Top 10 Travel Tips for Your Next Visit to Ireland

Planning a trip to the Emerald Isle? Let’s take a look at some top tips to make your trip as smooth as possible.

Ireland is a country filled with beauty, fun, and an abundance of cultural and social activities to get involved with.

Blasket Islands in Ireland

Travelling to any country abroad can be daunting and exciting all at once, so it’s nice to have some insider tips to help make your journey and your time there as enjoyable as it possibly can do.

So, we thought we’d put together a list of ten top travel tips for your next visit to Ireland.

10. Don’t be afraid to chat with locals

Irish people have a reputation for being some of the friendliest people in the world. Conversing with locals, no matter what country you visit is one of the most enjoyable parts of any trip. 

Especially because locals will be able to give you insider tips you won’t get in a travel book. Chat to locals to find out about the history and culture of a specific place, and we guarantee your trip to the Emerald Isle will be that much better.

9. Attend a trad session

Bars in Ireland are chock full of craic, and one thing we recommend is attending a trad session. A

Trad session is when a load of local musicians get together and play traditional Irish music across a number of instruments, including the fiddle, the tin whistle and sometimes even the bodhran.

You’ll normally find these talented musicians sitting in the corner of the pub playing all the classics, including some of the best Irish drinking songs.

If there’s one thing you walk away from Ireland having tried, we would say a trad session should be at the top of your list.

8. Book tours and transport ahead of time

Ireland is full of wild beauty, and a lot of the time, you’ll find yourself visiting small, remote villages with very little contact with the wider country.

As such, make sure to book all of your tours and transportation ahead of time to avoid any disappointment or being stuck in the middle of nowhere. 

7. Go for a hike

One of our big travel tips for visiting Ireland is to go for a hike! Ireland is full of stunning mountainous ranges, and a beautiful hike will be no further than a 30-minute drive from your destination.

Weather dependant, we suggest going for a hike in Ireland because it’s an experience like no other. 

6. Try the lesser travelled roads

Reading tour guides and books to plan your trip is all well and good, but we recommend straying off the beaten track from time to time.

For example, the Cliffs of Moher are great, but have you ever thought about heading to Slieve League in Donegal instead?

Some of the most beautiful and interesting parts of the country don’t get the recognition they deserve, so always look for the lesser travelled spots when they are available to you.

5. Have an authentic pint of Guinness

As cliché as it might sound, you have to try a pint of Guinness on your next trip to Ireland. No matter what anyone says, Guinness absolutely tastes better on the home turf, so be sure to order a pint of the black stuff in whatever city you’re visiting.

4. Currency

When travelling to Ireland, while it might be obvious, there are two different currencies used between the north and the south, so it’s always a good tip to double-check, especially if you’re travelling around the whole country.

For example, if you cross over from County Donegal to County Fermanagh, while they are right next to each other, you’re crossing over from euros to pounds sterling. So, our tip is to always double-check which currency the county you’re visiting uses.

3. Eat like a local

While Ireland isn’t most notoriously known for its food, there are some Irish delicacies you can’t leave without trying.

For example, we recommend heading to a local bakery and trying out some fresh soda bread and potato bread. Better yet, find somewhere that serves up a traditional Irish fry using local produce. Also, you need to try a traditional Irish stew, which you’ll probably find in any good pub!

2. Stay in Airbnbs

Hotels are great, but Ireland, especially rural Ireland, has some incredible Airbnbs that’ll make you feel like you’ve stepped right into the script of a movie.

Think rolling green hills and thatched cottages; there are plenty of places to stay like that in Ireland when you just look in the right places.

1. Rent a car

Our final travel tip for your next trip to Ireland is to rent a car. As we mentioned before, a lot of areas in Ireland are rural, with not much around but a field of cows and the ocean at your back doorstep.

For the best way to be able to see as much of the country as possible with as little ease as possible, we recommend hiring a car to explore.