Customer Reviews

Daytrips Ireland

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We spent 6 days in Dublin and wanted to venture out for 2 or 3 day trips. This book was very helpful. We actually used two of the planned driving day trips. One problem we ran into was that there really wasn't a lot of time in the day to do everything the guide recommended. For instance, one trip had us stopping at 6 different sites all within 30 miles of each other but you really can only spend an hour at each site otherwise you can't get to all of them. We only made it to half the sites recommended. The book did give good driving instructions, we completely relied on it for directions and didn't get lost once (I can't even do that driving on the right side of the road). Since we spent most of our time in the city of Dublin, we used the book to see what it recommended for the city and followed a few of the walking adventures too. Since we didn't have to drive, they were really great. Once again, addresses were correct. We actually used this book more than our Fodor's book in planning our trip. It was a great help and saw some great stuff!

This book allows the self-guided novice to tour Ireland independently. Its the only travel guide I've found that helps one to realistically plan a trip without first-hand knowledge of distances/time needed to explore a foreign land - what's "do-able" in a day's sightseeing. Other books provide more info on the sights and attractions(see Eyewitness Travel),or accommodations(see a bed and Breakfast guide), but this is the best for realistic planning!

This book was invaluable to us on our recent trip to Ireland. We had a renatl car, and limited time. This book concisely showed us the places to see in all different areas, gave enough information, without being too much reading while on the go. Excellent descriptions, and advice.

I and my wife just returned from a 2-1/2 week trip to Ireland. Before we left, I thoroughly read the book, highlighting all areas of interest. There are tons of ideas to choose from. The book was a tremendous help in planning the trip. I also looked at Fodor, Insight, Frommer, Lonely Planet, etc. but they were not that good by comparison. The only other book used was Eyewitness Ireland which was excellent for the photos. While in Ireland, we both referred only to Daytrips Ireland in helping to plan things to do, possible restaurants, churches, driving routes, etc. The book was a great help while we toured. We also felt the information provided was very accurate. Excellent and highly recommended!!

If you can only get one travel book of Ireland to plan a trip, get this one. It contains not only the day trips with complete and thorough directions for most of Ireland's highlights, but has unique information lacking in most other guide books - like hours of operation and cost. We were actually able to plan our budget better since ALL costs could be estimated reliably. Used with Lonely Planet (my second choice of books) which has more lower-end lodging recommendations, I could plan a great low cost trip!

This book was a great help in not only planning my trip to Ireland but a valuable tool while we were there. We basically did a "plan as you go" type trip and were constantly referring to Pat's book as a base from where to start. The city maps that she includes are a great reference for every first time traveller. The only thing that I would have liked to have added in the book was more of her recommendations for lodgings. But on the whole a fabulous reference for everyone visiting the Emerald Isle...!

Daytrips is an excellent book and a must when going to Ireland. It is very informative, thorough, and user friendly. Pat, the author, has broken the country down into 55 daily trips and in each one she suggests not only a complete set of tour directions and stops but also a list of places to eat as well as "practicalities" or very useful suggestions to make your time enjoyable. She offers an online forum where she will answer any question within 24 hours. Her website also has suggested places to stay that go along with her daytrips. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed her book and have used it extensively to planning our trip to Ireland. It will definitely accomply us there. With all the travel books on Ireland out there, this is by far the best.

Although I read Patricia Preston's "Daytrips Ireland" three times before traveling, I still took the heavily highlighted and underlined book with me. There was just more valuable material in the book than I could memorize. Especially helpful were the pages with little blow-up maps for day trips like through Connemara. Although I thought our meals would be casual, pop-in-wherever we were, I also ended up using the restaurant recommendations. Pat obviously knows the people in the places she recommends.

My (newlywed) wife and I honeymooned in Ireland for 2 weeks in the end of July. I am an avid travel planner, and enjoy researching and designing itineraries. During the year-long research stage of this trip, I came across the author's website ....It has a treasure trove of info, but most importantly, an interactive discussion forum, where she takes her own valuable time answering the (often zany) questions of her readers. By following it for a few weeks, I was hooked (I still visit daily, often responding with my own experiences), and her book was consistently recommended by the posters.

While in Ireland, we used the book constantly, both for its honest descriptions of attractions, as well as the detailed maps provided with each "daytrip." Although I (mistakenly) chose to do a straight-on tour, her daytrips are perfectly designed, and detailed with directions, prices, hours, descriptions, history, and even the occasional local scuttlebutt. We found it to be indispensable during our 2 weeks in Ireland, and feel it's more than earned its coveted space on our travel bookshelf.

Patricia Tunison Preston is an expert on all things Irish so you can be assured that this book is a gem. We used this and Lonely Planet for our two week trip to Ireland and we were very well prepared and enjoyed ourselves immensely. We used this book everyday! It is not your average tourist guide. It is instead a concise guide to planning daytrips, i.e. it covers all the highlights in different areas, with suggested routes. You will have to be very selective when choosing what to see, since it's impossible to see everything in each area in one day. This book is ideal for anyone who wants to see the best that Ireland has to offer.