Self Driving Tour- West

Hi Randee,

There are lots of super guides based in Dublin City that you could get in contact with. Please take a look at the Tour Guides directory for details and contact information.

The Maldron Hotel, Kevin Street is on the other side of the Liffey to the Q Park, Malborough St, you may wish to get a taxi from the hotel as it will take about 10-15 minutes by taxi. It is possible to take a bus, this will require a walk of about 5 minutes to the stop and about the same time the other end.

With regard to the Collision Damage Waiver, this is specific to each rental car company so please check their terms and conditions. We have some information on car rental which has some great links to the Car Rental Council of Ireland should you wish to contact them too.

There is also another community post regarding car hire that you may wish to take a look at.

Hope this helps, and let me know if you have any more questions!     

Martin

Hi Randee,

Lovely to see everyone contributing ideas and research for your trip, great tips from Áine and Bill!

Regarding car rental, I work for Europcar.
I'd advise reading the terms & Conditions and bring what the company has asked for.

For example, Europcar's policy is-

• Main driver a holder of a US issued World MasterCard or Canadian issued Gold/Platinum Visa/MasterCard.
• Letter from credit card company confirming coverage.
• Pre-authorisation excess of €5000. 

Providing you meet the requirements to use your credit card cover, you will be fine.

Enjoy your trip to Ireland.
Lianne

Hi Everyone!!! I cannot believe we are leaving for Ireland soon! So excited. Another question - I am thinking that on our second day in Killarney we visit Ring of Kerry, Dingle etc. Is that a difficult drive from the Brehon Hotel?
How many hours would it take us, to visit and drive to these areas? Are there private guides that pick you up at your hotel and take you?
Also, Bill, does the Cliffs of Moher cruise allow you to get off the boat and walk around or are we seeing everything from the water?
And how long is the trip from Galway to Aran Island of Inis Oirr and how much time do we spend on island, if any?
Hoping for beautiful sunny weather!!!

The Ring of Kerry is on one side of Killarney and Dingle is on the other, ideally you could spend a day doing the Ring and another day in Dingle Peninsula. You could definitely join a tour or hire a driver, the Brehon hotel should be able to help you if you don't want to drive? The distances are short but the roads are narrow and super scenic so it's not easy to appreciate the views and navigate unless you have time! Check out the routes on google maps for a good idea of the times and distances involved. You could do it all in one day in a big rush if you wanted but it seems a pity to do that. 

The weather is glorious at the moment!

Doolin Ferry- This is a link to Bill's ferry company with details of the Cliffs of Moher and Aran Islands trips. Hope that helps and Bill doesn't mind me butting in!

Hi Randee,

Not long indeed until you are with us, how time flies!

Big thanks as always to Love Ireland for some great information. The Ring of Kerry and Dingle peninsula are definitely places you will want to spend some time and both on the same day will be rushing things, you will want to take in the views rather than driving through to get somewhere else.

Corcoran Tours has regular coach tours and private hire tours to both locations, please take a look and see if this would be something that interests you, saves on the driving too! Dingle Tours also offer a private tour of the Dingle peninsula with some excellent local information from Dennis the tour guide.

The Cliffs of Moher and the Aran Islands are also great places to visit, we have another post on Tips for my trip to Galway that has loads of excellent information on the area and also on visiting the Aran islands.

There is also a previous post by Bill regarding their services and the Best view of the Cliffs, please take a look and also at some of the similar topics at the bottom of the post.

I hope this helps and that when you are here you will post some of your photos as you travel.

Speak soon,

Martin

We are planning a self driving trip along the west, as well. We would like to add a stop or 2 in between westport and kilkenny. We are open to anywhere in the yellow circle. We prefer the road less traveled/less touristy and my husband/daughter would like a nice hiking spot. We are traveling with 2 teenagers. 

One place I was considering is Doolin as we would like to take a trip to the aran islands. We have already been to the cliffs so that is not on our list. 

Thanks!

We would also be open to this route

Hi Carrie,

Either of those two routes look fantastic and are filled with many great spots. If you are indeed open for the second route, you might want to consider a stop at the Beara or Dingle Peninsulas - you will find some wonderful hikes there. 

A hiking or biking trip through Connemara might be another fun adventure for you and your family. Or what do you think about dolphin watching? Day 4 of this sample itinerary gives you a good starting point for a fun filled day out by the sea. 💦 If you end up visiting Doolin during your trip (and I can highly recommend it), you could plan in a visit to Doolin caves, where you can find Europe's largest stalactite. 

I hope you like some of these ideas - if you need any further help or other suggestions, please do not hesitate to reach out! 

Wishing you a nice day 
Sarah ☘️

Hi Carrie
Welcome to the forum!  We would (for possibly selfish reasons) love to see you here in Doolin as part of your trip :)  I promise you would not regret it.  Particularly as you mentioned that you would like a nice hiking spot, and are travelling with teenagers.  I can honestly say that the Burren and North Clare would tick a lot of boxes for you.  
For your particular family, I think Inis Mor is a great choice. The island is only a 35 minute spin from Doolin (we have invested in bigger, faster and more comfortable ships in recent years).  There are fabulous places to hike to, the most famous being Dun Aengus, but there is also the less famous but possibly more beautiful Black Fort on the other side of the island as well as the naturally formed wormhole, know as Poll na bPeist - the Serpent's Lair - if you fancy some sea swimming!
I'd be happy to help you plan out a visit to this area, so let me know if you have any questions.
Best of luck and enjoy the planning :)

Joan