Redhead

I am starting, yes a year in advance, to plan a big family trip to Ireland for next July. It will be me (43y female), a then-to-be 3 year old, and two parents in their late 70's. Everyone is mobile.

I have a business trip to Belfast and will add on the family trip from there. We will be flying (with connections) RDU-BEL round-trip since my ticket will be paid by my company. I hope to use AA miles for at least 1 if not the 3 remaining tickets.

We will have ~4 days in Belfast while I have my meetings. We do want to try to find, at least the neighbourhood, where my mum's family is originally from (left during the famine). Any suggestions on what to do in the Belfast area without a car?

We will then be renting a car - from whom? Does it make sense to rent in Belfast and then be able to drive into the Republic? Or will we need to switch cars?

What itinerary to take for a 8 day extension?

We hope to stay in the countryside, rather than lots of times in cities. I know that driving is slow, plus I have the toddler so we don't want to spend all day in the car.

We would like to spend at least 2-3 days in Dublin.

I would like to see countryside and, if possible, Giant's causeway.

Thanks!

UKtravelbear

Please don't book any flights to BEL as you'll end up in Belem in Brazil!

In Belfast I'd suggest visits to

Botanical Gardens
Ulster Museum
Titanic

It's also possible to visit the Giants Causeway via a bus tour

There is a good public transport - bus / train service in Belfast so you won't be beholden to a car.

There is a 'visit belfast' website you should have a look at

lwildernorva

Belfast--whether BFS or BHD--is very accessible without a car, and as with most European cities, you will only want a car to leave the city. I only have experience with the Titanic Museum, which I found very worthwhile. If you decide to do the bus tour to the Giant's Causeway, I'd consider taking the train from central Belfast to central Dublin. It's about two hours, and Dublin is definitely worse than Belfast for vehicles.

If you take a vehicle, do some research. Renting in Ireland itself can be tricky. This thread will give you a flavor for the issues: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/u-k-i...-confused.html. As noted in that thread, I'm trying a service in Dublin that I've never used before, Easy Tour Ireland, for a trip in April. Keep an eye on that thread because I intend to post about my experience upon my return.

Some companies in Dublin charge an extra fee for crossing the border, some don't; I don't have experience going the other way, but if you decide to rent out of Belfast, you should ask each company you contact so that you are certain that you are comparing apples to apples. I think almost all companies will charge extra for a one-way rental, but it sounds as if you'll probably rent out of Belfast, which would eliminate that problem. For rentals out of Ireland, I've found the approach described at this website, http://www.infiniteireland.com/a-com...ar-in-ireland/, extremely helpful.

Two or three days in Dublin sounds about right to see most of the sights. If you drive to the Giant's Causeway rather than taking a tour, definitely consider the Glens of Antrim.

Redhead

Thanks! And I'll be sure to not end up in Belem

The train sounds like a good plan and then maybe rent from DUB to head into the countryside, then train back to BFS to fly home

lwildernorva

Just be aware that a short-term rental, just like a one-way rental, will be disproportionately expensive. In 2012, with a friend who wanted to tour outside Dublin to the once, and I think current site of the Tullamore D.E.W. distillery, I paid over $100 for a one-day rental out of DUB from Hertz. That, of course, did not count the cost of gas, which at that time was close to $9 per gallon--once euro to dollar and liters to gallons were factored in. You can only hope the drop in oil prices combined with the drop in value of the euro continues until you leave for your trip!

Redhead

I'll likely rent for about 3-4 days and stay out in the countryside. Good to have an idea for the budget

bevoinva

Not sure what kind of activities you're looking to do but we took my 3 year old to the Dublin zoo last year and he loved it. We all agreed that it was one of the best zoos we had been to.