Getting around Ireland: trains, buses, driving and domestic flights

Match the mode to the route, not to the whole island. Trains and express buses handle the Dublin spokes; a car handles everything west and south-west of Galway. Costs below are 2026 estimates for one adult, one way.

Step 1: fix your base. Two or three nights in Dublin, then one region — Galway and Connemara, or Killarney and Kerry. Looping the whole island in a week means most of it seen through a windscreen.

Step 2: book the long legs. Dublin to Cork, Galway, Killarney and Belfast are train routes; buy online in advance for the €15–45 band rather than paying at the station. Galway to Kerry has no rail line, so take a bus or drive.

Step 3: decide on a car. Rent one if your plan includes Connemara, the Burren, the Ring of Kerry, Dingle or Donegal. Book an automatic early and budget for insurance bought at the desk, because many credit-card policies exclude Ireland.

Step 4: fill the gaps with buses. Bus Éireann, Citylink, GoBus and Dublin Express link the towns trains miss, with Wi-Fi on main routes. Check the timetable for Sundays and bank holidays before you commit to a rural base.

Step 5: handle Dublin separately. Walk the centre, then tap a Leap card or contactless card on Dublin Bus, the Luas tram and the DART. From the airport there is no rail link: use Dublin Express, Aircoach or the 16/41 buses.

Step 6: add ferries only where they are the point. Aran Islands ferries run from Rossaveal, about 40 minutes; Skellig Michael landings run mid-May to September and are weather-dependent.

Drive on the left. Narrow hedged roads in the west and Kerry carry tour buses, cyclists and sheep; allow more time than the distance suggests.

Rural services are thin: a few buses a day, sometimes none on Sundays. Build your day around the timetable rather than assuming you can improvise.

Swell cancels island sailings, and Skellig Michael landings only run mid-May to September. Keep a wet-weather alternative.

Tap water is safe to drink; occasional local boil-water notices are posted by Uisce Éireann.

Type G three-pin plugs at 230 V, as in the UK. European and US plugs need an adapter.

Domestic flights exist between Dublin and the regional airports, but for most trips the train or bus is faster door to door once you count transfers and security.