My sister and I are in our mid 70s and healthy. We are planning a 2 week trip in Southern Ireland in late May, 2026. We do not want to rent a car. Can we get around by using public transportation? Will plan our trip accordingly.
Posted by
Washington, DC USA
760 posts
By Southern Ireland do you mean the Republic of Ireland (as opposed to Northern Ireland) or specifically the southern part of the Republic?
Train travel is possible for some places but often a bus is more direct or more frequent or goes more places. In addition to Bus Eireann, the national public busline, there are several private bus companies to look into such as Citylink. There are also many reasonably priced daytours from larger cities to popular tourist areas.
Just for example, I visited Dublin, daytrip bus tour to New Grange (with Mary Gibbons), bus to Galway, day trip bus tour to the Connemara region (with Paddywagon), bus to Doolin, ferry to an Aran island, bus to Ennis on a 10 night trip without a car (pre-Covid). With more time, I could have gone more places. I was over 70 at the time.
Posted by
Lake District, England
10909 posts
The Golden Trekker only existed for 1 year, from 2010 to 2011.
Free travel is now only for anyone over 66 residing permanently in the Irish Republic. It can only be claimed on production of a Public Services Card (a sort of Identity document).
Posted by
Seattle, WA & Bordeaux, France
561 posts
Yes! This is my son's mode of transport around the Republic (he lives there.) Bus Eireann (https://www.buseireann.ie/), Citylink (https://www.citylink.ie/) and Expressway (https://www.expressway.ie/) are the main bus companies and a good place to start your research. There's also Irish Rail (https://www.irishrail.ie/en-ie/) but does not go to all places. Happy planning!
Posted by
Chicago
3906 posts
I had a fabulous 2 weeks in Ireland this past May using a combination of public transportation and short tours.
My trip report might give you some ideas:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/solo-in-ireland-may-2025-my-trip-report
Posted by
California Central Coast 🐚
436 posts
We spent 2 weeks in Southern Ireland in September 23 entirely on public transportation. It worked really well. Especially with the help of the transportation experts on this forum. Basically, we took a train to Waterford, Train to Killarney, Train to Tralee and bus to Dingle. We took a bus back to Tralee and train/bus combination to Kinsale and ended up back in Dublin. I'm happy to answer any specific questions but I'm not an expert. I just know what worked for us.
Posted by
RIchmond, BC,Canada
1104 posts
If you do a search of this forum for Ireland by public transit, train,bus, you will get a number of replies, and lots of good responses, as this question has been asked many times. There will be some great advice, even in the older posts.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
560 posts
Getting around Ireland without a car is certainly do-able, as long as you just want to see the major cities. And then you can add some other interesting places by bus (including tours), but if you really want to see the countryside you need a car. We’ve taken the train from Dublin to Belfast, Dublin to Galway, and Cork to Dublin and those point-to-point train rides were great. But they won’t get you to the best Ireland scenery.
For our 2024 Ireland trip we were determined to rely as much as possible on public transport but found that it was very difficult logistically. A lot of backtracking (train) and infrequent service (bus and train). And neither could let us see and absorb the places where we wanted to spend time. Part of that was due to our wide-spread itinerary.
If this is your first trip to Ireland you might see enough to satisfy you by public transport. But for us (also in our 70’s) a car is a must.
Of course, if you’re not comfortable driving in new places in general, or on the “other” side of the road specifically, then public transport might be your best bet. Or hire a driver.
Have fun. Ireland is a beautiful country and no matter how you get around you’ll love it!
Posted by
Atlanta
22 posts
Hello,
If you are not familiar with traveling by rail in Ireland, I found this link to be a good first start; Irish Rail’s map of routes and stations served: https://www.irishrail.ie/en-ie/travel-information/station-and-route-maps/ireland-rail-map .
Posted by
OP
Virginia, USA
4 posts
Thank you for all the responses. Working out our itinerary with the various links!
Posted by
9549 posts
I don't recommend doing transport on your own like this, you may miss some of the most scenic places.
The Cliffs of Moher and Ring of Kerry and away from large cities. Also, you will likely waste time doing public transport.
Check Gate 1 Travel, we did a 10 day tour with them and it was wonderful and cost was about $2000 pp.