I've got a GREAT list of travel tips for you! For our upcoming trip to Ireland and Scotland, I contacted several of my favorite travel writers and asked them for their top tips.  With their answers, we’ll share a series of ten articles on travel planning, airlines, traveling with kids, tips for Scotland and Ireland, and more.

Thus far, we've shared:

Top Airline Tips

Top Travel Planning Tips

Saving Money for Travel or While Traveling 

Favorite Places in Ireland

Here you are - Top Tips for Activities to do with Kids in Ireland/Scotland…

Here are mine: click the photos to reach the articles!

See who can find a leprechaun or a four leaf clover. Performances of Irish dancing are always fun.

Trish Clark, http://www.goodnightandgodbless.com/

Dip into UK ( near Edinburgh) to see Hogwarts & learn to fly with Harry Potter!

Edinburgh plus castle & enjoying street folks

We loved the Muckross House in the ring of Kerry (and our door museum) & biking that area.

Jeanne at Soultravelers3

The town you are in, or one nearby, will have a community center and/or a leisure center. Find out what’s on offer there. Kids in Europe will be in school in the autumn, but there are often after school and weekend activities of all sorts at these places where kids (and adults) can have fun and meet others. Local libraries can be good places for this too, and the librarians may be sources of other ideas. If there are churches nearby, the people there may turn out to be good resources, too.

Kerry Dexter, http://musicroad.blogspot.com/

Connemara (http://www.connemara.ie/), the fjordland on Ireland's west coast, has a wild, wonderful landscape that will delight the entire family. Besides, the crowds that visit Ireland every summer don't usually make it to this part of the country.In the summer, it couldn't be greener, with dramatic cliffs, sandy beaches and rolling hills. As you drive around, you'll find an array of sleepy hamlets and fishing harbors to visit. One of my favorite stops is the castle-like Kylemore Abbey and the nearby walled gardens that are overflowing with blooming flowers, ferns and even herbs and vegetables.

Jeanine Barone, http://www.jthetravelauthority.com

Both countries are great for hiking. There are lots of marked trails. This gets the kids some exercise, so when you take them to museums, they won’t be so antsy.

Kids love castles and both Scotland and Ireland have wonderful castles to explore.

Terri Fogarty, www.europeupclose.com

This is a no-brainer. The best place for kids that we saw was the Craggaunowan Megalitic Center. Besides a castle, they have a recreation of an Iron Age Village and paths through the woods.

If your kids are musically inclined, don't be shy about taking them to a pub for Irish music. They'll have to stay up past their bedtime, but there will probably be other families there.

Vera Marie Badertscher, http://atravelerslibrary.com/

Both countries have so much on offer for children – check tourist websites before you go for ‘what’s on’ during your stay. Buy local newspaper especially on a Friday when they will list activities on offer. Visit Tourist Info offices – one in every town worth visiting – loads of helpful ideas there

Zoe Dawes, http://www.thequirkytraveller.com/

I fell in love with Kilkenny years ago. It has a Medieval web of streets and buildings, yet possesses a distinct urban village vibe. Plus, its’ attractions are tops... for something a bit macabre, stop in St Mary's Cathedral and check out the wax-encased relics of St. Victoria in the side altar.

Corey Taratuta, http://irishfireside.com/

Go horseback riding.
What better place to ride a Highland Pony than in Scotland? 

Click here to learn what to pack for a horseback riding vacation.

Nancy D. Brown, http://www.nancydbrown.com/

Do you have a great tip you'd like to share? Let us know!

Note: This article was originally published in 2010 and updated in 2020