Planning a trip to Ireland.

[TheNewbie]

I am planning a trip to Ireland for around October or November of this year, and I would like your help in deciding where to go. The forums advice about Vancouver, Canada was great, especially that of Slavex and Misanthropist. I had an absolute blast in Vancouver and I developed a love for Kokanee Beer.

My point of traveling would be for the history, the culture, to see the scenery and outdoors, experience the night life, and other activities I could find to do. I would be there for 5-7 days.

There is a decent chance I may be traveling alone. I have done this around much of the US and took a 5 day road trip along the Mexican border alone during the summer. So I am not afraid of traveling alone, but I understand it changes things when you do it overseas.

I would like to keep the total cost of my trip under $2,000.00. Airfare is around $850.00.

What is Ireland like?
Would it be worth going in the late Fall?
Can it be done for $2000?
Is traveling alone to Ireland a bad idea?
What other tips and suggestions do you have?

Thanks!

[Dropkick]

I got to go back in May of 2007. Some of my favorites town / sites where, in no order: Dingle, Galway, Cliffs of Moher, Kylemore Abbey & Victorian Walled Garden, Guiness Storehouse in Dublin, Muckross House & Gardens in the National Park Killarney, The Brazen Head Pub in Dublin

It was a family trip, and we rented a car so we could hop from town to town in the SW part of the island. We had reservations booked with various B&Bs along the way. We did notice a lot of tour buses, so I imagine that is how a lot of people do trips. Probably more cost effective, but certainly limits you to the tour company's route.

I really enjoyed it, and would love to go back some day. And from the places I went and saw, I wouldn't have any concern about doing it alone.

[S Jenks]

I went in April of 2013 and have to say it was one of my top vacations. Embrace being a tourist and explore the country a bit between cities. We flew in to Dublin, stayed in Kildare, Killarney (my favorite city), Galway (my least favorite, the part of town we were in reminded me of 95 going through NJ just outside of NYC) and back to Dublin. We rented a Skoda and made random stops along the route, which turned out to be some of the more memorable moments - checked out an ancient cemetery in Kyle, ate cheese in Sneem, drove the Ring of Kerry and took a ferry to the Aran Islands where we rented bicycles for the day. The Guinness brewery and Tullamore Dew distillery were touristy but worth seeing. The Burren was incredible to drive through and get lost in without having to pay anything.

Not once did I feel in danger or uncomfortable in the week we were there, everyone we met was extremely friendly. The closest to "uh-oh" was the drunk local in a pub in Killarney who started loudly hitting on the gf immediately after I went to the restroom. He was convinced to leave by two other patrons before I returned (Brian and Declan, if you're out there, thank you again!) But in short, not carrying didn't bother me like it does when in Mexico.

A quick example: the gf lost her purse in the street in Killarney. Credit cards, several hundred Euros, passport, drivers license, etc. After an hour of backtracking our walk and checking with local businesses we headed to the local Guarda station. Someone had already turned it in and everything was in there! When I go back, Killarney is definitely on my list.

We decided to go on a whim as Groupon had the flights/hotels/rental in one package. An American mother and son we met at the airport had a cool idea, one that we want to try next time - rent a car, buy a map and go wherever looks like a good place to explore. Stay in B&Bs and don't worry about itineraries or reservations. This can easily be done in the off-season, such as when you are looking to go.

Kitten, now I want to go back.

[Tom Duffy]

My wife and I took an 8 day bus tour a couple of years ago, just after I retired. We had a fantastic time. Tourism is a major part of the Irish economy and everyone is very friendly and helpful. I would suggest you look at brendanvacations.com for an idea of what is available. The tour guides and drivers are excellent (not just Brendan's) and you get a good overview of history, mythological stories, and current culture. The tour we took was the basic circle around Ireland, hitting most of the cities and many of the tourist sites.

I understand that if you plan to drive yourself, car insurance is very expensive and your Amex card won't cover damages. All the car drivers are very courteous and everyone observes the speed limits (I know, weird, but refreshing.) Next trip back my wife and I are going to rent a car and try it on our own, now that we've seen the highlights and gotten the lay of the land on the bus tour.

The problem with going in October and November is that the days are very short, so unless you plan on night life being a big part of the experience, I'd really consider a spring or early summer trip.

I would consider Ireland to be one of the safest places in the world to travel.

[S Jenks]

All the car drivers are very courteous and everyone observes the speed limits (I know, weird, but refreshing.) Next trip back my wife and I are going to rent a car and try it on our own, now that we've seen the highlights and gotten the lay of the land on the bus tour.

After the initial "omg I'm driving on the wrong side of the road from the passenger seat" through Dublin, the driving became quite enjoyable. Courteous drivers who would actually yield at rotaries, signal for turns, pass when appropriate and not tailgate made me want to move there.

[Kyle Reese]

Be sure to post lots of pics when you go.

[ranger]

Very timely thread - my wife wants for us to travel to Ireland for vacation.

[Corlissimo]

I got to go back in May of 2007. Some of my favorites town / sites where, in no order: Dingle, Galway, Cliffs of Moher, Kylemore Abbey & Victorian Walled Garden, Guiness Storehouse in Dublin, Muckross House & Gardens in the National Park Killarney, The Brazen Head Pub in Dublin

It was a family trip, and we rented a car so we could hop from town to town in the SW part of the island. We had reservations booked with various B&Bs along the way. We did notice a lot of tour buses, so I imagine that is how a lot of people do trips. Probably more cost effective, but certainly limits you to the tour company's route.

I really enjoyed it, and would love to go back some day. And from the places I went and saw, I wouldn't have any concern about doing it alone.

Nice list of places. Brazen Head Pub rocks, then again, most any pub there that's not set up for tourist traffic does. Gotta hit Cliffs of Moher our next trip.

OP: Add The Giant's Causeway if you get a chance to visit Northern Ireland, which is a slightly different experience in itself.
If you're staying around the Dublin area and you like history check our St. Patrick's Cathedral as well as Trinity. Excellent stuff.
Add Jameson Distillery to the list with Guinness Storehouse as it's only a short distance away from there and don't forget Temple Bar and The Quays. We did Guinness Storehouse 3 times on a 6 day trip. We also threw in Bushmills Distillery when we were up in N. Ireland.

Just about every person we met there or dealt with was extremely hospitable and friendly. Pub hopping is a great way to meet the locals, just be sure to be up on current events from the US in addition to the EU. They stay well informed for the most part and you might just find yourself in a friendly, but "spirited" conversation over a pint or three. The Irish are wonderful folks. That said, if you go see the Blarney Stone, DO NOT KISS IT under any circumstances... unless of course you like nastiness. We have friends there who've worked the attraction and they said the employees regularly piss on the stone at night when the place closes. This story was corroborated by several locals who we became friendly with while there.

BTW: My wife booked our trip there for St. Patrick's Day on 2012. The whole 6 day-5 night trip, stay at Bewley's Hotel at Dublin Airport, car rental, and airfare cost us $699 a person. That was mainly because it wasn't "high season" which is what they call tourist season. She got the deal on Living Social of something like that.

Good luck and safe travels!

[Wendell]

http://www.ipscni.org/index.html

http://niipsc.org/foreign_visitors.html

[TheNewbie]

Thanks Wendell. I actually looked at that before and found it very interesting. As a Texan, I think it would be a great experience to do some target shooting in a foreign country. Several of the Canadians I spoke to in Vancouver seemed to think we all have military style arsenals down here. lol

Has any one ever heard of ,or used, a website called Groupon? The seem to have excellent deals on travel. When I told my co-worker that I had no idea about what it was, I got a blank stare. I guess I am behind the times even though I am young and only 28.