Hi! My boyfriend and I are planning to visit Ireland next year (late April or early May) for about 10 days or so. I've been doing research on different types of tours (guided tours, self-drive, walking, biking, etc.) and of the various regions and I'm overwhelmed at all the possibilities. It would be great to be able to do a combo, where we could do a guided tour for a portion of the trip and then do our own thing - self-drive, walking and biking. And then I can't really decide which region to visit - they all look like great choices. Any recommendations/advice/input would be greatly appreciated.

Hi there! Ireland is quite small and 10 days should give you ample time to see Many things in Ireland. The "Ring of Kerry" is the most Scenic and Beautiful part of Ireland (if you can actually seperate scenery from sights/buildings) and most of your bigger sights/cities have local 1/2 day or Full day tours available (online in many cases) at reasonable rates. I have taken a "Guided tour" that lasted 7 days/ 5 nights and loved it, but wished I could have spent more time in some of the places. Had we 10 days to spend in Ireland I would drive myself and book a couple of the "local" tours and spend more time with the REAL people of Ireland , not just the Touristy areas. The People are Incredbly Kind, Polite, Helpful and I noticed a "wee bit of an accent" Lol. Check out sites like Fodor's and Ireland Tourism board, also there is a site called the "Intrepid Traveler" or "adventure pictures" (I think) that has movies of a Berkely professors travels (quite entertaining in a unique way) one of which is an Irish Pub tour that will show you how easy going Ireland is, and it is Free (the professor is a bit "Unique" as you will see lol) Check it out!

CIE Tours self-drive tour is great and also inexpensive. I agree that you should definitely visit the Ring of Kerry. The southwest of Ireland is (in my opinion) the most beautiful. Be sure to visit Dingle (Benner's Hotel is wonderful and there is the greatest little pub in town just down the street) and the Cliffs of Moher. If you are able to splurge on one thing, stay one night at Dromoland Castle in Shannon.