Hi,

I am flying into Dublin on June 26 (from Germany) and am interested in things to do outside of Dublin. I am staying in Dublin from July 1- July 5 so, I will get to see Dublin then.

What would be the best use of time/money to see the most of Ireland in 5 days?

I was thinking about a kayak tour, but don't know it that is worth it given the short period and that I would love to see the countryside, too, if possible.

OH- I am traveling alone.

thanks!

I rode the bus around Ireland for several days, stopping in major cities and a few smaller places along the way. Galway and the Aran Islands are beautiful. I also rented a bicycle in Limerick and rode to Tipperary (then rode the bus back the next day to get my stuff). There are probably more scenic rides you could take but it was a nice change of pace and a good way to meet people when stopping along the way.

I never made it to the Ring of Kerry, but that supposed to be fantastic. There are some other things to do listed on our Ireland travel guide.

You can cross the country pretty quickly, so there's certainly no reason to stay put. My suggestion is to get off the plane and head for Galway. Citylink runs a bus every hour from the airport, though only the 3:15 bus skips Dublin entirely. Now, Galway's a neat city, but with only 5 days to spare, I wouldn't linger too long. My favourite part of the country is the Aran Islands, which are easy to get to from Galway. Rent a bike there. Connemara is also beautiful, and there's a couple of hostels in the area that provide a good base for hiking.

Kayaking sounds great, too, if you can find a tour. Spending the whole time doing that would be an interesting way to see the country, and you'd probably end up stopping in some smaller towns that don't see a lot of visitors, which would definitely be interesting.

Kerry's pretty, but it's really overrated, and done up for the tourists. When you've only got a short time, I wouldn't bother.

My money would be on Galway/Aran Islands too. The cliffs on Inishmore are a sight to see. You can take a puddle-jumper from Connemara Airport @ Inverin (near Galway). Hire a bicycle and ride to the different parts of the island.
You can also take a ferry to the islands.

County Meath was fun. Home to ancient earthworks, tombs and castles...if you're into that sorta stuff. Navan is about an hour north of Dublin on the N3 road. Bus Éireann has regular bus service to the area. You're sure to find an out of the way pub to enjoy a few pints. They are nothing like the pubs in Temple Bar, Dublin.


==Zip==

THESE are great! I had not even heard of those islands.. and, a bike ride around the islands
sounds awesome!

I am going to take a bus to Belfast from Dublin .. stay there for 2 days then head to Galway.

Thank you!

Hollie