GETTING THERE & AROUND
GETTING THERE
By air
There are four international airports in Ireland: Dublin International Airport (DUB), Cork Airport (ORK), Belfast International Airport (BFS) and Shannon Airport (SNN). There are also seven regional airports: Derry, Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Knock, Sligo and Waterford. The national carrier Aer Lingus offers flights to over 60 destinations in Europe as well as long-haul routes to the US, Canada and Asia. Other European airlines offer flights to Ireland. These include: Air Baltic, Air France, Air Malta, Alitalia, Belavia, British Airways, CSA, EasyJet, Eurocypria Airlines, Estonian Airlines, Finnair, Germanwings, Helios Airways, Iberia, Lufthansa, Luxair, SAS, Swiss Air and Transavia.
Aer Lingus schedules: www.aerlingus.com
Belfast Airport: www.belfastairport.com
Cork Airport: www.corkairport.com
Dublin Airport: www.dublinairport.com
Shannon Airport: www.shannonairport.com
By sea
The main sea ports in Ireland include Cork, Belfast, Dublin, Galway, Kinsale and Rosslare. Some ferry carriers offer routes to Ireland from Wales, France, England, Isle of Man and Scotland. These include Irish Ferries, Stena Line and P&O Irish Sea Ferries.
Irish Ferries: www.irishferries.com
Stena Line: www.stenline.co.uk
P&O Irish Sea Ferries: www.poirishsea.com
Dublin Port: www.dublinport.ie
By train
One can get to Ireland by train only from Northern Ireland. There are also rail links from Irish ports to main cities by the Irish Rail (Iarnroid Eireann).
Irish Rail (Iarnroid Eireann) schedules: www.irishrail.ie
By car
Driving to Ireland from the Continent can be long and tiring. Those who will decide to get to Ireland by car will have to take a ferry at least once.
GETTING AROUND
By bus/tram
Ireland has an efficient bus network between cities as well as a good public transport within the major towns. In Dublin, for example, it is possible to travel by bus (Dublin Bus), by rail (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) or by tram (Luas). Tickets for buses and trams can be bought in most small stores, ticket booths or automated ticket machines.
By taxi
Taxis operating in Cork, Dublin, Galway and Limerick usually have taximeters. In other cities there are hackneys (hackney cabs) which are not metered but they are usually less expensive. Taxis can be found at the airports, train and bus stations ad well as at taxi ranks. Hackneys can be ordered by the phone. Standard fares apply during the day Monday–Saturday (from 8am to 8pm) and premium fares apply at night (from 8pm to 8am), on Sundays and public holidays. The initial charge is about 4 euro. These fares do not apply to hackney cabs.
By car
Travelling around Ireland by car is an excellent option. Driving is on the left side of the road. International and foreign driving licenses are accepted. Driver must also have insurance documents (or insurance green card for vehicles registered outside the EU) and ownership/rental documents. Driver must not drive with a blood alcohol level of more than 0.08%. Driver and passengers must wear seat belts. Children under age of 12 years are not permitted to travel in front seats. Speed limits: urban areas – 50 km/h, motorways – 120 km/h, carriageway highways – 100 km/h, divided highways – 80–100 km/h. It is recommended to have a warning triangle, first aid kit and a fire extinguisher.
