Hey all. My friends and I are gearing up for our trip in just over three weeks! First question: I bought a pair of nicer black Merrells for city walking and to wear with skirts/dress. I'm wondering about outdoor shoes though? I was planning on taking my pretty-well broken in Nikes for things like Giant's Causeway and other outdoor treks. Good enough? None of us are avid hikers and I can't see climbing or exploring long trails, but has anyone ever brought their standard athletic shoes and regretted it? Question 2: We get in at 8:30AM so we're picking up our rental car and going to Bru na Boinne. I've google mapped it, and it seems fairly easy, but I really want an atlas for the rest of our trip. Is it worth buying one before we leave, or possible to buy one through Enterprise? Are gas stations easily accessible along highways like in the US where we can get an atlas? (I'm planning to say no to a GPS...but could be talked into renting one...though at 8 euros a day, i feel like we could buy one...) Question 3: I keep forgetting to call the international Enterprise customer service line, but has anyone rented from them at say the Airport location and dropped off in Downtown Dublin? We're leaving from the airport location, then at the end of the week, approaching Dublin from the South or southwest. I'd love to drop it off in the most central location, or some other location that we can easily take public transport or a shorter cab ride to our Christchurch/Temple Bar area hotel. I'm sure I think of a million other questions before we leave. Thanks in advance to all of you who have been to Ireland (or are from there) and hang out here to answer questions.
Posted by
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
2775 posts
#1 - Your Nikes should be fine. #2 - Check on Amazon for a GPS (I'm sure there are other places to look too.) You can get one with European maps for not much over $100. I always get my maps before I leave, so I can't tell you if you can find them easily in Ireland. #3 - Driving in Dublin is hell on earth. I would highly recommend returning your car to the airport. Make sure you get a map of the location if you don't have a GPS. When we rented from Enterprise at the Dublin airport (several years ago), the location was pretty far from the airport. However, they let us leave it in a parking garage at the airport.
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
I've seen people on the causeway in shower shoes, personally open-toed shoes are a bad idea anywhere. Driving in Dublin isn't that hard. Finding a place to park is. Dump the car where ever it suits you - - no sense coming in from the south and going all the way north to the ariport. You don't really need an atlas (heavy, bulky) for a little place like Ireland. Get the Michelin country map (#712). The scale of 1:400k is plenty large enough.
Posted by
OP
Omaha, NE
134 posts
1) I'll stick with the Nikes. :) 2) I was thinking The Complete Road Atlas of Ireland that Rick recommends in his book? Looks like we should be able to purchase it from a TI or gas station. Carroll, where do you get your maps? 3) Any other drop-off points you might suggest with Enterprise? We could maybe drop it in Dun Laoghaire, but I have no idea about transportation from that point back into the heart of Dublin.
Posted by
Dublin, Ireland
105 posts
You can get the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transport) from Dun Laoghaire to the City Centre, takes less than 30 mins I reckon
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
Athletic shoes are fine. You can buy a good Michelin map at Barnes and Noble, but you can also buy them at gas stations in Ireland. A complete atlas would be a waste. I get along fine with a Michelin map and the simpler one they will give you at the car rental. GPS is a great idea, but not a rental - buy one and learn to use it before you go. Yes, drop the car in Dun Laoghaire. Public transportation into the city center is simple from there.
Posted by
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
2775 posts
My Barnes and Noble quit carrying maps, so I order them from Amazon before I go.
Posted by
Anaheim, CA, USA
1455 posts
You might get lucky and get a GPS already installed in your car. When I was in France, we didn't ask for a GPS but since it was a mid grade car, there was one already installed, and we used it (and didn't get charged). But, to be safe, I would get a GPS. Many of the roads outside the big city are not marked very well, and you could easily drive right past the marker. The airport to Downtown Dublin is 15-20 min away. You can easily take a bus from the airport to downtown (or vice versa) so you can decide which you want. Try Sixti.com for better rates.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
The company Michelle is referring to is Sixt, not sixti.
Posted by
OP
Omaha, NE
134 posts
Thanks. Already booked though. Did a fair amount of searching, and after my corporate discount Enterprise was cheapest. Also, many years of positive customer service with them.
Posted by
Seattle
191 posts
Enterprise was easy for me to rent from in Ireland. I used the Dun Laoghaire location because I live in the area. For you, don't return it to the Dun Laoghaire, it is not convinient, difficult to find, and is hard to get to public transportation from. I would return to Dublin Airport, then just take an Air Coach back into Dublin...much easier.
Posted by
OP
Omaha, NE
134 posts
Thanks, Stephanie. Maybe we will just return to the airport location.