Considering 2 weeks in Ireland and Scotland next year…anyone do a similar trip?

[tarheelmjfan]

Yes,
Working backwards, if you want to end in Northern Ireland, then have Belfast as a base for the north of the country

Then for the start, either base in Dublin for the East and West OR base in Cork or Kerry for the South.

Paddy Wagon Tours are one of the most well recommended tour companies. They do day trips and overnight trips, depending on what you want to see.

CIE Tours are the tour company run by the national transport company, similar to Greyhound. Again well recommended.

Aer Lingus do direct flights from New York, Boston, Chicago and a few other cities. Dublin is the main international airport but Shannon in the south is also an option if you want to use Cork, Kerry, Galway as a base.

I'm glad you're back. We're seriously considering a trip to Ireland next year. I was wondering how I was going to find you for trip planning advice.

ETA: Thanks for the Aer Lingus tip. I see they also have a direct flight from one of our airports.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

I'm glad you're back. We're seriously considering a trip to Ireland next year. I was wondering how I was going to find you for trip planning advice.

ETA: Thanks for the Aer Lingus tip. I see they also have a direct flight from one of our airports.

aww thanks

Just start a thread for your trip and I'll help any way I can

You are welcome. Also another tip, book flights direct with aerlingus.com dont use aerlingusvacationstore .com as thats a third party travel agency who are partnered with aer lingus.

 

[Moliphino]

Shannon airport also has Pre Clearance, its a special arrangement that Ireland has with US Homeland Security.

Good to know! When we flew home from Shannon we had a connection through Heathrow (British Airways), so we didn't get to take advantage.

We had no trouble renting an automatic in Dublin. Not even from the airport. It was a Nissan Micra, which worked great for 2 people. Couldn't have fit a third with luggage.

 

[georgina]

We flew in & out of Dublin. One day some of our group took a trip to Belfast/black cab tour/Giants causeway. They thought the black cab tour of Belfast was very worthwhile - half the tour had a protestant perspective and half a Catholic viewpoint. Did Dublin mostly on our own in an airbnb (booked a private car tour to Newgrange), then took a tour around the south & west coasts with Vagabond (small group tours, we were 6 of the 10 total people on the van). There were 6 of us and I didn't want to try to rent a large enough car to drive ourselves. If I get back I would like to spend more time in Galway. Scotland is on the list for future travel.

 

[NotUrsula]

If you do drive, I'm going to put in a plug for the Atlantic Drive (on the Rosguill Peninsula in Donegal.) It's a 12km circular route along the coast at one of the northernmost points on the island; you can drive, hike, or bike it, and the views are spectacular. It starts and ends in the village of Downings, which is one of the most entertaining places in the Gaeltacht; good links golf, good food, a high-quality woolen mill, plus lots of trad music and excellent craic. (If you're brave, the beach is one of the best windsurfing spots in Europe, but you absolutely wouldn't want to do it without a full wetsuit.) The very lovely Glenveigh National Park is also very nearby, as is the Workhouse Famine Cultural Center Museum in Dunfanaghy.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

aww thanks

Just start a thread for your trip and I'll help any way I can

You are welcome. Also another tip, book flights direct with aerlingus.com dont use aerlingusvacationstore .com as thats a third party travel agency who are partnered with aer lingus.

If you disappear again, please leave a forwarding address. I'll definitely be looking for advice, when we decide on a date to visit.

 

[Frwinkley]

Good to know! When we flew home from Shannon we had a connection through Heathrow (British Airways), so we didn't get to take advantage.

We had no trouble renting an automatic in Dublin. Not even from the airport. It was a Nissan Micra, which worked great for 2 people. Couldn't have fit a third with luggage.

This is great to hear!

 

[TipsyTraveler]

I’ve been to both as part of a month long, self-driven trip through England, Scotland, Ireland, and Amsterdam (flew there, didn’t drive in the city). Then we returned for a shorter Ireland-only trip. My advice is to shift your dates by a couple weeks to catch the Oyster Festival in Galway. It’s one of my favorite travel experiences ever and it’s what brought us back to Ireland the following year after the first trip. You don’t have to attend all the events that weekend but the championships on Saturday are not to be missed.

We rented one car for England/Scotland, then returned it in Liverpool and ferried to Dublin. There, we rented another car. We rented again when we did the second trip to Ireland. We didn’t have any issues finding automatics for rent, nor was it that difficult to get the hang of left-side driving. We did find ourselves confusing the sides a couple times once we got back to the States, though!

 

[BayouQueen]

***

 

[WAstateDVCDaddy]

Just be aware though, that having the budget to pay extra for an automatic is not enough. Depending on when and which company and the location of the car hire company there may not be an automatic available. The demand for automatic cars in Ireland is very low, so places may not have a big selection and have limited availability.

LOL - I remember my first trip to Dublin - my coworkers really wanted to rent an automatic. We were renting from Avis (corporate mandate). The car we got was beat to heck, 77k miles on it. Way too small for our luggage. We went back to see if they had anything larger, and the person behind the counter looked at our paperwork and said “Oh! You got the automatic.” They did not have any others available.

We switched to a manual - but be warned - no one else in my group wanted to drive a right hand drive, manual transmission. It does take some adjustment, so combined with driving on the other side of the road, it’s not for the faint of heart.

The week after my work trip, I spent a couple of weeks touring around Ireland. The Galway Races, a Gaelic Football semi-finals match, and tearing around the little narrow lanes in western Ireland. One of my best trips ever!

I’m jealous!

 

[jdb in AZ]

If you can move your trip up a couple of weeks, you could catch the Scottish Military "tattoo" (musical performance.)

https://www.recess4grownups.com/blog/a-tattoo-for-your-bucket-list/

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

If you disappear again, please leave a forwarding address. I'll definitely be looking for advice, when we decide on a date to visit.

thanks, Im on Instagram same name

 

[Frwinkley]

Thanks for all the great information. Keep the advice coming!

Next question: realizing we will not see everything, what area of the country do we skip if necessary? Since we’d like to spend some time in Scotland, our last stop would be Belfast and the north. Could we manage to hit the other highlights from one of two other locations?

We are avid photographers, so beautiful scenery is our top priority.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Thanks for all the great information. Keep the advice coming!

Next question: realizing we will not see everything, what area of the country do we skip if necessary? Since we’d like to spend some time in Scotland, our last stop would be Belfast and the north. Could we manage to hit the other highlights from one of two other locations?

We are avid photographers, so beautiful scenery is our top priority.

Ok this would be my suggestion for you

Fly to Shannon, rent a car

Travel up to Galway over a few days

On the way to Galway go to

1. Bunratty Castle and Folkpark
2. Aillwee Caves

Use Galway as your base for local things like Galway City.

Then take a few days and follow the Wild Atlantic Way North which will bring you through Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Donegal. From there you can then go to Belfast.

You could pick and choose places along The Wild Atlantic Way to visit, you dont have to go to all. This way you could just do maybe a 2 hour maximum drive each day. You could also use a PP idea of staying in B and B's.

The B and B concept is a guest house. They are officially listed and part of a national organization https://www.bandbireland.com/ You basically get to stay in a persons home as a paying guest and get a much better experience than just in a hotel or self catering.

 

[Frwinkley]

Ok this would be my suggestion for you

Fly to Shannon, rent a car

Travel up to Galway over a few days

On the way to Galway go to

1. Bunratty Castle and Folkpark
2. Aillwee Caves

Use Galway as your base for local things like Galway City.

Then take a few days and follow the Wild Atlantic Way North which will bring you through Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Donegal. From there you can then go to Belfast.

You could pick and choose places along The Wild Atlantic Way to visit, you dont have to go to all. This way you could just do maybe a 2 hour maximum drive each day. You could also use a PP idea of staying in B and B's.

The B and B concept is a guest house. They are officially listed and part of a national organization https://www.bandbireland.com/ You basically get to stay in a persons home as a paying guest and get a much better experience than just in a hotel or self catering.

This is wonderful information. Thank you so much!

In your opinion, is the western side of the country more scenic than the eastern side? Will we miss much by not seeing Dublin? We don’t need nightlife, just some walkable towns with restaurants, shops, etc, We are not opposed to overly tourist spots either.

Thanks once again.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

This is wonderful information. Thank you so much!

In your opinion, is the western side of the country more scenic than the eastern side? Will we miss much by not seeing Dublin? We don’t need nightlife, just some walkable towns with restaurants, shops, etc, We are not opposed to overly tourist spots either.

Thanks once again.

You are welcome

no. Ok so look at the map of Ireland.

1. The east coast Dublin up to Belfast and down to Waterford is mountains, history, agricultural,. Wicklow is called the Garden County and Wexford is called the sunny south east with great beaches.
2. The south, Cork, Kerry, Tipperary, Limerick is dairy agriculture, the milk and dairy industries are located here. Rolling green fields mountains, beaches, fishing industries, the fields are full of cows.
3. The west is limestone mountains, limestone walls, very traditional communities, where Irish music and language are very strong. This area was the hardest hit by The Famine, so you will see all the abandoned stone cottages that people left back in 1800's.
4. The north is different again, less populated, a colder region so the landscape is different.
5. The centre of Ireland, known as the midlands is farming country, with flat open landscapes, and a network of rivers and lakes.

Castles and historical homes are in all parts of the country.
Dublin is the main Viking city but there are Viking towns and cities all over the island.
Cork has a big maritime tradition, and is a very foodie part of the country.
Outside of the main cities, Dublin, Cork, Galway Limerick, the population is more spread out and very rural.

It really depends on your expectations and goals and what you want to achieve.

 

[Frwinkley]

Thank you again for being so generous with your time. Your explanations are extremely valuable and will serve me well as I plan.

 

[Scootin'By]

My plan was definitely to ferry from Ireland to Scotland!

Did you prefer one country over the other?

They both had good parts. I loved the really old Celtic aspects of Ireland and the early Christian legends surrounding St. Patrick. Plus the Guiness. You will never have Guiness so good as in Ireland!

In Scotland I liked the Scotch tours/tastings, I liked wandering around Edinburgh and Glascow, I liked the countryside. But it was definitely different from Ireland.

Just my thoughts. I hope you have a great trip!

 

[Frwinkley]

You are welcome

no. Ok so look at the map of Ireland.

1. The east coast Dublin up to Belfast and down to Waterford is mountains, history, agricultural,. Wicklow is called the Garden County and Wexford is called the sunny south east with great beaches.
2. The south, Cork, Kerry, Tipperary, Limerick is dairy agriculture, the milk and dairy industries are located here. Rolling green fields mountains, beaches, fishing industries, the fields are full of cows.
3. The west is limestone mountains, limestone walls, very traditional communities, where Irish music and language are very strong. This area was the hardest hit by The Famine, so you will see all the abandoned stone cottages that people left back in 1800's.
4. The north is different again, less populated, a colder region so the landscape is different.
5. The centre of Ireland, known as the midlands is farming country, with flat open landscapes, and a network of rivers and lakes.

Castles and historical homes are in all parts of the country.
Dublin is the main Viking city but there are Viking towns and cities all over the island.
Cork has a big maritime tradition, and is a very foodie part of the country.
Outside of the main cities, Dublin, Cork, Galway Limerick, the population is more spread out and very rural.

It really depends on your expectations and goals and what you want to achieve.

I'm wondering if you can help me out. I've begun investigating flights and car rentals. Ideally, we'd like to take a ferry from Ireland to Scotland. I'm struggling with how to make this happen. Here is my dilemma:

Ideally, I'd like to fly into Shannon as you suggested. We'd pick up a car there and begin our road trip. Ideally, I'd like to make our way up to Belfast and Northern Ireland, since that's where the ferry is located. The problem is that I can't return the car to the Belfast area. Shannon airport car companies do not allow one way rentals (at least so far as I am finding). That means returning the car to Shannon. But now how do I get to Belfast?

Maybe it would make more sense to do Scotland first. Rent a car to use there. Ferry to Belfast and pick up car there. I'm still not sure if this solves the one way rental.

My other thought was pick up and return car to Shannon and then perhaps do a day trip to Belfast.

I would greatly appreciate any help you might be able to give me! Thank you once again.

 

[NotUrsula]

I'm wondering if you can help me out. I've begun investigating flights and car rentals. Ideally, we'd like to take a ferry from Ireland to Scotland. I'm struggling with how to make this happen. Here is my dilemma:

Ideally, I'd like to fly into Shannon as you suggested. We'd pick up a car there and begin our road trip. Ideally, I'd like to make our way up to Belfast and Northern Ireland, since that's where the ferry is located. The problem is that I can't return the car to the Belfast area. Shannon airport car companies do not allow one way rentals (at least so far as I am finding). That means returning the car to Shannon. But now how do I get to Belfast?

Maybe it would make more sense to do Scotland first. Rent a car to use there. Ferry to Belfast and pick up car there. I'm still not sure if this solves the one way rental.

My other thought was pick up and return car to Shannon and then perhaps do a day trip to Belfast.

I would greatly appreciate any help you might be able to give me! Thank you once again.

You can do one-way rentals from Shannon; the issue is that they don't often do them for drop-off in the North, which is another country altogether (though you can certainly drive the rental back and forth over the border, I've done it many times.) Agencies in the UK are less draconian about taking cars to NI on the ferry, so people sometimes do it that way.) If you return the car in Dublin and take a train up to Belfast for the ferry you would be fine.

Another option would be to take a short flight to Belfast from Shannon and pick up your car there, then do a round-trip.

As a general rule, flights into/out of Dublin are cheaper than Shannon, so it may make sense to fly to Dublin, train to the west coast, then drive back.

The ferry is an interesting experience, but as you can see, it can often be easier and less expensive to just fly from one island to the other.