Renting a car for Ireland

My trip will be two weeks at most...

and

Has anyone driven a lot in Ireland and prefers that over pubic transport?

There's the rub,

Many here would argue that the best of Ireland is the countryside, scenery and experiences far from the cities (I would wholeheartedly agree).

Public transportation is always best in/around/between the places with lots of people: cities. Public transportation is at its worst in remote places far from cities with lots of people. This is generally true pretty much everywhere, for reasons which are logical.

You can get almost anywhere via public transportation, if you are patient and determined. But if the places you want to go are far from cities, and scattered around across great distances, it may take you a long, long time. If you have months to spend getting around Ireland, public transportation can get you almost anywhere. But if you are trying to squeeze in a lot of far-flung places in a short time...there's no more efficient way to do that than driving your own car.

Two weeks is not a very long trip if you want to get around and see the far west of Ireland. If you want to do so quickly and efficiently, you're going to need to either drive, or make hard choices about your itinerary.

Numerous trips there and mostly drove especially. In the west. Did use public transportation and it was great very clean and easy. Do not drive upon arrival. Acclimate to the time.change and jet lag then adventure out. Also.do not drive in the cities especially Dublin. Only once did we have stick.shift and that was a mistake unfortunately it was my first trip and what an experience. I mostly went from.first to fourth gears.never had a problem after that getting an automatic car. Mostly rented from.Dan Dooley or Auto Europe and user their insurance for full deductible. Most credit cards do not insure cars in Ireland. Rent fro the airport and take your time especially going around traffic circles if you miss your turn just go around again no problem. Having a navigator is really helpful reminding you to keep to the left or where and when to turn. It really does.not take.much time and patience to.drive there even on the narrow country roads. Enjoy.

Most credit cards do not insure cars in Ireland

Repeated so often, yet still not true.

The insurance on your specific credit card (which I also have, and used there for this very purpose) works perfectly well in Ireland.

One should always verify your coverage will be in effect - same as anywhere else in the world - but there's nothing special about Ireland and the auto insurance provided by your credit card. Other advice above is solid and worth heeding (just not the bit about coverage not working in Ireland).

Hi. Definitely want to rent a car for use outside of Dublin. You can rent automatic cars, choose it as an option.

We flew into Dublin, stayed a few days, then picked up our car at the airport for the rest of the trip. I usually choose an airport for pickup/drop-off. There's direct, easy public transportation to/from the airport whether you're picking up or dropping off the rental.

I have found very inexpensive car rentals from searches online, not by going through the car rental sites or any major retailers like Costco. It takes a little effort to search for these 3rd party suppliers or little car rental operators. I read the reviews, check the location, etc. So far they've been offsite from the airport, but they provide free transportation. The one I used in Ireland was very good even when we managed to pop 2 tires! We were refunded the expense of replacing them in a reasonable amount of time.

As far as driving on the "wrong" side of the road, yep, it was a bit nerve-wracking at first. We quickly decided that I was more comfortable behind the wheel and my husband was a better passenger. Lol Every time we got to a roundabout, my husband and I chanted, "Left! Left!" as a reminder to turn left, not right.

We did get lost once and dead-ended into what I called paradise. It was an absolutely beautiful beach with a hill on one side, sheep grazing on the other, and tall jagged rocks rising from the sea in the distance. It was nearly deserted. Finding our way "home" we saw some of the most spectacular scenery, along with the random sheep crossing the road. All this was after a 2-hour private walk (tour) along a sandy beach with an Irishman who looked and sounded like every Irishman should, telling us tales of a red-headed female pirate and the history of the area, along with his 2 amazing Irish Wolfhounds. What a day to remember!

So go rent that car and get your automatic and go get lost in Ireland!

We're recently home from three weeks in Ireland, and we rented through Costco and used my Costco Visa for insurance. No hassles, and the best price I could find with months of research, especially since we wanted the second driver. ($753 for 19 day rental of manual compact SUV).

We used the car for two weeks and parked it for a third week as we boated on the lower Shannon (LeBoat). The week's unused rental costs and parking fee were cheaper than the shuttles available, far far more efficient than public transportation, and the one-way fee would wipe out four days of rental. I tried every tactic to not have the car while boating, and there were no solutions cheaper than keeping it.

Although I don't recommend it, we also took the car into Dublin on both ends of the trip (one night each), again because it was more efficient than making extra trips to the rental office via taxi or bus and we could leave/arrive when we wanted. Parking was more than I expected, so I probably won't do it again. We have lots of wrong side driving experience.

We were just in Ireland in May and rented an automatic with full insurance, pick up and drop off at Dublin airport. The two worst times were the first 20 minutes or so while getting acclimated to driving on the left and driving in and out of Galway City to the car park as the streets are very narrow with cars parked on both sides. However, it helps that I was with my daughter who is an excellent navigator and I have driven on the left once before. I also routinely rent cars internationally and overall really find it no different than driving at home except for the occasionally getting lost part. Whether or not you purchase insurance through the rental agency or use that provided through your credit card, make sure you have full coverage. It is so worth it for peace of mind.

Much depends on where you actually plan to go, how long your "must see" list is, what time of year you are traveling, etc. I am of the opinion that if you're not a very enthusiastic left-side driver, you're better off using a combination of public transit, organized tours and taxis, which can get you within walking distance of just about anywhere, at a cost that is far lower than the car rental fee. And the views are better when you're not the driver.

We're headed back in August. But several years ago we went with our three adult children after the last graduated from college. The toughest part was squeezing all of us in a car small enough to squeeze through the narrow, narrow country roads. Without any question, several of the best travel memories for our trip were because we were in a car...

1-We were just driving around after our drive on the Dingle Peninsula, and we came upon a decrepit castle on private property. We asked if we could visit it. The woman said by law she had to allow us, and it was no problem at all -- save a couple of euros to help her defray the insurance she had to carry for covering knuckleheads like us. No tourists. Just her cows. We have a photo of thes top hanging in our family room.

2-The beach... We stayed away from the waters edge, but we found ourselves, after a few wrong turns, on the beach. No one was around save us. It was magical for us to be there.

3-Stuck behind cattle getting moved to another pasture, a farmer who had hands like Shrek suggested we go another route. I explained we were in no hurry. So we talked with him for some time -- and he asked how the Dodgers were doing... As a Giants fan, it was hard for me to be positive about the Dodgers, but he knew more than me.

4-Somewhere on a one-lane, windswept road... No animals. No people. Just a hellacious view of the ocean and the rolling hills of Ireland. We turned the car off -- and all of us just sat quietly for 15 minutes listening to the wind.

None of it was possible if we were on public transportation.

I will add, of all the countries I've driven, Ireland countryside makes all of my orifices close up tight. Just because there's a strip in the road doesn't make it a two-lane road. That said, I'll do it again this year.

Fantastic.

Another option..............hire a driver (or drivers, if one does not cover all the areas where you want to travel). How does one find such? Ask the B&B(s) or Inn(s) where you will be staying. We were in Ireland (I think it was 11 years ago), and we had the most fabulous driver who had a large van. He was recommended by a B&B in Doolin (his family started McGann's Pub, but I am 99.9% sure he has now retired from driving others. Ahead of time, we connected, and I sent a map/outline of what I thought we wanted to see and my guesstimates of timeframes...but with it, I included a note that we mostly just wanted him to show us the beauty of his country......he asked if it would be okay to telephone me (ahead of the trip) and we chatted, and he made some recommendations for alterations that absolutely made sense. Then once in Ireland, he made a few little changes (with our permission) and included some absolutely delightful surprises along the way (I could go on for paragraphs about those).

When we stayed two nights at certain locations, he just took other day fares then. When it made sense for him to stay in the town where we overnighted, he handled his own overnight expenses.

When I returned home, being a #s person, I compared the cost of having him (and then another driver do a one-leg journey from Tubercurry to Shannon)........but I compared that to the cost had we rented a vehicle (gone thru the stress of driving on the wrong side of the road and finding our way, not to mention the benefits of having a local drive) along with petrol............and drumroll.........it was signficantly less expensive to do what we did. There was not one day or one hour that we regretted not having a rental vehicle.

We also recommended him to friends of ours, who had an absolutely delightful time with him, and then we also hosted him for dinner in our home when he came to the states (which was extra fun).

So, such discoveries like that are absolutely possible........and, the extra benefit is that he could tell us what we were seeing along the way, or ask if we might like a quick detour to see such and such. He learned from us that we had been to Antarctica, so he surprised us with a stop at a pub where Shackleton is from...and he insisted on "buying us our first pint." My husband was fascinated by the fairy rings, and the next day, Tony arrived with a book about them as a gift for my husband, and on and on and on.

I love gardens, so we made stop at a lovely place that had expansive gardens, but I knew I also wanted to stay on schedule to make it to our next accommodation before nightfall, so I asked that he keep me on schedule and MAKE US leave in one hour...............he found us and just showed up...........and we stayed on schedule..........otherwise, I would have enjoyed the gardens way too long..................

Yes, we gave him a very nice gratuity (and even with that, it was still much less expensive than a rental car and petrol). Likely there are others like him.

Here ya go. Costco rental in Ireland