My husband and I went to Ireland (Cork, Dingle and Dublin) for part of our honeymoon in August of 2017, the following itinerary is based on that experience. Additional information & tips along with a link to a video of this trip can be found at the end of the post.
Day 1 (½ day): Cork
Arrived at Cork Airport at 14:30 and took a 15-minute taxi ride to our hotel, the Lancaster Lodge; simple, clean and comfortable for a good price. We were able to explore the town on foot the rest of the day.
First stop was St. Fin Barre's Cathedral: spired, Gothic Revival building; stunning. It was free when we went, but now is 6.00€ per adult. Next was Shandon Bells & Tower St Anne's Church: 18th-century working church. Walk up 132 (very steep) steps and get a 360 degree view of the city. You can also literally ring the bells. A must do. 6.00€ per adult. Popped into the English Market: organic and locally produced food in an an 18th-century covered market. Passed by Bishop Lucey Park and saw the Medieval City Wall.
I had marked Market Lane and Coqbull for dinner but we went somewhere else that is not worth mentioning. We walked along St Patrick's Street; since its redevelopment in 2004, it has twice won the award as Ireland's best shopping street. Crossed the river for a drink and some music at Sin é; a pub from 1889. A must do. Grabbed snacks from Centra for our next few days on the road.
Walk Total; 5.7 mi / 9.1 km
Day 2: Blarney Castle & Boat Tour
Breakfast (8:00ish) was at a lovely little cafe near the hotel that is now closed.
We took a taxi to Hertz and picked up our tiny rental car (paid extra for an automatic, so we could fully concentrate on driving on the left side of the road). About 20 minutes later, we made it to the Blarney Castle: 15th-century castle, home to the Blarney Stone. There are mixed reviews for this experience, but I thought it was amazing. Go early - we got there right as a few tour buses pulled up so we did not have to wait behind them. We toured the castle, waited in a short line for The Stone - which allowed for taking in beautiful views and kissed the stone for good luck (then promptly wiped our mouths with hand sanitizer). Also took some time to wander through the grounds, which were beautiful. We booked tickets online (you get a 2€ discount) resulting in an adult ticket @ 16.00€. A must do.
An hour and 15 minutes later we stopped at St Finbarr's Oratory: a tiny church on Gouganebarra Lake. It it was a very serene experience with gorgeous views. Utilize “Ireland’s Top Toilet” before you leave. Two hours later, we arrived in Dingle!
Checked into Dingle Benners. Clean, great location and had a good breakfast in the morning. Free parking. We made for the last tour of the day with Dingle Dolphin Boat Tour: 1 hour; a great way to learn about the area, see the cliffs from a different perspective, and see the local dolphin Fungie. Adult @ 16.00€.
Dinner at Ashes Bar & Restaurant. Plates around 25€. They have an early bird special (17:30 - 18:30, you need a reservation) but didn’t make it. Very, very good meal. Spent the rest of the night listening to music at O'Sullivan's Courthouse Pub and The Dingle Pub. I would go back to either in a heartbeat. A must do.
Walk Total; Total 5 mi / 8 km
Day 3: Dingle Peninsula Drive
As a rough guide with some information while we drove, we used Rick Steve’s guide. There are endless possibilities for stops along the 47 kilometers; there are some signs to guide your stops (some are 3-10€, so remember cash) but also just stop whenever you want/are able to. My advice; drive slow (Go Mall), enjoy the view, and if you see an interesting sign or possible view, stop and check it out. Be aware that this is a two-way road but feels like a one way situation the entire time. I promise that whatever you see, it will be worth it. This was hands down my favorite day of the whole trip.
Dunbeg Fort: 500 BC site
Sheepdog Demonstrations & The Famine Cottages: see sheepdogs do their thing and feed some animals! I want to say it was 6-10€ per adult. This was the most memorable stop.
Cross at Slea Head: stuck in traffic due to the RVs, we saw this from our car.
Slea Head Viewing point: lovely
Dunquin Harbour: walk down the long path to get to the sea, very cool.
Ceann Sraithe: gorgeous lookout point, can see Clogher Strand, (also a stop).
Gallarus Oratory: simple, sandstone archaeological site from the 12th century and the only unrestored example in Ireland. 4€. The visitor center also has a restroom.
Kilmalkedar Church: has the Ogham stone - a tall skinny stone out front, the hole was drilled centuries ago as a place where people would come to be married by touching thumbs through the hole. You can use this to renew your vows.
We arrived back in Dingle early afternoon, and shared a cone and a coffee from The Bean and Murphy’s Ice Cream (small chain, very good!) and grabbed a late lunch at Reel Dingle Fish: takeaway fish and chips. The best we had on our entire trip.
After a rest at the hotel, we did some pub hopping for beer and music. Paudie's Bar sticks out as a highlight. For dinner, we had a late reservation (must make one) for Out of the Blue: it has been rated in the top 100 restaurants in Ireland for multiple years (about 30€ a plate).
Walk Total; 5.3 mi / 8.5 km
Day 4: Cliffs of Moher and Dublin
Setting out after breakfast for a 3.5 hour drive, we were at the Cliffs of Moher by 12:30. Price varies on the time you go. We walked over to O’Brian’s Tower for a full view of the cliffs, and then just kept walking south (the entire path is about a 5 km stretch) toward 'viewpoint south'. Not very far down the actual path ends, and any type of barrier disappears so you can go right to the edge, so use caution while enjoying breathtaking views. A must do.
After enjoying the west coast air, we got back in the car and headed east for three hours until we hit Dublin; we at snacks in the car and didn’t make any major stops. We did what we like to call ‘on-the-go’ sightseeing (capturing random sights and castles with my hand and go-pro out of the car window). We returned the car and took an Uber to our hotel.
Checked into The Morgan Hotel: it looks like they have had a face lift since we stayed (used to be more funky), but we thought was a great hotel. It is in Temple Bar, so great for first time visitors and we were able to walk everywhere. Dinner at The Old Storehouse Bar and Restaurant; good music and traditional food. Stopped by The Temple Bar; expensive drinks/crowded but always has good music and is iconic. Ended with the The Stags Head, a beautiful Victorian pub from the 1770’s.
Walk Total; 5.2 mi / 8.3 km
Day 5: Dublin Highlights
Started the day by crossing the Ha'penny Bridge (used to be half a penny to cross) and eating breakfast at The Bakehouse: lovely spot that I would (and have) eaten at again.
Spent the rest of the morning & early afternoon walking around the city. Some highlights included Dublin Castle: dating from 1204. Christ Church Cathedral: medieval place of CofI worship. St Patrick's Cathedral: national cathedral, dating from 1220. You can tour all three, but we just enjoyed the outside. Made our way to the Guinness Storehouse; a mostly self-guided tour that I must say was pretty cool. Starts at 20€, buy online to save time (includes a sample and a pint). A must do.
Headed back into town for a late lunch, at my all time favorite spot in Dublin, Grogans: the atmosphere is lovely (no music or tv, just the sound of chatting). Cash only. Get a toastie and a Guinness; you will not regret it, I promise.
Walked along Grafton Street (main shopping street), listened to street performers. At the end of the street is St. Stephen's Green park, which we strolled through and then looped back north and strolled through the Trinity College grounds. We were too tired to do the Book of Kells, but it is something that is on my to-do list. After a nap and some tea, we had dinner at Merchant's Arch: 1821 building with traditional Irish fare & live music. Ended the night with a pint at O’Donoghues: great atmosphere.
Walk Total; 9.4 mi/ 15 km
Day 6 (½ day): Dublin City
Our main point of the day was the Jameson Distillery; 20€, buy online to save time (included a hosted tour, whiskey tasking and a drink). I am not a whiskey drinker, but I really enjoyed this tour. A must do.
Headed back to town for lunch at Klaw: I recommend getting the lobster roll. Wandered the town until it we headed to the airport on an Airlink bus.
Walk Total; 4.2 mi / 6.7 km
Notes:
Watch the video of our full trip.
Things I would change:
Utilize transit more; over taxis to save money and for some of the stretches where we walked really far.
Utilizing google maps. I didn't know you could save/mark all the restaurants and sites and after figuring that out, I honestly don't know how I survived without it.
Foods to try:
National dish is Irish Stew. Others to try; full Irish breakfast, bacon and cabbage, shepherd's or cottage pie and soda bread. Drinks: Guinness and Irish Coffee.
Travel tips:
Figure out an idea of sites you want to see; this will determine a centralized area for where you should stay. Especially if you are only there for a few days, you don't want to waste time getting into town.
Google reviews seem to be the most accurate rating system for restaurants around Europe. If you want good food, stay away from main streets with lots of neon signs, go a few streets over.
Mark everything on your google maps. This also seems to be the best (walking) navigation app.
Get up early(ish). Especially for major sites, so you won't have to fight crowds or have a million people in your photos.
Other:
This trip happened over two years ago, so there are gaps; apologies for this.
The goal of my blogs are to give as much information in as little words as possible. Planning for a trip, especially overseas, can be stressful and overwhelming and a lot of blogs are an overflow of information. I try to do as many quick links as possible, to send you directly to the website of the attraction, restaurant, hotel etc. so you can get the most accurate and up-to-date information possible (fees and timetables).
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Safe and Happy Wandering.
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