We fly to and from Dublin and will be expending a week around the country; we would appreciate some inputs about what is really a must-see, if we should rent a car or take public transport, where to stay and what to eat... tipps in general.
Thank you so much in advance!!!
About the car, we arrive quite late and the company you suggested doesn't provide cars at such hours, appart from that, we already rented the car at much cheaper prices, we are getting eager and as you said we wanted to book eary! But thanks anyway!!! Much appreciated!
If your planning a trip to Ireland in March try to make it during St.Patrick's day on 17th as this is the national holiday. In fact it's more than just 1 day celebration and more a week festival with lots of events organised in every city and town so there will be lots going on.
Just keep in mind that flights and accommodation can be very expensive at this time of year as half the people in the world are Irish and the other half want to be at this time and all seem to converge on the island on that day.
http://www.stpatricksfestival.ie/
As for the weather, don't worry about it too much.
In March you should expect glorious warm sunshine followed by a snow blizzard. In otherwords, be prepared for all types of weather and you won't be disappointed. Like in switzerland, hope for the best but prepare for the worst.
If you just have a week to spend in ireland then split your time between Dublin and the countryside.
Maybe 2 or 3 nights in Dublin city depending on what you want to see and do.
Here are some recommendations from my experience before I left my home town for Zurich. My wife being French meant I had to be a part time tour guide every time her family and friends arrived for a holiday.
Guinness storehouse
Original brewery, and ireland's number 1 tourist destination, for Guinness.
7 floors giving a visiter a history lesson on Guinness and Dublin. Finishing on the top floor with a bar and free Pint. Don't worry if you don't like the taste. Just do like most tourists and take a picture holding the glass. There is a glass wall around the bar giving a 360° view of Dublin.
http://www.guinness-storehouse.com/en/Index.aspx
Christ Church Cathedral
Right in the city is Christ Church cathedral which is open to visitors and is a wonderful place to visit during the day. You should also include a visit to the crypt (like a museum) under the church and the viking museum next door which is connected to the cathedral.
http://www.christchurchdublin.ie/
While in that area you can join the Viking splash tour.
This involves taking a bus journey around Dublin with a special twist. The bus is also a boat and enters the River Liffey during the tour to bring you on a journey along the river.
Oh and you also have to dress up as a viking and shout at all the people on the street. Not just for kids and I've brought plenty of my wife's friends on this trip and they've loved it.
But if you like a beer or just generally having a good time then you will not be bored in Dublin. It's famous for pubs and has plenty of niteclubs too if you have the stamina. temple Bar is the main area for the party goers and has plenty of pubs and lots of stag and hen parties too especially at the weekend.
But by no means spend too long in that area. Dublin is full of terrific bars and pubs, many of which serve good food too and you can often hear live Irish music in many of them too if that is what you like.
But if heading to the countryside it's best to go by car from Dublin.
Everyone has a different opinion as to what they like on a holiday but personally I feel best places to visit outside Dublin within your week include
Kilkenny City
Old medieval city with one of the most impressive castles in Ireland in the centre of the city. The official tour is excellent and should certainly be on your list.
http://www.kilkennycastle.ie/en/
In the south west is Killarney.
This is probably the most impressive part of Ireland for scenery and with the car you can take a beautiful scenic drive around the area with incredible views of the Atlantic ocean. Well worth staying there for 1 or 2 days.
In the west directly across from Dublin is Galway city and the Aran Islands.
Again an area that has spectacular scenery and the city itself has lots to offer visitors especially if you like water sports.
This is just a small amount of lots of things you can do in Ireland. But it's just my opinion and it's all about what interests you. But I think there is something there to interest everyone.
If you need anymore more information I would be happy to help.
But most of all enjoy the trip and have fun!
John
We are indeed travelling to Ireland for Saint Patrick's
I love the idea of travelling around Dublin with a bunch of vikings with a bus that ends up in the river
I think we will go to Kilkenny (as we were thinking about driving through Glendalough and it's not that far from there) but I already was in Galway and Connemara (and even though I loooooved the area) we decided to visit places none of us visited before. Therefore Killarney seems a bit far away from our tour this time, we are a bit afraid of the driving around there ehehehhe, but we will for sure come back to Ireland!
Thanks for all the great advice!
Take a satnav with you if you have one (the one on your phone will cost you a lot in connection charges). Hiring one is usually more pricey than expected.
But you do need a car for rural Ireland. Obviously you don't really need a car for the days you are in Dublin.
Definitely try the Guinness which tastes different from the stuff sold in England and totally different from the Guinness outside the UK. (The underlying beer is probably the same but it's dispensed in a different way.)
I agree with the poster who mentioned not spending much time in Temple Bar. A brief wander round will do. Nearly all Dublin pubs are marvellous, full of characters, so there's really no need to head for the ones that are packed full of tourists looking for the real Ireland.
I hugely recommend these guys -- http://www.dublinpubcrawl.com/ . Superb entertainment, superb pubs.
Outside Dublin, I love the West -- Galway, Co Mayo and Clew Bay.
It is true many Irish return for this weekend, everywhere busy.
The next week unbelievably quiet especially by the bars/pubs. One of the reasons, many traditionally stop drinking alcohol in Ireland during Lent, the 6 weeks before Easter, but have a kind of dispensation for St Patrick's day, or in this case for this the days of 15, 16 & 17th.
in March especially outside of the city, weather can be cold/damp/chilly mornings up to about 1100hrs or noon and again from around 1600/1700hrs, so take layers to keep warm when needed. Weatherproof outside layer might be good if you like to go out walkings, in case of constant light shower, or possibly winds and heavy rain.
am sure you will have a good time.
Great to hear you are going to Kilkenny.
I have been there dozens of times especially for the comedy festival it hosts every summer.
The city is small( in fact only people from Kilkenny consider it to be a city). So it is easy to walk around and is a great place for nightlife.
Best hotel is The Rivercourt which is next to the river opposite the castle. Even if the price puts you off you should head there for a beer on their terrace for the view.
Kilkenny has a huge amount of pubs and live music in many of them to suit every taste. And if you want a nightclub head to Langton's on the main street. It also has a regular bar too which is pretty big if the nightclub is not for you and the hotel connected to it too is not bad either.
The train station is in the city too and is easy accessible from Dublin if you don't want to take the car.
All the best with your holiday and if you need any more info. feel free to ask.
@Pachyderm we did wonder why the car rental was so cheap, we will read the contract carefully to avoid surprises. We did buy a satnav for this cases so that is covered I take careful note of the pub crawl you suggested
@CelticZeus we will check all those places at Kilkenny, they do sound nice, I just checked with the Brewery (I just remembered is my favourite Irish beer ehheeh) but it's not open when we are coming :/ We will still drink loads of it
Some Swiss friends went and were told that they weren't drinking enough and were told to leave.
Mainland Europeans go out, and have a drink.
Irish and Brits go out to drink.