Just to caveat right away, I am an incredibly ambitious person. If that isn’t you, just drop off activities at will. This is your vacation and it is a judgement-free zone. Rest as much as you want. Change it up depending on the weather, on what you like and your preferences. Make it work for you.

For some background, I took this adventure with my family coming from the United States, staying in Straffan (which is about 30 minutes west and a teensy bit south of Dublin), and my children were three and seven at the time of travel. If you’re taking a newborn, you are a rare and miraculous creature but some of this (like the Giant’s causeway all day bus tour) may not work for you.

Day 1 – Recover from Travel & Hit Grocery Store

Day 2 – Dublin Zoo / Dublin sights such as St. Patrick’s Cathedral & Trinity College (to see the most sights, get on a hop off, hop on bus!)

Day 3 – Day tour to Giant’s Causeway

Day 4 – The Irish National Stud & Gardens

Day 5 – Rock of Cashel / Blarney Stone & Castle (honestly, thought it would be kitschy and touristy but it was actually really cool and had amazing gardens and so much to see!)

Day 6 – Cliffs of Moher (day tours from Dublin available as well)

Day 7 – Kilkenny Castle, Rose Garden, and Park / St. Mary’s Cathedral

Day 8 – Bunratty Castle & Folk Park (hands down the coolest thing we did with the kids) / King John’s Castle

Day 9 – Glendalough & St. Kevin’s Monastery

Day 10 – Travel Home

Some fun add-ons or substitutions include:

National Reptile Zoo (Kilkenny)

Clonfert Pet Farm (Maynooth)

Afternoon Tea Service (highly recommend Cupán Tae in Galway)

Phoenix Park (Dublin)

Howth Round Trip Boat Tour & Market

For recommended accomodations, I swear by Airbnb for all my travels, especially for children and them having enough space to expend their seemingly endless bucket of energy. I absolutely cannot recommend enough the Straffan home we stayed at, which was perfect for our family, my parents, and even some friends that came and stayed with us for a few days of our trip.

I also highly recommend renting a vehicle so that you aren’t subject to the capacity of the bus / train / uber, etc. to accommodate younger passengers. Check this site out for great comparative pricing – we went with one of their automatic, 7-passenger vans since my parents tagged along for the trip.

For additional advice or guidance to plan your perfect Ireland vacation, please reach out to iplansohardtravel@gmail.com.