Ireland – Travel Guide – Itineraries

Soon you will have to start and book your holidays and a country worth visiting during the summer in Ireland. What makes this country suitable for a summer vacation is that temperatures here rarely exceed 26 degrees. In Ireland, there are very few chances to have rain, even if it’s only for an hour.

We have been living in Ireland for 6 months and we have been able to see almost the entire country, we still have some tourist attractions that we did not visit because we thought it was not worth the effort.

So, for a holiday week in Ireland, we suggest the following routes. We offer 2 variants because everybody may want something else from a vacation. For example, we want to see how many things we can in a very short time, but we do not visit many museums.

If you want an easier route to relax and enjoy landscapes, the next route will be perfect for you:

Ireland Itinerary V1
Day 1	Dublin
Day 2	Dublin, Wicklow Mountains National Park
Day 3	Dublin, beaches Dublin
Day 4	Dublin – Cliffs of Moher –  Galway
Day 5	Galway – Aran Islands
Day 6	Aran Islands – Dublin
Day 7	end

Dublin

You can spend the first days in Dublin. The first day will be full or not, depending on your plane. We had a plane that landed about 10 am, but also a plane that landed at 11 o’clock at night, so the first day may differ slightly. The next two days can be spent in the city, exploring the streets and tourist attractions, but also strolling on the beach, see what you can visit in Dublin here.

Or you can take a short trip south of Dublin, where you can explore the Wicklow Mountains National Park. It is a mountain area with beautiful landscapes and it is worth visiting, especially if you rent a car. When you return to Dublin you can also stop at Hell Fire Club, the ruin of a club built in 1725 and which is considered to be haunted. It is worth trying to see if you meet a spirit or not.

Cliffs of Moher

From day 4, the exploration begins, and the first stop is at Cliffs of Moher, located on the west coast. These cliffs are gorgeous and they will leave you stunned. Just like all the outdoor attractions, you have to be lucky to have good weather so you can admire their true value because of they are more beautiful on a sunny day. Below are pictures of their capture in both versions, which you like more?

Galway

After visiting the Cliffs of Moher, you can enjoy the city of Galway. A small and chic town with great architecture and good food. You can walk through the center, seafront, grab a pint in one of the pubs and have fun. If you choose to go by train, then you can come to Galway first, then take the bus to the Cliffs of Moher. If you choose the bus, it can also be taken from Dublin to the cliffs and then to Galway. Depending on your wish can make a lot of combinations when it comes to transport.

Aran Islands

After a night of fun, it’s time to go to the Aran Islands. To get here, you’ll need to take the ferry. You will explore the island with bikes. More details about what to do on the island can be found here. Just like in Galway, a night on the island may be enough.

The next day in the evening you can leave the island and return to Galway or Dublin to spend the last night in an Irish pub. Depending on your flight back home, on the last day, you can explore a little bit more, but it is best to arrive early at the airport.

The second route that we are proposing to you is a more compact one and is intended for those who want to see almost all of the country in just a week. This route is not intended for those who want to sleep late and enjoy brunch, it is for those who wake up at 7 am, and by 9 am they are already in town and start exploring.

Ireland Itinerary V2
Day 1	Dublin
Day 2	Dublin
Day 3	Dublin – Cork
Day 4	Cork – Cliffs of Moher –  Galway
Day 5	Galway – Aran Islands
Day 6	Aran Islands – Dublin
Day 7	end

 

As you may have noticed, on the second route we also squeezed the city of Cork, about which you can read more here.

The two routes are only guidelines to give you an idea of how you can spend a week in the Republic of Ireland. But we encourage you to customize your program according to what you want to see. For example, one of the nights you can spend in a medieval castle, which we also want to do when we are going to make another visit to this country.

To wear

In summer, Ireland is a beautiful land, especially if you do not want to melt because of high temperatures. But the wind can’t stay away, in the summer it is warm and pleasant, and in winter it’s another story. There is a great chance that in a week spent in Ireland you will enjoy at least one rain, even for a few minutes. Depending on your luck, you will need a raincoat or at least a hoodie. Umbrellas are somewhat useless in this country because of the wind. Besides this drawback, you need clothes for any weather, there are no restrictions imposed by community or religion.

Transport in Ireland

Transport is quite well established when it comes to trains and buses. You can travel all over the country without problems, in very good conditions. The roads have a good asphalt, without pits, some portions being very narrow, but that’s the charm. You can get from the highway to a country road in the middle of the wilderness in just 2-3 minutes.

If you choose to rely on trains and buses, you will not enjoy narrow roads and unexpected stops if something attracts some interest (maybe even a fort of fairies).

It is best to rent a car for the period spent outside or around Dublin. So you can move much easier and have greater flexibility. If you are under 25 years of age, you should keep in mind that you will be charged higher fee be the renting company, higher insurance, and everything will be much more expensive. And do not forget that cars are driving on the right side of the road, which can be a real challenge at first.