Ireland Getting Around Ireland
Car, train, bus, coach, ferry . . . jennet? Tips on how to get around in Ireland.
Hire (rent) a car in Ireland and Irish roads
I mentioned in a previous post that hiring cars at Dublin Airport is a better idea than you might think, but I haven’t really discussed the experience that awaits the foreign driver in Ireland. I have, in fairness, expressed my thoughts about whether auto-based tourism is changing for the better or the worse in this previous post. But as regards car hire:
First off, it’s very easy to find a rental car in Ireland. There are many companies online and at Ireland’s airports that are falling over themselves to take your money. You will end up paying somewhere between €25 - €85 a day for your car, depending on the size, insurance and package that comes with your hired car.
Here are a few facts about hiring cars in Ireland:
Date: March 11th, 2007 |
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Ireland by Bus Eireann
A lot of people don’t like travelling by bus. Unfortunately, unless you’ve hired a car or are hitchhiking, you will probably find yourself on a bus sometime during your time here. Taking the train is great, but you’ll probably find either the price of tickets, limited destinations or sparse departure times don’t suit to get you everywhere you want to go, when you want to go there.
The good news is that most of the busses are brand new and their service areas cover the entire country. Their website is a good one, giving rates and times for service anywhere in Ireland. Make sure you produce some student ID if you have such a thing, as the student rates are quite good. There are specials happening on and off, year-round but, in general, a daytrip from Dublin to Galway (probably the most-travelled route for tourists) is less than €20.
Date: December 10th, 2006 |
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Getting around by train - Galway and Limerick linked in 2008!
As anyone who has visited Ireland with visions of floating all around Ireland’s green countryside in a comfortable train compartment can tell you - it doesn’t always work out that way.
Currently the train routes in Ireland, almost without exception, have a single hub: Dublin. Heading to anywhere from anywhere must involve going to Dublin; the spokes of the Irish train map are not connected. For example, if one were to head from Dublin up to Sligo (3+ hours) and then decide they’d like to visit Ballina, which is just down the coast, they’d have …
Date: September 28th, 2006 |
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Daily Dose - Irish Ferries
ooooo, Irishness in a DAILY DOSE!
Just about then I realised I was getting the auld DDs,
When the child of Prague began to dance around the mantlepiece . . .
Here is a list of all of the Irish Ferry websites:
DOMESTIC IRISH FERRY COMPANIES:
Aran Island Ferries
Aran Direct
Clare Island Ferries
Inishbofin Island Ferry
Murphy’s Ferry, Cork to Bere Island.
O’Malley Ferries, another Clare Island Ferry company.
Shannon Ferries, Killimer to Tarbert.
INTERNATIONAL IRISH FERRY COMPANIES:
Brittany Ferries, Ireland to UK and France.
Celtic Link Ferries, Ireland to France.
Irish Ferries, Ireland to UK and France
Norfolkline Ferries, Ireland to …
Date: January 10th, 2007 |
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Ireland by rail
So if you’re thinking about visiting Ireland you’re probably wondering how to get around. Despite the deceptively small scale of this country, it takes quite a bit of doing to get from place to place and, if you’re headed from Dublin to another major city, you could do a lot worse than to take the train (you might want to read my last post about Irish rail).
So, what’s so great about trains? Well, I’ll tell ya: they’re comfortable. You can go for a walk between train cars. You can sit and play cards or blog on your laptop at your table. You can order sandwiches (which aren’t actually too bad) and pints (which are) from the dining car. Best of all, you won’t be held up by traffic or find yourself passing a large truck on a one-and-a-half-lane stone-wall-edged road with no shoulder.
Date: November 1st, 2006 |
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