Going to Ireland..need some advice?

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Priscilla Duck

It's about average, you're not being ripped off anyway. The only way you'll beat it is if you get a budget price on your flight ($700 dollars is a pretty good deal, at peak times flights can cost up to $1500 coach class), then book all your accommodation yourself staying in B&Bs, and maybe get a cheap car rental too - using public transport means you'd miss a lot of attractions as not all areas are serviced.

Tour operators generally book 3-star hotels but they get huge discounts, so you'll be paying no more than $80-100 a night for rooms than normally cost $150+. You also have the benefit of a guide and I assume entry paid into all the attractions.

It's June, so you're into the tourist season and prices will be higher. I'd estimate:
Flight: $900 (based on aerlingus Boston-Dublin flight next June)
Car hire (Budget rental): $250
Fuel: $150
B&Bs: $700
Entry to attractions with guide: $200
Meals: $400

You might save about $200 - 400 dollars if you book it all yourself, but you'll still be missing out on the comfort of having everything arranged for you and the benefit of having a guide for the whole trip. 8 days isn't a long time to visit Ireland, especially if you have to do all the driving yourself. You'll lose a lot of time just arranging things, picking up the car, finding your accommodation etc that you simply don't have to consider if you're on an escorted tour. Plus arranged tours often have activities and excursions arranged that you can't economically do if you're not part of a group.

I'd go with the tour, you'll see at least twice as much and have a much more relaxing time. That's definitely worth an extra few hundred dollars.

barbara b

sounds alright to me, especially considering accommodation is included.

Podge and Rodge Tribute Band

Sher Rodge and meself would show ya around for a 500 bucks. You could get into the back of our hiace and we'd be off on a hack.
We have a nice mattress in there as well so we don't have to be botherin with hotels and all that malarkey. Be warned though:
If the van is a rockin don't come a knockin!

alan m

It sounds incredibly expensive. Lets see. Flight is about 700 dollars. That means 8 days is 2100 dollars. Maybe its all 5 star hotels with all meals included then its possibly ok.

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