Ireland Itinerary – Part 1

It’s happening!!! We’re going to Ireland!! I spent hours and hours researching, planning, and squealing in excitement. We ultimately decided on an 11 day tour of Ireland and Northern Ireland with a day trip to the Scottish Isle of Islay. From there I created a day by day Ireland itinerary to narrow down where we will stay and what we are hoping to visit. I’ll cover the first half of our trip in this post, then add the second part next week. Here we go!

Day 1

• Drive to Newark Airport
• Park at Newark Airport Long Term Parking 
• Fly from Newark to Dublin overnight

Day 2

• Land in Dublin!
• Take a taxi to our hotel to drop off bags (and hopefully check in early)
• Attempt to stay awake as long as possible, but maybe throw in a nap
• Explore the neighborhood (we typically just walk around our hotel for a while on the first day to get acquainted with the area)
• Tour Dublin Castle
• Visit the Temple Bar neighborhood for dinner, drinks, and Irish music!
• Stay: Holiday Inn Express Dublin City Centre
  • 28 O’Connell Street Upper, Dublin, Ireland

Day 3

• Visit Trinity College and the Book of Kells in the morning to avoid crowds (obviously the library is a required stop)
• Use tickets purchased in advance to tour the Guinness Factory
• Wander throughout the city – mostly to look for bookstores 🙂

Day 4

• Take a taxi back to the airport to pick up our rental car
• Drive 1.5 hours to the town of Kilkenny
• Kilkenny
  • Visit Kilkenny Castle
  • Grab lunch in the medieval city center
• Drive to the Rock of Cashel – a collection of medieval buildings in the countryside
• Optional: Visit Cahir Castle – one of Ireland’s largest and best preserved castles
• Stay: AirBnB –  Modern Farmhouse in Cashel

Day 5

• Drive 2 hours to Killarney
• Hike in Killarney National Park 
• Find lunch in Killarney
• Drive round the Dingle peninsula
• Check in to our AirBnB for the next two nights – Thatched Cottage on the Wild Atlantic Way

Day 6

• Wake up early to drive around the Ring of Kerry
• Stop halfway to see Skellig Michael, where parts of The Last Jedi were filmed.
• Enjoy the evening in a local pub

 

Costs:

Flight to Dublin on United                         30,000 points + $6
Holiday Inn Express Dublin                        40,000 IHG points
Cashel AirBnB (1 night)                             $70 per couple
Killarney AirBnB (2 nights)                        $250 per couple for two nights
Car Rental                                                 ~$50 / day per couple 
Guinness Factory Tour                              $30 / person
Dublin Castle Tour                                    $12 / person
Kilkenny Castle Tour                                 $10 / person
Rock of Cashel                                          $10 / person

Check out Part 2 of our Ireland itinerary here!