Ireland Travel Question: What is the Best Group Itinerary?
Best Group Itinerary in Ireland?
Having been to Ireland so many times with kids, what would be your recommendation on the best itinerary for our group? I think this is the hardest for us to decide in looking at everything. They all seem great, but we realize that it is hard to do everything in such a short time. We don't want to be too overwhelmed with moving around from place to place that we don't enjoy any one place, but not sure when we'll get back so obviously want to see as much as possible. Would flying into one airport and out of another change any recommendation?
Answer:
It can be difficult to not overdo, especially if your trip to Ireland may be ‘once in a lifetime'. Even I struggle with that. I usually have an idea of the places I want to visit, but only two ‘must visit' places per day. At those two places we just dig in and take in everything we can, for as long as it takes. Sometimes it doesn't take as long as we thought it might, and other times it takes longer. But at those two places we have chosen, we let our interests dictate how long we stay- not a clock. If we can fit in other things- great! If not, we know that we saw what was most important to us.
As for deciding what to do? Consider everyone's interests. If anyone has ‘must see' sights, mark those on a map, then figure out if they can all work into one schedule, keeping to the ‘2 sites per day' rule. If you plan to rent more than one vehicle, consider splitting the group once or twice to allow people to visit sites they are interested in but others maybe less so.
So, I suppose the most important thing to remember is to be flexible. Don't stress out over what you missed, but enjoy what you experience. Does that help?
If you are looking for one area that really ‘has it all' consider heading toward the ‘Sunny Southwest' – Cork, Kerry & Limerick. Here you'll find everything that visitors come to Ireland for : dramatic coastal vistas, castles, megalithic tombs, culture, lively pubs, terrific music, and loads of craic.
As for flying in to one airport, and out of another- it can certainly be nice. If both Dublin and the West of Ireland are on your itinerary, I say fly in to Dublin and out of Shannon. Shannon is my favorite Ireland airport – it's smaller, less crowded, and the people there are so incredibly helpful.
Do you have a question about Ireland travel? View the Ireland Travel FAQs page or email your question to Jody(at)IrelandFamilyVacations(dot)com. I will reply directly to you as well as add your question to this page- because if you need an answer, it’s likely someone else does, too!
- Musical History Tour of Dublin with Fiona Dalton - October 3, 2024
- The National Famine Museum at Strokestown Park and the National Famine Way - October 3, 2024
- 5 Common Mistakes When Planning an Ireland Vacation - September 26, 2024
