Glendalough and Dublin enough time for both?

[NancyC]

Our ship will be in Dublin for 12 hours April 18. I want to see the countryside as well as experience the culture. My plan is to take a ship tour to Glendalough for 5 hours (really to see the green countryside that I think of Ireland being) and then see Dublin on my own in 4 hours. Is this realistic? Is Glendalough and the drive worth cutting my time in Dublin from 12 to 4 hours? All opinions welcome.

[electra2008]

I have just google mapped Dublin to Glendalough and it is approx 250 miles round trip seems like you would be coaching the whole trip and not much stopping time. Not my idea of a fun day. I have found most cruise arranged trips to be mostly sit on a bus and awful IMO, but each to his own. If you Tripadvisor Dublin forum you will get a much better response. People who live there tell you all sorts of good info.

[VMax1700]

Glendalough (county Wicklow) is 35 miles from Dublin and is well worth the time to visit. http://www.glendalough.ie/

if the tour visits Powerscourt House and Gardens also, then you are on a winner.

Prioritise your other 'must sees' and 4 hours will get you to see a lot of them. Don't waste time with Guiness Store house, go for the history!

[Mairnealach]

Originally Posted by NancyC

I want to see the countryside as well as experience the culture.

Hi Nancy,

Let's take the above as our starting point and work from there. Historic Glendalough, and the Wicklow countryside, is definitely worth seeing. Of course, what the weather will be like on the day you are here is in the lap of the gods.

Cruisetimetables.com lists the Grand Princess as being in Dublin on April 18 from 08.30 to 20.30. If this is correct, I am assuming that the coach tour will last from around 10.00 to 15.00. In that case your four hours in the city will be from 15.00 to 19.00. Please let me know if this is not the case.

Do you know where the coach drops you off in the city centre after the tour? Coming from Wicklow, I assume it will be in the St Stephen's Green area. So I would suggest that you go first to the National Museum of Ireland which is a five minute walk from Stephen's Green. Admission is free and it is much more interesting, in my opinion, than paying to see a page from the Book of Kells in Trinity College. The Museum closes at 5pm. This would give you time to pay a quick visit to the National Gallery, also free and just around the corner, and walk through its Irish collection rooms. The Gallery close at 5.30pm.

For your final hour in Dublin, I would suggest that you go to Duke Street, five minutes away and just off Grafton Street, and people watch while having a relaxing drink in the fashionable Bailey or Davy Byrne's pub. If you are lucky you may be able to snaffle an outside table on the pavement. Then get a taxi back to the ship.

Well, that's my two-penneth worth. Please let me know if you have any queries.

Dermot

[april47]

I think I remember the bus gave a tour of Dublin before we went to Glendalough. I know I have pictures of Dublin as well as Glendalough.

[cnd crsr]

Nancy.

We did the ship's tour to Glendalough a few years ago and had plenty of time to see Dublin on our own, Glendalough is well worth seeing. See you on the Grand.

Gail (cnd crsr)

[NancyC]

Thanks so much. That is what I was hoping to hear. We will have a GRAND time then.

[Orange County Murphy]

may I ask your advice for a 2 day driving trip from Dublin? We will have an overnight in Dublin giving us 2 days to explore the countryside. We have visited Ireland several times on independent driving tours and have booked a car. Could you recommend an itinerary? We are considering Powerscourt and Glendalough but what else might we see? We have been to Newgrange and found it fascinating. Our plan is to overnight at a B & B.

Thank you.

[Mairnealach]

Originally Posted by Orange County Murphy

may I ask your advice for a 2 day driving trip from Dublin? We will have an overnight in Dublin giving us 2 days to explore the countryside. We have visited Ireland several times on independent driving tours and have booked a car. Could you recommend an itinerary? We are considering Powerscourt and Glendalough but what else might we see? We have been to Newgrange and found it fascinating. Our plan is to overnight at a B & B.

Hi O C M,

Sorry if I'm being dense, but could you kindly clarify how long you are staying here. Do you arrive and overnight in Dublin, and then have two full days, with two more nights in B & Bs, to explore the country? Or, after Dublin, are you only spending one more night here? This will determine how far from Dublin it will be practical for you to travel.

Dermot

[Orange County Murphy]

Hi Mairnealach,

Sorry I wasn't more specific. We will arrive in port (Alexandra Quay Pier) at 08:00 on Sept. 8 and sail at 23:00 on Sept. 9. We will have just 1 overnight away from the ship.

Our previous port will be Belfast where we have booked a car and will drive to the Giant's Causeway and hopefully also see some of the Mourne Valley . The ship is not in port overnight in Belfast.

Our port after Dublin is Waterford where we plan to do a walking tour (and shopping!).

Colleen

[Mairnealach]

Originally Posted by Orange County Murphy

We will arrive in port (Alexandra Quay Pier) at 08:00 on Sept. 8 and sail at 23:00 on Sept. 9. We will have just 1 overnight away from the ship.

Hi Colleen,

Your plan to visit Powerscourt and Glendalough, presumably on the Saturday, seems fine. A useful resource for planning your journey, and assessing distance and travel time, is the Automobile Association (AA) Route Planner:

http://www2.aaireland.ie/routes_beta/

So that leaves Sunday to consider. One suggestion, which may be way off the mark, would be to attend a racehorse meeting. Horse racing attracts a wide cross section of Irish society and with its colour, noise and excitement would be in total contrast to the monasticism of Glendalough. There is a race meeting at the Curragh, in County Kildare just west of Dublin, on Sunday 9 September. It states on the Curragh's website 'Europe's top fillies compete for Group 1 glory in the 40th Moyglare Stud Stakes, while the Most Stylish ladies compete in the Newbridge Silverware Search for a Style Icon competition.'


Another possibility would be to visit the pleasant, small city of Kilkenny which is 71 miles from Glendalough: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilkenny
Kilkenny Castle is one of its attractions: http://www.kilkennycastle.ie/en/

I offer these two suggestions for your consideration, Colleen. If neither is what you are after please let me know and I will put my thinking cap on again.

Dermot

[Orange County Murphy]

Hi Dermot,

Thank you for the suggestions. The AA Route Planner will be very useful. Kilkenny sounds appealing, and the races at the Curragh also sound like fun.

Colleen