More 25 travel tips in Ireland useful for a stress -free trip

With more than 20% of Americans claiming an Irish heritage, Travel to Ireland appears on many buckets of buckets. Everyone has heard stories to kiss BLARNEY at the Château de BLARNEY and to drive the Ring of Kerry – but when it comes to visiting Ireland, there are a few things to know before leaving. I visited Ireland several times and I wanted to share these travel tips in Ireland when they are still fresh in my mind.

Of course, the biggest challenge when planning a trip to Ireland is to determine where to go. An option is to fly to Dublin and travel south and west through Kilkenny, Waterford, County Cork, Killarney, The Ring of Kerry, Dingle Peninsula, and slowly heading to Galway (stopping on the cliffs of Moher of course) and flying from Shannon or returning to Dublin. These more adventurous may prefer the northern zone of Donegal.

If you have two weeks or more, you can add a visit to Northern Ireland (which is part of the United Kingdom) and see emblematic sites like Giant’s Causeway and Dunlace Castle. Whether you have two weeks or just a long weekend, do not focus on checking a list of essential sites. Instead, take your time and enjoy traditional Irish music, food, culture and the incredible warmth of the Irish people.

If you need help to plan your trip, I am happy to refer to one of my travel advisor friends who can help you organize an incredible trip.

Travel advice in Ireland

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Know before leaving

One of the great things in Ireland’s visit is that it is very culturally familiar. English is widely spoken (and with the most charming Irish accent) and customs are not too different from which the North Americans are comfortable. The Irish are incredibly warm and welcoming, which makes Ireland a destination very suitable for children. The combination of English, family and Irish heritage made Ireland a very popular first international trip to families.

Ireland also needs to be expensive vacation (see how much a trip to Ireland costs). Although there are many accommodation of five -star castles, there are also country houses, city hotels and holiday rentals that are quite affordable for families compared to the visit to London or other large cities.

When to go

July and August is a tourist tip season in Ireland, so you can expect at higher prices and larger crowds. The shoulder seasons of May-June and September-October were much quieter, but the growth of world tourism really made these seasons very busy as well.

Although winter in Ireland is not terribly cold, it will be wet and dreary and certain countryside establishments will close from November to early March. Thus, even if the crowd will be less, there are also drawbacks to visit in winter.

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As I mentioned, there are many affordable flights to the national carrier Aer Lingus. Here are some tips for facilitating your entry and going out in Ireland:

• You can fly in Dublin, Shannon or Cork, so don’t feel like you are going and get out of Dublin – simply note that some airlines only fly in these airports every day
• Be ready for immigration questions about the purpose of your trip
• When you return, you can pre-class do, customs and immigration from the United States to Dublin and Shannon airports. Please give yourself time to pass this process (about two to three hours in Dublin and one to two hours in Shannon.)
• When you leave Dublin airport, you will need to go through the security of standard airport and if you want to make purchases or eat, then do it before entering the American pre-elimination area
• There is a global entry line and dublin kiosks that can be opened or not
• After the pre-authorization, there is not much food or shopping options
• Shannon airport offers special services for people on the autism spectrum or suffering from sensory problems, including a special waiting room

Move

Move in Ireland can be difficult – especially with a large family. You can certainly hire a driver guide or take public transport between cities and cities. You can even fly between cities to save time. But there is a good chance that if you go to the countryside, you will end up renting a car.

Here are some tips to help you prepare:

• You drive to the left throughout Ireland and it can take some time to get used to it if you are used to driving on the right
• Expect small narrow roads with very little space to pass. If tight tracks make you nervous, you may want to abandon driving tasks
• Due to narrow roads, it is highly recommended to rent the smallest car possible. And unless you are very comfortable driving a manual, I would recommend spending additional money on automatic transmission. Believe me, driving on the left is difficult enough without also facing a change of stick
• To fully enjoy your visits, you may want to hire a driver’s guide if you can afford it. Expect around 250 euros per day for a half-day excursion
• Driving will always take more time than you expect (or Google predicts) so leave more time to get from a place in a place
• The cellular service can be uneven and the GPS rental car is not always reliable, so I would also recommend investing in a paper card as a backup and requesting or printing directions to your destination. Simply affect one of your passengers to be the browser!
• Make sure you buy full car insurance coverage because it is not unknown for someone to eliminate a side rear view mirror passing from stone walls or buses on these narrow roads
• Bring the change (in Euro for the Republic of Ireland and British books / pence for Northern Ireland) for tolls and parking meats
• Tell your car rental company if you plan to go to Northern Ireland or take the ferry in England or Scotland
• Bring a travel guide that includes a key to all the main road panels and parking symbols because they are not completely intuitive
• When you cross the street, don’t forget to look good. There are painted panels at intersections to remind visitors in many main cities and cities, but it is good to always remind you
• When you enter a rotary, you enter left
• A tip for driving on the left is to remember to always keep the midline of the road on the driver’s side of the car

What to pack

In Ireland, time is unpredictable and often rainy, so the trick is to prepare.

• You will want to plan the packaging and wear layers (very similar to my Scotland packaging list)
• While the sunny days are spectacular, the rainy days can be raw, then make sure to bring a raincoat, an umbrella and boots or shoes resistant to weathering
• You will also need a European adapter (for the Republic of Ireland) and / or in the United Kingdom (for Northern Ireland) and a converter for devices such as hair dryers or flat irons
• Do not forget your camera with a battery charger and a lot of additional juice for your phone and camera because the landscape is beautiful!

Money

• The Republic of Ireland operates on the euro, while Northern Ireland uses the British book.
• Restaurants will generally include service costs, but if not, a tip beyond 10 to 12% is not expected
• Credit cards are accepted almost everywhere, although you want a card without foreign transaction costs and ideally a card with a chip and a pin
• Free wifi is available in most attractions and restaurants
• You can save money when you visit attractions by investing in a heritage card. The heritage card provides for free entry to all OPW heritage sites managed by the paid state located throughout the country for one year from the date of the first use (with the exception of traditional Muckross, Killarney farms) farms)
• Visitors to non -European unions can buy tax deductible by requesting a tax reimbursement in airport kiosks. There are Fexco tax reimbursement kiosks at Dublin, Shannon and Cork airports, where you can quickly process your refund and claim your tax. It’s super fast and easy!

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