Spending one week in Eire is ample time to find the sweetness and attraction that the Emerald Isle has to supply. On the subject of breathtaking landscapes, wealthy historical past, and heat hospitality, Eire by no means disappoints.
From the colourful metropolis lifetime of Dublin to the fascinating cultural scene of Galway, this week-long itinerary guarantees an unforgettable journey via two of Eire’s most fascinating cities.
Get able to discover historical castles, experience conventional music, and savor the best Irish delicacies.
2 Days in Dublin
Two days in Dublin is nearly the precise size to discover the capital of Eire. It’s a culturally wealthy metropolis with quite a few museums and vacationer sights to go to. And naturally, it’s completely full of numerous bars and eating places.
Dublin Day 1 Itinerary
Take within the magnificence of Trinity School
A go to to Trinity School, Eire’s most prestigious College is an effective way to start your journey to Dublin. Right here you may go on a tour of the ‘Guide of Kells’. It is a medieval non secular manuscript thought of to be one of many oldest books on the earth.
It’s believed to have been crafted by Celtic monks again in a monastery on the Isle of Iona circa 800. The tour is a large vacationer attraction the place you may be taught all in regards to the creation of the ebook in nice element.
And this tour additionally permits you entry to the principle chamber of the School’s Previous Library, often called the: ‘Lengthy Room’. This unbelievable 65-foot-long chamber is without doubt one of the most spectacular libraries on the earth and is just an impressive sight to behold.
Though on the time of writing the Lengthy Room goes via an costly restoration course of, so practically the entire numerous cabinets are empty. However there are some books on show on the bottom ground, together with the oldest harp in existence.
Go to Oscar Wilde’s house
Not too removed from Trinity School is one other cultural and historic focal point; Oscar Wilde’s childhood house. It’s doable to go to the inside of considered one of Eire’s most celebrated poets and literary darlings of the 1800s for the worth of 12 Euros. There’s additionally the choice of a full guided tour that lasts 90 minutes and prices 20 Euros per individual.
It is a fascinating alternative to achieve perception into Oscar Wilde’s upbringing firsthand. The home is of Georgian structure and nonetheless options interval furnishings from his time there. And straight reverse the home, you will have Merrion Sq. Gardens.
It is a beautiful park to walk round and also you even have a well-known sculpture of Oscar Wilde which is nicely value seeing as nicely.
By the way in which, if you happen to’re fascinated by structure and planning to go to Dublin, you received’t need to miss this entire Dublin Structure Information.
Go to some Dublin museums
There are over 40 museums to find in Dublin, which is a large quantity and it’s unimaginable to find all of those in simply two days after all. Many of those museums are freed from cost as nicely.
Persevering with with our day one itinerary of Dublin, let’s discover two of the preferred free museums inside the metropolis:
Nationwide Gallery of Eire
Primarily based simply throughout the street from Merrion Sq. Gardens is the Nationwide Gallery of Eire, which is nicely value a go to if you happen to like your artwork. The everlasting assortment is completely free to enter and options an intensive variety of Irish and European work relationship again to the Center Ages.
The constructing itself is a pleasure to stroll round and the gallery is taken into account top-of-the-line in all of Europe. It’s extremely really helpful to spend not less than 1-2 hours right here to understand all the nice art work on present.
Nationwide Museum of Eire-Ornamental Arts & Historical past
Subsequent on our checklist is the Nationwide Museum of Eire – Ornamental Arts & Historical past, situated at Collins Barracks, a former army barracks. That is one other completely free museum to enter, which focuses on historic and modern collections and provides a deeper perception into Eire’s cultural heritage, army historical past, and extra.
There are quite a few collections housed right here that are actually fascinating and you may simply spend a few hours appreciating the numerous antiques, costumes, and ornamental gadgets from Eire’s previous and current.
Expertise the numerous pubs of Dublin
After a busy first day experiencing the cultural highlights of Dublin, it’s time to finish it with visiting one (or a number of) pubs that may be discovered within the metropolis.
In fact, no journey to Dublin is full with out savoring a pint of Guinness in considered one of Dublin’s many pubs. The thought of offering hospitality with a drink and a spot of relaxation is deeply ingrained into Irish historical past.
Consuming institutions actually grew to become trendy in Dublin again within the seventeenth and 18th centuries and so they’re nonetheless simply as in style to at the present time. The town’s Temple Bar district is the liveliest place you would want to uncover, situated on the south financial institution of the River Liffey.
This space is filled with conventional Irish pubs, most of which characteristic reside Irish conventional music. Essentially the most well-known of those pubs is after all Temple Bar, which all the time seems full and filled with vacationers having fun with a slightly pricey pint of the black stuff (round 9-10 Euros right here!).
However there are a complete host of bars which are simply as full of life and entertaining and have cheaper Guinness (usually round 6 Euros). Getting some typical Irish meals comparable to Irish stew and a drink on this district is a should!
Dublin Day 2 Itinerary
Dublin Fort
Day two in Dublin begins with a go to to Dublin Fort, a historic web site with exceptional structure and exquisite gardens. The fortress is the very best level in all of Dublin and is predicated handily within the metropolis heart.
It’s probably the most necessary websites within the metropolis with an extended, advanced historical past relationship all the way in which again to 1204. You possibly can be taught all in regards to the fortress on a self-guided tour right here and tickets price 12 Euros for adults.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
After Dublin Fort, the following cease is a go to to the magnificent St. Patrick’s Cathedral, a shocking instance of Gothic structure. Primarily based within the historic Liberties District of Dublin, the Cathedral was based in 1191 and is known for its every day choir and its beautiful inside.
There are every day, free guided excursions of the Cathedral which you’ll be able to request upfront through the Cathedral’s web site, and entry is free if in case you have a Dublin Move which you should purchase upfront as nicely. In any other case, it prices 9 Euros to enter for adults, and round an hour ought to suffice to absorb all of its glory.
Guinness Storehouse Manufacturing facility Tour
Following lunch, it’s time to get pleasure from a tipple or two of the black stuff on the well-known Guinness Manufacturing facility or Storehouse because it’s referred to as today. This place is without doubt one of the prime vacationer sights in all of Dublin, as after all, Guinness is its most well-known product that it’s given to the world.
The storehouse consists of a number of flooring stuffed with historical past in regards to the well-known Irish beer, all inside the manufacturing facility that has been producing it for over 250 years. On the highest ground is what’s referred to as the Gravity Bar, which options wonderful 360 views of Dublin.
Tickets price round 29 Euros which is a bit steep, however you do get a complimentary pint of Guinness upon reaching the Gravity Bar.
Jameson Whisky Distillery Tour
And having skilled the Guinness Manufacturing facility, you may comply with that up with a tour of Dublin’s different favourite drink on the Jameson Distillery Whisky Manufacturing facility. Based in 1780, right here you may be taught all about this well-known Irish spirit. Plus, you may learn to make your personal whisky and get to style a few of it as nicely!
Tickets price 25 Euros per grownup, which much like the Guinness Manufacturing facility value is actually not low cost, however an pleasing and enjoyable expertise nonetheless.
Touring from Dublin to Galway
After two days in Dublin sampling all of its many delights (and doubtless recovering from these delights too!), it’s time to move over to the west coast of Eire, to the attractive metropolis of Galway.
Touring from Dublin to Galway is comparatively simple. The most suitable choice, if counting on public transport, is to catch a prepare from Heuston Station, which is located simply exterior of town heart and definitely inside strolling distance.
The prepare journey to Galway takes round three hours and is a nice journey, passing via a number of Eire’s wonderful countryside and stopping off at a number of small cities. Tickets price round 30 Euros and the prepare itself has snug seating with loads of house.
You possibly can catch a bus to Galway which is cheaper however takes longer and the views are fairly as aesthetically pleasing.
3 Days in Galway
So how does Galway examine to Dublin? It’s a a lot smaller metropolis however nonetheless has quite a bit to supply. It jogged my memory just a little little bit of what Brighton is to London in England; it’s a distinct vibe, quirky but historic as nicely. It feels extra like conventional Eire in comparison with Dublin, which after all is a serious European metropolis.
3 days in Galway is an effective size of time to find the entire metropolis’s many sights. Let’s take a look at among the many issues that there are to do and see on this full of life, coastal metropolis.
Galway Day 1 Itinerary
Galway Metropolis Museum
The easiest way to begin your itinerary in any metropolis in my view is to be taught a bit about its historical past, and there’s no higher approach to try this in Galway than a go to to the Galway Metropolis Museum. It is a actually good museum that has three flooring of fascinating exhibitions.
These exhibitions delve into Galway’s previous, with numerous fascinating artifacts and historic gadgets. The exhibitions clarify what life was like for the Gaelic individuals a number of hundred years in the past, as much as the previous century, and the political revolutions that town has skilled.
It additionally options Galway’s proud musical historical past and the numerous well-known rock bands which have performed right here over time. It’s free entry into the museum and you may simply spend 1-2 hours right here educating your self.
Go to the Magnificent Galway Cathedral
Galway Cathedral might be town’s most spectacular constructing to go to. It’s a Roman Catholic Cathedral that was once town’s jail till it was transformed in 1958.
The inside of the Cathedral is actually a spot of surprise. It’s an enormous house inside with wonderful brickwork and stained glass home windows. Entry to the Cathedral is free, although donations are appreciated.
Benefit from the Ambiance of the Latin Quarter
The Latin Quarter is undoubtedly the beating coronary heart of Galway Metropolis. It’s identified for its vibrant, colourful streets, boutiques, and conventional Irish pubs, most of which have reside music most nights.
This could be a surprisingly busy place, in the course of August all of the bars and eating places have been packed to capability, with lots of people queuing exterior ready for a desk. I might go as far as to say it was busier than Dublin, with vacationers from everywhere in the world having fun with the Latin Quarter.
It’s a full of life outdated place with nice nightlife, making for an pleasing finish to your first day in Galway.
Galway Day 2 Itinerary
Go on the Lengthy Stroll of Galway
Transferring on to day two of our Galway itinerary, and we’re beginning it with some train on what’s often called the ‘lengthy stroll’ of Galway. You possibly can start the lengthy stroll by passing below the Spanish Arch; which was in-built 1584 the place items have been transferred from ships to the quays.
After passing via the arch you may proceed down the Lough Corrib, the place you’ll cross by a row of conventional colourfully painted homes, with views of Galway’s harbour the place you’ll see a number of fishing boats.
In case you’re nonetheless feeling energetic then you may proceed throughout the harbour all the way in which to Mutton Island Causeway. Though you may’t truly enter Mutton Island, the causeway gives lovely ocean views, with Salthill seen within the distance.
Bask within the solar at Salthill Promenade
Good climate will not be essentially the very first thing you consider when planning to go to Eire, however you could be in for a shock! In case you go to Galway throughout the top of summer time then it’s doable you could get pleasure from some good sunshine and exquisite blue skies if the climate Gods are type to you.
Visiting Eire in Winter? Examine this out
Don’t count on tremendous excessive temperatures, however you could expertise some good days round 20-25 levels Celsius. And if so, then there’s no higher place to absorb the rays than Salthill Promenade, situated simply exterior of Galway.
There are a number of sandy seashores alongside the promenade, in addition to outlets, eating places, and cafes.
Go on a Nature Hike to Menlo Fort
To complete off a full day of train, you may stroll (or possibly bike) a nature path that results in Menlo Fort. It is a beautiful, peaceable nature stroll alongside the River Corrib and likewise passes a number of College campuses.
After round half-hour of strolling, you’ll see reverse the river the stays of Menlo Fort. Though it’s not doable to enter the fortress because it’s simply ruins, it’s nonetheless a formidable sight even from throughout the river.
The fortress dates again to the sixteenth Century and is a reminder of Galway’s wealthy historical past. It’s the proper place to absorb Galway’s beautiful countryside as nicely, particularly on a pleasant sunny day.
Galway Day 3 Itinerary
A Day Tour to the Cliffs of Moher
The cliffs of Moher are Eire’s most well-known pure attraction, and a go to there’s the proper ending in your final day in Galway.
It’s doable to journey there by public bus, however I’d extremely suggest reserving a day tour upfront. There are numerous excursions to select from and a number of them embody numerous vacationer spots that you simply’ll go to in your method to the cliffs of Moher.
My tour was an eight-hour spherical journey that left Galway at 10 a.m. The tour information (who was additionally the bus driver) was very informative all through the journey, giving data on the quite a few villages that you simply drive via and the historical past behind them.
Let’s take a look at among the stops you may count on to make in your method to the cliffs:
Dunguaire Fort
This was the primary cease on the tour and we got round 20 minutes to discover the fortress. Dunguaire Fort is without doubt one of the most well-known castles in all of Eire. It overlooks the shores of Galway Bay and dates again to 1520.
There are a few present outlets contained in the fortress and you may pay to go as much as the highest stage of the fortress to have a greater view of the shoreline.
Poulnabrone (Portal Tomb)
The second cease on the tour was Poulnabrone, a portal tomb that’s the oldest megalithic monument in all of Eire. It dates again to the daybreak of man and is a captivating web site when you think about that’s it older than the Egyptian Pyramids!
What precisely is a portal tomb I hear you ask? Effectively, it’s a prehistoric stone chamber consisting of two upright slabs and a vertical slab on prime, which resembles a desk, sort of. They have been used for a number of totally different causes, with Poulnabrone being a burial web site.
That will not sound very fascinating, however when you think about the traditional historical past of those portal tombs then it’s fairly an astonishing factor to behold. There are round 180 portal tombs scattered round Eire as nicely and they’re a singular glimpse into the nation’s ancestral previous.
Lunch at a Conventional Irish Pub
After visiting Poulnabrone, will probably be time for lunch. Included in my tour was a fast cease at a standard Irish pub. Contemplating there have been round 60 individuals on the tour, the employees on the pub we visited was extraordinarily environment friendly and the meals (and the Guinness) was superb too. The value of the lunch wasn’t included within the tour value nevertheless, which is value protecting in thoughts.
Cliffs of Moher
After lunch it’s time for the principle attraction; the long-lasting cliffs themselves. Count on dramatic and panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean, which actually are breathtaking. There are two routes you may take on the cliffs; in direction of the precise, you may head in direction of O’Brien Fort which has an remark tower if you happen to really need essentially the most spectacular views of the cliffs.
I visited the cliffs in the course of August and there have been a number of vacationers there, which meant an extended queue to entry O’Brien Fort. The opposite route is over the principle cliffs and stretches for a number of kilometers.
It’s doable to do that however keep in mind how a lot time it’s a must to spend at Moher; our tour had two hours so not sufficient time to finish the hike over the cliffs. There’s additionally a restaurant, present outlets, an info heart, and even a small cinema that has been constructed into the cliffs.
They are surely awe-inspiring and spending a complete day to see them is completely value doing and a powerful suggestion.
Conclusion
This one-week itinerary for exploring each Dublin and Galway supplies a balanced mix of historical past, tradition, pure magnificence, and native experiences.
Eire’s attraction is actually fascinating, and whether or not you’re wandering via the bustling streets of Dublin or embracing the creative spirit of Galway, every day guarantees a brand new journey and a deeper reference to this enchanting land.
Maintain studying:
Mark Jeavons runs Solo Journey Man