Ireland without a car

My husband and I were in Ireland for ten days without a car. We stayed in Dublin and Galway, taking tours from both cities. With all the research I did, it seemed difficult to see much of the country without a car. We took numerous bus tours, which I normally don't like to do but it worked for us.

Hire a driver (who comes w/ the car, takes care of tolls, petrol, his own overnights/meals, and parking). And, the nice thing about that approach, you don't have to worry about trying to figure out some of the smaller roads, and you can enjoy the scenery. After the fact, I analyzed our costs against what it would have cost renting a car (and related expenses) and we were about even.

If you need the name/contact info for a good driver, we can send it to you.

We recommended him to friends who went a couple of years later, and they adored him, too.

Hi Sharon,

It's possible to travel around Ireland without a car, especially if you have time. Most rail connections radiate out from Dublin - Killkenny and Waterford in the south, Cork in the SW, Galway in the West and Belfast in the North, to name a few. See www.irishrail.ie for schedules, routes and ticket prices. Smaller towns are connected by bus. See www.buseireann.ie for bus schedules. As Candi suggested above, you can take minibus tours from many towns to outlying areas. We list some of these tours in Rick's Ireland guidebook. The tourist offices in most towns should also have information on local guides with cars or minibus tours as well.

We looked at doing Ireland without a car for our recent 14 day trip. We thought about using public transportation. The time wasted getting to different places was a deal breaker for us. We also liked the idea of being able to stop whenever and wherever. We ended up renting a car and had the best time and saw so much of the country.

Why do you not want to get a car?

Well, I'm exploring the "no car" right now. We always get a car and my husband really enjoys driving on the opposite side of the road. We were in England in May, and he got sick (I don't drive there), and we had a terrible time getting back some place to drop the car. So I'm just looking at what options would be. Thanks for all your comments.

It is possible, I have done it, but you will need more time(I did three weeks), and have to plan very carefully to make the most of your time. Use the larger towns as bases where you can get day trips from. Dublin, Killarney, Galway, Belfast, and smaller places that have things you want to see that are within walking distance of accommodation and transportation.

I just returned from Ireland spending 15 days easily without a car but it was my second trip to Ireland and I decided to home base in Galway and in Dingle. But why not do both, places where you clearly don't need a car and those that it would enhance your trip. Or as others said, a driver or a tour company sometimes would fit the bill. I did 3 amazing tours from Galway with Galway tours and Michael Faherty(amazing trip to the large Aran Island). And then in Dingle, I used a RS guide and a local guide, Kevin O'Shea from Celtic Nature walks and hikes.

But the bus between Galway was long with 2 changes but I loved going through the little towns like Adare. But I had the time to take it all in and enjoy the adventure traveling by myself. So if I made a mistake, it was just an opportunity and I have a lot of opportunities.

I think a combo of methods for you would work great.

Enjoy the people, the land, water and mountains but most of all the people and I hope you enjoy Potatos !!