Ireland Road Trip
Planning a week-long vacation for five people can be overwhelming for even experienced travelers, including myself. Luckily, I had some great resources for planning this amazing Ireland trip including my good friend and travel adviser, Chelsea Martin from Passport to Friday, and the Ireland Travel Tips Facebook group. Even though August is the busiest month to travel to Ireland, I was able to keep things pretty affordable by using my Expedia employee discount and booking things early. Ireland is nice in August because there is little rain and the days are filled with 14+ hours of sunlight, but if I return I’d go in the spring when there are fewer travelers.
Here are the cities we drove to before taking the train in Waterford to Dublin at the end of the trip. We flew into Shannon and picked up the rental car at the airport. Rental cars are tricky and just overall more expensive in Ireland because they require extra coverage and insurance so budget more than you would think if you plan on renting a car.
Dublin
Hotels
The Shelbourne
The Wilder
Activities
Teeling Distillery Tour
Jameson Distillery Tour
St. Patrick’s Cathedral & Church of Christ
St. Stephen’s Green
Iveagh Gardens
Shopping on Grafton Street
Dining & Bars
Beanhive
FX Buxley
Murphy’s
Eatyard
Camerino
The Temple Bar
O’Donoghue’s
The Norseman
Limerick
Limerick was one of our top two favorite cities in Ireland. We had three amazing meals, the town is very walkable and there’s plenty to see in the surrounding areas. The Cliffs of Moher are less than an hour away and Bunratty Castle is only a 20-minute drive. We opted to tour Bunratty Castle instead of St. John’s because it was furnished and parts of the village were recreated or the original was still intact. Plus they have a ton of animals at the castle including Irish wolf dogs, pigs, goats, and cows.
Hotels
Limerick Strand Hotel
Activities
St. John’s Castle
Bunratty Castle
Dining
Katy Daly’s
The Locke
Hook & Ladder
Doonbeg
From Limerick, we drove to Doonbeg and stopped for dinner in the town (about a five-minute drive from Trump International). We loved the hotel because there are a ton of activities and if you’re a golfer this seemed like the place to be. It’s on the coast so it was pretty chilly and we ended up not doing any of the activities we planned on, I don’t know how the golfers made it through the course with it being so cold! The rooms are stunning and we loved that we got to stay together in the same cottage. The next morning we woke up and drove straight to the Cliffs of Moher. We were sad to leave so early, we all agreed two nights would have been perfect at this hotel.
Hotels
Activities
Cliffs of Moher
Golfing
Dining
Morrissey’s Seafood Bar & Grill
Trump’s Bar & Restaurant
Adare
Next stop on our road trip was the small village of Adare. We didn’t actually stay at Adare Manor (much to everyone’s disappointment), but we stopped in for tea and walked around the village. I think Adare is actually Cinderella’s hometown and Adare Manor is her castle, that’s how magical this place was. The thatched cottages lining the streets were so beautiful and everything was very quaint. Adare Manor, on the other hand, was anything but quaint. From the second we pulled through the iron gates and the security man in a top hat greeted us, we knew we were in for an experience. I don’t think pictures can even do Adare Manor just and it really took my hydrangea obsession to another level. We stopped in for some tea before heading to our next destination.
Hotels
Dining
Pat Collins Bar
Cork
We spent two days in Cork and it’s hard to tell if we just didn’t make the most of our time there or if we really didn’t enjoy the city as much as the others we visited. There is plenty to do in the surrounding areas, but we were kind of dragging by this point in our trip and didn’t feel like driving anywhere. We also struck out a couple times with restaurants and for a family of foodies this was disappointing after our previously amazing meals. Not to say Cork was a bust though, we really enjoyed the Cork Ghost Tour led by tour guide Damian. He was fantastic and really knows his tall tales and history of Cork. We also found a great breakfast spot and desserts at the English Market (we went two mornings in a row to get the same Croque Madame from the French restaurant).
Hotels
Activities
Cork Ghost Tour
English Market
Cork Clock Tower
Dining & Bars
English Market
Cask
Son of a Bun
Franciscan Well Brewery
Kilkenny
The last stop on our road trip was Kilkenny and it was our other favorite town in Ireland. The main draw for us to visit Kilkenny was to stay at the fabulous Mount Juliet Estate recommend by Chelsea. Within five minutes of arriving at Mount Juliet, we already knew one night was not going to be long enough. They also offer many of the same activities as the Trump International Doonbeg (horseback riding, fishing, golfing, etc.) but just a different atmosphere between the two properties. Mount Juliet is very historic and their equestrian ties date back over 400 years. We spent a couple hours just walking through the gardens and petting the horses in the pastures. Truly a perfect day with a very memorable afternoon champagne tea that was the highlight of our trip.
Hotel
Mount Juliet Estate