Ten ways or tips for getting the
most out of your Ireland vacation
...
1. RENT A CAR IF POSSIBLE:
Many first-time American visitors
will use a tour bus for the land
portion of their trip because they
are fearful of driving in a foreign
country, on the wrong side of the
road on the wrong side of the car.
If you are a good driver, you will
be able to handle driving in
Ireland. If you're a little nervous,
rent a car with an automatic
transmission. It costs more, but
shifting is one less thing to think
about while driving.
The flexibility of having your
own car is twice or three times the
value of being dependent on a second
party. Also, it's often cheaper to
make your car rental reservations on
line when you book your airfare. I
use Orbitz and Travel Zoo. You can
specify the size of the car,
insurance choices and standard vs.
automatic, and it will be ready for
you when you arrive at the airport.
2. GET A GOOD ROAD MAP OR TWO:
- I always use two different maps -
one that has more details in ROADS,
and one that has more details with
SITE MARKINGS. Roads in Ireland,
especially off the beaten path can
be confusing. A detailed road map (I
use Michelin - can be purchased at
Barnes and Noble) will be beneficial
for keeping you on your course and
excellent if you happen to get lost
(you will get lost). Choose a second
one that marks many sites of
interest, such as "Ballintober
Abbey" in Mayo or "the Hill of
Slane" in Meath. Then you can see
where your destination lies in
relation to crossroads and you can
see what you are traveling past that
you may not want to miss. (Actually,
the map published by the Irish
Tourist Board, usually given free at
the Airport is very good for site
markings.)
3. HAVE THREE GOOD GUIDEBOOKS:
Guidebooks are written from
different perspectives and not all
are equal. Most focus on
accommodations, attractions and
dining. Some will have more details
than others. Many are out of date
because things change so quickly in
Ireland, and it's too expensive to
publish a guidebook every year. I
have recommended 3 guidebooks that I
use to get a comprehensive and
up-to-date view of Ireland, but
search around and pick three that
you like. Look for up-to-date
information, comprehensive coverage
of sites, and a specialty guidebook
suited for your interests (nature,
history, golf, literary, pubs, etc).
You can read about these 3 books
in greater detail in my
Top 3 Ireland Guidebooks blog post.
-
Ireland 2009, by Rick Steves
has the most up-to-date
information.
Rick Steves is the number 1
selling guidebook author in
America and he updates his
guidebooks every year - so
admission prices, accommodation
costs, and local information is
the most accurate you can get.
Rick was a history major and it
shows in his writings. He adds
interesting historical tidbits.
His section on Ireland Past and
Present gives a concise view of
Ireland's evolving history - a
perfect primer for the traveler.
-
The Ireland Country Guide,
by Lonely Planet has the most
comprehensive list of sites,
attractions and accommodations,
as well as tons of photographs
and historic background. I love
the "voice" of this guide - very
casual, very personal. This is
the best comprehensive guide
I've found for planning and I
carry it my car when traveling
in Ireland.
-
The Traveler's Guide to Sacred
Ireland, by Cary Meehan is
my favorite guidebook because my
particular interest in Ireland
is the country's heritage,
culture and links to Celtic
Spirituality. Meehan lists
hundreds of sites across Ireland
that are sacred or mystical or
tied to legend offering
historical information,
location, directions. In her own
unobtrusive, humble way she
reveals some of the mystical
aura of each site. Every
guidebook will have Newgrange,
Hill of Tara, Drombeg Stone
Circle, and the beehive huts in
Dingle. But Meehan's book
contains ancient sacred sites
never listed in the major
guidebooks, and it's laid out
geographically so you can pick
it up at any time during your
travels and see what's near.
NOTE: This is my guidebook pick
for my particular interest. If
your interest is pubs,
genealogy, castles, horses,
golf, whatever - get a guidebook
specifically suited to your
interest
GUIDEBOOK COST: A guide book
costs about $20. Consider this an
investment in your trip. If you're
spending hundreds or thousands of
dollars on a vacation, money you
spend on guidebooks will deliver 10
times that amount in travel
experience.
4. PLAN, PLAN, PLAN:
Planning before you leave home will
make the difference between your
being a tourist with limited
experiences, or a savvy traveler -
or better yet, being a pilgrim.
(Pilgrim definition - A "pilgrim" is
someone who travels within the
context of a story - kind of a
"theme traveler" - more on this in
another post). Use your maps and
guidebooks and make a list of sites
that interest you well in advance.
Then map out your course (read steps
5 and 6 before mapping out). Reserve
your accommodations in advance (most
will reserve via the Internet).
Check with a travel agent to assist
you with possible special deals
concerning airfare, hotel, b&b and
admission to attractions.
5. STICK TO ONE REGION (OR TWO):
Because Ireland is small country
(about the size of West Virginia)
visitors often cram too much into
one visit trying to navigate the
entire country. If your trip is one
- two weeks long, try to see more
sites in less miles of travel. Your
experience will be richer as you
will be less tired and will have
more time to hook into the Irish
culture. Don't rush. The typical
Ireland Tour has 40-50 visitors
herded onto a tour bus for 10 days
seeing Dublin (Trinity College),
Blarney Castle, Ring of Kerry,
Cliffs of Moher, Newgrange, Bunratty
Castle, Waterford Factory, Guinness
Brewery, W.B. Yeats' grave, and
maybe (if you're lucky) Glendaolough
or the Giant's Causeway - with
various pubs along the way. All of
these are very worthy sites to visit
- but not all at once.
- Dublin and the East: If you
love history, architecture and
culture, then visit Dublin with
Trinity College, the Irish History
Museum, the restaurants, theater and
shopping. Also in this region is the
Hill of Tara, Newgrange passage
tombs, and the Boine valley. The
Wicklow mountains are near with the
ancient monastic city of Glendalough.
Kildare is a close ride and is
famous for the thoroughbred horses,
the curragh, the Japanese Gardens,
and the holy wells and monastic
sites of St. Brigid.
- The West: If you love a wild
landscape relatively untouched by
development with archeological
wonders - visit the West. The Burren
with the ancient Poulnabrone dolmen,
the hills and bogs of Connemara -
some of the rarest "light" in
Ireland, Galway, Westport, the
Literary paths of W. B. Yeats and
Lady Gregory, the Aran Islands, the
sheer cliffs of Achill Island, the
Shrine of Our Lady of Knock, and
pubs full of traditional Irish
music.
- The South has beautiful
coastlines, castles, formal gardens,
and the second largest city- Cork,
as well as Cobh famous for its port,
Wexford the medieval city, and Kinsale which is becoming known for
gourmet restaurants. The south is
famous for its beautiful, scenic
fingers - The Beara Peninsula, The
Dingle Peninsula and the Iveragh
Peninsula (Ring of Kerry) landscapes
that rival any in Western Europe for
beauty.
- The North has the hills of
Donegal (one could spend a week here
and never run out of things to see)
and the wonderful counties of
Northern Ireland - Fermanagh with
its scenic lakes and megalithic
monuments, Belfast - a historic,
vibrant city, Derry - the only
completely walled city in Western
Europe, the Glens of Antrim, the
Giant's Causeway, the oldest
continually operational distillery
in the world - Bushmills, and the
home of St. Patrick - Armagh.
6. STAY AT LEAST TWO NIGHTS IN
A LOCATION: There's nothing that
tires a traveler more than
schlepping their gear in and out of
the car and hotel room, checking in
and checking out. When you plan your
trip, pick "hubs" where you will
stay for a few days, then make day
trips from there spanning out like
the spokes of a wheel. You can
travel 40 to 50 miles in an hour
which covers a lot of territory in
Ireland. Staying in one place also
helps you get to know the people of
that locale, especially if you're
staying in a B&B thus getting
maximum exposure to Irish
hospitality - one of the country's
greatest tourist assets.
- Choose your "hubs" or
central locations, then decide
if you want to stay at a B&B or
Hotel. B&Bs are pretty modern
these days, offering private
bathrooms (en suite) and
televisions. Some even have
phones for guests, dinners upon
request, family rooms, and high
speed internet access. The
benefit to a B&B is expense
(they run cheaper than hotels)
and the friendship guests gain
with the host family. You
experience hospitality up-close
and personal. Hotels and Country
houses are another option.
- Once you've identified your
"hubs" choose accommodations and
make reservations before you
leave.
The Irish Tourist Board has
good listings for B&Bs, hotels,
country houses, hostels, camping
sites and self catering on its
website. They will also send you
free booklets that have
comprehensive lists of these
types of accommodations.
7. PUB FOOD VS. RESTAURANT:
Most pubs serve food, so consider
them for lunch and dinner. If you're
entering a restaurant, take notice
whether or not there is a pub
attached to it. In many cases the
pub offers the same food at a
cheaper price. At a pub you can
usually pick a table and sit away
from the bar (if you want privacy
and don't want conversation). I
always go right up to the bar and
sit down. I ask if they serve food
(the answer is almost always yes),
then I order and eat at the bar.
Invariably someone will speak to me
/ us. The visit is much more
pleasant, and I spend less money for
the meal.
8. RENT A CELL PHONE IN
IRELAND: On my last trip to
Ireland I used my personal cell
phone, stayed 10 days and my cell
phone bill was $358. I did speak to
my husband each day for a few
minutes, but we paid overseas long
distance charges at both ends.
Additionally I made many calls in
Ireland - phoning the B&Bs, calling
ahead to attractions to check hours,
calling to local tourism offices to
find out where the nearest Wi-Fi
cafes were. I discovered later that
you can rent a phone and pay by
minutes of use and it's much
cheaper. In most cases you can find
a vendor near the airport.
9. USE THE ATM (CASH POINT) TO
GET EUROS: Exchange rates vary
and if you're wanting to get your
Euros before you leave home - don't.
It costs you to use those exchange
stations. Once you're at the airport
ask where the nearest "cash point"
machine is. You insert your VISA or
VISA Debit Card and withdraw however
much you want. Only take as much as
you need for a few days, as these
machines are in every City. The
exchange rate is lowest this way and
you don't have to worry about
carrying lots of cash to get you
through the vacation. Check with
local bank before you leave to see
if they impose an additional fee for
these withdrawals.
10.
VISIT THE ROCK OF CASHEL: Every
person should visit the
Rock of Cashel at least once in
his or her life. To me, this is the
most amazing site in Ireland with
the most rich history - both
legendary and mystical. The rock
itself is geographic wonder. The
fact that civilizations living in
the Golden Vale of County Tipperary
have held it sacred for centuries
and marked it with various monuments
is also a wonder. This was where the
Kings of Munster ruled - including
Brian Boru, the High King of
Ireland. Ruins of Cathedral hug the
Rock today. I visit Cashel every
time I go to Ireland. It is a
thin place.
For more information on Ireland
and sites to visit, please scan the
other posts on this blog.
Additionally, you may want to visit
these links:
Thin Places - Celtic Doorways to
the Otherworld
Discover Ireland - Irish Tourist
Board site
Browse Ireland
Fishing in Ireland
Irish
Literature, Mythology, Folklore and
Drama
Irish Weather
Bernd Biege's site - About.com
Ireland
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