Best way to visit Ireland with one's sweetheart?

Fly to Dublin and rent a car to travel the countryside.

Barefoot in the grass

Perhaps rent a little place in a pretty town and take day trips in all directions? It’s relaxing to have one home base. Check on line for these kinds of rentals.

Here’s a large listings of rental homes by owners.

You could half plan it and book time in, say Dublin, Galway and Killarney (for example) and then do what you fancy once there. The weather in Ireland is so variable that you are better planning day trips once you are there. Ireland is great for relaxing in and too demanding a schedule can spoil the atmosphere. It is best to leave some room for spontaneity. You can always return another year.

What works for us is a compromise and being flexible. My suggestion would be to either buy a tour book or check out some web-sites and put together individual lists of what each of you would like to do. Then, compare the lists and make a combined list, ranking them by ‘must do/see’ that is on both of your lists, and be willing to cross some off.

Once that’s sorted, let your spouse work out the travel itinerary. I prefer to do the research, including hotel and flight selections, but I have the time to do it. We recently used a tour group to go to Marrakesh, booked by a travel agency. The advantages were that a representative met us at the airport, provided shuttle service to the hotel, and then came to visit us a day or two after we arrived, just to check in on us and answer questions.

Cork is a great city with plenty to see and do, and some wonderful and varied scenery nearby.

I would explain just what kind of trip you want to a travel agent who can help you create it.

I’m not sure you can get stressed in Ireland, it’s too laid back, to be sure.

Ring of Kerry is lovely and is near Cork. You’ve got to see the Giants Causeway too, it’s on the north coast but top to bottom is only about a 4 hour drive.

Just make sure you try lots of Guiness and enjoy plenty of the craic.

YAY.. I live in Dublin and have been here for the past 5 years.

I am telling you the best part of Ireland is in the countryside.

First of all buy a travel guide for ireland.. A really good one like national Geographic or Lonely Planet.

Also a really good road map of Ireland… actually a Sat Naf would be much better . Both best.

I recommend you fly in to dublin.. spend only about 3 days here. Do the hop on hop off tour bus or the Viking tour ( more exciting) and walk around the city with a tour book. Dublin is a small city and very manageable city by foot . Actually it is better to explore it by walking around rather than in a bus or Car.

Nice places in Dublin county but outside the city centre you should visit is Howth and Phoenix Park. Both are easily accesible by buses from the city centre. Go into Dublin Bus on O’ Connell Street for Bus information or you can just google it.

Buses are very handy for getting around the Dublin city and are quite cheap. You must have change/coins though . Do not hand the bus driver notes please. Alternatively you can buy a Bus card from mini marts or newsagents throughout the city centre that are prepaid.

Do not take taxis if possible. They are 10 times the price of buses, but are quite safe and can be handy for heading home late after a night out at the pub :)

There are buses that go directly from the airport to the city centre.

One is the Aircoach for about 8 euro one way or 12 euro return and the other is a green bus called the Air link for 6 euro single. You can also take dublin bus but it is not as frequent or 24 hour but much cheaper about 1/8 the price of the other two buses.

Oh also in dublin take the train that passes along the sea side towns one morning it is lovely. get off at dunloghaire and from here there is a walk you can do up to killiney and back..just ask someone when you get here they will know what I am talking about.

rent a car and then go to the countryside..Renting a car is a must for country side visits. Ireland is not like other European countries where you can get everywhere by train. There are trains but they don’t have major coverage.

I think the best thing would be to visit one major city at each point.

North- Go to Belfast city and the Giants Cause Way

South – visit Cork- kinsale, the blarney stone… pass by ring of Kerry on the way to Cork

West – Galway and County Clare and the Aran islands. Donegal if you have time. Must see is the Cliffs of Moher and St. Patrick’s Head and Kylemore Abbey.

Boats leave Galway city and Doolin in County Clare through out the day for the Aran Islands. best to book trip to Aran islands in advance. just google it online or ask the B&B you choose in the west to give you info on it.

I say for each region North, South, West and Dublin and Aran Islands you need a minimum of 3 days each to explore the main things.

Also try to stay away from hotels. Stay in Bed and Breakfasts i.e B&Bs. they are much cheaper than hotels. I think in America you call it Guest houses.

Definitely better to plan independently.. agencies are a rip off..
and most Irish people especially in the country are friendly to visitors.. so don’t worry about getting lost or anything like that.

Make sure to visit pubs for a a good drink. :).

Make sure to visit the Guiness factory and one of the whisky factories like Jameson in Dublin or Bushmills up in Northern Ireland.

If you don’t like too much activity just google top ten things to see in ireland or something like that. You don’t have to do everything to get a feel for the place.

Oh also forgot. Don’t forget Norther Ireland is part of the United Kingdom so you have a currency change there to British Pounds :)

I don’t think you could surpass staying in a castle…even a little one! Perhaps where there is a lake you could take a little boat out on and that is close to a town with many activities your wife could participate in if you wanted to relax with a Guiness in the Great Lounge…and, a bit off the beaten track, is the fact Ireland has some of the finest antiques and horse breeders. I would start googling now! Have a lovely time and Happy Anniversary!