Leave the driving to someone else in Ireland?
Elaine Glusac of New York and her sister went to Ireland for five days and did all sorts of fun tourist stuff WITHOUT RENTING A CAR.
I wanted to know how much I could see in Ireland without paying for a rental car. What I discovered was a slower pace and more circumscribed routing. All that and taking public transportation meant not having to stress about driving on the left side of the road. Ms. Glusac, The Frugal Traveler - New York Times 26 September 2026.
How much you MIGHT save by taking trains and buses
Cut to the chase. Would touring Ireland be more affordable and enjoyable if you left the driving to someone else? Skipping car rental rates for train and bus fares makes some sense. Using the numbers in the report along with personal estimates, I came up with this simple formula: Renting a car at Dublin Airport and driving around Ireland for five days = $105 to 125 a day/ $530 to 625 for 5 days.. Catching a train in Downtown Dublin headed for Cork with subsequent stops at Tralee and Killarney and bus rides to the Dingle Peninsula will cost anywhere from $50 to 75. a day/ $250 to 325 for the five. days (This Frugal Traveler column in the New York Times doesn’t crunch the numbers. Subscription needed.) The numbers above are mine and mine alone and are mere estimates.
Where trains in Ireland go. There is no train service to Donegal!
Go by Train. Go by Bus if you must.
The last time I saw Ireland was about a year ago. I can’t describe the experience of driving a car in Ireland without sounding like one more hopeless whiner from America. So, I won’t. Other than to say that getting behind the wheel is definitely one of those “If-it-doesn't-kill-you-it-makes-you-stronger" experiences. Seeing Ireland without renting a car isn’t for everyone. (My friend Sean McGuigan is currently touring the island in an RV. He’d laugh at the idea of not driving in Ireland.)
Planning a trip to Ireland is about 15% of the fun by some estimates. (Mine.) If you’ve ever gone over there, the logistics of it all can waste lots of time creatively. So try this: Driving a car or hiring a car on your holidays in Ireland is not an option. How would you get around?
How to get around without a car in Ireland’s grandest county.
Bus service is available to Donegal. Click here for discount fares.
Book Talk is coming back
Hibernian Ed Curtin is recruiting readers for the evening of November 19 to share their favorite examples of Irish and Irish-inspired writing at Kells Restaurant Downtown. Open mick night, if you will.. Would your reading be from one of these four writers? Send Ed an email and sign up. Curtine@peak.org.