On my recent trip to Ireland I did something that is not normal for me to do. I went on three different organized bus tours. I usually do not like organized tours because you are on their schedule and do not get to take things at your own pace. I decided on the tours because I did not want to rent a car this was my only good option to get to the places I wanted to see.
Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge
The tours were to different areas of the country and involved seeing some of the natural wonders of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The main highlights of the tours were the Cliffs of Mohr, The Giants Causeway & Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge and The Connemera Region. Since there is a lot of competition the tours were very reasonably priced and ranged from $25-$35 for the day. There were also some additional fees at the attractions that were not included in the tour fee.
I used three different companies to take these tours and the experiences were varied. There are many companies that do the exact same tour so you basically have to just pick one and hope that you got a good one. Reading the online reviews may help you choose but good reviews in the past do not always translate to the tour that you are taking. The one tour that came most highly recommended was the worst one that I took. The biggest factor in what makes the difference between a good trip and a bad trip is the driver/tour guide. I was lucky enough to have good tour guides on two out of the three tours.
The Giants Causeway
One of the things that I observed on all three tours is that we skipped attractions that were advertised in the brochures or had less time than we needed at the big attractions. I often found myself hurrying to see what I wanted to see because we did not have enough time. I was disappointed that the main attractions of the tours were rushed because we had to keep to a schedule. This happened at the Cliffs of Mohr and the Giants Causeway. These are two places that deserve more than the time that we had.
If you have not taken a organized bus tour before I have listed some of the pros and cons below.
Reason to take a organized bus tour
- You do not want to drive in a foreign country
- You want relax and see the scenery while someone else does the driving
- The price is usually reasonable for the experience that you get
- You want to visit places that would be difficult to get to on your own
- Tour guides can provide valuable information about the local culture
- You get to meet other travelers from different countries
The Burren Region
Reasons not to take an organized bus tour
- You like to move at your own pace and do not want to be confined to a schedule
- You want to see what you want and not the things that do not interest you
- You do not want to spend all day in a bus full of strangers
Overall I did enjoy the tours that I took and will consider taking other bus tours in the future.
I have a conflicting opinion about the bus tours. My main reasons to take them are the inaccessibility of the sight by public transportation (I don’t drive), it’s time consuming to get there by public transportation (i.e. you need to change twice) and/or it’s much more expensive to get there on your own.
I would also like to note that some places are accessed with tour guides only like Wielichka salt mines near Krakow.
Ele – The limited public transportation options is really the only reason I took the bus tours. I also did not want to rent a car and drive on the opposite side of the road that I am used to driving on. I have no problem with tours when they are required by the attraction.
Jeff recently posted..Antoni Gaudí’s Casa Batlló in Barcelona – Pictures
Nice picture! I don’t always pay attention to the tour guide said. I pretty much pay more attention on taking photos!
Ah, I’m looking at a trip to Ireland myself next year, Jeff. So there’s no public transportation to the Cliffs of Mohr or Giants Causeway? Bummer. I’m with you, I’m not keen on the idea of driving a car on the other side of the road, and knowing me, I’d probably get lost anyway. 🙂 But I agree, it’s frustrating when bus tours leave you with little time at the attractions you most want to see.
I’ll have to pick your brain a bit about Ireland as I get closer to my trip.
Gray – public transportation is not very good in Ireland compared to other countries in Europe. There are some tour operators that run small group tours but I did not find out about these until it was too late.
Let me know when you are ready to start planning and I can give you some good information.
Jeff recently posted..The Festival of Fools in Belfast Ireland
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with organized tours. I’ve done a couple of those trips in Europe. The key is having free time on your own. If you can mix and match an organized tour with free time to explore, it’s a great combination.
I don’t think I’d want to drive in Ireland. It was tough enough looking the correct way to cross the street without getting run over. The bus tour was probably a good idea 🙂
Jeremy Branham recently posted..A walk in the rain through Dublin Castle
The problems that I had with them were there was not enough time at the important places. The price was definitely right and it was nice to ride and enjoy the scenery.
Jeff recently posted..Ten Days in Ireland – Trip Itinerary