Travel In IRELAND Rail / Bus or Drive ?
 

My wife , 4 year old daughter and I are going to visit Ireland for 14 days. We had great luck with the rail in Britain. Is a rail and bus pass going to cover our travel needs in Ireland? We plan to stay exclusively in B& B's. Can you take cab's from train stations to B & B's? Please help. Thanks, Rob

We were just in Ireland for 2 weeks. We met a delightful American couple who were traveling around Ireland by train and bus. They said it took a bit of juggling with schedules and they took cabs from the stations to their B&B's, but it worked really well for them. We drove and really enjoyed that experience. When we return we plan to drive again except when going into Dublin. We plan on taking the DART (rapid transit) in and out of a nearby town in that area. Have fun and enjoy!!!!!!!

I think you're nuts to take a four year old on a rail pass in Ireland. While much improved. Irish rail service is limited in accessing the countryside.

I am positively biased toward the public transport in Ireland. Since I am use to driving in United States, I am afraid to travel in Ireland other than by Bus and Train. I found I was able to to get to any place I wanted by public transport but I guess that driving is a bit more flexible. Keep in mind that if you are uncomfortable in driving in Ireland that I would not risk it! I may try this after I study the rules of the road in Ireland!

I spent a week or so in Ireland and we drove the entire time, even in Dublin. Parking was sometimes a hastle but certainly easier than in NYC! Some things you have to get used to such as the fact that there really are very few highways; most roads are only two lanes. Often the indications for road numbers, turning lanes, etc. are printed ON THE ROAD. This can be real tricky at first. Also, signs do not necessarily point you in the direction of your final destination, i.e. Killarney or Waterford, but rather the next littly hamlet on the way. You have to really concentrate on your map to find the way and have the route well planned or you could be in another county before you know it. But, with all this in mind (and we learned as we drove) we only got lost once and that was when there truly was no signage.

B&Bs were great. We found ourselves passed on from one innkeeper to the next and had no complaints except for the one B&B we found all on our own. Have lots of fun.

We spent two weeks in Ireland this July. We rented a car and stayed in B&B's the whole way. We loved it! We heard that train/bus travel is somewhat restricted to the larger cities, and is limited in the northwest region - the most beautiful part of the country. We enjoyed the smaller towns immensely. If you are looking for the smaller town experience, with the charm of local pubs, rubbing elbows with the Irish people, we definitely recommend driving. Driving took a day to get used to, but it was quite easy - as long as you have a partner to navigate.

Definitely drive! Wonderful little B&B's are everywhere and you can suit your own pace. The people are very friendly; you will see much more than you would by either train or bus. We have tried both ways and strongly preferred driving ourselves. You can cover a lot of the nation in 2 weeks.

DRIVE!! I live in Ireland and public transport here is not reliable enough to stake your holiday on. The trains don't access everywhere and buses are not very reliable.

Just back from Ireland, so here's my take - forget railpass unless you plan to visit very few places. The bus system is the backbone of intercity travel. Self dive offers much flexibility, but you must contend witht he VERY different experience of Irish driving patterns; with a 4 year old in tow, this could be challenging! We were thrilled with our arrangement - hiring a car and driver. This provided flexibility, without the hassle of having to worry about driving. Car rental in Ireland - as well as gas prices - are steep, and we found this a great alternative, costing very ittle (if any) more than self drive. We booked through Destinations Ireland & Great Britain in NYC, agent was Jay. We stayed at top flight hotels, as this was a "trip of a lifetime" splurge thing, but great B&Bs abound.