Drive to Donegal Town and Dublin

mdo

Will be staying in Galway the week of July 13.... and thinking about a day trip to Donegal Town and Dublin.... Is tourist traffic heavy this time of year? How much time to allow for a return trip to Dublin?

(Galway-Donegal-Galway one day and Galway-Dublin-Galway the next....)

ronnie3585

Are you planning to travel Galway-Donegal-Dublin?

If you are that's a huge trip to do in a day. It's roughly about a 3.5hr drive from Galway to Donegal Town, another 3.5 Donegal to Dublin and a little under 3 hours Dublin-Galway.

galah

DAY trip to Donegal?

Forget it. 3.5 hrs if you're very lucky. More if you're stuck behind a tractor and every other idiot driver in this country. It's mostly bendy country roads, and you do have to go through a lot of small towns.

Dublin is do-able, it's mostly motorway these days, so you can do it in around 2 hrs one-way, traffic permitting. That's up to Dublin city limits. Traffic IN Dublin is a whole different ball game.

Sponge Bob

Galway City - Donegal town is an easy sub 3 hours on a saturday morning . I have done Galway - Letterkenny in 3 hours without tearing the arse out of it , leave @ 7am.

galah

yeah, but you're a local, used to driving in Ireland, on the left, and are not looking at the landscape, right?

(just seeing it from a tourist's perspective ;-))

North_West_Art

a few hours in Donegal and then back to Galway will not really be worth it. You could spend a week in Donegal and still not get to see half of it... but thats just me because Im biased :-)
The weather up here this last few days has been fantastic, although it has dulled over here a bit today... tell you what, why not do a day-trip to Galway from Donegal and give Dublin a skip! :pac:

biko

Just go to Donegal, sure Dublin is nice-ish but it's just another big city, not representative of the "real" Ireland (at least not for tourists).
You could go down to Limerick instead, much closer and still a city.
m2c

leninbenjamin

Galway to Donegal... about 3 hours on half decent roads. Donegal to Dublin, roughly four hours on sh*tty roads.

Donegal's that big and hard to get around though to see anything of it you'll want to spend a night at least. Stuff like Glenveagh, Errigal are all miles from Donegal town. Donegal town itself wouldn't be worth a trip alone though (unless of course you've relatives you want to see).

Dublin is more straightforward, I'd recommend getting a train up and down to avoid the hassle of driving around the city and having to find parking. get the 7.15 in the morning and you'll be up by 9.45, then it's only a 10 minute Luas ride into the centre of the city. but Donegal is far nicer so better to prioritize it.

mdo

ronnie3585 wrote: »

Are you planning to travel Galway-Donegal-Dublin?

If you are that's a huge trip to do in a day. It's roughly about a 3.5hr drive from Galway to Donegal Town, another 3.5 Donegal to Dublin and a little under 3 hours Dublin-Galway.

Galway-Dublin-Galway the same day.

Galway-Donegal-Galway the same day. Even if it is a rushed trip, it will be new scenery for the other three to enjoy.... Last year I spent 5 days driving on your side of the road... it was an adventure.....

The last day will be spent in Limerick....

KevR

Galway-Dublin drive is roughly 2hrs 15mins one-way if you don't hit Dublin or Galway at peak times.

happyoutscan

I have no idea what everyone else is on about here but the road from Galway to Donegal town is grand. Most sections are far from backroads although there are a couple sections (no more than a couple miles) where the roads are a bit narrow.

biko

Googlemaps directions and estimate to be taken with a pinch of salt

inisboffin

As someone who just waved bye to a bunch of relatives from out of town, let me say this. They had a MUCH better time this trip in Ireland, as they took people's advice, and went less places at a gentler pace (that's true for visiting a lot of places). The 'scenery' is nicer roadwise Gal-Don but if you are planning on taking the motorway to Dublin (faster) the scenery is just that - motorway - for a while.

Pick one or the other for a day trip. Dublin is great if you have more time, but unless you have a specific thing you really want to do (say see the Library in Trinity), then I'd pick Donegal for a nicer drive.

Stop in a town you didn't expect to. Pick your destination. Leave the journey a bit more open and spontaneous in terms of itinerary. You'll see more 'real Ireland' that way

biko

If I may offer an alternative, forgo Dublin for a trip to Dingle along the coast road, better scenery.
You could also visit Quiet Man cottage, it's less than an hour away

ronnie3585

Magnus wrote: »

If I may offer an alternative, forgo Dublin for a trip to Dingle along the coast road, better scenery.
You could also visit Quiet Man cottage, it's less than an hour away

That's a far better drive. Some stunning scenery in that neck of the woods.

big b

Another option -with a lot less driving- is head for Leenane via Maam Cross, then take Louisburgh road, which goes around Killary and up towards Doolough. Louisburgh itself is a nice stop & has some great beaches nearby.
Really excellent scenery, a few places to stop for a drink or bite of lunch, less stress for the driver.
Westport is only another 20 minutes from Louisburgh if you get restless. Nice town, wins lots of best-kept town awards, very pretty & great pubs.

padi89

Clare (The Burren,Coast),Galway(Connemara),Mayo(Coast,Achill),Aran Islands would be much better options for day trips,neither are far away and all have stunning scenery.

Zzippy

I'm wondering if some of the people who posted on this thread have ever actually driven those roads - 4 hours Donegal to Dublin???

Galway to Donegal Town is about 2hrs45 to 3hrs15 max, most of the old bottlenecks are bypassed now including Bundoran and Ballyshannon.

Donegal Town to Dublin is 2hrs30-3hrs max, I've driven that road hundreds of times at all times of the day. If you're taking it easy then 3hrs30, but whoever said 4 hours must be one of those people who drive at 40 all day... :rolleyes:

OP, if you're going to Donegal, definitely try to make a night of it and get out to Slieve League, Glencolumcille, Ardara, some smashing scenery out there. If you're just going for the day to Donegal Town, do a tour of the castle, take a drive around Lough Eske - really beautiful, have lunch in Harveys Point on the shore. Do the boat trip on the estuary, well worth it, and the skipper is great craic.

mdo

Feb 08 we left Shannon and went through the Burren saw some of the coast at the cliffs on the way to Galway...this will be a quick trip and the kids (21 & 25) definitely want a day trip to Dublin to see the library in Trinity and the Guiness factory.... maybe we should take the train instead of drive... My wife would be happy if we spent the entire time in Galway! We will be in Galway Wed am until Saturday at noon.... then off to Limerick Saturday evening and fly out of Shannon Sunday noon......... I was thinking that they can spend the evenings in the Galway pubs (how can they not like that?), a day trip to Dublin and back..... maybe a day trip up to Donegal to see where our ancestors came from back in 1757 and see a few castles along the way..... just trying to see as much as possible in a short time... I'm planning a 30 day trip for me and the wife in early 2012 and will go at a leisurely pace.....

happyoutscan

Taking the train will spare you the ordeal of driving and trying to get around Dublin. The train will bring you from Galway to Heuston station, Guinness brewery directly across the road and Trinity a 5 minute taxi trip away. You would at least see more scenery from the train as well as being able to enjoy a few pints without the worry of driving.

Mrs OBumble

What you're suggesting is quite do-able. Most Irish people aren't used to large countries, so the idea of six hours driving in a day horrifies them. But with a big break in the middle, it's perfectly possible, and will give you a tiny flavour of Donega, which is all that's possible in a short trip anyway.

Leave Galway 8am, you'll be in Donegal town by 11-something. Four hours in the town makes it 4pm. You're back in Galway by 7-something, time to chill out before heading to the pub at 10 when the music starts. Personally I can't drive that long without a break, so would stop for coffee somewhere around 9:30am, and dinner somewhere around 6pm. This would add another hour to the day, but not cut into the pub time.

I'd second the recommendation re the train to Dublin. Not to avoid the drive, but to avoid the risk of delays (Dublin traffic) and the parking hassles.

Hope it's a great trip.

inisboffin

also http://www.gobus.ie

mdo

Train or bus from Galway to Dublin??

inisboffin

Train is comfy, there are deals if you book online (hit 'check price') in the reservation page - otherwise it is overpriced.

The 'gobus' is comfy and gets you there in same time as train, cheaper and more frequent.

Bus Eireann - frequent enough but meh

Citylink, cheapest of all (book online), goes through more of the small towns but not the best scenery on that route tbh. Takes longer than the gobus

leninbenjamin

Zzippy wrote: »

but whoever said 4 hours must be one of those people who drive at 40 all day... :rolleyes:

4 was an overestimation alright (when i think Donegal, i think Letterkenny where i used to live), but at 2.30, you'd be going at a fair oul pace there. Remember, they'll be driving on the wrong side of the road for them, and wont be used to keeping tight on small regional roads going 60-70 odd. And factor on time driving around Dublin looking for parking (as people who wouldn't know the city), to allow four hours wouldn't be far off it imo.

mdo

We will take the Gobus or train to Dublin so I can enjoy the ride and a few pints too..... I'll drive from Galway to Donegal and back... Last year I survived driving from Shannon to Galway plus a trip through the Burren and to the cliffs....

Zzippy

leninbenjamin wrote: »

4 was an overestimation alright (when i think Donegal, i think Letterkenny where i used to live), but at 2.30, you'd be going at a fair oul pace there. Remember, they'll be driving on the wrong side of the road for them, and wont be used to keeping tight on small regional roads going 60-70 odd. And factor on time driving around Dublin looking for parking (as people who wouldn't know the city), to allow four hours wouldn't be far off it imo.

2.30 is doing the speed limit all the way with little traffic. The only bit of small regional road is between Donegal Town and the border at Pettigo, from then on its decent roads all the way to Dublin except for a short stretch between Cavan Town and Belturbet. Fair enough once you get to Dublin and look for a parking spot it will bring it up a bit alright.

Madame Razz

JustMary wrote: »

What you're suggesting is quite do-able. Most Irish people aren't used to large countries, so the idea of six hours driving in a day horrifies them. But with a big break in the middle, it's perfectly possible, and will give you a tiny flavour of Donega, which is all that's possible in a short trip anyway.

Leave Galway 8am, you'll be in Donegal town by 11-something. Four hours in the town makes it 4pm. You're back in Galway by 7-something, time to chill out before heading to the pub at 10 when the music starts. Personally I can't drive that long without a break, so would stop for coffee somewhere around 9:30am, and dinner somewhere around 6pm. This would add another hour to the day, but not cut into the pub time.

I'd second the recommendation re the train to Dublin. Not to avoid the drive, but to avoid the risk of delays (Dublin traffic) and the parking hassles.

Hope it's a great trip.

Leaving Donegal at 4pm would be a really ****e idea tbh.

You'll just hit Sligo at the busiest traffic time so I'd leave earlier.

Driving for 6 hours in Ireland is more arduous as the driving is done mostly on regular often bad roads which means one as to concentrate more than one would say on an autobahn or motorway.

Dublin traffic is only bad at peak times and parking is never really a problem tbh. The improvements they've made out Lucan way have really helped.

Donegal town is well less than a 3 hour drive too tbh.

Also, flights to Dublin are pretty cheap these days, so thats another option you could consider, even one way perhaps.

Xiney

The inner relief road means driving through Sligo won't slow them down, as long as they don't do something stupid like actually go into the town in the car. That would be madness.

Madame Razz

Xiney wrote: »

The inner relief road means driving through Sligo won't slow them down, as long as they don't do something stupid like actually go into the town in the car. That would be madness.

Tbh as the inner relief road was originally thought up 20 years and really is outdated in both it's concept and design I have always found that hitting Sligo at peak times when coming from Donegal(which I do regularly) can add anything up to a half hour to your journey. Which is why I try to avoid it as much as possible but sometimes it cant be helped.

Making out that you are turning down for Finisklin and then lane hopping at the lights is always helpful though......not that I am thoroughly endorsing such a manouvre......:pac:

(Disclaimer: I am not a nice driver but all is fair in love and business miles in excess of 50k a year;))

mdo

I'll leave Donegal by 3pm.... I'll make it.... with all these tips on how and when to get there, a Garmin, three family members telling me how to drive, a shot of Redbreast Irish Whiskey along with a pint of Guinness waiting for me back at the Park House Hotel.... all will be well...... thanks...

leninbenjamin

Madame Razz wrote: »

Dublin traffic is only bad at peak times and parking is never really a problem tbh. The improvements they've made out Lucan way have really helped.

if you know the city and routes, fair enough. if you don't, and say miss a turn, it's quite easy to get stuck in a one way system and wind down 10-15 mins til you find your way back.

And while parking is there, it can be time consuming to find if you don't know your way around the inner city as it's not really signposted.

and comparing off-peak Dublin traffic to peak Dublin traffic, it's still never light. Entering and leaving the city will frequently take the guts of 30mins during the day.

Most of ye are talking as people who know the place, know the traffic system and what routes to take, know what to avoid etc.

trish23

Galway-Donegal isn't as bad as it used to be. Roads have improved a lot around Sligo & Donegal & it's a beautiful drive (scenery wise). Galway-Dublin can be done in just over 2 hours but I would recommend bus after your day before. If you don't know your way round Dublin it can be a pain & the Luas is great for getting around. I'd normally recommend train but I think the bus would give you longer in Dublin.

Fracture

Yeh the roads to donegal are grand besides some narrow ones that last a couple of miles. Takes me 3 and a half hours to get to buncrana from galway, i usually leave in the evening tho (after the rush hour). You would need to spend a day or two if you want to see everything up there tho, unless that is if you want to spend they day driving non stop.

Madame Razz

leninbenjamin wrote: »

if you know the city and routes, fair enough. if you don't, and say miss a turn, it's quite easy to get stuck in a one way system and wind down 10-15 mins til you find your way back.

And while parking is there, it can be time consuming to find if you don't know your way around the inner city as it's not really signposted.

and comparing off-peak Dublin traffic to peak Dublin traffic, it's still never light. Entering and leaving the city will frequently take the guts of 30mins during the day.

Most of ye are talking as people who know the place, know the traffic system and what routes to take, know what to avoid etc.

Fair point.

I do know my way around Dublin and a lot of other places; and I accept it's not as easy for those who don't. I do take it for granted I guess.