Itinerary first timer to Ireland

Goodday all of you,
As first time visitor to Ireland, I would like to ask the experts to have a look at our raw itinerary for a trip for 16 days in the second half of May. We are planning to rent a car from the airport until arriving back to Dublin and then, the last days in Dublin itself, going around by public transport.
We (2 adults) are arriving on the 16th May into Dublin and will leave again on the 31th May from Dublin.

Our preliminary idea is the following:
Arriving Dublin 
Wicklow Mountains (2 nights)
Cork (2 nights - visit Cork)
Killarney (3 nights - Ring of Beara / Ring of Kerry / Killarney National Park)
Ballyvaughan or Doolin or somewhere in the region (2 nights - Cliffs of Moher and ???)
Galway or region (3 nights - Connemara / Galway)
Dublin (3 nights)

Is this realistic or do you have some other idea's / tips / etc........
We would like to stay in B&B, Inns or guesthouses
And is staying outside the city center in Dublin easy to do with public transport?

Very curious for all the comments and/or other tips......

have a nice day,
Gerrit

Dag Gerrit,

The itinerary you have thought of is ideal for a first visit! There's a good balance of sightseeing and driving time in every area. To help you evaluate the driving time, feel free to have a look at our itineraries suggestions, especially the part of your trip along the Wild Atlantic Way

Since you seem to have more time in Co. Clare, I could for instance suggest you a stop at the Burren. The geopark is close to Doolin and the Cliffs of Moher.

Staying at B&B's is a truly unique way to experience Irish hospitality! We have a handy search engine that lets you search for accommodation and display the results on the map, which is convenient to plan your itinerary. 

You can easily reach the center of Dublin by bus, commuter train or tramway while staying outside of the city. Feel free to use the Transport for Ireland website to map the routes you'll have to take. Since you'll be in Dublin for 72 hours, it might be a good idea to purchase a Leap Visitor Card. It also includes airport transfers after you will have returned your rental car. 

Is there anything in Dublin you are looking forward to seeing on those three days?

Vriendelijke groeten,
Antoine

Hello Gerrit
A short and simple answer for you.
In my opinion this is a very good and comfortable itinerary. 
Enjoy yourselves. 
Conor

Good morning all of you,
Many thanks for your input and replies.
Some questions arise ... Coming from Cork in the morning to Killarney, is there enough time allowed to visit Killarney Nat. Park / Ring of Kerry, Ring of Beara and opt. Dingle Peninsula in 2,5 day? (We have planned three night in Killarney)
In Dublin we want to go some shopping and sightseeing (I have seen the Guiness storehouse and Jameson by myself a couple of years ago)
What is the best town to stay for visiting Cliffs of Moher / the Buerren?, in the evening dining, pubs.....
What is the best part in Dublin to stay concerning connection with public transport to the city centre and airport ?

Thanks for reply and have a nice weekend
Gerrit

Coming from Cork to Killarney, I suggest the afternoon in the National Park. In the park you will be walking or cycling while visiting Muckross House and Gardens, Torc Waterfall, Muckross Abbey, and finally Ross Castle before arriving at your accommodations. You still have 2 full days now to drive the Ring of Kerry or Dingle or The Gap of Dunloe (walk and lake boat). Where ever you decide to stay in Killarney you will be provided with information all everything I have suggested above.
On the coast for the Cliffs of Moher and The Burren - you have Lahinch, Doolin and Ballyvaughan all beautiful destinations with good accommodations and local social life. As I said before - you have very comfortable time to do all you want.
Conor

Goedemiddag Gerrit! :) 

I completely agree with Conor on the suggestions for your time in Killarney and the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren. Doolin is really closeby, and it will allow you to see as much of the area as possible. 

When it comes to Dublin you've got a good connection to public transport in almost every area. Is there anything else you have in mind for your accommodation in the city? I'd love to help you narrow down the options. If you stay in the city center itself, you can easily explore everything on foot and find bus connections to the airport. 

Ik hoor het graag als je vragen hebt! :) 

Hi,

Not sure if you have taken your trip yet, would highly recommend Newgrange, it is out of this world and with the tour i took - https://graylineireland.com/dublin-tours/newgrange-tour-from-dublin/ - I had a great time. You get to see the coastal town of Howth, Newgrange with a tour of the tombs and then on to the Hill of Tara!!!!

They have loads of experiences with nature which you can see here - www.graylineireland.com - if you are interested.

Hi all, 
Many thanks for your tips/info so far.
We are puzzling to finally make a choice.....
The trip itself is already fixed, but we need some input from the experienced one (you.....)
which places would be convinient to overnight at:

Wicklow Mountains (coming from Dublin/airport)
Cliffs of Moher / the Burren
Galway/Connamara

maybe you give us some advice / tips....

cheers and stay health..!!

Hi Gerrit,
It sounds like things are coming along!

Near the Wicklow Mountains National Park, towns such as Laragh or Rathdrum would be good bases to explore the area during two nights, including the Glendalough valley.

As Conor said, Doolin and Lahinch are great choices near the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher. I can also suggest you Lisdoonvarna, even closer to the Burren.

In Co. Galway, you have a few more options. If you'd like to focus on Connemara National Park for instance, Clifden is a popular choice.

Again, our search engine lets you display B&B's on the map and you can filter the results by region or county.

Fijne dag nog!
Antoine