IRELAND VACATION PLANNER

Ireland
(Fodor's) ISBN 978-0876371244 0876371241

This travel guide is a comprehensive source of information for Ireland trips. You can plan your Ireland vacation with information about restaurants, attractions, shopping and hotels (from Irish B&B's to castle hotels). You will learn about Irish music, food and drink, golf vacations, hiking in Ireland, guided tours and entertainment.

Besides information on air travel and flights to Ireland, the Fodor's guidebook provides details on ferries, car rentals, driving routes and walking tours. Weather information helps you plan when to go on your Ireland holiday, based on temperature and rainfall.

Car rental companies

For car rental in Ireland, the Travel Smart Ireland chapter provides information on major agencies, like Hertz Car Rental, as well as local car hire (e.g., Argus Rent A Car in Dublin). It also provides phone numbers and websites for wholesalers, such as Auto Europe and Europe by Car.

Fodor's Ireland gives examples of car rental rates in Dublin, including the Irish Republic's 12.5% tax on car rentals. It also recommends that, when you reserve a rental car, you ask about cancellation penalties, drop-off charges and surcharges, and confirm that your car rental insurance covers you if you visit Northern Ireland and rent your car in the Irish Republic.

Golf courses

If you are planning a golfing vacation in Ireland, The Best Irish Greens chapter provides information on the best golf courses (e.g., Ballybunion and Lahinch) and several golf clubs in Ireland (e.g., Portmarnock Golf Club and Druids Glen Golf Club).

To make it easy to plan Ireland golf trips, the chapter includes the location, phone number, website, greens fees, golf courses and availability of driving ranges, practice areas, caddies, golf carts, club rentals and catering for each listed golf club in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.

Things to do

This 704-page guidebook begins with a summary of Irish politics, religion, culture and sports. The summary of Ireland's top attractions describes places like Newgrange and the Giant's Causeway. After describing Irish life (e.g., craic in pubs), Celtic sites and driving tours of Ireland, the guidebook provides advice for visitors searching for Irish ancestors.

The guidebook is organized by regional chapters, which are subdivided into cities, counties and things to do (e.g., Irish festivals).

Ferries to Ireland

The back of the trip planner explains how to get around Ireland. For example, it describes the five main ferry ports to Ireland and the Ulysses, the largest car ferry in the world, that travels between Dublin and Holyhead, Wales (crossing time: three hours and 15 minutes).

Close-Up sidebars provide travel advice, e.g., companies that offer cycling tours of Connemara in West Ireland. Word of Mouth sidebars contain travel tips, e.g., the Mountains of Mourne are a beautiful place for hiking in Ireland.

Dublin map

Fodor's Ireland has 54 maps, including a large map of Ireland and city map of Dublin that can be pulled out from the back cover. The inside front cover is a map of Dublin city center. Besides maps of counties, cities, towns and islands, you will find maps of Ireland driving tours.

More than 300 photos depict things to do in Ireland, from renting an Irish cottage to playing golf in Ireland.

Experience Ireland
- What's New
- When to Go
- What's Where
- Ireland Planner
- Ireland Today
- Ireland's Top Attractions
- Top Experiences
- Quintessential Ireland
- If You Like
- Great Itineraries
- Great Outdoors
- Irish Family Names
- Ancestor Hunting
Dublin
- Welcome to Dublin
- Dublin Planner
- Getting Around
- Dublin's Seafood Bounty
- Exploring Dublin
- Where to Eat
- Best Bets for Dublin Dining
- Where to Stay
- Best Bets for Dublin Lodging
- Nightlife and the Arts
- Sports
- Shopping
- Side Trips, North County Dublin
Dublin Environs
- Welcome to Dublin Environs
- Dublin Environs Planner
- Getting Around
- Ireland's Historic Heart
- The Boyne Valley
- County Wicklow
- County Kildare to West Wicklow
The Midlands
- Welcome to the Midlands
- The Midlands Planner
- Getting Around
- Cruising on the Shannon
- The Eastern Midlands
- The Western Midlands
The Southeast
- Welcome to the Southeast
- The Southeast Planner
- Getting Around
- Kilkenny City
- Southeast Inlands
- Wexford Town
- Waterford and the Southwest Coast
- In and Around County Tipperary
The Southwest
- Welcome to the Southwest
- The Southwest Planner
- Getting Around
- The Ring of Kerry
- In and Around Killarney
- Corca Dhuibne: The Dingle Peninsula
- North Kerry and Shannonside
County Cork
- Welcome to County Cork
- County Cork Planner
- Getting Around
- Cork City
- East Cork and the Blackwater Valley
- Kinsale to Glengarriff
County Clare, Galway and the Aran Islands
- Welcome to County Clare, Galway and the Aran Islands
- County Clare, Galway and Aran Planner
- Getting Around
- County Clare: The Burren and Beyond
- Galway City
- The Oileain Arainn (Aran Islands)
Connemara and County Mayo
- Welcome to Connemara and County Mayo
- Connemara and County Mayo Planner
- Getting Around
- Hiking the West
- Connemara
- County Mayo
The Northwest
- Welcome to The Northwest
- The Northwest Planner
- Getting Around
- Yeats County: Sligo to Drumcliff
- Around Donegal Bay
Northern Ireland
- Welcome to Northern Ireland
- Northern Ireland Planner
- Getting Around
- All About Irish Whiskeys
- Belfast
- The Giant's Causeway Coast
- Derry
- The Western Border Counties
- The Eastern Border Counties
The Best Irish Greens