Things To Do In Ireland With Teens

 

Honestly, I wasn't quite sure what to expect in Ireland. But this beautiful country and welcoming, funny, quirky people created an extraordinary off the beaten path experience. And especially this summer, Ireland provided lots of outdoor space, few crowds and cool weather. 

There are hikes, kayaking, surfing if you can brave the cold water, castles, Games of Thrones, rope bridges, distilleries, live music and more. I'll run through what we did during our two week exploration of the country, but there is plenty more to enjoy. 

Day 1-5 Dublin - We arrived to Ireland early on Friday and left Dublin Tuesday morning. Honestly, it was probably one day too long in Dublin. Dublin is a medium size city. The central district is easily walkable. While in Dublin, here's what we did and saw:

Jameson Distillery Bow St. - highly recommend doing this tour, very informative, well done and includes tastings. If you want an extra special experience, buy the cask draw. Even if you don't like whiskey, it's pretty cool to take a sip right out of the cask. Your ticket comes with a FREE drink too. 

Guinness Storehouse - Skip it. Even the staff working the tour told us it's not worth the expensive ticket price. FYI, you can't go inside without buying a ticket. 

Trinity College - We bought a tour with a student that included the Book of Kells and the Long Room. 27 Euros per person. This was a highlight for my teens because we got the chance to hear from a current student about their college experience. 

Southside and Northside Walking Tours - Another highlight of the trip. I have taken these tours in cities all around the world and they are amazing. The guides are honest and open about what life is like in their city, history and politics. In Dublin, the Southside and the Northside are so different that I highly recommend taking both tours. The tours are FREE, but you need to make a reservation and it is expected that you will tip the guide at the end of the tour. Both guides were able to take an online tip. 

Brazen Head - oldest pub in Dublin. Yep, it's worth having a meal and a pint here. The best food, probably not, but it's an experience. 

Temple Bar District - Worth spending an afternoon walking around here and enjoying a pint. Be sure to check out the Molly Malone statue, small farmers market in the square and if you have extra time, the Gallery of Photography is worth a visit. 

Church Bar - fun live music and amazing venue

If you are vegan or vegetarian, I highly recommend dining at Cornucopia and stopping by Bread 41. 

Day 6 - Wicklow Mountains National Park and Kilkenny - this is an easy one day driving trip with an easy three mile hike in the valley. Enter the Visitors Center as your destination in GPS. Easy parking and restrooms available. From there, you will pass over the Wicklow Gap on your drive to Kilkenny. You can buy tickets to tour the Kilkenny castle online and then there are lots of restaurants in town to grab some dinner before taking the highway back to Dublin. 

Day 7 - Drive to Galway stopping near Athlone to kayak on the River Shannon with Mid Ireland Adventures. Jonathan will give you a wetsuit and a great two hour kayak tour. Ask him for his recommendation for the best fish and chips in town. The oldest pub in Ireland, Sean's Bar, is located in Athlone so that's fun to visit. The pub does not serve food and parking nearby is metered and only accepts Euros so keep that in mind. 

Day 8-10 - Cliffs of Moher hike with Pat - This was a highlight of the trip. Pat joined with 30 of his farmer neighbors to create a walking path along the top of the cliffs. Parts of the path are a bit precariously perched close to the edge, but you get some great photos! Meet at O'Connors pub in Doolin and grab lunch here afterwards. Pat charges 20 Euros per person for the tour and 5 Euros per person for a ride back to Doolin (totally worth it). If you do the hike, skip the ferry ride to the cliffs. 

                - Galway - Spend an afternoon in town. There is a great shopping district with lots of pubs and restaurants. If you want to dine at a Michelin restaurant, you will need to make a reservation. You can also pick up groceries at the local Spar, there's one in every town, but they do tend to close early. 

                - We stayed at an Airbnb on a farm for a few days and then moved to Pete's castle for a night. Highly recommend staying with Pete. His castle is quirky and a one of kind experience. You can read all about it here. 

Day 11- Drive to Belfast through Connemara - You could opt to go further south to Donegal by taking the car ferry, but we wanted to spend time in Belfast so we went north instead. The Kylemore Abbey was beautiful and well worth the hour out of our way. You can buy tickets online for 15 Euros per adult. Discounts for students and children. 

Day 12-13 - Belfast, Giants Causeway and Rope Bridge - Highly recommend all of these in fact, I'm not sure a trip to Ireland would be complete without visiting Belfast. It gives you a whole different perspective on the politics in the region. In Belfast, you must take a Black Taxicab Tour and visit the Titanic Museum. Definitely pay the extra Euros for the audio guide. Both are incredible and highlights of the trip. Giants Causeway is a strange remnant of a volcanic eruption that makes for a great hike. You may have to pay a few Euros to park. The Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge is nearby and gives you yet another stunning view of the Northern Ireland coastline. You can buy tickets online for 13 Euros per adult. 

Day 14 - Howth - cute seaside village about 25 minutes from the airport. There is a beautiful three mile cliff walk and be sure to visit McNeill's for live music and great food. 

Ireland is beautiful with lots of gorgeous scenery to enjoy. It's definitely a fun place to visit with children and teens. And you can do it for almost FREE. Does it take some work and some planning, yep, is it worth it? Family time, memories and a chance to visit a beautiful country. I think so! 

If you want your entire trip to be FREE, you need to plan in advance and I recommend joining me at Families Fly FREE. We have teamed up with my friend and national travel blogger Lyn. She has created a simple system to help families fly free. 

If you would like to check them out, click here and let Lyn know I sent you. :)

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My teens said the highlights for them were hiking the Cliffs of Moher, touring Trinity College with a student,