I’d like to be in an area that has both rural and urban experiences. Ex. clubs and pubs, then castles and old world towns? I don’t know. I’ve never been to Ireland. I need some pointers!.
Oh and with your ideas… what airport would I fly into?
How long are you going to be there and do you intend to hire a car? Ireland is still a very rural country and you can’t miss the rural countryside, you have to drive through it to get from town to town. Bear in mind towns are smaller than than the average European or American towns. Public transport isn’t good in the rural areas so bear that in mind.
You could fly to Shannon and do the west, Kerry and Cork first for a first visit, I would suggest you fly into Dublin or Belfast and explore the east coast and if you have time then move west or further south.
Starting from Belfast go to:-
Antrim Coast Road, Glens and Giants Causeway. Carrickfergus castle, Belfast city which has great clubs and pubs.
Head south to Dublin and enroute visit:-
Newgrange (Bru na Boinne), battle site of the Boyne, Malahide Castle,
Dublin – full of history from viking times to the founding of the Republic.
Then from Dublin do Co. Wicklow: Powerscourt House, Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough.
If you have the time and inclination after all that, you can head west or south or even north again and take in other parts. All depends on what you want to do and see, what your interests are, what time of year you are going to be there and how much time you have.
Have a look at these various websites for ideas.
I would stick west coast fly into shannon. You could get a good mixture of urban and rural that way! You could visit the ring of kerry, see the blarney stone, see a few castles also galway would be a definite stop as an example of an irish city. Then if you decide to head further north you could visit mayo and donegal where you will be able to see the real ireland where you can go to irish music sessions and see the relaxed way of life!!
Enjoy!
References :
How long are you going to be there and do you intend to hire a car? Ireland is still a very rural country and you can’t miss the rural countryside, you have to drive through it to get from town to town. Bear in mind towns are smaller than than the average European or American towns. Public transport isn’t good in the rural areas so bear that in mind.
You could fly to Shannon and do the west, Kerry and Cork first for a first visit, I would suggest you fly into Dublin or Belfast and explore the east coast and if you have time then move west or further south.
Starting from Belfast go to:-
Antrim Coast Road, Glens and Giants Causeway. Carrickfergus castle, Belfast city which has great clubs and pubs.
Head south to Dublin and enroute visit:-
Newgrange (Bru na Boinne), battle site of the Boyne, Malahide Castle,
Dublin – full of history from viking times to the founding of the Republic.
Then from Dublin do Co. Wicklow: Powerscourt House, Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough.
If you have the time and inclination after all that, you can head west or south or even north again and take in other parts. All depends on what you want to do and see, what your interests are, what time of year you are going to be there and how much time you have.
Have a look at these various websites for ideas.
References :
http://www.discoverireland.ie
http://www.discoverireland.com
http://www.discovernorthernireland.com
http://www.discovernorthernireland.com
http://www.visitnorthernireland.com