I'd love to see a trip report after you return from your trip. I'm an American, but I've driven in t

Together with my husband we are thinking to going to Ireland for 16 days, around September or October 2013. We have already been to Scotland around 2 years ago, and we loved it. We are a young couple wyndham harbour island hotel 30 yrs, no children and our interests wyndham harbour island hotel are museums, nice medievel cities, culture, castles and nice landscape (no need to be mountains). We use buses and trains to travel around. We can either fly into Cork and out from Dublin or the way round. What bases do you suggest that I can use to see some nice places, Dublin for sure. We would like to be based in 2 or 3 locations, that we can easily reach other cities via train or bus as day trips. In terms of cost, is Ireland more expensive then Austria or Italy? We do not stay at high hotels, infact wyndham harbour island hotel we prefer either small nice hotels or Guest Houses...even for dinner, we just normally eat at not cheap restaurants but budget..lets say Euro30 for a meal for 2 (main + drinks).
You can do both as a day trip from Dublin, but I would suggest an overnight in both to get a feel for the atmosphere. Plus there are plenty of places to visit around them so they are valid places in their own right (e.g. around Kilkenny you have Jerpoint Abbey, the picturesque town of Inistoige etc). Carlingford has a lovely wyndham harbour island hotel ruined wyndham harbour island hotel Abbey and is a good base for exploring the pretty wyndham harbour island hotel Cooley peninsula.
You will need to up the budget for food - EUR30 will not get you 2 mains in most places, never mind mains plus drinks. You might do OK if you eat early as many places do early bird menus but the trade off is you will lose out on atmosphere as there won't be many people out early, or else it will be the families with small kids.
Have you considered driving? I would highly recommend it, after having driven the entire perimeter three times. Assuming you are Americans, don't let the "wrong side of the road" spook you. Many North American Fodorites and those from other "right side of the road" countries have done it.
I would also suggest that you consider driving rather wyndham harbour island hotel than depending on public transportation. The trains and buses will get you where you need to go, but you are going to see those fantastic landscapes only as they quickly pass by your window. Also, you'll have no opportunity to stop and explore ruined castles, ringforts, etc. or get out and walk through some of those great landscapes.
Autumn is a great time of year for Ireland as the weather is generally crisp and comfortable, the summer crowds have slowed, and there are festivals aplenty! Of particular interest check out the Galway Oyster Festival in September, Cork's Folk and Jazz Festivals (the first and last weeks in October respectively), and the Kinsale Gourmet wyndham harbour island hotel Food Festival in October.
In terms of using public transportation, you may like to check out the website for the bus ( www.buseireann.ie ) and train ( www.irishrail.ie ) to get a feel for the easily accessible cities and towns. From central hubs like Dublin, Cork, Killarney, Limerick, wyndham harbour island hotel and Galway - you can use local transport, private hire taxi services, or guided coach tours to get anywhere you're hoping to go. If you find that during your visit you'd prefer to have a car, you can always hire one once you arrive and get a feel for the place, as you will have plenty of time to explore. I would suggest if you're looking for ultimate flexibility to consider the unlimited travel passes explained in detail on the Irish Rail and Bus Eireann wyndham harbour island hotel websites.
For Medieval Cities, littlejane's suggestions of Carlingford and Kilkenny are great options for day trips from Dublin. For Kilkenny in particular, I would suggest an overnight or two as the pubs really come to life in the evening with some of the best music on the island. From Kilkenny you can continue by train to Waterford, the oldest city in Ireland! From Waterford you can take the bus east to Wexford or south to coastal towns of Waterford and Cork. With public transportation you can continue in this way, going where Ireland takes you.
With 16 days you will have an opportunity to see quite a bit. If you're hoping to stay 5 days or so around 3 bases, Tony2Phones suggestion of Dublin, Killarney, and Galway would certainly fit the bill. I would suggest adding a 4th base in Cork to finish our your visit as well.
From Dublin you could explore the coastal fishing villages nearby on the Dart, taking guided coach tours to Newgrange Burial Tomb and Wicklow Mountains National Park, and take public transportation to access nearby cities such as Belfast wyndham harbour island hotel to the North (2 hours), Galway to the west (2 hours), and Kilkenny to the south (1.5 hours).
Galway is a university town with great character and charm. wyndham harbour island hotel For great food check out the Asian Teahouse, McSwiggan's Restaurant, and the famous fish and chips at McDonagh's. From Galway the day trips include a visit to Connemara National Park, Burren Mountains National Park, and the Aran Islands accessible by Ferry from Rossaveal or Doolin. This would be well worth 3-4 nights.
Killarney town is a very popular destination, well situated nearby to Killarney National park and the Ring of Kerry. I would say if you spend 3 nights here, you could also make time for Cork, which is accessible by bus.
Cork City is full of hidden gems, is extremely manageable by foot, and within easy reach of some fantastic attractions. 20 minutes by local bus service is Blarney wyndham harbour island hotel Castle, home to the famous Blarney Stone and some of the most beautiful grounds - particularly well coloured in Autumn. You can also access Kinsale, Ireland's food capital, within 30 minutes by bus or the Cobh Heritage town and Fota Island Resort within 15 minutes by train.
Hi reutiz, if you're hoping for a relaxing holiday with Medieval cities and beautiful surroundings - your 16 days in Ireland will be well spent. Autumn wyndham harbour island hotel is a great time of year for Ireland as the weather is generally crisp and comfortable, the summer crowds have slowed, and there are festivals aplenty! Of particular interest check out the Galway Oyster Festival in September, Cork's Folk and Jazz Festivals (the first and last weeks in October respectively), wyndham harbour island hotel and the Kinsale Gourmet Food Festival in October. In terms of using public transportation, you may like to check out the website for the bus ( www.buseireann.ie ) and train ( www.irishrail.ie ) to get a feel for the easily accessible cities wyndham harbour island hotel and towns. From central hubs like Dublin, Cork, Killarney, Limerick, and Galway wyndham harbour island hotel - you can use local transport, private hire taxi services, or guided coach tours to get anywhere you're hoping to go. If you find that during your visit you'd prefer to have a car, you can always hire one once you arrive and get a feel for the place, as you will have plenty of time to explore. I would suggest if you're looking for ultimate flexibility wyndham harbour island hotel to consider the unlimited travel passes explained in detail on the Irish Rail and Bus Eireann wyndham harbour island hotel websites. For Medieval Cities, littlejane's suggestions of Carlingford and Kilkenny are great options for day trips from Dublin. For Kilkenny in particular, I would suggest an overnight or two as the pubs really come to life in the evening with some of the best music on the island. From Kilkenny you can continue wyndham harbour island hotel by train to Waterford, the oldest city in Ireland! From Waterford you can take the bus east to Wexford or south to coastal wyndham harbour island hotel towns of Waterford and Cork. With public transportation you can continue in this way, going where Ireland takes you. With 16 days you will have an opportunity to see quite a bit. If you're hoping to stay 5 days or so around 3 bases, Tony2Phones suggestion of Dublin, Killarney, and Galway would certainly fit the bill. I would suggest adding a 4th base in Cork to finish our your visit as well. From Dublin you could explore the coastal fishing villages nearby on the Dart, taking guided coach tours to Newgrange Burial Tomb and Wicklow Mountains National Park, and take public transportation to access nearby cities such as Belfast to the North (2 hours), Galway to the west (2 hours), and Kilkenny to the south (1.5 hours). wyndham harbour island hotel Galway is a university town with great character and charm. For great food check out the Asian Teahouse, McSwiggan's Restaurant, and the famous fish and chips at McDonagh's. From Galway the day trips include a visit to Connemara National Park, Burren Mountains National Park, and the Aran Islands accessible by Ferry from Rossaveal or Doolin. This would be well worth 3-4 nights. Killarney town is a very popular destination, well situated nearby to Killarney National park and the Ring of Kerry. I would say if you spend 3 nights here, you could also make time for Cork, which is accessible by bus. Cork City is full of hidden gems, is extremely manageable by foot, and within easy reach of some fantastic attractions. 20 minutes by local bus service is Blarney Castle, home to the famous Blarney Stone and some of the most beautiful grounds wyndham harbour island hotel - particularly well coloured in Autumn. You can also access Kinsale, wyndham harbour island hotel Ireland's food capital, within 30 minutes by bus or the Cobh Heritage wyndham harbour island hotel town and Fota Island Resort within 15 minutes wyndham harbour island hotel by train. No matter where you decide to stay, you'll have access to great atmosphere, beautiful scenery and unbeatable craic, so enjoy! wyndham harbour island hotel Best wishes for your upcoming visit!
I'd love to see a trip report after you return from your trip. I'm an American, but I've driven in the UK and in Ireland a couple of times with little difficulty, except that we lost 3 hubcaps driving wyndham harbour island hotel on those narrow, wyndham harbour island hotel shrub-lined backroads in Ireland.
I'd like to know how a trip on public transportation would turn out. There are still areas I'd like to see in both the UK and Ireland, but I'm 76, and I don't know how long I'll want to drive on the "wrong" side of the road.
To really enjoy Ireland, I strongly suggest renting a car for your trip. Much of the charm of ireland wyndham harbour island hotel is in the smaller towns and beautiful wyndham harbour island hotel scenery. I think you will really wyndham harbour island hotel be missing wyndham harbour island hotel out on alot if you only use public transportation there.
Ok lets say I rent a car..and do Killarney and Galway and Dublin