Hi Everyday Travel Adventurers!
Seems like this year is just flying by! St. Patrick’s Day is upon us, so I thought it’s the perfect time to have a guest on the blog today to talk all about Ireland. I’ve never been there before but after hearing her stories it’s definitely on the travel bucket list! Without further a-due I bring you our guest writer….
This is Sam, Kelli’s sister and fellow traveler. This year I had the pleasure of traveling to Ireland, and while I was not there for Saint Patrick’s Day I still think it is fitting post for the day.
This was a pretty quick trip, only 6 days so we only saw a small part of the country and spent our time in Dublin and Galway. We weren’t interested renting a car so we spent most of our time walking the city with the occasional day trip out of the city.
Dublin:
Dublin is a very walkable city with a lot of character, there really is something for everyone. If you’re not interested in renting a car you can take the Airlink Express from the Dublin Airport to most parts of the city. I stayed in Temple Bar which is a busy neighborhood filled with pubs, restaurants and boutique stores. And the bus stop was only a few minutes walk to my hotel.
Some of Dublin’s highlights include:
The Guinness Brewery: This is by far one of the best brewery tours I have done (though I’m no expert). The tour is self-guided but very interactive with a lesson in beer tasting, pouring a proper Guinness and you also get to be part of a Guinness ad. When you are finished with the tour you end up in the sky bar where you get a free Guinness and a 360* view of Dublin. Even if you don’t enjoy beer this is still a worth while attraction. Expert tip: Entry in to the brewery is very popular and there is usually a line to get in. If you know you want to go to Guinness I would recommend getting a fast track ticket ahead of time so you can skip the line!
DoDublin Hop on Hop off bus: I love walking around new cities and exploring different areas. I think the hop on hop off bus though is a great way to get a layout of the city and explore other areas that may be too far to walk. I have done quite a few of these hop on hop off buses and I have to say this one is one of the better ones I have done. I covers a lot of ground. If you can wait for one of the buses with a live tour guide the commentary adds a fun spin.
Day trip to Belfast/Giants Causeway/Carrick A Rede: While I would have loved to spend a few days in Northern Ireland I just didn’t have enough time. We did however take a day trip with Wild Rover Tours hitting Belfast, two parks, the Giants Causeway and Carrick A Rede. Belfast is where the Titanic was built and In 2012 the city built the Titanic museum. The Titanic museum sheds light on the history of Belfast and the Titanic itself. The guide also gave some very enlightening history of Northern Ireland and the troubles they experienced between 1960-1990. The Giants Causeway and Carrick A Rede are two beautiful parks on the coast of Northern Ireland where you get plenty of time to explore.
Food: Pubs in Dublin are EVERYWHERE, and the food is fantastic. I would highly recommend trying some Guinness stew, it quickly become one of my favorite meals. It is a beef stew in gravy made with Guinness. If you couldn’t tell Guinness is a big part of this city’s history!
Galway
Galway is considerably smaller than Dublin but a lot of fun. We took the early train from Dublin to Galway to really take advantage of our time there!
What to do in Galway:
Hop on hop off bus: Normally the Hop on Hop off bus in Galway is only running during the summer months, however we were there over the Christmas/New Year holiday and they had them running. The Hop on hop off in Galway doesn’t have as many stops as the buses in other cities however it does go a little further out of the main city center. Which is especially nice if you are relying on public transportation or walking most places. The guides also do a great job of providing some interesting history of the city.
Cliffs of Mohr: The Cliffs of Moher are iconic having been featured in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and The Princess Bride. They are a several hour drive from Galway but the drive is beautiful, I loved getting the opportunity to see the Irish country side (including all the sheep 🐑 ). You don’t always expect to have a lot of time when you are on a tour to explore as you want but we were given quite a bit of time at the cliffs and had the opportunity to walk along the edge of the cliffs and explore.
Food: Being on the coast of Ireland, Galway has some AMAZING seafood. My favorite was McDonagh’s a family owned restaurant that has been a part of Galway since 1902! To end the night I would highly recommend getting some ice cream from Murphy’s. Murphy’s is handmade ice cream from Dingle, they have interesting flavors that taste fantastic.
Ireland is an awesome country and I would recommend that everyone add it to their bucket list. I barely scratched the surface of what it has to offer and would take advantage of any opportunity to go back. Ireland in December/ January is pretty cold, so maybe in the summer next time!
ETA 