I'm heading to Ireland for a week in July.
I'm flying in and out of Shannon Airport/Limerick, but I'd like to visit Dublin.
Can I get away with not renting a car? Is the bus/ train system robust enough to get around?
Also, are there any "must see" attractions out in the countryside?
There are buses, but with car its gonna be so much better. Best experience in my trip was just driving around connemara and killarney area at random
>>1123589
I have nervousness at the thought of driving on the left side of the road :(
Irish guy here.
Tbqhwu m8, I'd just rent the car. Trains here are expensive as fuck, so generally we rely on buses (like Aircoach and GoBE, which are the cork-dublin ones), but public transport overall is fairly patchy. Car would be a lot easier.
As for must see stuff, definitely go to the Aran Islands. Tend to be a bit full of burger tourists in the summer, but still great. The Burren and the Cliffs of Moher are worth a look, and West Cork and Kerry is just fantastic in general.
The Ring of Kerry is what all the burgerfats do on coach tours, never done it myself but supposed to be good. The Ring of Beara is really nice as well - hard driving, but worth it (might actually be easier to cycle)
Dunno, kind of depends what you want to do. Plenty of great hiking spots too, but make sure you have wet gear and know how to navigate, or you'll be completely fucked when bad weather rolls in.
>>1123604
Thanks for the tips. I will look into the Aran Islands, and Cork/Kerry. If the ring of Kerry is super touristy, I would probably skip it. I don't really like hiking either.
Are there any spots for swimming in Ireland, or would I have to book a hotel that has a pool?
>>1123604
not OP but I'll move to Galway in Semptember and I don't really know what to expect. Any info is precious desu
>>1124347
I studied in Galway for three months. Expect LOTS of drinking. The city is smallish bit nice and good for side trips like aran islands, connemara, burren etc.
>>1124352
Sounds interesting, hopefully I'll able to bike somewhere beautiful:D cheers!
>>1123588
Being a native I'd definitely say that Galway is much more of an "irish" city than Dublin. Dublin city centre is a bit of a tourist trap or a cultural wasteland but there are gems to be found if you have the time to look. Definitely spend a day biking around the Aran Islands. Maybe climb Carrantuohill if you're into hiking. I have no idea about car rental prices but trains can work if you're just moving from city to city and spending a long time at each. Enjoy your stay :)
Might be worth venturing over the border too, y'know. Belfast is a cool place to spend the day, and the big Northern tourist attraction these days is the Game of Thrones tour if you're into that.
Has anyone taken the 280 bus around the Ring of Kerry?
I was thinking about that, since I can't drive manual, or on the left side of the road.
Okay, how does this sound as an itinerary for my 7 nights there:
2 nights in Dublin (possibly taking an escorted day trip up to Giant's Causeway/ Belfast
1 night Cork (kiss the Blarney Stone)
2 nights Killarney (doing the Ring of Kerry and other southwest coast things)
2 nights Galway (seeing Aran Islands and cliffs of Moher)
>>1125486
>kiss the Blarney Stone
they pissed on that in fight club. wouldnt be surprised if some locals drew inspiration from that.
