r/irishtourism

Hi all!! I’m an awful planner & im doing Ireland alone. I’d appreciate any feedback on my loosey goosey plans. I am meeting up with some friends who live in Dublin for Friday & they want me to decide what to do Friday-Saturday

Day 1 (Wednesday)

-11:30 AM: land

-12:30 PM: bus to Dublin center

-12:30-6:30: classic Dublin things (book of kells, castle, etc)

-6:30-night: dinner and hang with friends

Day 2 (Thursday)

-5:30 AM: train to Galway

-9:30/10:00-6:00 PM: tour to Connemara and such

-6:00-onwards: dinner, pub, etc

Day 3 (Friday) this is where I need help

-start the day in Galway, just float around the city

-head to

Ideas:

-Aran islands / lahinch / Doolin

-Achill

-Dingle

-Killarney / gap of dunloe boat tours

^^^ this is what I’ve narrowed the list down to but I’m not sure what’s accessible via bus/train directly from Galway. My friends will be driving FROM Dublin (I’ll already be in Galway). We’ll be spending the night wherever

Day 4 (Saturday) (wake up wherever I select from above)

-spend day wherever I select from above

-head back to Dublin

-maybe darkside leprechaun museum experience

-night out in Dublin

Day 5 (Sunday)

-do whatever I missed in Dublin

-museums? Kilmainham Gaol?

From what I’ve read online, they’re all beautiful and they’re all recommended. So I’m having a hard time choosing + logistics

First time in Ireland next week — solo American, 21, flying in for a week. Any last minute tips?

Heading over this Saturday, spending two nights in Galway then four in Dublin. Birthday is the 28th so I timed the Guinness Academy booking well.

Got the main stuff sorted — Aran Islands cruise, Jameson Distillery, Big Thief at 3Arena, Howth cliff walk. More looking for the stuff that doesn’t show up on TripAdvisor?

Want to have a good time and meet people my age, any tips??

Trying to put together a trip to Ireland from the US. I am a 46 year old guy who hasn't taken the time to truly enjoy life as I work too much. Have never traveled abroad so I'm really excited to do this even though I will be solo.

Rough Itinerary

May 19th - Land in Dublin around 11AM; Guinness Warehouse; Trinity College & Book of Kells; that evening embrace my Irish roots and get piss drunk!

May 20th - Dublin - other touristy things

May 21st - get rental car & head to Cork; Midleton Distillery for some Redbreast Whiskey

May 22nd - Cork; Blarney Castle (will not be kissing the Blarney stone since I hear you locals like to piss on it LOL!!)

May 23rd - Maybe Ring of Kerry or head to Galway; Possibly Cliffs of Moher

May 24th - TBD - Maybe stay in Galway

May 25th - TBD - Maybe stay in Galway or head to Giants Causeway

May 26th - TBD - Possibly Armagh County & Downpatrick - St. Patrick's Burial Site

May 27th - Back to Dublin to spend the Night

May 28th - Fly back to US

My mothers side of the family descended from Armagh County so I would like to go there to look around. Is there anything I should see or do in Armagh? I figured while I'm in the area I could go see St. Patrick's burial site.

Is this too ambitious for a 9 day trip?

Too much driving?

What are some must see things I should see along this possible route?

I may build in a day to play a round of golf. Any course recommendations? I know this itinerary is all over the place but I am looking to get the most experiences possible out of this trip.

I appreciate your input. Thanks.

I am SO excited for my upcoming trip and wanted to share it with everyone. 8 day solo trip from the US, first time visiting Ireland.

I have a few hikes planned that I would love to hear anyone's experiences, good or bad.

Everything that costs money is basically finalized at this point. I intentionally left my evenings in Dublin unstructured just to see where the night takes me but I am open to suggestions, I don't drink but do plan on visiting a few pubs more for the food and live music,just haven't set on any specific ones yet.

Most of my trip I tried to be intentional about seeing the beauty of Ireland, I hope I did a good job.

May 1: Arrive in Dublin 8am,Drop bags at hotel, Trinity College + Book of Kells, St.Stephens Green and wandering

May 2: GoT studio tour, Free afternoon back in Dublin (Shopping?)

May 3: Pick up rental, Drive Dublin > Doolin AirBnB, Fisher Street, Doolin Pier

May 4: Poulnabrone Dolmen, Caherconnell Stone Fort, Black Head coastal drive

May 5: Cliffs guided walk, Doolin Ferry, Afternoon free

May 6: Drive Doolin > Saggart BnB (Happy Land Farm), Bohernabreena Reservoir Loop

May 7: Glendalough, The Spinc Trail, Lunch in Laragh, one last trip into Dublin City Centre?

May 8: Depart Dublin 3p

So my wife and I are taking a transatlantic cruise from the US that ends in Dover, then we're flying to Ireland and will spend 8 days there - three of which we plan to be in Dublin.

The cruise has a stop in Dun Laoghaire, however. Which, it seems like most people just use that as a day in Dublin. But since we're already planning three days there on the land part of our vacation, I'm thinking about just spending the day in Dun Laoghaire and not bothering with transport into Dublin. Is that worthwhile? Is there stuff to see/do in Dun Laoghaire for an afternoon? Or should we plan on getting transport to someplace else?

With the ongoing Iranian tensions / war, one of the downstream outputs is access to jet fuel stocks.

Jet fuel prices, as per IATA, have doubled year over year.

All airlines are actively reviewing their route capacities which may lead to last minute cancellations.

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Me and two mates have booked 3 days in Ireland in late July, flying into Dublin on the morning of the 27th from Heathrow.

We’ve all visited before and done the usual haunts and the like, so are keen to see as much of your beautiful country as possible in our short stay. What would you say are the musts to do in Dublin that aren’t on the countless blogs and websites?

Happy to travel and actually want to travel to neighbouring cities or towns to take in as much as we can and you think is worthwhile.

We want to avoid being the usual Brits sitting around Temple, visiting the Jameson Distillery and ‘splitting the G’ and that being it. We do like a drink though and are keen to experience a proper Irish experience to see how it matches up with the countless Irish pubs we get here in West London.

Any suggestions, and links especially, are welcome.

I will be staying at MotelOne in Dublin for 3 nights, then Galway at the Maldron Hotel Sandy Point for 3 nights. Please correct me, but I understand that with a regular leap card I can use it for bus service in Galway as well? I am thinking that I wouldn’t use it as much in Dublin as I am city center, but Galway may be a different experience? Any help with this decision would be appreciated. The 5€ cost for the card isn’t going to change my lifestyle hopefully!

This is a little all over the place but flights are not movable and dates in Dublin are fixed, leaving us time before Dublin and time after to explore. Currently planning going north first and the doing the southwest after. The first half of the trip I (50 y/o) will be traveling with my Daughter (21 y/o). Her friend will be joining us in Dublin and visit the SW with us. I'm especially interested in if my driving time estimates are accurate or if I'm trying to do to much. I used google maps to estimate the driving time and have no idea if it is accurate or if I should pad more time?

Thank you so much for any suggestions.

Wednesday, May 13th(drive time 45 min)

• Land DUB mid morning
• Pick up rental car
• Drive to Bru na Boinne
• Visit Newgrange 12:30pm (tickets booked)
• Drive Slane
• Stay Night Slane

Thursday, May 14th(drive time 2 hours)

Drive Belfast(2 hours)

• Titanic museum or Black Cab political tour

Friday, May 15th

• Titanic museum or Black Cab political tour
• 2nd night Belfast

Saturday, May 16th(drive time 5ish hours)

• Drive to Bushmills (2-3 hours)
• Antrim Coast/Giants Causeway
• Stay Bushmills

Sunday, May 17th

• Rathlin Island
• 2nd night Bushmills

Monday, May 18th(drive time 4 hours)

• Drive Dublin
• Return rental car
• Night in Dublin

Tuesday, May 19th

• Dublin
• 7:30 PM - Waitress the Musical
• 2nd night Dublin

Wednesday, May 20th

• Dublin
• 3rd night Dublin

Thursday, May 21st

• Dublin
• 4th night Dublin

Friday, May 22nd(drive time 3.5)

• 12 pm pick up rental car
• Drive to Glendalough Co. Wicklow (1 hour)
• Drive to Bagenalstown (1.5 hours)

Saturday, May 23rd(drive time 4 hours)

• 10 am Check Out
• Drive to Kilkenny
• Kilkenny Castle and town
• ?Drive Rock of Cashel
• ?Drive to Tipperary
• Drive Killarney (2 hours)

Sunday, May 24th (drive time 4-5 hours)

• Drive Ring of Kerry (allow 8-10 hours w/ stops, get early start drive counter clockwise )
• 2nd night Killarney

Monday, May 25th(drive time 1.5 hours)

• Drive to Dingle
• Dingle/Slea Head Loop
• Tuesday, May 26th
• Dingle/Slea Head Loop
• 2nd night Dingle

Wednesday, May 27th(drive time 6 hours)

• Check Out
• Drive to Limerick (2.5 - 3 hours) (does it make sense to stop here for a break from the car or is there somewhere better?
• Drive to Trim (2.5 - 3 hours)
• Stay in Trim

Thursday, May 28th

• 9 am Check out of Hotel
• Drive Dublin
• 10:15 AM - Arrive at DUB
• 1:15 PM - Flight departs

Good day to all. So I am going on an 8 day trip to Castletownbere with my wife’s family may 27th through June 4th . My father in law has put this trip together. The best way to describe him is impulsive with a lack of planning. We know absolutely nothing about the area and neither does he. We’re going for a world gathering of the Sullivan family. A family reunion if you will.

I’m looking for tips and somewhat of a travel guide for this particular area. We will have a car rented and be able to travel around freely. One thing I am interested in is hiring a fishing guide/charter for me and my wife. Any recommendations on that would be greatly appreciated. I also want to be respectful in an area that I’m not familiar with, so any help on being courteous to locals that most Americans wouldn’t be aware of would be great. Such as driving or social standards. We’re all from Texas and very respectful anyways. Also if there’s anyone in this area that would like to meet us for a pint that would super cool!

Overall looking to see some castles, hike, interact with nature and have some good eats and drinks. Any input would be greatly greatly appreciated!

Hi everyone, hoping someone has recent experience with this situation.

I'm an Indian national living in the US. I recently received a UK standard visitor visa (6-month, short stay) for a family holiday this summer. The visa was issued as an eVisa — no physical vignette sticker in my passport, everything is digital.

Our plan is London (7 nights) → Dublin, Ireland (5 nights) → back to UK to fly home to the US.

I was planning to use the Irish Short Stay Visa Waiver Programme (SSVWP) to enter Ireland without a separate Irish visa, since Indian nationals are on the eligible list. However, I came across this on the Irish Immigration website:

"if this is issued in eVisa format it cannot currently be used for entry to Ireland under SSVWP"

This statement seems to be in the context of countries like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar that recently switched from UK visas to ETAs. But the wording about "eVisa format" has me concerned.

My questions:

1. Has any Indian national recently traveled to Ireland using the SSVWP with a UK eVisa (not ETA)? Did you face any issues at Irish immigration?
2. Is there a difference in how Ireland treats an eVisa (which is a proper visa, just digital) vs an ETA (which is not a visa at all)?
3. Should I just apply for a separate Irish visa to be safe? If so, is the fee waived for Indian nationals under SSVWP?
4. What documentation did you carry to Irish immigration if you had an eVisa? Did they accept a printout of the eVisa confirmation?

I've already sent a query to the Irish Consulate in San Francisco but haven't heard back yet. Trip is in early June so trying to sort this out ASAP.

Thanks in advance for any help!

We are staying in Galway and want to visit the Cliffs of Moher. We generally prefer to avoid group tours and like to explore on our own schedule, but we’re open to a tour if it truly offers the best experience.

We’re considering the following options:

1. Taking a tour bus (not ideal, but open to it if it’s clearly the best choice)
2. Taking bus route 350 to the Cliffs and back
3. Taking the 350 to the Cliffs, then returning on the 350 with a stop in a town for a pint
4. Taking the 350 to the Cliffs, then the 350 to Doolin, and finally the 351 back to Galway (this is our ideal plan)

What would you recommend? Is option 4 a good choice?

I’m going to Norther Ireland for a golf trip next Friday, and my one buddy and I are going early to spend a few days in the south. We’re trying to keep driving somewhat minimal, so spending a day & night in Athlone after arrival and then two nights in Galway before heading back to Dublin to meet up with the rest of our party.

Looking for ideas for those few days. I spent a month in Ireland in college, and 10 days of it in Galway. That was 12 years ago though. I’ve seen most of the popular sights like the Cliffs of Mohr and Aran Islands and parks nearby. We’ll have our golf clubs and wouldn’t mind playing 9 if there is a decent public track nearby.

Thanks!

Hello everyone! I'll be staying one extra weekday in Galway for work and didn't plan for it.

My current last minute plan, given that budget is *very* tight and I can't drive, is to do a day of geocaching and target the castle ruins around the city as main landmarks. And McDonaghs. I like exploring, old rocks, and crispy food, so this checks out?

My dinner is secured by work, so I'll backtrack to the hotel for the evening and would enjoy some night exploring after.

1, is that a good idea or am I underestimating the physical effort? I'm in my thirties, healthy but not athletic, and used to hikes but on flat terrain mostly.
2, would you have any recos for caches or for ruins/castles/sights that are reachable on foot from the center? (I'm staying at the Radisson Red) There are some caches in the city center, yet most of them are along the Corrib, South-West coast or way up North-West. My instincts say it's too far to do them all, but maybe I'm overestimating the distances?
3, is night exploration worth it or does the city not change much after nightfall?

Hello everyone! My soon-to-be-wife and I are excited to honeymoon in your lovely country for a week and a half in May. We will primarily be in West Cork, and have rented a car for day trips around the county. A short leg of the trip will be in Dublin as well.

We are Catholic. I'm looking for something special to buy to bring home to remember the trip. Not so much a cheap souvenir I can buy at any gift store, but something which might be unique to the country itself. Perhaps an Irish penal rosary or a rosary made with Connemara marble? No, my search is not limited to rosaries :). Even if someone could suggest an antique market which might have Catholic paraphernalia, it would be much appreciated.

Would searching Cathedral gift shops be my best bet? I have seen that there used to be a store in Dublin called Veritas which is now gone.

Being from Canada, we are not adverse to traveling a bit out of our way if there is something unique outside of the area stipulated. We're quite used to 5+ hour drives!

Thank you in advance for any and all advice.

Hello, i am getting 22 by the day after tomorrow and I am here in Dublin. What are cool things to do that I can only do on my birthday?

Hey, I'm visiting Dublin for the first time this month, and spending about 3.5 days in total. I want to do a day trip outside Dublin for one of those days and need help choosing between Belfast, Kilkenny, and Howth. I know they're all very different, but I love medieval cities, I enjoy hiking, and Belfast just seems worth a visit so I can't decide between the 3. I'm leaning towards Howth because it's closer and I feel like I would get more time to enjoy Dublin, but wanna get people's thoughts. Thanks!

Seems like a dumb question, but I am going to be leaving for a 10-day trip (primarily Galway, Killarney, and Dublin) tomorrow.

I had waterproof hiking boots all packed, but now I’m seeing like 18c degrees and sunny almost everyday. Think I can leave the boots behind or bring them just in case?

Coming into Dublin late at night and will get to city I suppose via taxi, then 2 days in the city, and on 3rd day will pick up a car to head west. Planning our car rental and pickups now.

Was wondering - is it easiest to get back out to the airport to pick up the car, or to pick up in the city? Unsure where we are staying yet but since our time is limited, will probably be in city centre. The city location is 36 Old Kilmainham.

Considering baggage that we'll be transporting - which is easier?