My husband and I will vacation for 13 days in Ireland this May. We've booked our first night in Dublin, our last night in Shannon, and reserved a rental car. We will book B&Bs as we approach each area. Would you recommend we purchase a map of Ireland to help guide us through the country? If so, where would you recommend we purchase this map?

Your car rental company may have a free one. Otherwise you can get them at gas stations. If you want to have a map to study before your trip, I believe the RIck Steves web site sells Michelin flip maps. I used one last year for Ireland and it was good.

i would say you definately should have a map. the road signs are often for a big city miles from where you may be going but you need to know the names for direction.
I always buy the michelan maps that are a big scale.

If you don't get one beforehand, you can get them in the airport. You will most likely need one. We travel Ireland with a Michelin map that folds out to over 55 x 39 inches. (I just measured it!) It works well for us as we just fold it to the area we're in and refold as necessary.

Yes - you need a detailed map of Ireland - suggest you look at Michelin. Otherwise you will spend half of your time not sure if you're lost or not. You also need street by street maps of any sizeable towns you will pass through. Suggest you get them from the Irish tourist office - of the CofC of each of the towns.

Call Tourism Ireland now for a free map of Ireland: 1-800-223-6470. That way you can start the planning process before you arrive. Your local bookstore can order you a Michelin map.

Yes, I agree with NYTraveler. A detailed map will get you back to main roads. It'll also help find those little roads that turn into some very pleasant drives, as long as you know that it's just going to skirt the coast and then cut back to a main road and not dead end on you.

We picked up an Ordinance Survey road atlas at a gas station on the way out that continues to be useful and is still on my bookshelf now for the next trip. Seems much more accurate than any of the foldout maps we've tried.

I agree about needing and USING a map, especially in Ireland.

Now, if you could just figure out some way to get some people who post questions here to look at one before they do so.....

I second the Ordnance Survey map - extremely handy for showing all the roads (labeled, numbered or not) and for back tracking and planning your next trip once you're home.

The Complete Road Atlas of Ireland is my favorite.

http://www.irishmaps.ie/product/display.cfm?ProductID=7

http://www.osi.ie/

Happy driving!

Wendy

With free maps you get what you pay for. Invest in a good map and take some time to study it beforehand.

Just out of curiosity, how were you planning to get around the country without one?

We have a general map of Ireland, and were wondering if we need a more-specific road atlas. This is my first time using the message baords and it has proven to be very helpful. Thank you to everyone for your feedback!

<<Just out of curiosity, how were you planning to get around the country without one?>>

Exactly what I was thinking... I started to post a tongue-in-cheek answer - - to head any direction until you hit seacoast, then make any combination of 90 degree turns (except for driving into the sea itself)...

Isn't this how Roomba vacuums your house?



Best wishes,

Rex

The ordinance survey map is VERY good but it can get a bit iritating with the number of page turns you have to make. When you make it to a specific area and are looking for that little road that goes to no where, it's great. I usually use the Michelin atlas that covers the UK and Ireland. It's pretty good and easy to read. The ones that the rental companies give you are missing a lot of the smaller roads.

Have fun!

Bill

jenbirds: yes, do buy a map. there are some excellent small easily folding ones in all gas stations. but i would suggest you perhaps decide where you want to go in ireland, then go to www.aaroadwatch.ie/routes and from there you can plan your routes so easily from home before you get here. the site gives all the towns you will pass through on your journey from one place to another together with length of time it will take and all road numbers. will make life so much easier for you i think. have a great holiday!

Why did I read this as Do we need a MAN in Ireland??//