Best Map For Driving Ireland? Is a GPS helpful?
 

I will be driving from Dublin, to Cork, Killarney, Dingle, and Galway. What is the best map to help me navigate my way, and to help me explore towns off the main roads?

I've read varying reports of whether a GPS is helpful. Some say it's a waste of money, others say it's a good thing. What is your advice? I believe Dan Dooley (Our rental car company) charges approximately $10 per day for a GPS. Thanks for all your help in planning our dream trip!

OSI Atlas is generally regarded as the best but an AA or Collins glove box atlas is fine. GPS is not worth €10 per day, Irish roads and signage are much improved in the last 10 years and it's unlikely that you would get into a situation that GPS would be able to solve that a half decent map even my 5yr old ones couldn't. A GPS is a comfort blanket which I suppose we will all in time get used too, makes you wonder how we coped without mobile phones just 20 years ago. Some cars now have built in GPS so you might catch lucky..

For our 2 trips in 8 mo. time to Ireland we used the "Collins Road Atlas." It was easy to follow and got us everywhere.
Available on Amazon or many other places.
http://www.amazon.com/Collins-Irelan...las%2C+Ireland

We also rented from Dan Dooley with no problems whatsoever.

Have a great trip.

I picked up a used "Michelin Tourist Map and Driving Guide" for the UK and Ireland.

Size, approximately 8 1/2: x 11". I bought it from www.abebooks.com . Cost me about $5 delivered.

I'm just tearing out the Ireland pages for my trip.

Wasteful?, maybe. Cheap, yes. Need to save my money for beer.

On this month's trip to Ireland I took my own GPS (Sat-Nav)with UK and Ireland maps on a mini-SD card.

Very handy on many occasions. A lot depends on how savvy your front seat navigator is at map reading.


We also had the Ordnance Survey Official Map, good for planning out tomorrow's route.

As already reported, the OSI Atlas is regarded as the best for Ireland, but we used the Rough Guide Map of Ireland that I bought on Amazon for both of our trips to Ireland and it worked out great.

The only time that I think a GPS could be worth the cost would be if you are driving solo. If you have a "navigator", then just use a map and save the money that a GPS would cost. Whether you use a GPS, map or both, you will likely get turned around at least once on your trip. That's a perfect opportunity to ask a local for directions which may be one of the highlights of your trip.

You can also map out each day's trip on www.viamichelin.com

Print them out, take them along, and recycle after use.

We recently used a michelin map. I also bought a sd card for my garmin for $20. I found it most useful when entering roundabouts and being directed to take the first, second etc exit without necessarily reading all the signs as I am remembering to enter left and stay left etc. the roads were not necessarily difficult to follow but the gps was very handy in navigating the towns and small cities.

You can buy a Garmin GPS for $100. and add the world of maps for $100 and never rent a GPS again. Used ours all through England and worked perfect. Only time it caused trouble is when I refused to turn into a little narrow lane that looked like a driveway. The voice was always right and very helpful at the roundabouts.

I would not want to drive Ireland without a GPS. That said, if it came down to a choice between Ireland without one or no Ireland trip at all, I would print off driving directions from aa.roadwatch.ie and be sure I had the right person riding shotgun.