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Going to Ireland for a week, and would like to venture out from the larger cities (Dublin, Cork, etc) for a bit of nature sightseeing.
Can this be done without a rental car? Are there buses that connect the smaller villages/towns with the major cities like Dublin allowing for daytrips?
I would recommend a rental car if you want to get out of the city. When I went to Ireland we booked a package which combined a car with bed and breakfast vouchers. There are a lot of these kinds of deals out there, so just do a little research online. I would suggest a car with good gas mileage, as gas is expensive in Ireland.
Also realize that on a lot of roads you will not be able to drive very fast. What looks like a major highway on a map will very likely be a small winding road that goes through dozens of small villages, with lots of slow moving traffic. Another bit of warning, many of the roads are flanks by walls or big hedges. Sightseeing while driving can be challenging.
The bus tour of the Ring of Kerry is amazing. I am sure you will love it. Kerry has my vote for one of the most scenic areas in all of Europe, plus it is perfect for hiking or even horseback riding.
As a bit of advice, if you are only doing a week in Ireland, keep your focus on one or two areas of Ireland. Do not try to overdue it. If you are already looking at seeing Dublin, Cork and Kerry, you will be quite satisfied. When I went, we did way too much driving.
If you have any specific questions, feel free to direct message me.
I know Ireland looks small on a map, especially when compared with the US. But it isn't. It takes a long time to travel. You can't do Cork and Dublin. They are different ends of the country. Concentrate on one and since you are doing the Ring of Kerry, stay down there. It's the most gorgeous area of the country anyway.
Public transport is pretty poor when you get out of the cities. I really recommend renting a car. You could do all tour bus type things, but you will be stuck only going to places where the big tour buses can fit, will be held to their schedule and itinerary, and won't get a real feel for the country. Plus, you will be stuck seeing only the super touristy things, like parts of the Ring of Kerry (buses can't fit down the scenic offshoot roads around the ROK) and Blarney.
You will need to prioritize what you want to see, as you can't do it all in a week. Are you flying in and out of Dublin or Shannon? If Dublin, then seeing that city is a no brainer. Then you have to decide what area is your priority to see: the west (Ring of Kerry, Killarney, Cliffs of Moher), the south (Cork, Kinsale, Waterford), etc. How many actual nights on the ground do you have?
I'd like to add my thanks to those who answered this thread. We had been considering a trip to Ireland, but we simply cannot deal with driving on the opposite side of the road/car.
In other European counties, the train and bus system was great for taking us around. From the responses on this thread, I think this is not the case in Ireland.
Good to know that before I become too invested in visiting!
I agree. Rent a car. Ireland's rail system is a hub-and-spoke design, and Dublin is the hub. To go by rail from Tralee to Galway, for example (both are in the West of Ireland), one must first travel back to Dublin. And their bus system leaves a wee bit to be desired...
I also agree with limiting your efforts to a specific area (or two). We flew into Dublin and went north to Trim, where we saw/toured Trim Castle, the Hill of Tara, the portal tombs at Newgrange, Dowth and Nowth, etc. Then we drove straight across to Galway (stopping briefly at the Tullamore Distillery, makers of my favorite Irish Whisky) and spent the rest of our two-week stay in the West, along the coast from Galway to the Ring of Kerry.
Large expanses of western Ireland are in Gaeltachts, areas where the Irish language is the primary language. Road signs, business names and other printed materials are in Irish first, with the English translation below it. Of course, the people still understand and speak English, but they're justifiably proud of their native tongue.
BTW, if you've never driven on the left side of the road before, it does take a fair amount of getting-used-to. And, on those narrow roads, an oncoming bus or heavy truck often appears to be taking up ALL of the road! Get a smaller, European car and not a larger American one. You'll quickly learn why, and you'll thank me for the tip.
Something else to consider is that the Irish are not very big on road signage. GPS is more like a necessity than a convenience. Too, because Ireland is a nation of storytellers and oral historians, any directions you receive are likely to be verbal and, to us visually-oriented Americans, not always the most helpful. Not that they're trying to be difficult -- quite the opposite in fact -- but they see and interact with the world differently than we do. Again because they're more hearing-oriented than we are, any hand-drawn map you receive from a local is not likely to be an accurate physical depiction, but go ahead and follow it. It'll get you where you are going.
You've gotten some excellent touring suggestions. Let me add one more. If you're in the West of Ireland and have a car, DO NOT FAIL to tour the Dingle Peninsula. We found it to be drop-dead gorgeous, and even more interesting/rewarding than the Ring of Kerry, and that's saying something...
Last edited by Nighteyes; 02-26-2014 at 11:34 AM..
I'd like to add my thanks to those who answered this thread. We had been considering a trip to Ireland, but we simply cannot deal with driving on the opposite side of the road/car.
It takes some getting used to but I do think it would be a horrible shame if you avoid visiting Ireland because you are worried about driving on the left. If you are traveling with someone to co-pilot, it is much easier. They look at the map and carefully read the road signage, while the driver just concentrates on staying in the correct lane. That is just the first day though, and you do get used to it rather quickly. I found the easiest way to get used to it was driving from Dublin Airport to Galway. The drive is all on the motorway, which really doesn't feel like you are on the left side, other than sitting on the wrong side of the car. By the time you reach the end of the motorway in Galway, you are more comfortable and ready to tackle the roundabouts!
View some videos of driving in Ireland on YouTube. It will make you feel more at ease and realize that many people successfully do it every year. That's what I did to get over my fear of the roundabout..and I had no problems driving in Ireland.
> we simply cannot deal with driving on the opposite side of the road/car.
I used to think this way, but I tried it and it was fine. Many places you want to go in Ireland are light traffic, and as others remarked most traffic is not that fast. I do recommend getting an automatic the first time around.
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