HoneyBeee

Aside from the flight payments, I'm not sure how much money I'm going to need to bring to Ireland! We're staying for 2 weeks, and I'm paying for myself. About how much will it be for hotel/B&B's and food if we keep it on the cheaper side?
Basically, what is a safe amount of money to have so I don't need to worry about not having enough?

Thank you.

janisj

Don't "bring" any money (or no more than a very few € if you want cash for your first few hours in Ireland). Leave the money in your checking account back home and use your ATM cards to get cash when you need it . . . .

Lets_do_it

Ireland has gotten very expensive since its economy nose dived. Don't allow less than a budget of €150 per day and that may not be enough.

I agree regarding ATM's, it's by far the easiest way...and cheapest.

GreenDragon

I would say the cheap side of B&Bs are about E40, which transaltes into about $50 a night per person. While breakfast is included, I would get some nonperishable groceries for picnic lunches to go on the cheap, or eat at pubs. You can usually get a decent meal for E10 at a pub - $13. You can do that for lunch or dinner, depending. The breakfasts can be huge, so you might be able to skip lunch or just do snacks.

Transport depends on whether you are driving, bussing, etc.

A great deal for visiting places is the Irish Heritage Card (I think that's the name)... one price and you get into all Irish Heritage properties, it's a great deal if you are doing lots of touring.

jumbonav

Agree. Don't "bring" more than about 20 bucks. Get your money from the ATMs...

GreenDragon

Yup, ATMs are the best - and safer! - way to get cash. Do keep in mind some B&Bs want cash rather than credit card, so make sure you know these details before you go. When we went to Edinburgh last summer, we needed to pay up front for the self-catering place, so I had to bring cash. But that's something you have to find out from the places you are staying.

Keep in mind that there is usually a limit on the amount you can take out at the ATM each day. This MAY be a total limit or it may be a limit per bank or per ATM. And remember the limit is going to be in dollars, not Euros (i.e., you can pull out $200 a day, but that only comes out to about E155)

JAK86

I took 100 euro with me for my first few days, and within a two hours I had spent 45 of that on a bus, entry to The Book of Kells, and some lunch.

I agree with everyone and keep money your money in your account and take out some as you need. Try and avoid taking out small amounts as the charges will add up. Whenever I would go to the ATM I would take out 200 euro, $340-$360 depending on the exchange rate.

You can make it work on a small budget as long as you look for the deals, and sometimes make sacrifices. Typically, I would try and have a good sized breakfast, cereal, toast, yogurt, juice, and milk and only have a light lunch of a rice krispie bar or bag of chips, and then again have a bigger meal at night. Saved a lot of money for me.

Not to sure about the accommodation as most of mine were prepaid for through my program and tour. I booked two hostels for this summer at 45 and 50 euro per night. Again, sacrifices may need to take place if you want to go cheap.

janisj

"<i>I would take out 200 euro, $340-$360 depending on the exchange rate.</i>" When did € 200 equal $350-ish? I don't recall the € being $1.80. $1.55 was about the max wasn't it? Right now €200 = about $265.