Visiting Ireland on a Budget and Limited Time
See Dublin, Northern Ireland and Seals in Howth All in Four Days
Mar 7, 2009
The first step in planning a trip to Ireland is figuring out how to get there. Travelzoo.com is an amazing web site with awesome deals on travel both within the United States and overseas. In January, the site advertised a four-night vacation with roundtrip airfare to Dublin, Ireland, and a hotel room for $399. Customers have the options for upgrades on most of these packages as well.
Seeing Dublin
Dublin’s city centre is where history, music and great shopping come together. On Kildare Street, there is a block of museums such as the National Museum of Archeology, the Natural History Museum and the National Writer’s Museum, that are free to visitors. If the museums are not free, the charge is minimal. Trinity College, St. Stephen’s Green and the Library are also free must-sees in Dublin. The city centre offers great shopping, dining and, of course, the Temple Bar area on Dame Street. This cobble stone street area is home to lively bars such as Oliver St. John Gogarty’s and The Auld Dubliner that offer live traditional Irish music, Guinness and "lots of smiling Irish eyes."
The DART
Learning how to use the DART is also a must while visiting Dublin and the surrounding cities. The DART is a train the runs from Killiney to Howth. There are DART stations scattered throughout Dublin, so it’s easy to catch a train, and the price of a roundtrip ticket is about €4, which is very reasonable.
A visit to Howth from Dublin is definitely worthwhile. This harbor town offers coastal hiking trails that stretch the parameter of the peninsula Howth sits on, allowing visitors to see both the Irish Sea and Dublin Bay. On Sundays, there is a market along the pier with vendors selling jewelry, clothes, baked goods, fresh fruits and vegetables and, of course, fresh fish. After perusing the market, visitors can see the grey seals that play in the harbor. To end the day, make a stop at the Bloody Stream restaurant/pub for a pint and some fresh Dublin Bay prawns.
Paddywagon Tours
While Dublin has a lot to offer, the cities outside of the DART’s reach do as well. There are many companies that offer day trips out of Dublin, and one of them is Paddywagon Tours. This tour company offers lively drivers who comment and give history lessons along the way, all at an affordable price.
The day trip out of Dublin to Derry, Belfast and Giant’s Causeway is highly recommended. Derry is a city rich in history with political murals depicting the conflicts between the Catholics and Protestants, the Bloody Sunday monument and a wall surrounding the entire city that tourists can walk on. Belfast is the capital city of Northern Ireland and offers much to see as well; it’s home to the Europa, the world’s most bombed hotel and has an amazing city hall building with a Ferris wheel that offers great views of the city. Giant's Causeway stretches along the coast of Northern Ireland's County Antrim and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Voted in 2005 as the fourth greatest natural wonder in the United Kingdom, Giant's Causeway consists of 40,000 basalt rock columns in hexagonal form.
Since a trip to Ireland is affordable and can be done in a short amount of time, seeing its beauty first-hand is highly recommended.
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