On December 10, 2008 sarahdhow asked:
Here is my tentative itinerary, is it too ambitious?
Day 1 – Fly into Dublin early AM, some sightseeing, overnight
Day 2 – Drive to Dingle, overnight
Day 3 – Drive to Galway, visit Cliffs of Moher enroute, overnight Galway
Day 4 – sightsee all day, overnight Galway
Day 5 – early AM flight out of Shannon
My alternate itinerary would exclude Dingle
This is a full day tour which will last into the evening, taking in all of the main sights on
This walk takes you on a stroll around Dublin to places associated with James Joyce or with characters from his
Galway is a compact city, easily explored by foot in half a day. This tour is a gentle amble through
Connemara is a place of mountains, lakes and spectacular views famed for the quality of the light. It's also often
Yes, your itinerary is too ambitious. The drive from Dublin to Dingle is a long one and then to to turn around and leave for Galway the next day… yikes! Not to mention an early AM flight out of Shannon but you must come from Galway first. No, you’d never make it. Instead consider:
Day 1 – Fly into Dublin early AM, some sightseeing, overnight
Day 2 – Drive to Galway, overnight Galway
Day 3 – Drive to Dingle, visit Cliffs of Moher enroute, use Killimer – Tarbert ferry to get to Kerry, overnight Dingle
Day 4 – sightsee half day, drive to Bunratty, overnight
Day 5 – early AM flight out of Shannon
A couple of notes on this itinerary. This is more of a summer schedule when you have long hours of daylight for driving and sightseeing. Poor weather or short winter or even spring hours means you do a lot of driving in the dark and won’t get to see much.
This is also a schedule for someone who can either a) sleep on airplanes, b) is coming from the East coast of the US &/or c) does not have any trouble driving in Europe. Jet lag, unfamiliar roads and car, not being comfortable with local driving rules will make for a slower trip. Longer drives (like Dublin to Galway or Galway to Dingle) take longer then just the miles on the map say. Figure you will drive 30-35mph, so a 60 mile trip will take about 2 hours.
Five days just isn’t a lot of time to visit Ireland. You can see and do a lot more by cutting out Dingle and leaving it for another trip. I would still head to Galway first from Dublin then make your way down Clare before ending up at the airport in Shannon. It’s just an easier route and drive.
Safe travels,
Wendy