Pricing an Irish vacation

How much a trip to Ireland will cost

Airfares to Ireland & vacation packages

Airfare from USA

from
$573

r/t: NYC–Shannon

 

Airfare from EUR

from
$50

o/w: London-Dublin

 

Package

from
$719

7 days: air from U.S., car, B&Bs

 

Airport transfer

from
$8

via city bus

 

Transatlantic airfare is not cheap. However, there are some great packages that bundle air, rental car, and B&B vouchers and make a trip to Ireland one of the great bargains of European travel—especially now that the ongoing economic crisis has brought prices on food and such back from sky-high levels to within a modest budget.

Getting around in Ireland

Again, that package mentioned above including a rental car, airfare, and B&B vouchers is about a good a deal as you're ever going to get. However, should you wish to go it alone, know this:

Your best bet, by far, is a rental car. It will get you to all those colorful villages, countryside B&Bs, ancient stone monuments, gorgeous coastlines, ruined abbeys, and other sights that make ireland so compelling. Just be careful driving (on the left) on the winding, narrow country lanes.

In second place: Ireland's excellent intercity bus system.'Tis slow and ponderous, true, but there are many connections and it will get you just about anywhere fairly inexpensively—if you can take the time to wait upon the bus schedule.

Unusually for Europe, the trains take third place. Ireland's train system—while perfectly fine—isn't nearly as extensive as that of the Continent of the U.K. (And it's expensive; €66 just to go from Cork to Dublin; to cover the equivalent distance in Italy—say, Rome to Siena—costs €14.) Also, the best bits of Ireland lie outside the cities, and it's really only the cities that are hooked up to the rail network.

Lodging options in Ireland

Hotel

from
$55

Jackson Court, Daublin

 

B&B

from
$70

Glasha Meadows, Doolin

 

Guesthouse

from
$49

Lake Lodge, Killarney

 

Hostel

from
$19

Barnacles Quay, Galway

  

Apartment

from
$83

Latchford, Dublin

 

Irish hotels are fine (esecially the castle hotels), but Ireland's famous B&Bs are less expensive and more intersting, usually offering a chance to get to know a local family, sleep in homey quarters, and—bets of all—indulge in a daily Full Irish Breakfast. A notch below the B&B is the Irish guesthouse, somewhere between a simple hotel and a hostel (often mixing private rooms with shared-bed dorms). Full hostels are also popular, cheap (from €14), and widespread. Then, of course, there are campgrounds, agritourism, rental cottages, couchsurfing... all the usual alternative lodging options. Prices at any kind of lodging will be higher April to September (peaking in July and August), and at their lowest November to February.

Meals in Ireland

Restaurant meal

from
$26

3-course meal, sometimes w/drink

 

Pub meal

from
$19

sandwich, burger, meat pie w/ drink

 

Fast food

from
$7

fish n' chips; kabab; curry

 

Pint in pub

from
$5

stout is cheaper than ale/lager

 

Beer from grocers

from
$2.80

 

Pub grub (burger, meat pies, other bar food) remains the cheapest way to get a full meal in Ireland (€10 to €15, plus €3.50 to €5.50 for a pint). Restaurants are pricer—but many now have cheap (€20 to €35) set-price early-bird specials. Irish fast food (fish 'n' chips, kebabs, curries, etc.) range from €5 to €8, with a toasted cheese sandwich in a pub or a slice of pizza for around €1.50 to €3.

Sightseeing, activities, and daytrips in Ireland

Heritage Card

from
$29

1 year; 95 sights across Ireland

 

Dublin Pass

from
$76

2-days; 37 major sights in Dublin

 

St. Patrick's

from
$8

Free tours!

 

Walking tour

from
$8

Dublin walking tour

 

Day trip

from
$47

Newgrange & Monasterboice

 

The best sightseeing value in Ireland is the Heritage Pass, which only costs €21, lasts a year, and gets you into 90 national monuments, archeologcal sites, and museums across Ireland—many of them the top sight in the town or region. If you'll be in Dublin for two or three days and plan to hit most major sights, the Dublin Pass is a good value as well. Otherwise, expect to get hit up for €5 to €13 at every sight.