Ireland & Paris?

bar10521 · April 2012

FI and I originally wanted to do a week traveling around Ireland and a week in Paris with trps to Normandy & Versailles for our HM after our June 2013 wedding. I have since come to my senses and realized there is no way we can afford all of that. Now we're trying to plan for both but only spend 3-4 days in both Ireland and Paris. I wanted to see if anyone had any advice about this. I'd like to keep it under $3500 for the two of us. Is there a way to do it within this budget or is this still totally unreasonable based on the budget? If you have any recommendations on where to stay, any must dos, or any other advice I'd love to hear it. Basically I'm somewhat clueless and am open to any advice.

GoodLuckBear14 · April 2012

$3500 will pretty much cover your airfare for these trips. I would pick one country and save the other one for an anniversary trip because honestly 3-4 days in each country isn't enough time. It's humanly possible to see a lot but in reality you will miss out on the places as a whole and really won't enjoy or appreciate what you are seeing. Take the time to enjoy them.

rsmiles77 · April 2012

I have been to both countries and agree.....you probably need to choose one. Ireland is a bit more affordable than Paris/France but still BEAUTIFUL. I lived there for 6 mos. many years ago. Ireland is a great mix of beauty with the countryside, peacefulness, FUN people as well as city party life in Dublin. France is VERY expensive...if you chose to go there you would have to do some heavy research for cheaper hotels, etc. (which you have to be careful of hotels in europe- 4-5 star is like a motel in U.S.). If you went to Ireland, you might just be able to mix it up a bit by balancing some time in a B&B (very homey, quaint, homemade irish breakfasts, yummy!) and perhaps a couple of nights in a castle

If it seems overwhelming to book yourself, I would look into a travel agent for ideas. Good luck and feel free to ask me any future questions!

AdeleDazeem · April 2012

Ireland is ...big. 3-4 days to see a lot of it? I'd want to spend 3-4 days in Dublin alone! You guys are going to be dead tired and not enjoy a lot of the trip. Also, to jump over to Paris, you're going to need to fly.

I could see 3-4 days in London, a chunnel ride, then 3-4 days in Paris, but even that will be expensive and rushed.

I would pick one and spend all your time in that one place. If you choose Ireland, do Dublin, Galway and Cork over a week (or choose three cities of your choosing). If you do Paris, spend lots of time in Paris and then do trip up to Normandy and Brittany.

Europe won't sink - you can always go back!! :-)

bar10521 · April 2012

Thanks everyone! I know it's a lot but I have ALWAYS wanted to go to Paris and almost made it twice so I'm just bummed that it hasn't worked out yet. I think Ireland may be our HM location since France/Paris is more expensive. We'll just make that an anniversary trip. We'll most likely find a travel agent who can help us book everything we want to do. Thanks again!

bar10521 · April 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_ireland-paris?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:11Discussion:fc0f8d59-b2ea-42b4-8efa-557a1c52be55Post:dca0a37f-00aa-4f40-a038-e9f84adf4a9c">Re: Ireland & Paris?</a>:
[QUOTE]I have been to both countries and agree.....you probably need to choose one. Ireland is a bit more affordable than Paris/France but still BEAUTIFUL. I lived there for 6 mos. many years ago. Ireland is a great mix of beauty with the countryside, peacefulness, FUN people as well as city party life in Dublin. France is VERY expensive...if you chose to go there you would have to do some heavy research for cheaper hotels, etc. (which you have to be careful of hotels in europe- 4-5 star is like a motel in U.S.). If you went to Ireland, you might just be able to mix it up a bit by balancing some time in a B&B (very homey, quaint, homemade irish breakfasts, yummy!) and perhaps a couple of nights in a castle :) If it seems overwhelming to book yourself, I would look into a travel agent for ideas. <strong>Good luck and feel free to ask me any future questions!
</strong>Posted by rsmiles77[/QUOTE]

I will most likely be taking you up on this offer at some point! Thanks!

lconoran · April 2012

check out Travelzoo for trips too. We're going to Ireland this Aug/Sept and it burns me everytime I get an email blast from them saying "Ireland- $899 for 6 nights with air!". We paid around $1000 each for airfare alone. These are more "last minute" type offers though but I do get them now for Sept/Oct trips. If you're ok with that, might be worth it.

hz80408 · April 2012

I agree that budget won't cut it for both countries, let alone one with the prices of airfare.

We just got back from our first Europe trip. I definitely recommend looking into rental an apartment (vrbo.com and homeaway.com are good places to start a search). We saved a lot of money by doing this and had good experiences with it!

mica178 · April 2012

I'd stick to one city in Ireland, like Dublin, and then 3-4 days in Paris. You can't do the whole country of Ireland in 4 days. I think you can find a Ryanair or EZjet flight between Dublin and Paris for next to nothing.

dazyabbey · April 2012

I think with spending money the $3500 would be extremely close. It would probably be like $800 each for airfare plus a decent amount for hotels and food while there. That wouldn't include any excursions.

I would check out the Trip Advisor board for Ireland and the specific cities you are visiting to see if your budget is realistic.

dalm0m · April 2012

DH & I did ireland & Paris as our HM. Our budget was almost triple yours but we did stay for two weeks & I refused to be budget conscious (only time in my life I did that)

Airfare is going to be the buggest problem / expense.

Priceline is your new best friend. I knew nothing about it but managed to book a Marriot Rive Gauche for $125 per night. It was in the 11th district but just by a few blocks & was just fine. We also like the fact that it has an American sized bathroom. Read the bidding how to websites & you should be able to do even better than I did.

You can eat & drink pretty cheaply in both countries, if you go where the locals go & stay out of the tourist traps. I doubt we spent more than $5 (euros) on breakfast in Paris b/c we just bought muffins & coffee at the local deli, just like we would at home. Breakfast was included at the hotels on our tour of Ireland.

My advice -- go to Dublin for a few days. Spend money to do a hop on hop off bus tour for an over view. Go back to something that seems fun. Some stuff is pretty cheap / free.

Then go to Paris & do the same thing. Get the Museum pass. A hunk of cheese, a bottle of wine & a loaf of bread in a park with a view of the Eifel tower is about as romantic as it gets. Do not try to eat in any of the restuarants by the Seine. I think we were charged about $13 (euros) for a cup of hot chocolate & 1/2 a sandwhich.

You won't have funds for the outlying areas but you can save that for an anniversary.

cstaffo1 · April 2012

FI and I got engaged in Ireland. We booked a trip through travelzoo (which is a website I HIGHLY recommend) and it ended up being $2400 for both of us for flight, rental car(including the extra $200 for insurance), hotels, and bed and breakfasts for 10 days in October. Ireland for $3500 total for the both of you is TOTALLY do-able.

Hope this helps.

bar10521 · April 2012

Thanks everyone! I've never heard of travelzoo so I'll be signing up for that now. I don't mind wainting until Decmber-ish to book the honeymoon if that's when those deals come out. I really appreciate all your help & advice.

OwningAHome1981 · May 2012

I spent a week in Dublin and it wasn't enough time... if that tells you anything.

We also ventured into a suburb of Dublin called Howth (pronounced HOOth) and it you like hiking, I recommend it there. There are gorgeous cliffs overlooking the sea. We did a 4 hour hike and I took about 300 pictures of just cliffs, lol.

I don't think Ireland and France are that close, so ya, I think you would need to fly. At least if you do neighbouring countries, there is a train I think. Perhaps maybe look into doing Dublin and London or something? I don't think it's all that long of a ferry ride?

If you choose between Ireland or France, I would recommend Ireland hands down. I have been to a few places in France- not Paris though- I just thought Ireland was so beautiful and unique and the people are so friendly and awesome.

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