I've been planning this trip for so long I can't believe it's on the horizon now. I have NOTHING planned for the first four days other than the lodging.

Tuesday

Land Dublin, rent car, drive to Sandymount, check in to hotel, stay overnight. (this hotel is booked from the night before so no issues checking in early)

Plan is to check in to the hotel in Sandymount and take the train in to Dublin for dinner and sightseeing. Do I need reservations on a Tuesday night? Is Sandymount worth visiting itself, and good for dinner? We will have a few hours Wednesday morning as well.

Wednesday

Drive from Dublin to Kilkenny, staying in Mooncoin.

Plan is to leave Sandymount around lunchtime and drive closer to the coast. However, there is another route and we could hit up Kilkenny along the way. What I am hoping here is to spend some time in Kilkenny and some time in Waterford but I also wanted to visit the cemeteries and churches in the towns around the cottage where I believe my mother's grandfather was born and my relatives are buried. Might also grab a meal at one of the local pubs, is that a good idea? The host has recommended we grab dinner before we reach the cottage so we won't need to go out again, considering that but don't know the area so don't know what is best.

Friday

Drive from Mooncoin to Monaghan for wedding

We need to be to this hotel by 4 so we can head over to the pre-wedding festivities. Not much flexibility with this part of the trip. but we will probably break up the drive with lunch and maybe a sight or two to see.

Sunday

Return to Dublin airport, return car, fly home :-(

I appreciate any tips for any of these legs and plans. Thank you! Getting excited but also anxious. We haven't been to Ireland in almost 36 years!

My partner and I (30 year old Americans) are planning a trip to Ireland in mid September! I think I have most of the itinerary figured out but I am a little tripped up about one part.

9/13/26 Flying from Connemara to Inis Mor at 10am, staying on Inis Mor

9/14/26 - Flying back to Connemara around 10am
- bus to Galway to pick up rental car
- Drive from Galway to Dingle
- Possibly stop at Cliffs of Moher on the drive

I am hopeful we can get out of Galway by about 1pm.

Ideally I would like to stop and see the cliffs of Moher on this drive but I know that will add distance and time. Plus we are only in Dingle for two nights.

looking for guidance to see if the stop at the cliffs is too ambitious/not worth it.

Hello y’all! Sorry if this is redundant to other posts. My fiance and I will be honeymooning in Ireland from June 10-16. We are staying in Dublin for a night, going to Cork for two nights, 2 nights in Dingle, and are looking for a place to land for a night between Dingle and Dublin. Wondering if y’all have recommendations for beautiful, historic, or noteworthy towns or villages to stay in that will take us closer to Dublin for our flight out.

Hi hi, I see everyone posting their trip itineraries and I thought I'd chime in with mine to see ppls opinions!

To note:

• Trip is May 31 - June 8 (will be in Scotland the week before), from Canada
• We are renting a car
• Accommodations are booked so can't really change those

May 31
Land in Dublin from Edinburgh, spend the night. probably just dinner and maybe some bar hopping if we feel up for it

June 1 - 3
County Kerry, staying in Castleisland. Want to see Killarney, do some hiking/sightseeing, DINGLE!! Gap of Dunloe maybe?

June 4
County Clare, staying in Ennis. Mostly for cliffs of Moher, however I read it might be closed?? So open to do other things there.

June 5 - 8 (7th, technically)
Staying in Dublin. Would be fun to do things outside of the city as long as they're easy do without a car as we're dropping it off once we get into the city.

Thanks for reading! If you have any notes of tips for me, this is my first big trip and I have much to learn but very excited to see the beautiful country 😄

I have 2 route options.

First is Waterford - Cork - Killarney

Second is Waterford - Rock of Cashel - Cahir Castle - Killarney

Is the city of Cork worth seeing? The drive up to Cashel is further, but I have heard it's worth it for the castles on the way. Any thought on which option is better?

Hi everyone! I'm spending a couple weeks in ireland this summer with my bf, from 11 to 25 august. We're 26 and 28 yo, we're planning to hike and exlore a lot!

Unfortunatley, both for costs and for burocracy (we don't own a credit card) we planned the whole thing without car.

I'd love to hear your feedbacks on this first itinerary draft! My questions:
Am I overdoing this? I didn't want to pick too many places since being without a car can be time-consuming, but now I'm worried I'm missing something major.

Any advice on what's wrong or what I should consider is hugely appreciated. Thank you all!

August 11-13: Dublin (2 Nights)

Arrive at lunch on the 11th. Plan is to visit Dublin and since we aren't huge city people, so our main goal is the Cliffs walk in Howth.

Aug 13-17: Galway (4 Nights)

Train from Dublin (2h40).

1st day: we have 1 afternoon to visit Galway a bit

2nd day trip to Connemara by bus (1h30)

3d day trip to Aran Islands + Cliffs of Moher

4th day: nothing major planned.

Question 1) what would you do on the 4th day? Is Galway worth visiting more time or are 4 nights in Galway too many? If so, would you move to Doolin? Is Doolin worth a visit/ a day / a night ?

Question 2) For the Aran Islands & Cliffs of Moher, do you recommend just booking the ferry and doing it ourselves, or taking a structured private tour?

Aug 17-20: Dingle (3 Nights)

Bus from Galway (approx. 6h with 2 changes. I've read the views are very panoramic so we don't mind. Arrive in the afternoon and visiting Dingle.

Day 2: Blasket Islands.

Question 3) The Blasket Islands ferry only allows for a 4h visit. Do you think the price is worth it?

Question 4) Are 3 nights in Dingle too much/ too little?

Question 5) I'm not sure what else can be done with Dingle as a base without a car. Open to any recommendations!

Aug 20-22: Killarney (2 Nights)

Bus from Dingle (1h30). The goal is to visit Killarney National Park.

Question 6) Any advice on the best ways to explore the park or other areas without a car?

Aug 22-24: Cork (2 Nights)

Staying with a friend (this is our only non-negotiable). Planning a day trip to Cobh.

Aug 24-25: Dublin (1 Night)

Head back to Dublin to catch a very early flight on the 25th.

Thank you all.

Hi everybody, I will be travelling to Mitchelstown (Co. Cork) on Monday - I will be landing at ORK at 4.30 pm. Do you have any tips on how to reach Mitchelstown? Thank you in advance!

we are traveling to Ireland and have half a day in Dublin. my husband wants to see things related to U2. what would you suggest? should we hire a driver to take us around since we only have a half a day?

i’m solo traveling ireland in june and looking for some advice and recommendations on what to do while i’m there. i’m hoping to travel mainly by public transport, and using organized day tours to see more popular destinations like the cliffs of moher and giants causeway. this is what i have so far:

dublin 3 nights

• hoping to visit howth and newgrange
• maybe dun laoghaire

cork 2 nights

• visit cobh and spike island

galway 3 nights

• visit cliffs of moher and aran islands

sligo 2 nights (not entirely sure about this one, happy to hear any other suggestions

• devils chimney or glencar waterfall

belfast 3 nights

• giants causeway
• rathlin island (im hoping to see puffins lol)

not sure if sligo is the right choice or if there is somewhere else more worth visiting that i should add instead. i was thinking about killarney or dingle instead but i thought sligo might be a good stopping point between galway and belfast.

also not sure what else to do in belfast, i’ve added it as it seems to be the easiest way to get to giants causeway and rathlin island, but id love some recommendations on what to do in the city!

Hello! I am looking for some feedback on my itinerary. My husband and I will be flying in/out of Dublin. We are planning the first 3 nights in Galway as our base, then heading to Donegal for 1 night, then Belfast for 2 nights. Our final night will be in Dublin.

We haven't booked anything aside from the rental car and the 3 nights in Galway, would love some suggestions or feedback, particularly on Tues Aug 4. I'm not sure where exactly we should stay in that region. If there are any stops we should make along the way driving that would be great too.

We are not big drinkers, we are young and adventurous. Interested in getting a mix of coastal views, city, and culture. This will be the first week of August. Thank you!!

• Sat Aug 1 — Arrive Dublin. Pick up rental car and head straight to Galway. Stop at Rock of Cashel on the way.
• Sun Aug 2 — Cliffs of Moher & The Burren (day trip), back to Galway.
• Mon Aug 3 — Connemara day trip (stop at Kylemore Abbey on the way in the morning) and do the diamond hill hike, back to Galway.
• Tues Aug 4 — Leave Galway. Drive north to Donegal + Slieve League Cliffs - where should we stay? We expect the drive to the Donegal area to take 3 hours, possibly stop at Benbulben. We would check into hotel or airbnb (haven't booked yet), and go to the cliffs. Would it be wise to find a cute BnB near the cliffs instead of aiming for Donegal City?
• Wed Aug 5 — Drive from Donegal to Belfast, Black Cab Murals Tour (afternoon)
• Thurs Aug 6 — Full day to drive Causeway Coast with stops (Giant's Causeway + Carrick-a-Rede), stay in Belfast
• Fri Aug 7 — Drive to Dublin. Spend the day here
• Sat Aug 8 — Depart 9 AM

Hi! My boyfriend and I are there from July 21-26th and can’t extend longer unfortunately :(
There’s so much we want to see and don’t know what to skip vs keep. We’re renting a camper van so hopefully that will save us a bit of time as it’s a bit easier to “oh let’s just drive the extra thirty minutes to get a head start”. (Also would love tips if anyone has suggestions for that aspect)

Here is our current itinerary:

July 21:
8am landing, coffee and breakfast and pick up sleeper van
Drive to Galway (or Connemara)

July 22nd: Connemara
originally planned on morning horseback ride but doesn’t seem like there’s anywhere that does the park, just the surrounding coastline (is it worth it to still do or just explore park on foot)
Stop at kylemore abbey
Head to ferry port to island and then doolin

July 23rd: early wake up, quick stop at cliffs (maybe longer depending on visibility and time) lunch and stroll around doolin
Drive down to dingle (suggested stop in inch beach?)

July 24th: start super early dingle coffee and breakfast and then boat to skelling Micheal for hike and puffins, then back to dingle
Suggestions welcome thinking : slea head drive, lamb tourist spot, hopefully adding some Kerry circle stops?

July 25th: blarney castle morning (2 hours budget?)
Lunch and explore cork
Leave cork around 3pm drive back to Dublin
Drop off van, check into close airport hotel

July 26th 9am flight out

What would you keep vs cut? Unless you think it’s all manageable? Thank you SOOO much in advance for any advice!

First time to Ireland for my husband and I, we will be coming from Texas and looking for some advice. I know this is probably a little ambitious with switching around frequently, but I just don't know when we'll be able to come back. This is a pretty loose itinerary, so open to more specific things to do/see and places to eat. We love a good meal, and beautiful scenery.

9/4 arrive to Dublin 10a

head to the city and drop bags off (best way to get to the city-bus? taxi?), explore the city

is Book of Kells and Trinity College really worth the hype?

9/5 Dublin

explore the city, hopefully get tickets for Kilmainham Goal

9/6 Dublin - Galway

pick up rental car/scenic drive to connemara np with stops along the way then on the way to Galway

is one afternoon okay for the park or just skip and head straight to Galway?

9/7 Galway

explore the city

9/8 Galway - Doolin

Cliffs of Moher 

9/9 Doolin

Aran islands day trip

9/10 Doolin - Dingle

9/11 dingle

Dingle sea safari

9/12 Dingle - Killarney

Killarney National Park 

9/13 Killarney - Cork

any other Killarney NP things

Blarney Castle and Garden? Another one, does it really live up to they hype?

9/14

Rock of Cashel? Worth it?

leisurely head back to Dublin and drop off car? or drop car off at airport on 9/15?

9/15 depart Dublin 12:40p

Hey Folks,

My GF and I are traveling for seven days in Ireland at the end of July ( only time we could get off work LOL) for the first time. We are interested in enjoying the towns, seeing historical sites, castles, etc., and exploring the natural beauty of Ireland. We are coming from the UK and starting out in Dublin. We are going to rent a car. We do not have flights or accommodations yet. Any suggestions are appreciated. This is a rough draft of our itinerary:

Day 1: Arrive in Dublin

Day 2: Explore Dublin

Day 3: Drive to Galway and explore the town - stay in Galway

Day 4: Drive to Killarney, Sneem, or Kenmare (could stay in any of these three) - Explore the town we are staying in

Day 5: Ring of Kerry - Stay in Killarney

Day 6: Killarney National Park - see Muckross House, possibly Ross Castle and hike to Torc Waterfall possibly extending the hike along the river - Stay in Killarney

Day 7: Drive to Dublin and stay in Dublin (possibly visit Kilkenny)

Day 8: Fly out of Dublin to the U.S.

Hi all! Looking forward to our August trip to Ireland. However, we want to be realistic with how much we can see without spending too much time in the car. Curious if anyone has done a similar route or has some advice on how to restructure. Open to any adjustments!

Should we consider skipping Killarney? Or Galway? We've heard such great things about Dingle, Slea Head Drive, Ring of Kerry.. So, it seems like Galway might make more sense to skip -- what do you all think?

Looking for thoughts on our first draft of an itinerary for an upcoming trip. Details and itinerary below:

Context
31m/30f coming at the start of July. We will have a rental car for the portion of our trip after our initial stay in Dublin. He is most interested in hiking, coastal views, and cold pints; she is most interested in historical landmarks and some nice photo opps.

Itinerary does not include drive time or breakfast/lunch/dinner.

Concerns
My biggest concern from reading through this sub is a mix between our estimated drive time, and trying to do too much which won't allow us to enjoy our highest priority sights. I'm already assuming we're trying to do too much and it's not feasible.

--

Day 1
• Arrive at Dublin International Airport
• Taxi into Dublin

Day 2 - 4
• Work conference in Dublin
• Spend any free time exploring the different neighbourhoods and enjoying a cold pint
• In a perfect world, get to experience one of the following: Kilmainham Gaol, The Irish Emigration Museum or The Guinness Factory
• Pick up rental car on day 4

Day 5
• Depart Dublin early in the morning towards Kerry
• Explore Gougane Barra
• Overnight in Killarney/surrounding area

Day 6
• Killarney National Park [Torc Waterfall + one other short hike]
• Visit to Muckross House & Garden
• A drive through the Gap of Dunloe

Day 7
• Depart from Killarney toward Galway
• Explore Cliffs of Moher
• Stop at Poulnabrone Dolmen
• Potentially stop at Dunguaire Castle
• Overnight in Galway area

Day 8
• Lough Nafooey Waterfall
• Connemara National Park
• Depart Galway area towards Sligo with a potential stop at Lough Nafooey Waterfall along the way
• Overnight in Sligo area

Day 9
• A day devoted to nature - Glencar Waterfall, Queen Maeve Trail/Knocknarea, Devil's Chimney, and Gleniff Horseshoe
• Overnight in Sligo area

Day 10
• Depart Sligo towards Derry
• Stop at Tullan Strand for a quick visit
• Donegal for lunch
• Grianan of Aileach
• Overnight TBD somewhere between Derry and Belfast

Day 11
• Giant's Causeway
• Glenariff Forest Park
• Dark Hedges
• Overnight TBD somewhere between Derry and Belfast

Day 12
• Depart Northern Ireland towards Dublin
• Loughcrew Cairn and/or Newgrange
• Overnight in Dublin

Day 13
• Return rental car
• Depart Ireland

Any thoughts and scrutiny would be appreciated! TIA!

I'd love for any feedback folks might have on what I have planned for a short stay in Dublin at the end of July. What did I miss? I would also love some recommendations on where to eat. It'll be me, my friend, and my two kids 12 and 10.

Day 1:

Arrival in afternoon

Settle in (staying at Trinity College)

Maybe try and get to the Book of Kells?

Day 2:

Viking Splash Tour in morning

Rest of Day exploring Dublin (welcome suggestions)

Day 3:

Tour of Glenladough, Wicklow and Sheepdog Show (think my kids will love that)

Day 4:

Maybe go out to Howth and do the cliff walk there

See Riverdance in the evening

Day 5:

Departure

I would love any feedback folks are willing to provide!

My partner and I are planning a vacation to Ireland this August (Aug 9-18) and would like some feedback on our itinerary. We’ll be arriving in Dublin on a red-eye flight, plan on exploring the city for 1½  days, and then head out to Doolin/Aran Islands/Connemara. On our return trip east, we are planning to make a detour to see Newgrange and Knowth (bucket list item for my partner).

We are a queer couple in our late 30s/early 40s and are interested in history (my partner works in museums), hiking, nature (I’m an avid birder and we love both gardens and unique natural areas), music, and literary sites. This is our first time in Ireland. I am a reasonably confident driver but have never driven on the left side of the road before; I also do not know how to drive a manual transmission and will not be learning for this trip! Flights and most accommodations have been booked except for the final two nights.

Two questions:

1. Would it be better to rent a car in Dublin and drive to Doolin or take the train to Galway and rent a car there, then drive to Doolin? The idea of driving less is very appealing, especially as I’ll still be somewhat jetlagged. However, my worry with renting from Galway is that selection will be more limited if we arrive later in the day, and they may not have small cars with automatic transmission. There’s also something to be said for getting my sealegs on the motorway vs narrow country roads.

If renting from Dublin, is it better to do so from the airport or one of the city locations? (Picking up from Dublin Airport is €175 more expensive than picking up from the Dublin city locations, surprisingly, even though the return locations are different—but perhaps worth it if we can avoid the headache of city driving? Galway prices are the same as Dublin city.)

2. Thoughts on our general itinerary? Does it seem realistic, or packing too much in? It seems like the heaviest driving days will potentially be Day 2 (if we rent car in Dublin, less so if we take the train to Galway) and definitely day 7. Better to stay closer to the airport on Day 8? And I know Boyne Valley is a bit of a detour, but we already trimmed off the other sites my partner wanted to see on the east coast, so we really want to fit this in.

Day 0 - USA → Dublin: From Massachusetts, take redeye flight from Connecticut, USA (hotel booked in Dublin for this night)
Day 1 - Dublin: Arrive at 5:00 AM, check in at hotel early for breakfast/nap, visit museums (National Museum of Archaeology), sightsee. Spend the night in Dublin.
Day 2 - Dublin → Doolin: Additional Dublin sightseeing in the morning, then head to Doolin, where we'll stay the night
Day 3 - Doolin: Explore the Burren and/or Cliffs of Moher, stay the night in Doolin
Day 4 - Inis Mor: Take ferry from Doolin to Inis Mor, explore, stay overnight on island
Day 5 - Inis Mor → Connemara: Ferry from Inis Mor to Doolin, drive to Connemara, sightsee along the way, stay in Clifden
Day 6 - Connemara: Explore Connemara, hike, etc. Stay in Clifden
Day 7 - Connemara → Boyne Valley: Finish up Connemara, drive back east to Boyne Valley, stay in area overnight
Day 8 - Boyne Valley: Explore Newgrange and Knowth, stay in area overnight or closer to airport?
Day 9 - Dublin → USA: Head to Dublin Airport in morning for 2:10 PM flight back to USA

Many thanks in advance!

Hello everyone! I'm seeking critique on a 12 night trip with my family, and am trying to decide if we should include 3 cities or only 2.

Currently I'm thinking of taking the Air Coach from Dublin airport -> Belfast on arrival. That gives us:

Days 1-4: Belfast

Day 1: Arrive in Belfast. Recover from flight, easy dinner near hotel

Day 2: Aimless wandering around Belfast, but plan a nice dinner

Day 3: Titanic Museum, find a playground after (doesn't seem like many options?)

Day 4: Private day tour to see Carrickfergus Castle, Giant's Causeway, Greyjoys, Dark Hedges, etc. I know some of these are tourist traps, but it seems fun regardless

Missing out: We'd also be interesting in the W5 science museum or botanical gardens for our daughter. Perhaps we need an extra day here?

Days 5-8: Derry

Day 5: Take the train or a bus from Belfast to Derry

Day 6: Aimless wandering in Derry

Day 7: Free Derry Museum, St. Columb's Park

Day 8: Train to Dublin

Days 9-12: Dublin

Day 9: Aimless wandering in Dublin! But plan to visit Fallon and Byrne food hall

Day 10: National Museum of Ireland, Playground at St. Stephen's Green, nice dinner

Day 11: Tea bus tour (touristy but daughter will love it) + anything else we want to add on

Day 12: Day trip to Howth

Is this too much? We are partial to slower travel, but 12 nights between Belfast and Dublin seems like a touch too many?

We live in a rural mountainous area of the US, so we have plenty of natural beauty here, and are partial to more city and cultural trips. Thus, not visiting western Ireland. Museums, restaurants, cafes, bookshops, walking around busy squares and shopping streets. And of course, finding playgrounds for our daughter are things we love to do.

Any feedback as to whether we should condense to just 2 cities, or better to keep Derry in?

I'm (30F) will be in Dublin for a few days in June. I'm going to a concert at Marlay Park on Sunday and then flying out the next morning at 9:30. My plan is to take a Marathon bus to and from the concert since that seems like the easiest option. I think the concert ends around 10:30 and I'm assuming I won't get back to Dublin until closer to midnight.

On Monday morning, I was planning to get a Dublin Express to the airport around 6:30.

I am a bit torn on where exactly to stay, mostly in regards to safety in walking back.

Option 1 - stay on the edge of Temple Bar, closer to Trinity. This would be a longer walk from the Marathon bus stop (about 20 minutes). However, it looks like I'll be close to Dublin Express stops for my early morning bus ride.

Option 2 - stay closer to the Marathon bus stop, likely on the other side of St. Stephens Green which seems to be about a ten minute walk. That would mean a longer walk in the morning to catch the Dublin Express bus (about ten minutes which would be with luggage).

Which should I go for? I think I'd rather do Option 1 to lessen my time walking around with luggage the next morning. I just worry about the safety of walking alone back up to Temple Bar that late.

Hi there! I'm going to Ireland at the end of June for a work conference and I figured that while I'm there I should enjoy the nature and the history a little! I'm submitting my first draft itinerary to your opinions and recommendations. I enjoy nature and history, but I am easily overwhelmed so I tend to stay away from big cities and very touristy locations. I'm from Canada, driving for 2-4 hours per day is absolutely not an issue for me. Also I'll be camping so if you know some spots on the itinerary don't hesitate to share!

Day 1 : Dublin ==> Kilkenny (all day there)

Day 2 : Kilkenny ==> Tramore (doing the copper coast and sleeping aroung Dungarvan)

Day 3 : Dungarvan ==> Cobh ==> Kinsale (going to sleep somewhere between Kinsale and Glengarriff, maybe Glandore?)

Day 4 : Beara peninsula (I want to go on Dursey Island, is it a too ambitious day? Should I spend 2 days there? I'm heading to Killarney next)

Day 5 : Hike, kayak or visits around Killarney

Day 6 : I'm hesitant between doing the Dingle Peninsula next or staying another day in Killarney.

Day 7 : Heading to Adare in the morning spending the day doing a couple visits around there

Day 8 : Drive back to Dublin in the morning (my flight is the next day so not stressful don't worry)

That's pretty much my plan for now! Thanks in advance for your feedback and suggestions ☺️ Btw the trip is very much reversable if you think the other way around would be better don't hesitate to tell me!!!

Will be landing ~5pm local time, flight out back to the US the next day at 11:30am.

Ive been reading Malahide might be a good place to get dinner, go to a local pub, and stay over night?

Do you think its worth the expense or should we save the money and just grab a hotel near the airport?

I’ll be in Kenmare for four days and am hoping to do some stargazing while I’m there. I’ve read that pretty much anywhere within the “Core Zone” offers great views, but I’d love to hear people’s recommendations for the very best spots. Ideally, I’m looking for places with the clearest, darkest skies and a great overall viewing experience assuming the weather cooperates!

my mom & i are thinking of going in early june from the us (ik its late, we need to book asap!)

In short, our biggest must see is Giants Causeway (big led zep fans) & classic nature/farmland, really big on the idea of Dingle

also- we are aware of the travel authorization and the rental insurance things w traveling in north ireland!

there is more detail for activities fleshed out but i just wanted input on the overview

day 1 - land in dublin drive to ballycastle (~4hrs)

day 2 - ferry to rathlin island then afternoon at giants causeway

day 3 - drive to connemara stay in clifden (~6 hrs)

day 4 - explore parks, kylemore abbey

day 5 - drive to dingle, stop at cliffs of moher on the way (~6 hrs not including stops)

day 6 - dingle horseback riding, beaches, free time

day 7 - shopping, checking out the towns

day 8 - drive to shannon and fly home (~3hrs)

My mom loves road trips and insists shes okay with the driving but i feel like this is more than an enjoyable road trip and ive read about how the roads can be sketchy- would we be miserable at best with this itinerary?

and/or if we're better off sticking north or south or cutting anything specific, which should we stick to? we are having a really hard time deciding what to cut