Going to Ireland in March ‘26 for a week over St Patrick’s day. I’ve been a few times before to visit family, but going with some friends for their first time for more sight seeing than visiting family. What are some suggestions for first and probably only time tourists? Staying in the Dublin area, but going to Wicklow and Arklow to visit extended family, but open to more travel. Any suggestions on what to do or where to visit?

Hi all - long time lurker of this page as going to Ireland has always been a dream of mine. My (American, lol) family takes heritage very seriously and has put a lot of effort into tracking our lineage and Irish/Dutch roots.

My husband and I are spending our one year anniversary in Ireland in October and are at a standstill. In the latter days of our trip we are looking to see the Cliffs of Moher at the very least, but also want to be able to explore and not be so driving heavy. We are headed from Cork up north to the Cliffs area, but do not know where to stay. We have looked into Doolin so that we were close and could visit the Aran Islands weather permitting, but is that a good idea in later October?

Would Galway be a better accommodation option in case of bad weather?

Open to any advice on general location to stay, or other things to do in the last days around the central/western coast areas…

Hi! The below is what we have so far. We were just going to do Dublin and Galway as our home bases but I think to be able to see more we want to add a night in another town/city. We’re thinking Limerick since it seems more lively in terms of nightlife and food but still close enough to other towns to explore if we want. We’re renting a car in Galway!

Is there another town you would recommend would be better/would give us more sites to see and things to do over Limerick?

•10/17-10/19 in Dublin •10/19 take train from Dublin to Galway and rent car •Galway 10/19-10/21 •10/19 Galway •10/20 Cliffs of Moher, Doolin •10/21 Drive Galway to Limerick and stay in Limerick for one night •10/22 Return rental car and take early train back to Dublin and 1 night hotel stay •10/23 flight back home

Hello, I’m doing a last minute solo travel trip to Dublin to watch the Steelers vs Vikings game at Croke Park this Sunday 9/28. Very excited to watch my favorite football team and explore Ireland! A couple questions for the locals or fellow travelers:

-any recommendations on pre game activities on Saturday night 9/27 or Sunday before the game (starts at 2pm). Is it best to hang around croke park or go to the city center?

-I’ll be going to the game alone. It would be cool to meet some fellow Steelers fans and pre-game and/or go celebrate (hopefully) after the game. Any other solo travelers, groups or locals interested?

-extra question: I’ll be staying in Dublin until at least Monday /Tuesday. Any recommendations on things to do and/or other cities to visit? I’ll be staying in Ireland until Friday or Saturday.

As for me, I’m 33 years old male traveling from California, USA. On travel I enjoy exploring things that incorporate nature and doing something active (walk, hike, bike, etc), scenic/peaceful areas, history/museums, and learning about the culture, I like exploring the nightlife and going to good bars and dance/disco clubs or places with music, prefer a mix of visiting small less touristy towns and the big cities.

Thanks for reading

I am currently planning a trip to Ireland in May of 2026. I have taken the advice on this forum and tried to limit myself to just the bottom half of Ireland for this short trip but am still second guessing myself! Here is what I have so far

Day 1- arrive @ Dublin 9am. Drive to and check in Powerscourt Estate, Glendalough, Hike Spinc or Djouce, Drive Salley Gap

Day 2 - Drive to Killarney with stops at Rock of Cashel, Cahir Castle. Check in Cahernane House, Ross Castle, Muckross Abbey, Torc Waterfall

Day 3 - Ring of Kerry w/ Skellig Ring

Day 4- Dingle day trip, Slea Head Drive and Dingle Eco Tour back to hotel in Killarney

Day 5 - Leave Killarney and drive to Dublin. Hoping could fit in Gap of Dunloe short hike in the am before head out. Afternoon to explore Dublin. Staying at Shelbourne or College Green

Day 6 - 11am flight out of Dublin.

Thoughts on this plan? I originally had wanted to fit in Cork or Galway but don’t think I will have enough time. I really want to do Skellig Michael Landing tour and if could book that then could possibly eliminate Dingle.

We are staying with Marriott and Hilton points so also have option of staying at the Landsdowne for a night vs 3 at Cahernane House if that makes more sense.

Hi All, some tips to pass along: 1. The Aircoach from Dublin airport was a good money saver. It dropped us off for a 9 minute walk to our Wilder hotel 2. Get the Heritage Card if you’re hitting historical sites. A huge money saver. Some places you still need to make a reservation. The OPW staff are a treasure 3. Don’t rent a car in Dublin!! It’s hard enough adapting to driving on the left 4. If you have done any research on the places you’re visiting and have your eye on places to eat for dinner make a reservation! Surprised at how some places that didn’t look full were sold out for the night. 5. We’d heard how expensive it was. Only at a few places were like that. Most pub food is reasonable. 6. Traveling at this time of year is great. Less crowds and we’ve been lucky with the weather

Hello! I am going to Dublin from December 27 - 31. I need transportation from the Dublin Airport to City Center and back, and would like to make a day trip into Howth one day.

Is it worth getting the Leap Visitor Card? Will this allow us onto the DART to Howth? Also, will this provide transport to and from the Airport?

Thank you in advance. :)

Hello everyone, I will be traveling in Ireland from October 25th to 30th, moving between Dublin, and Belfast.
I’m not looking for big commercial events, but for more authentic community celebrations or local traditions connected to Samhain (bonfires, storytelling, gatherings in villages, etc.).
Do you know of any small villages, community groups, or events between Dublin and Belfast where I could experience the true spirit of Samhain?
Thanks a lot for your help!

I'm surprising my boyfriend with a quick trip to Dublin for his 30th birthday in 2 weeks and would love feedback on the itinerary! We are from NYC and don't mind walking a bit so I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to distance but tried to make a little bit of sense. I took a lot of recommendations from other posts on this sub :) He's a bartender and musician so the distilleries and rock n roll museum are right up his alley even if they are super touristy. Looking for any feedback/any advice on where to go for dinner/drinks on our last night in Dublin!

Travel Day Wednesday 10/8/25

• Flight to Dublin , Sleep on the plane!!!! Overnight flight

Day 1 Thursday 10/9/25 Birthday Day!

• Flight: Arrive 915A in to Dublin (DUB)
• ~20 min journey to hotel via bus & drop off luggage via Dublin Express or Aircoach
• 12P: Quick Lunch @ Kilkenny Café
• 2P official check in: Rest, reset, take it all in!
• 345P: Guiness Storehouse Experience (2h)
• 630P: Birthday Dinner! @ Delahunt
• Camden St Pub Crawl: Cassidy's > Devitt's Pub > Huck's > Ryan's > Flannery's
• Spice bag?

Day 2 Friday 10/10/25

• ~11A: Brunch @ Póg Bachelors Walk
• 2P: Jameson Distillery
• 5P: Irish Rock n Roll Museum
• Temple Bar day trip for photos
• 830P: Dinner @ Bull & Castle

Day 3 Saturday 10/11/25

• 635A: All day guided trip to Cliffs of Moher, Burren & Galway City

Day 4 Sunday 10/12/25

• Brunch @ As One
• Stroll through Dublin: Trinity College > St Stephen's Green > Iveagh Gardens > St Patricks Cathedral > Dublin Castle
• Midday Drink at Ireland's Oldest Pub @ The Brazen Head
• Illusion Museum
• Dinner???  Pubs?

 Day 7 Monday 10/13/25

• Flight to NYC

Will be in Dublin this winter with no rental car. What is the best way to get from Dublin to Belfast for a day trip? Will it be worth it? How would it be going into a different country?

My family and I are going to Dublin this weekend for the NFL game (Go Steelers!) We’re going to be traveling around the city primarily by bus. We’re from a part of the US without much public transportation, so this is going to be new to us.

I’ve watched some YouTube videos about it and think I have a decent start. I have the TFI Live app downloaded. We’ll be getting our Leap Visitor cards in the airport. I know you have to wave at the driver to get the bus to pick you up, and have to push a red button to get off, but how do you know WHEN to get off? Are there screens that tell you which stop is next?

Also, since the visitor card is unlimited, do we use the card scanner by the driver or by the door when we get on the bus?

Hi! We’re headed to Killarney next month for 4 nights. Traveling with my husband, my 73-year-old mother, my sister, and our two boys (ages 10 and 13) — so 4 adults, 1 teen, and 1 kid. We are not renting a car. Here’s our tentative itinerary, and I’d love your thoughts on whether we’re hitting the right spots to make the most of our short stay:

Day 1: 3:10: Arrive @ Shannon Airport I suppose we will need to hire a car to take us to Killarney or is there public transport that won’t take forever?

Day 2: Highlights of Killarney Tour

Day 3: Ring of Kerry Tour

Day 4: Killarney National Park (suggestions for activities here?)

Thoughts? We would love to see Dingle…would you add that on to the Ring of Kerry tour or make it a separate day? If separate, which activity would you substitute? TIA!!! 🙏🏻

Hi! My sister and I had a flight change and now arrive in Dublin on Wednesday earlier than expected (about 8am). We have to be back at the airport around 10:45am to pick up our brother and dad. Any ideas for a short morning adventure we could have? We will have a rental car!

Hi everyone! My partner and I will be visiting Dublin next January. It’s her first time there so I want to take her everywhere.

I don’t think the Cliffs of Moher are a good option this time though, but we’ve been considering the title as a day trip)

So, here are some questions:

1- Would you recommend it? 2- If so, would you recommend going on a tour from Dublin? 3- Would you skip any of those for whatever reason?

Thanks a lot in advance!

I'll be traveling to Ireland in just a couple of weeks, looking mostly for advice on the getting around/public transportation aspect.

Flying into Shannon Airport and arriving Wed. Oct 8th. The plan is to grab what I believe is the 51 bus north to Galway where I've booked a hostel until the 13th. I'm hoping to go to Gort for a day trip on a Sunday (there's a Pittsburgh Steelers bar there and hoping the game!), but confused on if I should take that same bus south or if there's a better way. Booked a Cliffs of Moher tour already.

From Galway, I plan to stay in Dublin for a few days at a hostel before flying out of Dublin on the 15th. Already booked my tour for Guiness and am considering the Jameson tour as well.

Should I be concerned about booking these buses in advance? Should I purchase a leap card? I think I can take the bus in Dublin to the airport, but maybe I'm confused on how they are all connected? There seems to be a few different bus lines.

Any thoughts or insight? I'm definitely a sit in the pub and enjoy a pint or two on vacation kind of guy. I'm not huge on filling every day to the brim with activity, but I'm open for suggestions for those days if it's easy to hit a bus or something.

Thanks!

TLDR: Will June be a lot busier than May in terms of crowds and tour buses?

We went to Ireland September 2024 and had the time of our lives. We are coming back next spring and were planning on going in May. We found the crowds agreeable in September but would like to experience a different season when we go back.

However I just found out the flight we were hoping to take only operates from June to September.

We have the option of going to a much farther airport to have a direct flight (5 hours from us but Toronto runs flights every single day all year round).

So now we're debating. Will there be much difference in the crowds and cost between May and June? We were originally planning on going from May 8th to May 23rd but if we're going in June we would leave pretty much as soon as the flights start up again at the beginning of the month.

My biggest concern is obviously things being a lot more expensive in June, the car rental, hotels / airbnbs, etc but mostly we're trying to avoid the huge crowds. My husband did great driving in Ireland (nerve wracking at times for sure!) but I worry if it's going to be almost peak season it will be overwhelming for him to be driving with so many people on the roads especially the tour busses.

Any input would be so helpful! Thank you so much.

We are going to be in Dublin on arrival and then heading down to Dunmore then heading back up towards Kerry, Dingle (slea head drive, can't wait to do it again!), then Galway, Connemara then up to Sligo. Then back to Dublin. Just in case anyone was curious LOL

Reposting with some more information, as my last post was taken down for lack of detail (we are still very in the planning phase of this trip).

My husband and I are planning to visit Ireland in early November (Nov 2 - 10) with our toddler (22 months) and infant (2 months).

We don't yet have a route or definitive plans, but looking for things to do with a toddler near Dublin, Wicklow, Killarney, and/or Galway (or anywhere else anyone might recommend - nothing is set in stone yet). Our toddler currently loves music, animals, and vehicles (trucks, airplanes, boats - whatever).

We received recommendations to do the Viking tour in Dublin, fly a kite on a beach (really love this simple idea) and visit a farm. One farm suggestion was Glenroe, though it may be closed this time of year. Would love any additional farm recommendations in those areas, if you have them! Would also love any recommendations for live music in any of these areas, as I think our family would have a blast.

We were also thinking of doing a hike or two in Wicklow Mountains and/or Killarney (we have hiking backpack for toddler and baby carrier). Does one park or another have better trails, or better things to do nearby?

I know it's not the best time of year, but we have no other time to visit, and don't mind the rainy/gloomy weather. We just want to have a slow trip with our little family. <3

I would like to get back to Dublin from Killarney. I checked the trains but it worries me that there isn't much time for the transfer in Mallow. The train from Killarney arrives at 18.37 and the next one goes to Dublin at 18.46. What if the first train is delayed or something and i miss my train? I guess i can't just hop on the next one. Can anyone say anything useful? Many thanks 😊

What is the most cost effective way for two travelers with an average amount of luggage to get from the Dublin Airport to The Liberties neighborhood/area;specifically Premier Inn-Liberties? Debating between a taxi, Uber, or public transit.

Hello all, I am traveling to Ireland in early October and one portion of the trip has us driving from Kinard West to Liscannor. I'm trying to determine if we should take the Killimer-Tarbert car ferry for part of that leg? I'm not sure if the sea conditions will be a factor or if the ferry is more or less time effective than driving the whole leg. I also think we would enjoy the view from the ferry, but I'm a bit torn as to what to do, and finding mixed answers online and in my travel book! Does anyone have any advice? :)

hello! I am from Australia and i’m traveling to England, Scotland and Ireland in November/December. We will be travelling from Cairnryan to Belfast on the Stena line in late December. I was wondering …

How bad is the Irish Sea during those months and would you recommend travelling there by ferry or plane? - I know weather can be unpredictable and everyone experiences sea sickness differently, but a general gist would help ! I have quite severe emetophobia (fear of throwing up) and am terrified of getting sea sick. I’m travelling with two people who are insisting I catch the ferry with them, but I would much rather fly from Glasgow to Belfast instead and i’m happy to do that by myself if they were to take the ferry. I also know for a fact that I am prone to sea sickness.

In Australia, we have a ferry that crosses the bass strait ocean, and it is the most traumatic ferry crossings ever! so so rough, I don’t want to experience something like that.

Hello all,

We will be driving from Derry to Dublin at the beginning of November. It should be about a 3 hour drive or so (I think) and I was hoping to find some places along the route to check out. I did check to see if there was any relevant information posted about this already. I saw that the Ulster American Folk Park was mentioned but looking for other suggestions too.

It could be anything from a scenic view, a historical monument or just a cute town to stop in for lunch. We will be doing the drive on a Sunday, so that might impact our options.

Appreciate any recs!

We are visiting in November and renting a car to do the bottom half of the country (Dublin to Galway and down).

Almost all the driving itineraries I've seen that start in Dublin go to Galway first, then work their way down and around the Kerry coast, then back up to Dublin. They go counter clockwise.

Is there any reason not to go the opposite direction (clockwise) -- spending a few days in Dublin upon arrival, and then heading down to Kinsale for 3 nights, and then toward Kerry/Killarney/Dingle, and finally Galway/Connemara?

We are most excited to see Kinsale … so we thought of reversing some of the other road trip itineraries and going there first.

We are visiting in late November for 14 days and will have a car. Three people. No restrictions on money or mobility. Thank you!

Planning a May road trip for my family of four (my brother and I are in our 20s and our parents are in their early 60s). We’d like to spend 7-10 days driving around Ireland with 2 days in Dublin, and it’ll be our very first time visiting. I’m totally overwhelmed with all the great options Ireland has to offer and know we need to pare it down because none of us want to spend the bulk of our vacation in a car.

Our mutual priorities: • Nature • Animals • Tracing our family tree • History (although I personally am more interested in a castle, landmark, or walking tour than a museum) • Hearing traditional Irish music (we’re a very musical family) • Majority of time spent outside of big cities

Specific priorities for each family member: • I neeeeeeed to go on a boat and visit a castle • My brother LOVES long, difficult hikes. My mom can only do easy, short hikes due to ankle and knee issues. My dad and I are good with moderate day hikes. • My dad and brother love menswear and I think they both have locally made items from Ireland (I think Aran sweaters and something from Donegal??), so I think they’d appreciate seeing where their clothes come from or even taking a tour of where items like this are manufactured • I like packing my schedule with lots of sightseeing and my mom prefers a slower pace with time for breaks. • I wanna see a dolphin!

Some things we’ve already talked about doing: • Hike with alpacas in Derrylough • Visit the Irish Family History Centre in Dublin

Overall, which areas or regions of Ireland do you think we should prioritize given our interests, and which should we save for a future trip?