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The wife wants to tour Ireland on our vacation this year. We are going to book with a tour company that visits a route near the coast, around the entire island, Ireland and Northern Ireland. This will probably be the only time that we will visit Ireland in our lifetime. My question is should we extend our stay, rent a car and visit places that the tour doesn't? What say those who have been there? What say those who live there?

KC

I spent part of a summer in 2001 with my family in Belfast in Northern Ireland teaching a graduate course for a U.S. university. If you're skirting the island along the coast, you'll probably pass through Belfast and CarrickFergus Castle and get a good taste of the country. The country roads are often narrow and use round-a-bouts at intersections. It takes some getting used to to drive with the steering wheel on the "passenger side". Be sure to see the Giant's Causeway on the north-most point on the island. Beautiful scenic area! Even though there was still some internal strife going on when we were there, we found the country and everyone we met to be terrific. But we were careful of what areas of Belfast we visited...no different than visiting a U.S. city these days.Have a great trip.

I'm not a fan of group tours but some folks love them and it does take the stress off for planning but gets rid of a lot of opportunity to see things off the mainstream. Ireland is so easy to get around in that I'd certainly do it on your own.

We went for 10 days last spring and had a wonderful time. Flew into Dublin and spent 2 1/2 days there (Churches, Guiness, Post Office, Historical Prison etc). Caught the train to Cork and saw the sites like the english market (city double decker bus out to Castle Blarney. Wifi enabled, clean and safe busses). Rented a car at the airport and went to stay at country house in Mallow where we relaxed and I did some trout fishing. Drove the coast up to Galway via the Cliffs of Moher and such and turned the car in. A couple days around Galway (loved it) and then train back to Dublin and a day in Dublin and home.

People are amazingly friendly. Scenery, especially the west coast, is stunning. English is the most common language followed by Polish.

Navigation with good map and GPS was easy and although it had been a decade since I'd driven on the left it was no big deal and I returned the car in the same condition I rented it (still, get all the insurance! )

when we were there, your US insurance didn't count, you needed the Irish insurance. They said only 3 countries have that : Ireland, Israel, Jamaica

Correct. I checked with USAA and they advised getting it through the rental agency (Budget) and we did.

KC be interested to hear your thoughts when you return, my wife and I are going over for our 35th anniversary in 19.

My late wife of almost 50 years made 3 trips to Ireland, all after turning 65 and alone except 1 trip.
. First trip was booked thru a travel agent and was a typical bus tour type, which she enjoyed, but not so much some of the pita people on the bus.
Second trip another bus tour to a different area, and this time our daughter went along, which made it more enjoyable for her.
Third trip was over the time frame of her 70th birthday, she went alone, rented a car, stayed at the numerous bed and breakfast homes, and had the most enjoyable trip of all traveling where she wanted and at her own pace. She loved Ireland and the Irish people, so much so, that
when she died very suddenly due to an accident, we decided that a part of her should be in Ireland. So our daughter and son in law made another trip, went to a nice park they had visited together on the earlier trip and made that happen.

We did it. We rented a car and toured the country. We stayed at B & B in whatever town or village we were at that night. Took just a couple minutes to get used to the driving. Smart phones will get you any where you want to go. I liked being able to stop when and where we wanted to. Lots of wonderful churches and castles to tour. Cliffs of Moher are a great stop. We use a app on our phones called Travelzoo to make all our travel plans. PM me if you need more info.

yobuck,sorry about your wife, sounds like she was a adventuresome lady! Has anyone traveled Ireland by train?

We traveled from Dublin to Cork and Galway to Dublin last spring by train. Clean, on time and reasonably priced. Speeds in the countryside were up to about 120 MPH but very smooth. Some trackbeds were a little submerged but most gave you a great view of the countryside. We'd do it again.

Actually she wasent an adventuresome type at all. But after having been there, she felt secure enough by what she had seen to do the car trip alone. Now it is true she had lived her life either in or near the city of brotherly love, where every body locks their doors before entering. lol

Spent a month one summer touring Ireland with a rented car. Easy! Ditch the tour. As others have said B&B's and small country hotels abound. (Contact the Irish Tourist Board and they will provide you with all information / resources you need.) One word to the wise .... Don't even think about kissing the Blarney Stone .... rumor is that the locals have been known to piss on it!

yukon254,

When my wife and I toured Ireland in 2007, we did some by public train and bus, and some by car. The public transportation was inexpensive and comfortable, and ran on time!

As an aside PHUQUE EUROPCAR!!!

I have rented a huge number of vehicles over the course of my life in a bunch of different countries. Aside from the obvious "Wrent-A-Wreck" places never had the first complaint. Europcar changed all that. I will go out of my way to explain what low-life dirtbags they are!!!!!!!!

Anyone wishing to ask, please do!

AT&T sucks in Ireland, BTW...

Thanks for all the info, looking forward to seeing the green isle.

I lived in Dublin in 2000, and was lucky enough to travel the whole island, including Northern Ireland.

You didn't mention how long the tour is, but you can't see it all in a week. There's a lot of fun to be had in there. The people were great and it's a fine place to visit.

Bring rain gear.

Group tours can be great if you're all on the same page, but the one group tour I've done had people constantly bringing up the rear and slowing things down.

Car rental is easy. Driving a standard car with the stick on the wrong side is a bit odd but you soon get used to it. As MD mentioned, public transportation is good there. Their trains are very good.

I especially enjoyed the west coast. If you like to fish, fishing with a gillie, or guide for a salmon trip, could be great fun.

In Northern Ireland, a black taxi tour of the Belfast area is a great way to get a sense of The Troubles. It's sobering and worth doing.

Feel free to PM me.

What's the most common type of fuel for autos in Ireland?

think we rented a diesel, seemed like no problem finding fuel.

check out this book, I recommend it if you are planning your own trip

dk eyewitness travel guide ireland

KC I've been there four times and did the rental car/B&B's three of the four times. A tour will give you an overall look at the Island but if you want to discover the 'real Ireland' and get to meet some real Irish folks, the way to do it is by car and B&B's in the country and villages. My fourth trip was an extended stay in the village where my gr. grandparents came from (Doonbeg) in the West. I found a house to rent by the month and stayed there for two months and met some distant relatives. The locals could not have been nicer or more helpful. After a couple of days the store and pub owners, along with the local priest could greet me by name. I became friends with a local farmer who had a wealth of historical and current political information. If you are looking to get a flavor for the 'real Ireland' you will have to get out into the country and away from Dublin, Belfast and the other larger towns. The big cities are a melting pot at best & most of the bartenders and patrons in the pubs/cafes are not even Irish!

No doubt your tour will feature the major points of interest in the cities or nearby and you will stay in hotels which can accommodate large groups. I would look closely at the tour route and see what they are offering then get a Frommer's tour guide book from your local book store or on line, then map out your own extended-stay tour to include points of interest that the main tour doesn't include. The Frommer's book will list several B&B's in each village as well as those on some farms, along with contact phone numbers. The ladies who run the B&B's are quite interesting and I'm sure your wife would enjoy talking with them. They love to chat and are a good source for local information. Good cooks, too!

PM me if you want further info.

Paul