How much does a trip to Ireland cost? Daily budget and prices

These are per person per day, sharing a room at mid-range and comfort. Flights and car hire are not included. Dublin costs more than the rest of the country, and the west is cheaper outside July and August.

The gap between tiers is mostly the bed. A hostel dorm and a castle hotel can differ by €300 a night, while food, transport and sightseeing move in smaller steps.

Pub and café prices are the easiest way to sanity-check a budget. A pint, a full Irish breakfast and fish and chips from a chipper are the three numbers most travellers meet on day one.

Paid attractions are a small share of a day. The big Dublin sights cost more than most rural ones, and several major museums are free.

Dublin beds are among the most expensive in Europe, and Temple Bar is the most expensive place in Dublin for a drink. If your budget is tight, spend fewer nights in the city and more in the west or south-west, where B&Bs and guesthouses cost less outside high season.

The trade-off is transport. A car is the practical way to see Connemara, Kerry and the Donegal coast, and hire runs €60–120 a day with insurance. Two or more travellers sharing that cost usually beat train and bus fares for the same route; a solo traveller on a tight budget is often better off with buses and advance-purchase trains.

Book beds early for June to September and for the March bank holiday; last-minute rooms in Dublin and Killarney in high season are where budgets break. Advance online tickets for trains and intercity buses are usually cheaper than walk-up fares.

Eat one proper meal a day and fill the rest from supermarkets, bakeries and takeaways. Pubs serve food at similar prices to casual restaurants, so the saving is in the number of meals out, not in avoiding pubs.

Car hire is the single biggest swing item. Compare quotes with insurance included, check the excess, and consider returning the car before your Dublin days rather than paying for parking.

Ireland uses the euro. Cards and contactless work almost everywhere, including pubs, taxis and small shops. Northern Ireland uses pound sterling, and euros are not generally accepted there, so change money or pay by card if you cross the border.

Carry €40–60 in cash for the exceptions: a few rural B&Bs, farm shops and car-park meters. Tipping is not expected but 10% in restaurants is normal for good service.