Tourist Attractions in Ireland

If you are thinking of taking a day tour to the Wicklow Mountains from Dublin be aware that your day may not go according to plan. I had prebooked a tour on the internet and received confirmation of the date and pick up time. I chose this particular company because of their good reviews and because the hotel we were staying in was a designated pick up point.

Sadly, I was not able to provide a review of any sort because THEY DID NOT PICK US UP!!!!

After waiting for over half an hour to be collected, and seeing a bus drive past and not stop, I rang Day Tours Unplugged to find out what the hold up was. There was no hold up.... they just drove past us...without stopping...even though our names and the correct collection hotel were on their list.

After a bit of a half hearted apology, an offer was made to take us the next day, but we were flying to London so this was not possible. They said they would refund our money...and so they should, but no other help or suggestions were given to solve our dilemma, and I found them to be most unhelpful considering the problem was their fault.

Hopefully this is not a common occurrence but we were most disappointed at not seeing the Wicklow Mountains and Glendalough. I expected more assistance from Day Tours Unplugged and could not recommend them to anyone. There are a number of other companies doing this same trip so check them out.

Unique Suggestions: We caught a taxi into O'Connell Street and the ladies in the tourist centre were most helpful and very apologetic. They organised a spot on a trip with Dublin Tours at very short notice and although we did not get to our preferred destination, we still managed to see some of the South Coast.

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I absolutely love Guinness.........but please skip the overpriced and underwhelming brewery tour. The tour is like a museum you just walk through to get to the top which is the Gravity Bar. The view from the Gravity Bar is not to be missed. However, if you are really a die-hrad Guinness lover than just visit any pub in Dublin and you won't be disappointed.

Unique Suggestions: I'd recommend a visit but only to visit the gift shop and then take the elevator up to the Gravity Bar. Both of these are free (except for the price of the Guinness while at the bar) while the tour costs about 14 Euros. Save the 14 Euros for the pints at the Gravity Bar as the tour is a waste of money.

Fun Alternatives: Visit so you can say you've been there but don't take the tour.

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Aillwee Cave is a place I did not enjoy at all, but of course I know lots of people who enjoyed that place a lot ! I dont like it simply because they make a lot of advertisment and all over Ireland you will get their brochures and when you are finally there, you just may walk inside a cave and see places, where obviously bears hibernated a long time ago. And around that simple fact they constructed a gigantic program, light-effects in the cave etc.
In the underground of all of the Burren there are several caves, BUT Aillwee Cave is the only one that you may enter :
Aillwee Cave is open for visitors daily
all year long after 09.30a.m.
entrance-fee is 10 Euros / children : 5 Euros !
see their web-page : www.aillweecave.ie

Unique Suggestions: At least I think that Aillwee Cave is a good place to take a rest, use the toilettes, park your car on a large parking, cook a meal inside your motorhome or go to the tea-room of the cave...

Fun Alternatives: Go Hiking as much as possible through the beautiful and interesting landscape of the closeby Burren - BUT Aillwee Cave DOES NOT show at any place, what the Burren looks like 1-2 meters beneath the surface - THAT would really be interesting to see with all the small gorges and gaps, where the different exotic plants start to grow out...

Sorry to say, but it was a bit disappointing! It wasn't as grand as we were expecting. I would suggest skipping it and heading over to the Guinness Storehouse!

Fun Alternatives: Guinness Storehouse! It's about a 5-minute walk down the street

Beautiful indeed but what you dojn't see in the gorgeous photos of this rugged coast line is the tour busses, vendors, unnatural stiars, Tshirt stands. I would skip this and see the real thing in DIngle.

We did it...well my mother did anyway...we climbed up those circular castle stairs...(God only knows how many...but there were alot and they were falling apart)We get to the top of this huge castle...and my mother tells me we're going to 'kiss the blarney stone'...

oh good heavens!
I looked down...

and then, they (the they being these two men working the blarney castle kiss me spot that day, and my mother), explained to me that i would lay on my back and they would scoot me over the edge of this castle while holding my feet as i dangled upside down....

shyyyaa riiiight!!!

NOT!!!
She kissed the side of this castle ~upside down, mind you, by scooting herself off the ledge on her back,with these two men holding her by her ankles!!!!

But, hey now... i wasn't about to let these strange men hold me to my death ...uh uh...i think it was then that my fear of heights was developed...

Fun Alternatives: LOL... climb with someone you know, and have the joy in watching THEM dew it!!!{the non chicken actually gets a certificate of blarney stone kissing, i think, if i remember correctly.}

Ireland is one big tourist trap in Spring/Summer. Go in the offseason.

Unique Suggestions: Best time to go to Ireland is October/November. Half of America goes to Ireland in the Spring/Summer. I've been to Ireland a half dozen times. Always in October/November. Once in February. No tourists anywhere for the most part. Not to mention everything is cheaper _ airfare, hotels, car rental. Dublin, Killarney, Blarney are all palatable in the offseason. You might give up something with the weather but as I always say a damp day in Ireland is better than a sunny day most places!

They say that you know that you are in Ireland when you are lost. This is very true... Its roads are very bad and quite dangerous.

Unique Suggestions: When you get lost stop and try to find something familiar....also is very important to count the kilometres in your car kilometres counter as the maps will normally tell you the distance between towns. If the map says 30 kilometres and when your car says 30 you are not there.... welcome to Ireland.....You are lost.....However, do not get nervous as there is plenty rest areas on the roads and it won't take you too long to find your way again....To get lost only adds a bit of emotion to your trip.