We know that this looks like a lot of information - and it is! But especially regarding driving, parking, maps, and other topics, it is worth your time to read what we’ve written here - to minimize the chances of tickets, towing, delays, and other unpleasantness.

PASSPORTS

Obviously you need a passport to travel between countries. What’s not so obvious is that if your passport expires within six months of your date of departure, you may be denied entry into some countries. It’s counterintuitive, but it’s worth knowing and definitely worth double-checking your expiry date.

Travelers to Northern Ireland

If you plan to visit Northern Ireland (which is part of the UK), or even if you will just pass through Northern Ireland (e.g., traveling from Dublin to Donegal, if the route would traverse the border between the UK and the Republic of Ireland), you now must have a Electronic Travel Authorization. The application is fairly simple, and it costs £10 to apply. You can read the details and find a link to the application in this article.

DRIVING IN IRELAND:

For those cultures that drive on the “right” side (no pun intended), the number one challenge of driving in Ireland is driving on the left side of the road. It may be worth the extra money to secure a rental that has automatic transmission, enabling the driver to devote more brain-power to driving on the left side of the road from the right side of the car.

So, for right turns, you must yield to the oncoming traffic (rather than for left turns as elsewhere). It's the left turns, then, are the easier ones to make. Note, however, that there is no equivalent of "right on red" in Ireland (it would be left on red there). A red light is a red light, period.

In the Irish Road System, the equivalent of the multi-lane, limited-access Interstate (U.S.) or Autostrada/Autobahn (continental Europe) highway is the Motorway, marked M1, M50, and so on. There are only a few stretches of this kind of highway in the country. The big network of highways is the National Road system (marked N60, N71, etc). These highways can be multi-lane divided highways, but just as often they’re simple two-lane roads. Smaller regional or local roads, if they’re numbered at all, are marked with R or L before the route number. These can be narrow, sometimes just one lane for both directions. In this case, oncoming drivers must cooperate to pass one another at the occasional driveway or wide spot in the road. (In Northern Ireland as in the rest of the U.K., the roads are designated “A” and “B” rather than “N” and “R”.)

GETTING YOUR RENTAL CAR:

When you get your car, take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the layout of the controls – especially headlights, mirrors, hazard lights, wipers, fuel and hood release levers, emergency brake, and defogger/defroster controls.

NOTE: If you want to be extra cautious about not getting charged for damage, take a few more minutes to look over the exterior of the car, taking note of anything that looks like it could be considered damage. Take pictures of every dent and blemish, and email them to yourself and to the rental company.

Insurance:

Check with your credit card company to see if and what kind of coverage they offer for rental cars. Some will not cover foreign country rentals.

Rental car insurance:

Ireland requires a certain amount of coverage on your rental car that is not included in the base rate. (And it is not cheap!) When you book your car online, do NOT opt for an add-on coverage through Travelocity/Fox or other third-party insurer; the rental company will not accept it. Instead, you’ll have to add it through the actual rental company online, or pay for it at the counter when you pick up (which will almost certainly cost more).

Cross border fee:

Travelers between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (UK) must pay a fee at the rental desk to cover the crossing of the border. As it’s not a government fee but a cost connected to the rental insurance, it’s not a fixed price. (In April 2024 we paid a flat fee of €34.) If your route incudes both countries, just let them know at the rental car counter and they’ll sort that out on the spot.

Roundabouts:

As in other parts of Europe, roundabouts or traffic circles are common in place of large stoplight intersections. Remember that the traffic flows from right to left, or clockwise. Approach the circle, look right and bear left, yielding to cars already in the circle. Look for the signs directing you to your next destination, and you can signal your exit (to the left!) from the circle. Don’t be afraid (or embarrassed) to go around the circle an extra time or three, if you're uncertain which road to take from the circle. The only people who will notice your extra revolutions are doing it themselves.

Speed limits:

Rules of the road are taken seriously in Ireland. Speed limits are no exception, so observe postings carefully. One good sign to know is the round white sign with a black slash, indicating the "National Speed Limit". This is 120 kph for Motorways, 100 for the National “N” roads, and 80 for “R” or “L” roads. Watch for reduced speed limit areas, especially when approaching towns, school zones, and crosswalks.

Make driving safety your number one priority. Be prepared to miss your turn, or miss your exit on the highway, or pull over, rather than risk an accident while making a last minute correction. Always build extra time into your daily travel plans for turning around, getting lost, or, if you’re lucky, unexpectedly finding an interesting new place to visit.

Dublin’s M50 toll:

This is the ring highway around Dublin, which has a toll in one spot. The rental car desk will give you info about this. It's a barrier-free toll, the camera system clocks your car tag, and you have 24 hours to pay the toll online. The only spot it's relevant is between Junction 6 and 7 on the M50, so if you avoid that stretch you'll miss the toll and not have to worry about it. Their online system isn't hard to use, it's just an irritating extra thing to have to do.

MAPS

We assume that travelers are using some sort of smartphone app for navigation - we recommend Google maps and “Maps.Me”.

Also, we strongly recommend scouting out each of these places (restaurants, lodgings, sights) on Google Maps and/or Maps.Me ahead of time. It will get you a good idea of the layout of the local geography, which will help when you’re actually on the ground. We even like to use “Street View” for some places, so you can actually see exactly what it will look like. This not only helps in navigating once you’re there, but studies have shown that people enjoy their trip more (and remember it more) if they spend more time anticipating it, preparing for it.

Google maps work great on the road, when you have a data signal.

“Maps.Me” is a smart-phone app that lets you download a pretty detailed map when you have a wifi connection, then access it any time without having to be connected. It even geo-locates you on the map without wifi or data (once you have the maps downloaded), through the basic cellular signal. This app tends to have more markings for walking paths and obscure sites like stone circles or waterfalls.

LODGINGS:

We send our clients to B&Bs, boutique hotels, lighthouses, and vacation rental properties. For many of these types of properties, you won’t find the same systems in place that you would in a regular hotel. There’s sometimes no 24-hour front desk personnel, often no elevators, no valet parking. Though the rooms are immaculately clean and sufficiently equipped (shower, tp, towels, sheets/blankets, etc.), they are often small and modest, sometimes without a microwave, iron, or even a TV in some cases.

Arriving: For many lodgings, you’ll have to arrange an arrival time with the manager/caretaker in advance. Hotels have reception desks of course; if you’re staying at a pub you can usually check in right at the bar.

PACKING FOR THE WEATHER

Everyone has different tolerances for temperature and weather conditions. In general, it can be raining and cold at any time of year in Ireland, even in mid-summer. You can Google the weather in the towns/areas you’re visiting from previous years to get a rough idea of what to expect, and pack clothes accordingly.

In the summer, we pack typical footwear (sandals or regular shoes) but also boots, as some locations can be muddy, wet and chilly. Against the Irish rain, umbrellas can buckle from coastal winds, rendering them useless; instead we bring lightweight packable raincoats.

MEALS

Irish breakfast

The price at most B&Bs and hotels used to always include a breakfast, but now it is often an add-on.

Breakfasts range from simple spreads (cereals, breads/pastries, yogurt, fruit) to cooked breakfasts made to order. The typical Irish breakfast - just ask for the “full Irish” - will include one or two eggs (poached or sunny-side-up unless you request otherwise), bacon and sausage, fried potatoes in some form, a grilled tomato, and sometimes also baked beans and sautéed mushrooms, as well as toast and Irish brown bread. In southern Ireland you’ll also get two little fried rounds of white and black pudding - that’s yet more meat, not something sweet. It’s sometimes a challenge to start the day with a full Irish, especially if you had a large meal the night before; but it’s a delicious challenge.

Eating Out:

Many but not all pubs offer food, and some close up their kitchens altogether in the late fall and winter. If you don’t see a sign for food, it’s good to ask if they do food as soon as you walk into a place, and if the kitchen is still on. This is all the more reason to plan ahead and reserve meals in advance, or rent a self-catering lodging. Sometimes the old local pubs - the dark, woody bars with the fireplace and the usual array of classic taps - offer no food other than bags of crisps. Gastro-pubs and other pubs with food often have live music on weekends. Other eateries (cafes, restaurants) offer food but without the craic of a neighborhood pub.

A post-pandemic note: A lot of pubs/restaurants no longer offer lunch, or they offer it only on weekends.

Meal Times:

Typical dining hours are roughly 12-3 PM for lunch, 6-9 PM for dinner. Some pubs offer food all day, while others close up their kitchens between lunch and dinner.

Reservations:

In general, it’s best to have a reservation for your lunch/dinner, especially in the high season, in the bigger towns, and at the more upscale restaurants. Even at small, modest, out-of-the-way places, though, we advise calling ahead for a reservation - some of these little places are wildly popular with locals, and you might be out of luck if you just show up on the fly.

GAS STATIONS

Filling up is easy enough, at one of the many service stations along the highways or in towns. Most of these places take credit cards, and you'll have to go inside their little office to pay. Often the place is attached to a convenience store - just note the number of your pump and tell the clerks inside, and they'll ring you up.

Note: Though many gas stations have “pay at the pump” systems, these sometimes don’t work with U.S. credit cards.

In general, don’t let your gas gage get down to near empty before thinking about refilling.

PUB CULTURE

The pubs in Ireland vary widely, from old fishermen’s watering-holes to high-end gastropubs. Some are good places to eat, while others are just a place to sit for a quick pint or three. Many are places where whole families get together - you’ll likely see kids and even dogs running around, while their parents chat with their neighbors over a Guinness and a bowl of seafood chowder.

Taps: Nearly every pub in Ireland keeps taps of Dublin’s famous Guinness Stout flowing at all times, as well as Bulmer’s cider. (“Cider” in Ireland is hard cider, ranging from sweet to dry, mostly less sweet than what is typical in the U.S.) In addition, you’ll often see Kilkenny’s delicious Smithwicks (pronounced “Smiddicks” or, in the north, “Smith-icks”) and usually a couple of yellow beers such as Carlsberg and Heineken. In and near County Cork, you’ll find the fine Murphy’s stout in addition to (or sometimes instead of) Guinness. Beamish stout is a less common but also delicious alternative in the southwest. In Northern Ireland you’ll see more Bass Ale - a British product. All this being said, be sure to ask about local craft brews - recent years have seen a resurgence in this art, and many excellent ales and porters yearn to stand out amongst the standard taps.

TIPPING:

Although it’s not strictly expected, it’s not uncommon to tip at restaurants in Ireland. Something like 10-15% for food seems standard these days, the upper end of that being considered quite generous. If you just get a few rounds of pints at a pub, maybe consider leaving some coin for your barman.

Another post-pandemic note: Most restaurants/gastro-pubs in Ireland are severely understaffed these days, and as such their service staff is heavily over-worked. They’re doing their best - we recommend that you be considerate of this and adjust your tip accordingly and generously.

MORE FOOD: SHOPPING

GROCERIES

If you’re staying in a self-catering apartment (such as a vacation rental or a lighthouse), you’ll want to avail yourself of the vast bounty of great food that Ireland has to offer. Ireland has grocery stores just like the U.S., ranging from little corner shops to large supermarkets. (Plastic bags at checkout cost money there, so either bring a reusable bag from home, or buy one there as a souvenir and use it. Or be ready to pay a few cents more for plastic.)

One of the best places to find locally sourced, organic, and sustainably-raised foodstuffs in Ireland is at weekly town markets. Each town holds their market on a different day of the week, when you can visit the tents or stalls of local produce-growers, jam-canners, dairy farmers, cheese-makers, livestock-herders, fish-mongers, bread-bakers, and ale-brewers - everything you need to eat and drink for a day (or a week) at a self-catering lodging, or just for an afternoon picnic. Those markets tend to run from the spring to the fall. Alternatively, many farms have shops, either in town or at the farm itself, where they sell the goods they produce. It’s all fresh, and it’s made or grown by people who really know what they’re doing.

In our luggage, we pack a sea salt grinder and mini pepper mill, a few napkins, plastic cutlery, a paper cup or two, and a travel corkscrew with us. That sets us up nicely for an impromptu picnic if we see a particularly beautiful spot, or just want a quick lunch.

PHARMACIES

Grocery stores will have a section of typical bathroom products (soap, shampoo, tissues, toothpaste, etc). If you need more medical-related items (e.g., ibuprofen, antihistamine, saline solution), you’ll need to head to the pharmacy. We suggest that you travel with an assortment of your favorite over-the-counter remedies - a few doses of ibuprofen, Dayquil, anti-gas, and so on. Pack just enough to tide you over if you have an issue; if you need more doses you can go to the pharmacy. We also bring Alka-Seltzer, and for upset stomach, caraway seeds. (Caraway is a natural remedy for queasiness and general digestive discomfort; just take about ½ teaspoon of seeds with a glass of water and you’ll feel better in about 10 minutes.)

LAUNDRY

If you need to wash a load of clothes in the middle of your trip, a bit of Google searching will yield a couple of types of laundry options. There are self-serve laundromats like those you’ll find in the US; and there are drop-off services. The latter can be handy, especially if you’re staying in a town for more than one night. Just check with the people working there to see what they can do and coordinate your schedule accordingly. A medium load might cost you around €10-12 with no special handling. (Your lodging might also provide this service, or they might have suggestions on how/where to get it done.)

MONEY

Nearly all restaurants and hotels accept credit cards, but a few still do not, so make sure you know before you buy. Pubs will accept cards, but it’s bad form to ask to charge something that’s 5-10 euro. As a rule of thumb, we always pay cash unless the tab is over €20.

Check with your bank about international ATM withdrawal fees. Ours allows us to withdraw money without any fees anywhere in the world, so we use ATMs as necessary, as the exchange rate is the same or close to what you will find at the airport. Even with exchange fees, the convenience may be worth the cost, rather than dealing with the currency exchange places at airports. Exchange counters at the airport often offer ‘deals’ that allow you to exchange unspent Euros on your trip back without fees. Or you can just keep track of your spending in general, working your way down towards the end of your trip. But do keep a cushion “just in case.” Keep in mind, as you do with your car’s fuel gage, not to let yourself get down to nearly empty - we like to try to keep a stash of a hundred euro or more while we’re on the road; you can’t always count on small-town ATMs working every time.

Note: We’ve found that many places that accept cards do not accept American Express, since their commission fees are so high. Mastercard and VISA are generally fine.

SIGHTS

Many of the monuments and sights in Ireland are hundreds if not thousands of years old. Once in a while you’ll find that they’re either closed for renovations or open but covered in scaffolding and other construction materials. This may spoil your photo-op, but keep in mind that they’re doing what is necessary to preserve these ancient edifices.

Note that since the Covid pandemic, Google maps sometimes indicates that some sights are closed. That’s not always the case these days, so it may be worth showing up to see for yourself.

FLIGHTS

SEARCHING FOR FLIGHTS:

Searching vs. Purchasing: We recommend that you don’t use Orbitz, Expedia etc to actually buy your flights - if problems arise, the corporate two-way finger pointing will be frustrating to say the least. Instead, use those aggregators to search around so you can see who is offering what flight routes/schedules, and then go directly to the airline to actually purchase your flight.

Vacation packages: Some airlines (particularly Delta and United) offer a package “Flight + Car” deal - you can often find great prices for a combo purchase if you are flying into and out of the same airport.

Multi-city tickets: Sometimes called “Open-jaw” ticket options, this involves flying into one airport and out of another (e.g., flying into Dublin DUB and out of Shannon SNN).
This will mean a couple of things:
- A multi-city itinerary usually allows you to visit a wider variety of places in your visit - covering more regions means different foods, landscapes, and sightseeing in general.
- Rental car drop-off fees may apply, though they’re not nearly as punishing as out-of-state rental drop-offs in the US).
- Flight + Car deals (see above) won’t be an option with a multi-city ticket.

Flight Schedules: Generally, we recommend aiming to arrive into Italy as early as possible, and leave as late as possible on your departure day. Also be mindful of layover time — try to find your happy medium between a long enough layover that you can make your connection easily, but not so long that you’ll spend $500 on cocktails and crappy club sandwiches in the airport.
It can be worthwhile to pay a bit more for a better schedule, that will make your travel days less stressful and more enjoyable.

Global Entry: If you travel overseas frequently - even just once a year - you might find it worthwhile to get Global Entry. It’s a bit of paperwork and time (and about $100 for 5 years), but it includes TSA Precheck; better yet, when you return to the US, you’ll breeze through the reentry process at passport control and customs.

TRIP INSURANCE:

At the end of the flight purchasing process, you’ll be offered the chance to purchase trip insurance. We’ve never purchased this ourselves; since we were always traveling multiple times a year, we always decided to chance it.

But if this is going to be your trip of a lifetime, you might consider it. It’s a matter of each individual’s risk tolerance, how important the trip is to you, how likely you’ll be to experience medical or family problems necessitating rescheduling your trip, how difficult it might be to absorb extra costs in case of mishaps, and countless other factors.

We are reading about an increase in the number of problems that travelers are experiencing – some caused by climate change: Water or power shortages resulting in closures in some towns (or even whole islands closing!), unexpected weather causing flight delays/rerouting and therefore missed connections, and of course the occasional pandemic.

[NOTE: If, after we’ve crafted your itinerary, your trip is interrupted, delayed, rescheduled, or otherwise altered, we will discuss a “re-do”, with an additional fee determined on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the degree of change necessary for the new itinerary.]

GENERAL AIRPORT/AIRPLANE TIPS:

Airplane food is pretty gross. When possible we travel with our own food (sandwiches, fruit, chips, etc.) The food is better, we know where it came from and how it was made, and we feel better physically.  We bring a travel-pack of Clorox wipes and wipe down our tray tables and tv screens. (This may sound a little paranoid, but we’ve been following the (very funny) Facebook page called “Passenger Shaming”. Passenger Shaming is a page controlled by flight attendants who post pictures of outrageous behavior by passengers; after seeing diaper changes and worse taking place on those tray tables we started wiping them down.)

You may want to bring a sleeping pill with you for the flight. Space in coach/economy has become quite cramped, and sleeping on the plane can be challenging. We bring a small knit blanket with us as well; between that, airplane pillows and blankets, and wadded up sweaters or coats, we create a little nest that allows us to sleep as much as possible on the flight over. You’ll be arriving in Ireland in the morning, and you want to make the most of your first day. Sleeping for most of the flight is the best way to cut down on any feelings of jet lag.

Once you arrive in the airport, you’ll need to go through a passport check. If you take the stairs when possible, you’ll pass by everyone else on your flight, who just mindlessly herd onto the escalators. You’ll be among the first at the passport control, and therefore through the airport and to your car first. Wait to use the restrooms until after passport control to avoid getting stuck at the back of the line. We don’t recommend checking a bag (read our tips on packing on our website), but if you checked a bag on the way over, we recommend that you split up – one of you wait for the bags while the other heads to the car rental agency. Using this method we are able to get out of the airport in less than an hour and begin our vacation immediately!

CHECK-IN AT DUBLIN / SHANNON AIRPORTS (US-bound travelers)

When flying out from Ireland back to the US, you’ll first go through the normal check-in and airport security procedures. Then you’ll go through a second layer of security check and US Customs – at this point, you’re effectively entering the US (even though you haven’t left Ireland yet). For this reason, allow a good bit of extra time on your departure day for this doubled security process.

Note for US travelers: For information about how much “stuff” you can legally bring with you back to the States, here’s a link from a US government website.