xmas and ny.
Virginio

Galway for New Year is grear fun.But where ever you end up book in advance.The bus is best from galway to dublin. The train is expensive and a little way out of the city.As already mentioned bus eireann is realiable and tickets are 10% cheaper if you book online.Also www.citylink.ie is another private bus company from dublin to galway they are quicker.Enjoy ireland. If you need any more info just reply.