05/23/2024
Story #1 of #72
In 2017 I decided I had to take the leap, and just book the trip to Ireland that I have always dreamed of!
I mapped out the country, choosing points of interest that were of highest priority and then studied the public transportation system, because I was fairly certain I did not want to rent a car.
We started our 9 day journey, arriving in Dublin and immediately boarding a bus for Belfast, which is in Northern Ireland. We spent 2 nights in Belfast, exploring the coast and amazing places like Giant’s Causeway, and touring the Titanic Museum.
From Belfast we bussed back to Dublin, and caught a connecting bus to the West Coast of Ireland, spending 2 nights in Galway which was pure magic. It is a little coastal town with a fun vibe, a great live music scene, and some of the most beautiful little villages around it.
During our time in Galway, I had booked us a Cliffs of Moher tour, which was a group event and guided, which I felt was valuable to us. The craziest part of that tour was the add-on boat trip out to the Aran Islands, which is a small cluster of islands off the coast that are only inhabited by around 250 people. It was like stepping back into time. Incredible! The rest of the time I left unscheduled so we could just roam and discover, and I’m happy we did that as well!
From Galway we caught a bus down the Western side of Ireland, and landed in Cork, which is a southern port city. While it was neat, and felt more similar to an American city, when I go back, I will probably cut Cork out of the itinerary. It just did not hit the right mark for me and it was pretty inconvenient to get there.
The next stop on my self-made itinerary was Kilkenny, which might be my favorite town in all of Ireland. It had the perfect quaint small town vibe, little cottages, a beautiful castle, a stunning cathedral - and best of all - a boarding school that looked like it belonged in a Harry Potter novel. It was soooo cool! We did a Brewery tour there, and the castle tour, while staying at a modern resort with a fantastic spa.
After our 2 days in Kilkenny we walked to the train station and caught a quick 50 minute train back to Dublin where we settled in for the rest of our stay.
The only thing I booked was a half day tour down to see the Wicklow Mountains which was just beautiful, I’ve never seen so many cows or sheep in one place in my life. It was that picture perfect Irish countryside.
The last few days in Dublin we probably walked 30 miles total, we walked all over that city, seeing castles, museums, the famous streets of Temple Bar and went out to listen to live music and made a new friend who happened to also be from Columbus, OH!
Overall, Ireland has stayed in my top 5 travel experiences of all time. It is a remarkable place with warm, friendly people and so much culture and history.
I can help you plan a trip like mine to Ireland with all the bells and whistles, castles stays, and luxury day trips for roughly $6000 per person with air.
But, I can also do a fabulous trip like mine with a smaller budget of $3000 per person with air, fitting in all the great tours - if you have flexibility to go during off-peak times, and stay at more modest accommodations.
You want to be sure you can carve out enough days in your schedule to get the full experience you are expecting. I would say 8-10 says is the ideal length to get in a good trip. I can do more or less, it is just really about your schedule availability and budget.
My custom tours can often be booked with a deposit, and then paid off over time, making it ideal for those that have this trip on a bucket list, but need time to save and budget for a trip of this caliber.
If you would like to schedule a consultation for your custom Ireland tour, message me and I will get you on my calendar!
