90 day travel itineraries

Looking to see if anyone has built a scrapbook or written itinerary they could share - We are wanting to travel the island, including Northern Ireland over 90 days - trying to determine how long should we allow in each area? August, September & October. Thanks

Hi Bert.
It's a huge task to determine an itinerary if you are going to Ireland for 90 days.
One could make up a route for you with details of places to see and to do. However, I think you are better off first making a strategy of what it is you are interested in:
- Landscapes
- Irish music and dance, arts
- Wildlife
- Pubs, food and city life
- Education, environment, techno stuff
This would help you find out where to go and help others to find the best routes.
One thing that springs to my mind if you are going in August. If you like PUFFINS, go to the Skelligs in County Kerry! Puffins appear in the Star Wars film The Force Awakens. Do it before they disappear in September. Like J.J. Abrams, the director of TFA put it: "I think there were 10 million puffins and the next day they were gone!"

Hi Bert,

A 90-day vacation on the island of Ireland from August to October sounds like a fantastic idea!

Many thanks to Poul for some tips on starting points when considering a long time on any journey and itinerary. With some idea on what you wish to see and do, an itinerary will open up.

There are some excellent itineraries available on our main pages for the Causeway Coastal Route, The Wild Atlantic Way, and Ireland's Ancient East.

We also have some lovely threads here on the community too regarding itineraries, please have a wee look and see if they can offer some helpful tips.

West Coast Kinsale-Galway 

Length of Visit

First trip to Ireland

15 days in Ireland

I hope this gives you lots of inspiration, and I'm sure some other fellow members and industry partners will be able to add to this list!

Speak soon,

Martin

Poul & Martin
Great input - thank you! We want to see the countryside, cities and the environment of Ireland. We think we’ll get to experience the food, music & some wildlife traveling these areas. I noted the Causeway Coastal route has timelines in the left margin - perfect!
I think we will stay in Dublin a couple of weeks to do the walking tours of the city. But I don’t know if we should take a train to other city’s like Galway & Killarney and then rent a car or should we just rent a car in Dublin and drive to those city’s? Then stay a week in those city’s .

Thanks

Hi Bert,

It's great that you have such flexibility with your holiday allowance!  I am hoping you will choose to Visit the Causeway Coast and Glens on the northerly coast of Northern Ireland.  The area is famed for its rugged coastline, long golden beaches, coves and cliffs.  There are a great variety of attractions in a relatively small area and because it is a popular holiday destination, there is an excellent range of accommodation to choose from.

A good way to explore the area is by taking the well signposted Causeway Coastal Route (A2) heading North out of Belfast.  Travelling northwards you will come to the area known as the Glens of Antrim.  The Glens are beautiful green valleys surrounded by forested hills and edged by the Atlantic Ocean.  The scenery changes round each corner of the coastal road as you head for Ballycastle.  From there the route heads west going past attractions such as Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge, The Giant's Causeway, Game of Thrones filming locations, The Bushmills Whiskey Distillery, Dunluce Castle and Mussenden Temple.  Please see the following link for an example of a 3 day itinerary along the Causeway Coastal route:

https://www.visitcausewaycoastandglens.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/CausewayCoastalRouteItinerary.pdf

Perhaps you could then continue West towards Derry/Londonderry and into Donegal to follow the Wild Atlantic Way.  The options are endless!

Should you have any further questions about the Causeway Coastal Route, please get in touch with Coleraine Visitor Information Centre and we will be happy to assist. 

Good luck with planning your trip!
Alison

Hi Bert,

Looks like you've already gotten some great suggestions to help you start your planning. The in-depth info Alison provided about the Causeway Coastal Route looks really helpful!

When you're driving from city to city, travelling through the countryside and natural landscapes connecting them all, I'm sure you'll be able to taste the food, catch the tunes and spot some wildlife along your way (summer to autumn is the perfect time for whale spotting). 90 Days looks like ample time to cover the whole coastline, linked by the already mentioned Causeway Coastal Route, Wild Atlantic Way and Celtic Coastal Route. 

Dublin is an excellent starting point for your journey, with some lovely walks to be made inside and outside the city.

Renting a car and driving around on your own or sit back and relax while the bus/train takes you are both lovely ways to travel. It might be an idea to combine the two - using public transport to go from city to city and rent a car for small periods of time to explore the surroundings, or even combine it with day tours to visit some of the important sights nearby. 

I think it might be helpful to your planning if you make a list of things you absolutely want to do or see and plan your route accordingly. Maybe even aim to include some events or festivals happening at a certain time at a certain place, for an even more unique trip! 

I hope some of these suggestions prove inspirational and I'm interested to see how your itinerary will be taking shape!

Regards,
Joris

The idea of public transport (bus or train) to a city and rent a car from there might be a good idea. Never tried it myself, but I can imagine it can work out for several cities such as Galway City and Killarney in Kerry.

With a base in Galway city you could explore Connemara, Clare, Mayo and perhaps Sligo. Of special interest in 2019 is a visit to western Connemara. Just south of Clifden is the site where Alcock and Brown crashed down a hundred years ago (on 15th June 1919) completing the first non-stop transatlantic flight.

Kerry is awesome. Kerry has two and half peninsulas to explore (most of the Beara Peninsula is in County Cork). The base could be in Killarney. Driving, it would 3 to 5 days to explore, but walking it all could take weeks. If you drive, you have to travel the land of Tir na n'Og - Land of Youth. Some say it's in Connemara but seeing the valley in the heart of The Iveragh Peninsula you might feel you are now in Tir na n'Og. You have to start at St. Finian's Church on the N70 main road in New Chapel Cross near Waterville. Head north east 12 miles until the road travels up hill. Stop at Ballaghasheen Pass and enjoy the views before heading down into the valley. See the image below. At a T-junction you decide whether to go to Killorglin or head south through mountains to Moll's Gap and back to Killarney

Hi Bert, how lovely to be coming to Ireland for 90 days and such a lovely time to visit.  Armagh City situated just 40 minutes from Belfast City is a beautiful place to see, with many historic places and beautiful walks.  Our web site is very helpful and shows you all that Armagh has to offer www.visitarmagh.com

August is when we have our very famous Blues festival which is running for a successful 9 years this year https://www.visitarmagh.com/armaghs-7-hills-blues-fest/. 

Also Armagh being famous for its many Orchards holds an annual food and cider festival in September https://visitarmagh.com/festivals/food-cider/

Another great website is www.discovernorthernireland.com this will guide you on accommodation and any other information about Northern Ireland you may need.

I hope you have a great time in Ireland

Regards

Karen

Hi Bert

Sounds like a fantastic trip and with a 90 day trip you will experience many of the world class attractions that is on offer. As my colleagues in this thread have already explained, two unmissable routes to visit when visiting this part of the world would be the Causeway Coastal Route as well as the Wild Atlantic Way. Both routes possess an endless stream of beautiful landscapes, stunning attractions, cultural towns, outstanding hospitality as well as much more.

Derry-Londonderry, in the North West, provides the perfect base for exploring both these routes as the city provides the official link where the Wild Atlantic Way meets the Causeway Coastal Route. Not only that, the city is an excellent historical and cultural location with a series of visitor attractions steeped in history. The Historic 17th Century City Walls are likely to be of interest to you with all of the wonders which the Walled City has to offer. The city also boasts the accolade of the only entirely walled city in Ireland. Other excellent cultural and historic landmarks throughout the city include Guildhall, World Famous Murals, St Columb’s Cathedral as well as many fascinating museums and exhibitions. The city also provides great options for tours, leisure, shopping and dining which can help to provide further options for your family to explore. There are many excellent accommodation options, throughout the city, should you choose to spend the night here.

More detailed information on what the city has to offer can be found on our official website here. We would also invite you to contact us should you have any inquiries or questions at all. We are more than happy to help.

Kind Regards

Barry 

Web: www.visitderry.com
Tel: +44 (0) 28 7126 7284
Email: info@visitderry.com 

Karen - thank you for the information we’ll try to make it to the cider and food festival