Howdy vanam,

Here is the words of wisdom to follow.

You might want to answer a few of these questions first?

The word of Bryno.

Before deciding on an itinerary, consider these questions.

Bryno

Cork, Ireland

Joined: Jul 2005

Forum posts: 4,432

destination expert

for Cork

Posted on: 8:13 pm, February 26, 2008 Save

[1] Where will I fly into / out of?

(This will determine where you can easily visit. It also dictates what your route should be)

[2] If I arrive by boat, which port is my destination?

[3] What month will I be in Ireland?

(June, July and August are peak visitor months. Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar. have least daylight hours, but are great from the point of view that they are less busy. Many B&B’s close for the winter)

[4] Will I hire a car?

(This will determine what you can visit and how independent you will be)

[5] Are there any places that I must see?

(This might make your itinerary more complicated)

[6] How many actual tour days do I have? (excluding arrival and departure days)

(It’s best you don’t include arrival and departure dates in your itinerary especially if you have made a long journey. Arrival and departure days are usually ‘non days’ as most of your time is spent, packing and checking in at airport/ferry)

[7] What are my main interests? (eating, drinking, shopping, walking, history, geography, outdoor)

(Some parts of the country are particularly good for certain activities)

[8] What kind of accommodation will I stay in (Hostel, B&B, Guesthouse, Hotel)

(Hostels are cheapest while 4 and 5 star hotels are the most expensive. Where you stay depends on your budget. Sometimes you do not have a choice)

[9] How many are in the group?

(This will impact your transport options, and lead to arguments if the itinerary does not appeal to everyone)

[10] Will there be children travelling with me?

(With kids travelling with you, you will have to be more flexible about what you include in your itinerary)

[11] How energietic am I? (Can I do a lot of walking or prefer motorised transport)

(If you are an energetic person you will find that walking is a wonderful way to see Ireland properly. Some sights require that you get out of the car and walk)

[12] Do I like to visit cities or prefer more rural locations?

(If you do not like cities, then consider excluding the large Irish cities from your itinerary. These include, Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Limerick, Belfast, Galway, etc)

[13] Do I want to include shopping as part of my holiday?

(If you want to really shop, then you should include a major city or two on your itinerary)

[14] Do I want to visit the main tourist sights, or go ‘off track’?

(Because of the size of this county the main tourist sights are very busy in the summer months. Be aware in low season that these same sights might be closed)

Happy trails,

SandBilly

Dear Sand Billy,

Thanks for your reply. We are 2 couples and 3 teenage girls . . .all in one family We are flying in and out of Dublin and renting a vehicle for driving the country. We will be there in July 2009 and will be staying mostly at B&Bs. We are energetic and fun-loving. Want to see tourist sights mostly, but also some out of the way places. Combination of cities, rural. None of us had been to Ireland before so we want a good taste of it without the north country. Can you help us with ideas for 10 days (nights)? Thank you much.

Brenda

oh too bad you can't fly into dublin and out shannon, then you oculd see more and not do any back tracking....

if i had 10 days, flying in/out dublin,and 3 teenagers, God forbid, lol....

day 1 dublin

day 2 somewhere between dublin and killarney

day 3-4 killarney (great pubs but no teens after 9:00, and music doesn't start until after that)

day 5 doolin, cliffs of moher (great pubs with trad music)

day 6 one of the aran islands (stay doolin)

day 7 bunratty (i am betting the girls will love the ceili at bunratty castle, and they will be fascinated by bunratty village)

day 8-9 kilkenny

day 10 dublin

if you would fly into dublin, out shannon:

day 1 dublin

day 2-3 killarney

day 4-5 dingle

day 6 doolin, and the cliffs

day 7 one of the arans

day 8-9 connemara

day 10 bunratty

hope this gives you something to use as a starting point......

Dear SandBilly,

Thanks so much for all your help. I am trying to go into Dublin and out of Shannon per your advice. I should know soon if we can do that (return flights not posted until Aug 29). Can I get in touch with you after that for further suggestions without going through Trip Advisor?

Brenda VanAmburgh

vanam1960@sbcglobal.net