MKEbound

My family will be visiting Ireland this June for 6 days/five nights. Flying in and out of DUB. Two adults, two kids ages 7 & 9. With limited time in Ireland I’m looking for advice on how much time we should stay in Dublin vs. the surrounding countryside. We land at 8am Friday morning, and fly out the following Wednesday evening.

I was thinking we might spend the first two nights in DUB (using HHonors points if possible) then spend the last three nights in B&Bs. I know we want to see a castle, and maybe some sights along the coast but other than that does anyone have any advice or suggestions? Would it be better to spend the weekend in Dublin or weekdays?

gradboozer

As an American who spent a good majority of my childhood living in Ireland, I'd definitely recommend the day trips from Dublin to the Cliffs of Moher (on the west coast close to Galway) and Giant's Causeway (up north near Bushmills IIRC). As a kid I was fascinated by these natural wonders, but as the saying goes, YMMV.

On the adult side of things, the Old Jameson Distillery is very interesting as well as the Guinness storehouse. I believe children are allowed into both venues, but you'll want to check their respective websites first.

Are you renting a vehicle or taking public transport? There's lots to see and plenty of history if your family is into that sort of thing. Also, I can't recall if the hurling or Gaelic football are going on during that time, but catching a live game is something the entire family can enjoy (even if you don't understand all the rules).

Edit to add:

If you stay near the Temple Bar area of Dublin during the summer, expect things to be fairly loud at night due to all the pubs and partying in the area.

Sorry I'm not too much help, but I hope you and your family enjoy!

GB

MKEbound

I think renting a car makes the most sense, and I've checked out the Cliffs of Moher and Giant's Causeway and think my family will totaly be into both of those.

Any suggestions on castles to seek out?

stifle

Cliffs of Moher and Giant's Causeway are a great distance apart. Please make sure you pace yourself. Irish roads, particularly those not to or from Dublin, are not at all like those in much of North America, and we get a lot of people posting here who plan to spend half their time in Ireland or Scotland frantically driving around to see everything with 20-minute photo stops at various attractions, and completely miss the point of it all.

Life in Ireland is relaxed. Everything will be grand. Don't spend more than 2-3 nights in Dublin by the way; Ireland is much more than that.

Also, the Giant's Causeway is in a different country to the Cliffs of Moher and you might get charged €ridiculous in supplements for bringing a rental car up there.

For castles, try the Rock of Cashel.

gradboozer

+1

Newgrange and the Waterford crystal factory (again both in opposite directions from Dublin) are some other activities that might interest the family.

As stifle said, don't try to rush anything or else you'll totally miss the point.

Trains and buses are a fantastic way to get around while still seeing the countryside. Renting a car in Ireland can be quite an expensive endeavor.

MKEbound

I'm able to rent a car from Avis for the 6 days I'm there for less than $100US, that seems quite reasonable to me, so I'm planning on renting a car for the entire stay.

Rock of Cashel looks pretty cool from the images on Google earth, and seems like it would be "on the way" towards the Cliff of Moher so I'm starting to form a plan of a three day swing from Dublin to the Cliffs of Moher and back.

Other suggestions for sights or lodgeing along the way?

TangoThree

If you're planning in staying in one of the Dublin Hiltons I would advise avoiding the "Dublin Airport" one at all costs, not the nicest area, nothing nearby for kids (unless you count the runaway horses from the local halting site). They recently purchased the Burlington Hotel which is undergoing a renovation and a rather nice walk from the City Centre.

Something that never really gets mentioned to tourists is Croke Park. Depending on how into sports you are, they've got a pretty cool museum and stadium tour, it's something a little bit different.

Malahide castle is based in North Dublin, around 20 minutes on the train from the City Centre. It's in a lovely little coastal town, with plenty of places to eat & drink. The castle itself sits in a huge, now public park which itself is wonderful to walk around. It's got a huge playground (best to go on a weekday as it'll be emptier) so something for the kids too. They're opening more rooms in the castle over the next few weeks too.

You've also got a ton of museums, galleries, Kilmainham Gaol (jail), Phoenix Park (home to the zoo), and plenty of other things to keep you busy for a few days in Dublin.

sapman986

????

The Irish rail network is atrocious when compared to mainland Europe. Very limited in where it goes and the rolling stock is poor.

While I haven't been on a public bus in Ireland for many years, there's a reason for that.

IMO, absent of a package tour, car rental is the only way for a tourist with a family to travel through Ireland when visiting tourist destinations. Over the last couple of years I have had 15+ rentals in Ireland and they were never more than $35/day for a large car. Not sure if you consider that expensive, but it seems pretty decent value to me.

stifle

I'm not sure how long it is since you used Irish Rail, but its oldest rolling stock on domestic intercity routes is seven years old. There is free wifi nationwide, fares from €9.99 o/w on most routes with advance purchase, and every city in the country is served.

Bus service is grim outside Cork and Dublin cities, intercity and airport routes.

As for the price of a car rental, you may get the car cheap, but the insurance supplements (necessary as most credit card and annual policies in the US don't cover Ireland for some reason) and fuel at €1.60/litre ($8.40 per US gallon) won't be long adding up.

mrsjon01

Another vote for Malahide Castle, especially with the young kids. I booked a day trip to Malahide Castle and then to Howth via a tour company (can't remember the name but they were one of the most popular ones, had a free standing office in Temple Bar area). My friend and I enjoyed the trip and the time on the bus was relatively short, so the kids wouldn't get agitated. It was nice and low-key.
I also had an excellent experience at the Radisson Blu Royal - excellent if you have status with Carlson (the free breakfast was fantastic and made the stay a bargain).
The people in Dublin were so friendly and lovely, I am sure that you will enjoy your time there.

flyernick

6 days in Ireland will go really fast! You shouldn't have any trouble finding castles in Ireland. As mentioned earlier, Cashel is great. A someone different type is Dysert O'Dea, in Co. Clare, relatively near the Cliffs of Moher. It's not huge, but we thought it was interesting. Also in that part of the country, you can attend a festive dinner at Bunratty Castle. I'm sure many will say it is way too touristy and hokey. We usually like pretty authentic sites, but we did the Bunratty dinner as a lark on our first Ireland trip and we really had fun. If you like things like Medieval Times restaurant shows in the US, you and your kids would probably enjoy this. You can also stop by castle-hotels like Dromoland just to look around even if you don't stay there.

IMHO, if you're interested in archaeology at all, Newgrange (& Knowth, Dowth) is one of the must-see sites of Ireland. It's easily done as a day trip from Dublin. Not particularly for or not for kids, just an awesome place.

Enjoy your trip!

MKEbound

Thanks for all the replies & suggestions so far.

As I mentioned earlier, we will be renting a car to maximize our flexibility with such a short trip. I was able to secure the rental for less than $100US for the 6 days so I don't consider that expensive at all.

star_world

Totally agree on renting a car unless you only want to spend time in the very centre of towns / cities. Half the fun in Ireland is the journey in between these places and the small towns and villages along the way.

Have you checked into insurance for your rental car? Ireland is one of a handful of countries in the world where normal coverage through (most) credit cards doesn't apply, and you may run into issues using your regular car insurance policy also. Make sure you've either got this completely covered, or pay for coverage through Avis (which will probably be significantly more than the rental rate itself).

This thread is well worth reading: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/u-k-i...-confused.html

BostonPaul

For a few great itinerary ideas, check out CIE Tours. Largest Irish Tour Operator in the world, offering over 20 tours of Ireland. Seems like you'll be going it on your own, but their itineraries spell out the sites and hotels you'll want to consider in all parts of Ireland.

http://www.cietours.com

measures

Its not really 'on the way', since it is south/south west of Dublin, and the Cliffs of Moher are West (different motorway).
The motorway system has improved a great deal, and will speed you on your way, but apart from tolls, there is a risk of missing the little villages and curiosities you could stop at for a wander round. So, if you go to Cashel, maybe take the motorway on the way there, but then move onto the 'normal' main roads from there.